The Dining Table

For restaurant designers, the small touches are what make a space feel welcoming.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with Aida Napoles about how she brought a vision inspired by childhood memories to Carnitas Uruapan in Little Village.

You'll also hear how Napoles applies her instincts for residential design to help restaurants feel more like home.

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Claire Parlette is a server at the iconic French restaurant Le Bouchon in Bucktown, where she handles a packed house of diners every night. In this episode, host David Manilow talks to Parlette about her innovative project "Comedy and Caviar."

Parlette is bringing the stand-up community together with restaurants to serve up new experiences. Plus, hear about Parlette’s journey to Chicago and how she was hooked on the hospitality i...

Decades ago, Donnie Madia and his company One Off Hospitality helped define the West Loop with restaurants including Blackbird, avec, and The Publican. Now his remarkable instincts for style and atmosphere are hard at work transforming The Publican in ways that still honor its origins.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with Madia and Publican’s executive chef Rob Levitt about what’s new about their vision for hospitality.

We’re going to fill your plate with a multi-course conversation about the history of Chicago dining.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with food journalist Michael Gebert about his newly released book, "The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining." Hear the backstories on the pivotal players who have made an impact on the city’s dining scene from the 1960s through today.

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Without question, Chicago is known for our steakhouses. In fact, the past year boasted more new places for meat with a cultural twist. In this episode, Crain’s Ally Marotti joins host David Manilow for a conversation about the evolution of Chicago’s steakhouse scene.

Plus, one relatively new spot is proving they're booming in the suburbs, too. Manilow talks with owners Gregg Horan and Bill Veremis about what's getting rave reviews a...

Among the most anticipated restaurant openings this winter is a cozy, fire-driven spot tucked away on an Evanston side street. 

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with chef Tom Carlin and Rachel Canfora-Carlin — the husband and wife proprietors of Burl. Hear how their family move to Evanston inspired their new neighborhood restaurant. Plus, the couple shares the influence of their collective hospitality experience at the Boka...

Chefs Zubair Mohajir and Rishi Kumar join host David Manilow to talk about the history of Indian and Mexican restaurants and how they fused them together at Mirra in Bucktown.

Plus, hear about their unexpected Michelin Bib Gourmand nod, what makes Napa like Narnia, and why food is the best way to tell immigrant's stories.

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The Michelin stars have been awarded for 2025, and Chicago now has 20 Michelin-starred restaurants.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with Michelin-honored chefs John Shields of Smyth, Genie Kwon & Tim Flores of Kasama, Indienne's Sujan Sarkar, and Feld's Jake Potashnick. Some of Chicago’s most-revered restaurateurs share what it takes to create bold menus and develop engaging service.

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During the past decade, Chicago hasn't had much of a deli culture — but now, the bagel shop boom has begun.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with chef Sam Zeitlin about his brand-new Zeitlin's Delicatessen on Clybourn Avenue in Lincoln Park. Hear about the intricacies of making the perfect bagel, the key ingredients to deli hospitality and what makes an authentic nosh.

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Quality bakeries have been popping up all over Chicago. There's Fat Peach in Bridgeport, Sugar Moon in Logan Square and Umaga Bakehouse on the Northwest Side, to name a few that have popped up over the past few years.

In this episode, host David Manilow talks with chef Arshiya Farheen of Verzênay, a French patisserie and cafe in Lincoln Park, about her journey to bring a slice of Paris to Chicago and more.

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