It doesn't take much for a steakhouse to make me happy; properly cooked prime and better-than-average wine will do the trick. But great steakhouses are rare. RPM Steak, which is all of 3 months old, is a great steakhouse.

Winter's gloom isn't upon us yet, but its imminent arrival is palpable, visible in the lengthening afternoon shadows and in the depressing Old Farmer's Almanac forecasts being shared on Facebook.

The food industry saw several twists and turns in 2014. Higher costs led to price increases on everything from cheese slices to chocolate bars. Store openings, several in spaces that were closed Dominick's locations, and expanding delivery services gave shoppers more ways to shop. And...

If you're like me, New Year's Day is not a day of high achievement. Or any achievement. I wake up grudgingly, try to ease the pain in my skull and wonder if changing out of my pajamas is really necessary.

Now that you’ve read the tastiest foods of the year eaten by Phil Vettel, Kevin Pang and Ina Pinkney, we invite you to share your favorite dish of 2014. Include your name, hometown, the name of the dish, restaurant and what made it so delicious in an email to ctc-dining@tribune.com with...

When I began this column in June, I had no idea what it would be like for me to go out to eat breakfast after so many years of serving that meal at my restaurant.

The Rose: Geek Bar Beta, currently housed at the former Storefront Company in Wicker Park, will open its main Geek Bar location in Lincoln Park in early 2015. Bar manager Laura Green's most popular of these drinks will cross over to the new space. Perhaps nowhere else is her knack for...

January is National Soup Month and a host of Chicagoland restaurants are celebrating with some intriguing offerings to warm up the first full month of winter.

Piece Brewery and Pizzeria (1927 W. North Ave., 773-772-4422773-772-4422) will co-create pizzas early next year with Doug Sohn, Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Stephanie Izard to benefit Pilot Light. 

Sample bubbly from renowned Champagne houses during The Godfrey Hotel’s I/O Urban Roofscape (127 W. Huron St., 312-374-1830) tasting party from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Dec. 27. 

We in the Dining section ate exceedingly well in 2014, and so selecting the best things we ate was a delightfully difficult chore. These are dishes we would happily order a dozen more times, if duty did not compel us to new restaurants and tastes.

A dish from Next made the James Beard Foundation’s favorite dishes of 2014. The duck and foie gras ragout with duck egg and plum jus was served at a benefit event for the foundation held in Chicago in October atop a custom platter that  kept the hollowed eggshells upright.

Restaurateur Tony Hu will bring his winning formula to Michigan Avenue with Thursday's soft opening of Lao Sze Chuan (520 N. Michigan Ave., 312-818-8099) in the Shops @North Bridge center, adjacent to Nordstrom.

Fame can be as alluring as lights for a moth. If you're an aspiring chef, the spotlight shines no brighter than in a big city like Las Vegas.

A few wintertime treats to consider on this cold, gray Thursday afternoon:

Brooklyn egg cream: Curiously, you won't find egg or cream in this chocolatey, carbonated beverage that originated in New York more than a hundred years ago. You can acquaint yourself with this East Coast classic at the combination soda fountain/deli/comfort food palace Eleven City Diner. Their...

We knew that Richard Melman, founder and chairman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, would turn L2O, his two-Michelin-star restaurant closing at the end of the year, into a new concept.

Chicago Restaurant Week, a 14-day promotion of budget-friendly lunches and dinners at most of Chicago's top restaurants, will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12. But reservations for participating restaurants are available starting today.

For those who have missed the work of chef Michael Sheerin and pastry chef Sarah Jordan since Cicchetti restaurant closed earlier this year, there's good news.

Chicago firefighters were tasked with an emotional assignment in the South Loop on Wednesday: Trying to save a historic former fire station from being destroyed in an extra-alarm fire.

Enjoy songs with your supper? Now until Dec. 24, dinner at Lawry’s The Prime Rib (100 E. Ontario St., 312-787-5000) will feature quartets of carolers performing Christmas music in Victorian-era costumes. The music gets started at 6 p.m. 

Naughty Night Cap: Tava, a contemporary Indian restaurant and bar in Morton Grove, offers a miscellany of alluring alcoholic beverages, including organic cocktails, wines, margaritas and martinis. But for a drink that is extra decadent, try the Naughty Night Cap, a cheeky confection of Adult...

An inquisitive reader asks: My husband and I are theater and concert fans who prefer to dine after a performance. Some of the places we've sampled are really designed for late-night mating dances among 20- and 30-somethings. Can the Trib help?

Thanks to everyone who entered the write-your-own-caption contest based on Scott Stantis' 2014 Thanksgiving cartoon in the Nov. 27 issue of Dining. The winning caption is by Patrick Juozaitis:

Chicken lovers can now skip the line at eight Chicago-area Chick-fil-A locations by ordering and prepaying through the fast-food chain’s free smartphone app, the company said Monday.

Cuban sandwich: With hot sandwiches becoming more appealing as Chicago moves deeper into freezing, soul-crushing winter, Paladar — a modern yet casual spot from the family behind El Cid — is great for satisfying a comfort food craving. In addition to a plethora of other warm and...

Vie (4471 Lawn Ave., 708 246-2082) in Western Springs is hosting a Revolution Brewing Beer Dinner ($125) on Dec. 18, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Chef Paul Virant’s six-course menu pairs Midwestern fare with some of the brewery’s seasonal offerings.

To kick off the holiday season, Level Two (633 N. Saint Clair St., 312-274-4444) is offering a 12 Cocktails of Christmas limited-edition drink menu. The concoctions will feature house-made bitters and seasonal flavors and will be available Dec. 14-25.

I'm assuming — hoping, really — that Jason Chan is running out of challenges.