The Food World of Marley Kayden from “Chicago’s Best” on WGN
Over the last few weeks, we have been doing our best to showcase restaurants with delivery and carryout to help us all get through this time as one big culinary community. However, we also want to be a place where you can find hope and inspiration and excitement about the Chicago food world overall. Whenever we can all safely leave the house and dine together, Chicago restaurants and bars are going to continue to need your support!
So, consider this your dose of food inspiration from the week…right from expert Marley Kayden, the Emmy Award-winning co-host of “Chicago’s Best” on WGN. Kayden has spent years in the Chicago media industry, and has also spent years dining in and around Chicago with her family and friends. She’s got a discerning eye (and stomach) after learning from, and dining alongside, some of the city’s best chefs. While we’re all stuck inside, she’s sharing that knowledge, and a list of her must-eat spots all across Chicago to help us pass the time, and also to leave us inspired to dine together again in the future.
Many of her favorites are still offering delivery and carryout services, and all of them will surely need your support whenever restaurants are allowed to re-open their dining rooms. From River North bars to Bridgeport family spots, Kayden has done her research to find Chicago’s best in food. Let’s eat alongside her!
via Siena Tavern
What are your favorite Italian spots in the city and some of your go-to orders?
Kayden: Italian food is the type I think I critique the hardest, likely because I’m Italian, so this list took a lot of thought! In no particular order, my personal favorites are: Prosecco, Siena Tavern, Monteverde, Franco’s Ristorante, and Oggi Trattoria. Prosecco {710 North Wells Street, Chicago; 312.951.9500}, is a River North staple run by Chef Mark Sparacino. The food is as dynamic as his personality is and it’s definitely worth a visit! The Tartufate pasta is a work of art and I get it nearly every time I go.
Siena Tavern. When I say that name, two things come to mind: Burnt Pepperoni Pizza and Bomboloni. This pizza is phenomenal and Siena Tavern {51 West Kinzie Street, Chicago; 312.595.1322}, used to be the only place you could get bomboloni before the birth of BomboBar. For those looking for a pasta dish, head straight for the Squid Ink Linguine. I know it sounds less mainstream Italian, but trust me when I say Fabio Viviani makes magic with this dish.
At Monteverde {1020 West Madison Street, Chicago; 312.888.3041}, you can eat anything and be happy. Sarah Grueneberg is a pasta genius and you’re in good hands. The pasta here is so beautiful that the open-air station where it’s made is a main attraction for diners.
Franco’s Ristorante {300 West 31st Street, Chicago; 312.225.9566} is a smaller family-run restaurant in Armour Square (although they say it’s in Bridgeport). The family is everything you hope it would be and son Frankie is making his parents proud running this decades-old restaurant. Their Chicken Giardiniera sticks out in my mind as one of the best thing’s I’ve eaten on the south side. Like any true Italian family, they sent me home with a giant bag of desserts when I didn’t have time to eat the dessert course there. I wish they could’ve lasted for days; I devoured each and every one way too quickly!
Last, but certainly not least is Oggi Trattoria {1118 West Grand Avenue, Chicago; 312.733.0442}. The menu at this Noble Square/River West eatery is anything but ordinary. They offer all of the expected Italian dishes (and they’re all delicious) but Chef Sam Padilla has made some standout creations! One example, the Shrimp Linguine Diavolo. I’m a meat and potatoes girl and rarely order anything with seafood, but this dish is so good that I sometimes find myself thinking about it while sitting on my couch. Lucky for me, they deliver!
via Devereaux
Where would you plan the ultimate “Girl’s Night Out?”
Everyone loves a rooftop so we’d probably start somewhere like Devereaux {Viceroy Chicago, 1112 North State Street, 18th floor, Chicago; 312.586.2160}. Perched atop the Viceroy Hotel, this smaller rooftop has great views and excellent drinks. Added bonus: we have to walk less than two blocks in heels to dinner at Stockton {1009 North Rush Street, Chicago; 312.660.3111}.
Formerly Jellyfish, this newer Gold Coast spot is everything you loved about Jellyfish and then some. The renovated interiors are beautifully done and the atrium provides a gorgeous dining setting. With sushi, seafood towers, sizzling stone-cooked meats, and even a vegan menu, there is something amazing for everyone to eat here! And did I mention the drinks? They’re incredible!
If ever we had too many to continue onto our next destination, Stockton also has a lounge with a stage and live music so our night could end there, but we’ll usually continue southbound to Bub City {435 North Clark Street, Chicago; 312.610.4200} for Live Band Karaoke! A “Back Porch Tea” and some karaoke is just what the doctor ordered for girls’ night. Entertainment at its finest (some because they’re great singers, others because they’re just “entertaining…”) and a dance floor always make for a good night.
If we’re not too tired, we’d make our way across the street to end the night at The Boss Bar {420 North Clark Street, Chicago; 312.527.1203}! It’s one of my favorite bars in the city because you can see anyone from a politician to a professional athlete to random TV and radio folks to college students here. Whether it’s slammed or quiet, we always have fun at Boss Bar. The affordable drinks don’t hurt either! From there, a cab home and into bed I go…
via Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap
What is your favorite place to have a family meal?
I’m sure few of you are expecting this but my answer is Jake Melnick’s {41 East Superior Street, Chicago; 312.266.0400}. It’s a solid meal with incredible service. Our family includes a very cute, but very rambunctious two-year-old girl, so finding a spot where we can all have a fun, relaxing meal is a must. We take her all over town, but we (and she) are always most comfortable here. Jake Melnick’s is such a family-friendly place and there’s no shortage of people and TV watching for both Grace and my husband.
I love the huge menu and the staff at Melnick’s includes some of the best in town. The kindness extended to every person who walks in is nothing short of remarkable. When we filmed an episode there, each person I talked to mentioned they feel like family when they are there and that really sums up Jake Melnick’s. The best kind of family dinner: the one you didn’t have to cook!
Where is your favorite date night spot?
My husband and I love Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf {218 West Kinzie Street, Chicago; 312.624.8154}. It’s such a cozy place and we can pretend we’re tucked away in Paris and not less than a mile from our toddler (not that we don’t adore our daughter). The food is always excellent (the Baked Goat Cheese is one of my favorite dishes in all of Chicagoland) and it’s one of the few places I consistently change my order. I am a creature of habit, but Bavette’s has such great food that I have to switch it up from time to time.
Our newest date night favorite is Tzuco {720 North State Street, Chicago; 312.374.8995}. While it can be hard to get a reservation, we can usually snag two seats at the bar and it’s just as great a meal sitting there. Chef Carlos Gaytan has done it again with this restaurant! His focus on hiring great mixologists and curating a well thought out and complementary drink menu shines almost as brightly as his food does. The Avocado Flatbread and Papantla cocktail are must tries!
via Tzuco
How has the Chicago food world changed in the last few years?
Food scenes everywhere are rapidly changing in response to the rise of social media. Dish presentation has never been more important than it is now thanks to the popularity of Instagram and the concept of “eating with your eyes.” Food critics’ reviews are no longer the only primary source for deciding if a place is worth trying or not. Diners now have photos all over the internet to help them make a choice. Quickly vanishing are the days of a hearty meal drenched in a brown, meaty sauce, just because it doesn’t look good on the ‘gram. Taste is no longer the only priority.
Many restaurants are capitalizing on trendy Insta-worthy meals, but it’s important to note that the service has to rise to the occasion for a place to stay popular. People come for the food, but return because of the service.
When focusing specifically on Chicago, we’ll always be known for the foods that were born here (deep-dish pizza, Italian beef, the Chicago dog, the jibarito), but that isn’t stopping our chefs from expanding on those dishes and trying to forge new paths. I’ve had everything from Italian Beef Pizza to a deep-fried jibarito to ice cream with Chicago-style giardiniera in it. Some of these ideas are fabulously executed, others perhaps not, but the simple fact remains that our city is not just resting on its laurels after being voted the Best Restaurant City in the U.S. in 2017.
Midwesterners are known for being resilient and tough, and our food scene is no different. There will always be hot, new restaurants with big names attached opening all over town, but the mom-and-pop shops are still holding their own. That level of balance doesn’t exist in many other places in the world. Our family and small-group run places are garnering as much praise as some of their more well funded competitors are.
What’s really changing though are the neighborhoods themselves. Restaurants aren’t necessarily replacing each other, they’re occupying new spots and adding to each area’s diversity. For example, Indian restaurants are popping up in every part of town; they’re not just on Devon anymore. International cuisine is becoming more accepted by locals and tourists than ever before. Mid-level restaurants are bringing the high-end feel people desire without the astronomical bill. Essentially, our food scene is as diverse as our city is and will only continue to grow in the coming years.
Mark Twain is a far better wordsmith than I am, so I’ll let him wrap this up. He said, Chicago “is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time.” Check back in with me in five years and I promise you this holds true!
Interview By Kaleigh Glaza | Market Editor