MATT CHIERA
CHICAGO, IL

I just don't want to look back and think "I could've eaten that."

Subscribe to be sent new posts

Note: I will never, ever spam you or provide your info to a 3rd party.
Mexican Chicago

Lonesome Rose (Chicago)

on
June 30, 2019

There’s a lot of good Mexican Food in Logan Square. There’s also a lot of good hipster cocktail joints. Now combine the two and add some hot sauce. Voila, you have Lonesome Rose.

Lonesome Rose’s food is best described as…

Chicago Mexican

Cafe Tola (Logan Square, Chicago)

on
May 10, 2019

Cafe Tola feels like your local college-town stoner Mexican joint, but if hipsters and artists designed the place. Students work the registers, hip hop blares over the speakers, and the aroma of fresh tortillas, cilantro, and al pastor permeate the air.

Cafe Tola is unique in its flexibility – it’s…

Chicago Dessert

Pretty Cool Ice Cream (Chicago)

on
April 12, 2019

Pretty Cool Ice Cream opened in Logan Square this weekend to long lines and local fanfare. Despite being called “Pretty Cool Ice Cream,” you won’t find traditional ice cream at Pretty Cool. They specialize in frozen treats on a stick: ice cream bars and popsicles made from scratch with high-quality…

Chicago Dessert

Margie’s Candies (Chicago)

on
February 12, 2019

The polar vortex let up for about six hours. So I did what any Chicagoan would do when the sun peeks through the icy clouds for a few moments. I went and got ice cream.

There are those places in every city that are known by locals – legendary in…

Chicago Italian

Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana (Chicago)

on
November 19, 2018

I’ve only been to Forno Rosso once on a “business lunch,” but the dish I had was so good that I have to give them props. I had the, ahem, Avocado Toast. Basic, I know. But sometimes it pays off to be a little basic. The toast was so…

Chicago Dessert

Miko’s Italian Ice (Chicago)

on
May 15, 2018

I have many positive things I could say about this place. But instead of listening to me, just drive by on a nice day in Chicago and the copious amount of people standing around eating Italian ice in the shady little spot on Sacramento that’s home to Miko’s will…

Chicago Mexican

Mi Tocaya Antojería (Chicago)

on
April 23, 2018

Mi Tocaya Antojería is so close to being a great restaurant, however there are a few flaws that keep it from joining the pantheon of top-tier Latin restaurants in Logan Square.

The interior and exterior are bang-on-the-spot. Modern, hipster-y, but not obnoxiously so. The outdoor patio is large and offers…

Chicago Dessert

Milk and Wood (Chicago)

on
March 23, 2018

Now this is a creative dessert.

Here’s what you’re in for:

You pick out a flavor of giant popsicle. They have the usual suspects like strawberry and cookies & cream along with more exotic flavors like green tea.
They roll your popsicle around in toppings of your choice. Sprinkles, crushed…

Chicago Italian

Daisies (Chicago)

on
March 22, 2018

Is there anything better than a bowl of fresh, hand-made pasta?

The birth of a child has to be up there, your dog, when you graduated from so and so school, your first kiss?

Nope! They all pale in comparison to pasta.

Now where to find such a uniquely delightful thing?

Well, it…

Ramen Chicago

Furious Spoon (Logan Square, Chicago)

on
March 18, 2018

Enter the restaurant, hipsters I view

Sit at the bar, party of two

Flavorful edamame, delicious Japanese spice

Large bowl of Ramen, at an above-average price

Tender pork was the star, the umami was strong

90’s hip hop on the radio, that one Twista song

A fine bowl of soup, in a comfortable room

When I…