Downtown Chicago on a fall evening

At the Bar: What Umami is All About

In this At the Bar column, I talk about Umami’s approach to storytelling, what our goals are, and how we’re working to become an essential publication for people interested in food and drink.

The Boulevardier Cocktail

Rediscovering The Boulevardier Cocktail

The Boulevardier Cocktail is a simple combination of rye whiskey, Campari, and sweet vermouth that creates a delicious cocktail that is well balanced and has an interesting history worth exploring.

A sparkling sweet rosé can actually pair very nicely with chocolate desserts

Wine Pairings for Your Valentine’s Day Dinner

Valentine’s Day seems like it should be an easy one for pairing food and wine. To help out, we’ve compiled a guide to help you pick out wine pairings that will enhance your Valentine’s Day dinner, not overwhelm it.

Coffee and Tea

The Truth About Coffee and Tea and Which is Better for Your Health

If you’re someone who drinks both coffee and tea, you understand what a tough choice it can be early in the morning. We know that for a lot of people the drink they choose is based on whether they think coffee or tea is best for their health.

The view from our morning hike

Escape to a Polynesian Paradise in Fiji

Traveling to Fiji for my honeymoon was the perfect way to disconnect from the world. Sitting on the deck of our overwater Bure my husband and I would take the time to enjoy the changing colors and pointing out the different types of fish that would swim underneath our hut and around the lagoon.

Chocolate Beet Cake

Making Friends or Enemies with Chocolate Beet Cake

I make chocolate beet cake for every “bring a dish to share event.” But I don’t bring it because it’s a crowd pleaser, I bring it because it’s not. This cake causes adult humans to lose all sense of public decency.

Umami Year In Review

Umami’s Most Popular Stories and Recipes in 2015

As we finish up 2015, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at the most popular stories and recipes on Umami during the past year.

persian love cake

Searching for Persian Love Cake

A story of a prince, a girl, and love nudged along by the magic of a delicate rosewater cake laced with saffron accompanies some recipes for Persian Love Cake. It’s an origin story shrouded in mystery that inspires images of two lovers hunched over a tiny table in a faraway place.

Xmas pants

The Umami Guide to Giving by How Well Someone Cooks

You want to get the cook in your life a present for the holidays, but you’re not sure what to get them. It’s a quandary. Here at Umami, we like to solve these very important problems for you; it’s kind of our thing.

The thing that makes sparkling wine sparkle is the introduction of carbon monoxide into the base wine

Understanding the Difference Between Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava

Have you ever walked into a wine store and wondered what the difference is between Champagne, Prosecco, and Cava? Explore where and how sparkling wines are made and how to make the right choice when you’re buying wine.

I navigated the tunnel-like streets of Florence to my apartment on a curvy hill across the river.

A Florentine Christmas with Risotto

On Christmas Eve, long ago, I navigated the tunnel-like streets of Florence to my apartment on a curvy hill across the river. The risotto we cooked is normally too simple for a holiday feast, but that night no one seemed to care.

The grand dame all nicely tanned

Thanksgiving Anarchy

In my opinion, turkey, stuffing, spuds, dressing, beans are some of the easiest things you can cook for Thanksgiving. The food is forgiving and most basic cooks can get the meal together without too much fuss. It’s good, but cooking Thanksgiving dinner bores me.

Folks on a Chicago Food Planet Food Tour

An Inside Look at Chicago Food Planet and What it Takes to Run A Food Tour In Chicago

When you travel to Chicago these days, there’s a good chance that taking a food tour is somewhere on your list of possible adventures. What most people don’t know is everything that goes into starting a food tour.

Farmer's market carrots

Carrot vs. Carrot: Simplifying the Conversation about Organics and GMOs

Recently I was teaching a group of people I work with what organics, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), rBST, artificial flavors, and colors are and why we are starting to talk about them as a company. My purpose was not to scare anyone or to take a political stance; I just wanted to share facts.

A vintage Jaguar on the street in the Vedado neighborhood

Traveling to Cuba to Find the Heart of Havana

My trip to Cuba was a bit to the left of legal. I visited two weeks before relations between the United States, and Cuba was restored, meaning I had to plan everything without any of my usual resources, like travel websites, where, if anything went wrong, we were, more or less, screwed.

You can use anything as long as the styles and shapes complement each other

Five Simple Ways to Dress-Up Your Thanksgiving Table

Here are five simple, inexpensive ways to dress up your Thanksgiving table this holiday season with decorations you can make at home.

Cloud Gate

Figuring Out What to Do in Chicago’s Loop

There’s so much to see and do in Chicago’s Loop; there’s no way you’re going to do everything. So whether you’re going to Chicago to eat, check out the nightlife, see a show, shop on the Miracle Mile, or just explore, we’ve put together a guide for getting the most out your trip to Chicago.

Crete

ReCRETEing: Making Cretan Dakos at Home

Travel to Crete to fall in love with Cretan Dakos and learn how to make them when you have to go home.