The Chicago Tribune’s annual dining awards are back, and (if you’ll pardon the hubris) better than ever.
, all on the forefront of the emergence of these thick-yet-light crusts, ringed around with the defining crisp cheese.
Show up when Oooh Wee It Is opens at 11 a.m., and you’ll find a line stretching from the front door, around the corner of the building, and into the parking lot.It’s been that way since Mark and Shae Walker opened in Chatham in February 2021, but that success is built on years of their hard work. The couple went all out for the massive Chatham location, creating a brightly colored cereal bar stocked with hundreds of brands, along with a few swings suspended from the ceiling for those important social media shots.
But when the pandemic wiped out their catering events, the two had to pivot as quickly as possible. This unwittingly unleashedin Carter. The South Side native was always obsessed with barbecue, but he also spent years working in some of Chicago’s most prestigious restaurants, including Moto, where he geeked out on the science of cooking. This led to months taste testing various dry rubs and barbecue sauces, along with experimenting with various smokers for just the right flavor.
You won’t find the styles of beer that move the needle for many competitors — no India pale ales and no stouts. Dovetail instead makes its own fun, innovating in fresh, surprising ways, such as its occasional “Kolsch nights,” a style of service with German and Czech roots where patrons are served glass after glass of the brewery’s lightly fruity and deeply refreshing kolsch until declaring they’ve had enough.
Through it all, Chiu Quon Bakery, the oldest bakery in nearby Chinatown, has remained an anchor. Both bakeries are owned by siblings Joyce and Matthew Chiu, who took over the business founded by their parents in 1986.