Menu with the item akatawa in focus

WTF is Akutagawa?

May 6, 2026

Chicago

Chicago

Papaya salad in the middle of a wood table

Aug 24, 2026

History

The Som Tam Test: Taste the Freeland

Som tam isn't originally Thai, and its history explains why it's the best test for authenticity in Chicago's 300+ Thai restaurants. Here's the real story, and where to find it done right.

Papaya salad in the middle of a wood table

Aug 24, 2026

History

The Som Tam Test: Taste the Freeland

Som tam isn't originally Thai, and its history explains why it's the best test for authenticity in Chicago's 300+ Thai restaurants. Here's the real story, and where to find it done right.

Where to eat

Chicago Style

two cookies in packaging sitting next to each other

Oct 25, 2026

Restaurant

Verdict Goods

Verdict’s Cookies Are Half Brownie and Worth the Chase

cozy corner's sign standing up in some street lamps

Oct 18, 2026

Restaurant

Cozy Corner

Kiss These Grits

the sign for the restaurant outside

Oct 18, 2026

Restaurant

Bigsuda

The Dumplings Are the Opening Act

two cookies in packaging sitting next to each other

Oct 25, 2026

Restaurant

Verdict Goods

Verdict’s Cookies Are Half Brownie and Worth the Chase

cozy corner's sign standing up in some street lamps

Oct 18, 2026

Restaurant

Cozy Corner

Kiss These Grits

two cookies in packaging sitting next to each other

Oct 25, 2026

Restaurant

Verdict Goods

Verdict’s Cookies Are Half Brownie and Worth the Chase

cozy corner's sign standing up in some street lamps

Oct 18, 2026

Restaurant

Cozy Corner

Kiss These Grits

See What's New in Chicago

a close up of a chocolate chip cookie in a box

Chicago's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. The Full List.

Aug 20, 2026

Guide

Coffee

a hand with a cappuccino with a heart on it

Sep 17, 2026

Coffee

Four Coffee Shop Red Flags

Half a million drinks behind the bar and a regional SCA competition placement will teach you to size up a coffee shop fast. Here are the four things worth watching for before you order.

a hand with a cappuccino with a heart on it

Sep 17, 2026

Coffee

Four Coffee Shop Red Flags

Half a million drinks behind the bar and a regional SCA competition placement will teach you to size up a coffee shop fast. Here are the four things worth watching for before you order.

Freshly Roasted

Tasting Notes

a coffee bag in decorating a table with a DJ spinning records on top

Oct 18, 2026

Coffee Shop

Magnífico

Come for the Coffee, Skip the Muffin

a donut with bites out of it sitting next to a cartoon show zine

Aug 25, 2026

Coffee Shop

Necessary & Sufficient Coffee Printers Row

A Zine Box and a Full Kitchen. This One Is Worth Sitting Down In.

a coffee shops walk up window for a cafe in a traditional brick building

Aug 25, 2026

Coffee Shop

Necessary & Sufficient Coffee Logan Square

Art. Community. Coffee. And a window.

a coffee bag in decorating a table with a DJ spinning records on top

Oct 18, 2026

Coffee Shop

Magnífico

Come for the Coffee, Skip the Muffin

a donut with bites out of it sitting next to a cartoon show zine

Aug 25, 2026

Coffee Shop

Necessary & Sufficient Coffee Printers Row

A Zine Box and a Full Kitchen. This One Is Worth Sitting Down In.

a coffee bag in decorating a table with a DJ spinning records on top

Oct 18, 2026

Coffee Shop

Magnífico

Come for the Coffee, Skip the Muffin

a donut with bites out of it sitting next to a cartoon show zine

Aug 25, 2026

Coffee Shop

Necessary & Sufficient Coffee Printers Row

A Zine Box and a Full Kitchen. This One Is Worth Sitting Down In.

See What's Brewing

Hey there good lookin'

What's Cooking?

HEAVY T At Home

Travel

ancient chiang mai temple sitting infront of a clear blue sky

Jul 6, 2026

Travel

4 Reasons Chiang Mai Should Be Your First Stop in Thailand

Thailand's beaches are iconic. But for a first trip, Chiang Mai delivers better food, ancient temples, ethical elephant sanctuaries, and none of the logistical headaches of the south. Here's the case for starting in the north.

ancient chiang mai temple sitting infront of a clear blue sky

Jul 6, 2026

Travel

4 Reasons Chiang Mai Should Be Your First Stop in Thailand

Thailand's beaches are iconic. But for a first trip, Chiang Mai delivers better food, ancient temples, ethical elephant sanctuaries, and none of the logistical headaches of the south. Here's the case for starting in the north.

ancient chiang mai temple sitting infront of a clear blue sky

Jul 6, 2026

Travel

4 Reasons Chiang Mai Should Be Your First Stop in Thailand

Thailand's beaches are iconic. But for a first trip, Chiang Mai delivers better food, ancient temples, ethical elephant sanctuaries, and none of the logistical headaches of the south. Here's the case for starting in the north.

Hit the road Jack

Recent Guides

a pour over coffee in a glass caraffe with an empty glass cup on a wood rustic serving dish

Jul 28, 2026

Essential Chiang Mai Coffee Shops and Cafes

Chiang Mai has been growing exceptional coffee in its surrounding highlands for decades. What's happening in the city itself is newer: a specialty coffee scene that's stopped exporting its best ideas and started keeping them.

a pour over coffee in a glass caraffe with an empty glass cup on a wood rustic serving dish

Jul 28, 2026

Essential Chiang Mai Coffee Shops and Cafes

Chiang Mai has been growing exceptional coffee in its surrounding highlands for decades. What's happening in the city itself is newer: a specialty coffee scene that's stopped exporting its best ideas and started keeping them.

Prayer ribbons hung from the ceiling of a temple

Jul 28, 2026

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a northern Thailand food city with a khao soi that justifies the detour north and a coffee scene that competes with the best in Southeast Asia. Skip the beach for a few days. It's worth it.

Prayer ribbons hung from the ceiling of a temple

Jul 28, 2026

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a northern Thailand food city with a khao soi that justifies the detour north and a coffee scene that competes with the best in Southeast Asia. Skip the beach for a few days. It's worth it.

a yellow beetle parked outside a white stucco wall under a tree

Jul 28, 2026

Hualtuco

Huatulco is a beach town on the southern Oaxacan coast where almost everyone around you is Mexican and the mole is better than it has any right to be. A small, trusted collection of where to eat in La Crucecita.

a yellow beetle parked outside a white stucco wall under a tree

Jul 28, 2026

Hualtuco

Huatulco is a beach town on the southern Oaxacan coast where almost everyone around you is Mexican and the mole is better than it has any right to be. A small, trusted collection of where to eat in La Crucecita.

Pack Your Bags

AMUSE BOUCHE

Quick Bites

Oct 26, 2026

Chicago

Chicago’s Abandoned Ideas Get a Gallery Opening

Tomorrow’s gallery opening is full of ideas that didn’t get the job. Design Graveyard brings abandoned sketches, prototypes and concepts to the Field Building October 27, from 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Go admire someone’s beautiful almost.

More details →

Oct 26, 2026

Worth Knowing

Thailand’s Festival Gives Rice a Ceremonial Role

Thailand’s Tak Bat Devo festival begins today in Uthai Thani with dinner and a light show. Tomorrow’s alms-giving includes khao tom luk yon, traditional wrapped rice. October 26–27 offers a delicious window into a living tradition.

More details →

Oct 26, 2026

Worth Knowing

Mincemeat Has a Small Case of Mistaken Identity

National Mincemeat Day comes with a small naming problem: many modern versions contain fruit, spices and no meat at all. October 26 is a good excuse to investigate those little British pies before December claims them.

More details →

See All News

About Me
About Me
Portrait of a person holding an oversized knife and fork
Thai Patton
Thai Patton

I go places, I eat things, and I get completely sidetracked along the way.

I go places, I eat things, and I get completely sidetracked along the way.

Follow Me
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Eat well. Read better.

Recipes, restaurant finds, and musings. No reservations needed

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Eat well. Read better.

Recipes, restaurant finds, and musings. No reservations needed

Vector

Welcome to the party. Check your inbox.