Trendy chow: The next big bite

Jan 13, 2012 by Lauren Gold    Comments Off    Posted under: BONE COLD: BUNDLE UP AND EMBRACE IT

First there were onion blossoms and Chicago-style hotdogs. Then, it was bite-sized tapas, coffee shops and food trucks. And for the last few years, Asian-influenced frozen yogurt shops, cupcakes the size of softballs and petite desserts tucked neatly into shot glasses have safely found their way into the consumer lexicon and most of our bellies.

Our hungry team of dedicated reporters scoured the streets of the city to bring you a few new food trends that may be next to capture the city’s imaginative food cravings.

Vietnamese sandwiches

roboppy/Flickr

If your standard BLT sandwiches just aren’t cutting it anymore, you may want to get in on the latest craze: Vietnamese sandwich shops. Light, airy bread, called banh mi, filled with grilled meat is sure to quell your cravings. Think cucumber slices, pickled carrots and oven-roasted pork belly or Vietnamese sausage. Or try soy options with fried eggs, cheese and tofu. Whatever your preference, these sauteed chicken, pork meatball or spicy chili sauce sandwiches are sure to replace your standard brown-bagged lunch.

• Nhu Lan in Lincoln Square, Ravenswood

  2612 W. Lawrence Ave
  Chicago, IL 60625, Map
  773-878-9898

• Bun Mi Express in Lakeview

  3409 N. Broadway St.
  Chicago, IL 60657, Map
  773-661-2228

• Bon Bon Vietnamese Sandwiches in Wicker Park

  2333 W. North Ave.
  Chicago, IL 60647, Map
  773-278-5800

Cupcakes

michellerlee/Flickr

When you’re ready to give up on your New Year’s diet resolution, your local bakery (or should we say cupcakery) should be your first stop. We know cupcakes have been around for a while, but we’re okay with that. At Molly’s Cupcakes in Lincoln Park, a portion of their profits go straight to local schools. That means you’re giving in and giving back all in one bite. Sweet!

• Molly’s Cupcakes in Lincoln Park

  2536 North Clark Street
  Chicago, IL 60614, Map
  773-883-7220

• Crumbs Bake Shop in the Loop

  303 W. Madison St.
  Chicago, IL 60606, Map
  312-263-6500

• Phoebe’s Cupcakes in Lakeview

  3327 N. Broadway
  Chicago, IL 60657, Map
  773-868-4000

B.Y.O.B. sushi

Kitten/Flickr

Bring Your Own Beer, or B.Y.O.B., sushi is a hip way to experience the eclectic compositions of Japanese cuisine and still enjoy that whole bottle of wine without paying an arm and a leg. Enjoy the invigorating coolness of raw fish with sharp-tasting patches of wasabi without thinking about paying for that spicy, big-flavored wine.

• Toro Sushi in Lincoln Park

  2546 N Clark St
  Chicago, IL 60614, Map
  773-348-4877

• Seadog Sushi Bar in East Ukrainian Village

  1500 W Division St
  Chicago, IL 60642, Map
  773-235-8100

• Ora

  5143 N Clark St
  Chicago, IL 60640, Map
  773-506-2978

Froyo

Nicki Knacks/Flickr

You can perhaps call it the most colorful treat in a city known for its indulgent foods. Self-serve frozen yogurt, or Froyo, is a new alternative for ice-cream. You can put many spins on your treat by mixing flavors and adding spice – or calories – to it with toppings of fruit, nuts and candies. You can fill your cup with as much or little yogurt as you want because the payment is based on weight.

• Froyo

  446 N State St
  Chicago, IL 60654, Map
  312-755-4486

• Pinkberry

  635 N State St
  Chicago, IL 60611, Map
  312-475-0641

• Forever Yogurt

  931 W Belmont Ave
  Chicago, IL 60657, Map
  773-770-6953

What are your favorite food trends, and where can we find them? We’re hungry! Post ‘em here, or tweet them to us @ChicagoLoopster!#trendy

Crime in Lakeview: a growing threat or an old story?

Jul 22, 2011 by Don Sjoerdsma    Comments Off    Posted under: Featured, Safety

In this week’s Loopster, Kate Springer provides an overview of the rising concern over recent events that have led to Boystown residents speaking out.

But what’s really happening here? We looked at a number of variables of reported crime (burglary, battery, assault and theft) between 2009 and 2011 using the data available on EveryBlock.

Because crime tends to go up when the weather warms, we looked at summer numbers only, from June 21 to July 11, and we found crime is trending upwards in three of the four categories.

Battery is unlawful physical contact. It becomes assault if the physical contact is defined as violent. Theft is taking another person’s property and burglary is breaking and entering a person’s home for the purpose of committing a criminal act.

Burglary is up:

Battery is up:

Assault is up:

Theft is down: