—Air apparent: In a Food & Wine poll of 400 industry experts, Chicago O’Hare International Airport came in second in having the best food and drink options in a U.S. airport, per The Hill.
Since 2023, the James Beard Foundation has partnered with the airport to bring pop-up food festivals to some O’Hare terminals. Last year, new restaurants came to the airport’s Terminal 5, offering even more options for travelers.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport—the country’s busiest—came in first, with New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport finishing third.
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SPOTLIGHT : When I first met Michelin-starred chef Donald Young in 2021, he was the executive chef at Venteux, making his mark with items such as tuna nicoise and Eggs 5 Ways—which included the cow’s-milk cheese Delice de Bourgogne and was topped with shaved egg yolk.
Since then, he has become known as the force behind Duck Sel (originally called “Salted Duck”), which somehow has become well-known but still secretive. It’s a unique experience where attendees—who must RSVP in advance—typically don’t know the location of the incredible meal until a day in advance (and the actual menu may be a surprise as well). Here are some things to know:
- Young has the chops—and the internet has helped: Young has had many years of classical French training from chef Roland Liccioni of Les Nomades (back in 2007), and in France with chef Simon Scott of Bistrot de Saveurs. And, believe it or not, he has learned avant-garde techniques from Google. “Toward the end of my time at Les Nomades, I would make specials for this couple two or three times a week,” he told SAVOR. “I started exploring a lot of different techniques, but if I had any questions I would visit Google. … Then I started to explore different cuisines. When I got into Duck Sel, I really started to explore Asian cuisines, like Japanese cooking. But I don’t hold back on any cuisine. That’s what I love about Duck Sel—it focuses on the duck and not the cuisine. But we’re contemporary American so we do what we want to do, right?”
RSVP for the Duck Sel experience here. And find out more facts about Duck Sel at SAVOR with Andrew.
—Balkan up: Chicago’s newest Balkan restaurant, the River North spot Ambar, is launching its weekend brunch service this weekend at 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Similar to Ambar’s dinner service, the brunch menu is formatted as an unlimited tasting menu experience for $36.99, and an additional $14.99 for unlimited drink service.
Brunch items include cevapi (or the Balkan kebab), sliders, cinnamon sweet truffle sourdough (with your choice of nutella or jam drizzle topped with powdered sugar) and sudzuk beef flatbread, among other offerings. Drink highlights include Brunch Aperitivo (fortified wine with orange juice and Ambar sparkling wine), peach bellini and mixed berry mimosa.
RSVP here.
—Brunch time: Beity—Chicago’s first and only Lebanese tasting-menu concept—is also introducing a new weekend brunch service (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), expanded à la carte, and a new tasting menu for dinner service this April.
Under the direction of owner/Executive Chef Ryan Fakih, the brunch includes savory bites like parsley hummus, manakish (with goat cheese and za’atar), and eggs and awarma (a take on steak and eggs). Sweet options include hazelnut chocolate and bananas manakish. Dinner has choices like the kofta sandwich with lamb kafta and pickled turnips, or harissa mussels in spicy arak broth.
At the heart of Beity is the tasting menu, an exploration of Lebanese cuisine through Fakih’s eyes. The “Not Your Teta’s Tasting Menu” is priced at $120-135 per person. Dishes include mouné, hummus awarma and kibbeh nayeh, along with elevated entrees such as Bekaalaise lamb and sayadieh.
—Belly up: Through April 18, Urbanbelly (with locations in Wicker Park and West Loop’s Time Out Market) is bringing back its popular Belly Dog ($14).
The Belly Dog features an all-beef hot dog nestled in a soft brioche bun, topped with crispy egg noodles and tangy green papaya slaw. It’s served with seasoned togarashi fries and a side of curry mayo.
—Sheep passing in the night: River North spot Dearly Beloved has unveiled its spring cocktails—and there’s one that’s making a big impression.
The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing ($22) has been described thusly: “A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing is a tantalizingly sour delight—until you unlock its secret ingredient: the Miracle Berry. DB’s Cocktail Collective team has transformed this rare, flavor-bending fruit into a playful pixie stick. Let the powder dissolve on your tongue before sipping, and experience your drink’s transformation from puckeringly tart to exquisitely smooth. But the magic is fleeting—it lasts only 15 minutes.”
Some of the other new drinks include The Yellow Wallpaper ($18; artichoke amaro, pimento dram, papaya, lime, saline and tahini), Send Rain Clouds ($19; Tra-kal Patagonian spirit, Ancho Reyes, green onion, ginger, tarragon, lemon, soda, mint, ginger and basil crystals) and Scandal Detectives ($20; bourbon, housemade orgeat, lime, pierre ferrand dry curacao, coco rico coconut soda and ube coconut meringue).
That’s the news for this week. Be sure to come back next week for more tasty treats! And be sure to check out SAVOR with Andrew for even more news!