I'm trying to eat at every restaurant in the Loop. Follow my progress at Nick in the Loop.

Chicago, IL
Joined February 2009
I'm writing a book! THE CHICAGO HOT DOG DECONSTRUCTED: A VISUAL HISTORY, coming from @AgatePublishing. I've spent a year in the archives to write the most ludicrously definitive account of the dish ever published. Thanks to my agent Alice Speilburg and Doug and Jane Seibold.
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The best chicken wings in the Loop aren’t Buffalo. They’re crispy, craveable, and you can find them at Cleo's Southern Cuisine.
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Starting the second year of Nick in the Loop off with a Loop lunch classic: Chicken Planet. It's flavorful and affordable, but what type of cuisine does it actually serve?
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I've officially spent a year feasting in the Loop. Here's what I learned, plus ten dishes that I loved. Thanks to everyone who has followed along. I'm nowhere near my goal of visiting every restaurant in the neighborhood. If you haven't subscribed, consider joining the journey.
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Thanks for the shoutout for my book!
Buzz List! The Banchet nominations are out, what Chicagoans eat in Milwaukee, and Nick Kindelsperger has a book coming!
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Thanks to new stores and restaurants, stretches of Wabash in the Loop are starting to strut. Plus, you can stop at Green Basil Street, a surprisingly strong Thai restaurant I wrote about today for Nick in the Loop.
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Nick Kindelsperger retweeted
eager for journalism's pivot to longform features about local cranks
Per a note to Boston Globe staff today, the lesbian bar story generated 1,000 subscriptions to the paper yesterday. The Globe’s managing editor said it was “by far our best performing story of the year,” and appears to be “on pace to shatter all sorts of Globe records.”
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Wholly Guacamole has no preservatives in it and it sits in the case for weeks. Here is how. The ingredient list is Hass avocados, distilled vinegar, and under 2% water, jalapeno peppers, salt, dehydrated onion and granulated garlic. The vinegar is there for more than flavor. It pulls the pH down low enough that bacterial spores can't grow, and that matters because pressure doesn't kill spores. Then the sealed package goes into a vessel full of water and the water gets pressurized to a level their own site describes as putting it at the bottom of the ocean. Because the pressure comes from every direction at once, the food is not crushed, just squeezed evenly. At that pressure the proteins inside bacteria and yeast unfold and stop working, so the product gets pasteurized without ever being heated. Heat ruins fresh food. It turns avocado bitter and it cooks the fresh out of juice. Pressure kills the same bacteria and leaves the color and the flavor alone. It's called high pressure processing or HPP. A lot of the refrigerated guacamole in the case gets it, and so does cold pressed juice and a lot of the deli meat that says no preservatives on the front.
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Just signed my first book deal! I can't wait to announce more soon.
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Ten years ago, Meathead published a book with a fairly simple mission: help people make better barbecue by explaining what is actually happening inside the grill. Since then, Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling has become a New York Times bestseller, earned a place among Southern Living’s “100 Best Cookbooks of All Time,” and helped countless cooks replace barbecue folklore with tested techniques that work. It has also ruined fall-off-the-bone ribs for anyone who has read it. We consider that public service. Here’s to 10 years of better brisket, juicier steaks, properly cooked ribs, and politely asking Uncle Larry to step away from the lighter fluid. Do you own a copy? Tell us which recipe, technique, or myth-buster changed the way you cook. If you don't own a copy, we suggest you do.  #Meathead #AmazingRibs #BBQScience #Barbecue #Grilling #BBQBooks #CookbookAnniversary #BackyardBBQ #Pitmaster #LiveFireCooking
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I didn't necessarily have high hopes, but Seville on the rooftop of Canopy by Hilton has a clutch of phenomenal dishes that lift it above the standard rooftop-hotel formula. Unsurprisingly, the traditional Spanish ones lead the way.
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Civic Committee lays out a growth agenda for Chicago — starting with 3 million residents chicagobusiness.com/politics…
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Want to escape the present and steal away into a room bathed in golden light, dark wood, and plush booths? I know of no better place in Chicago for this atmosphere than The Ives in the Chicago Athletic Association.
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Open since 1935, Miller’s Pub seems to exist in a Loop that is busier, messier, and a bit more freewheeling. So what should you eat? That's easy. Go Greek!
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