Food Writer Jennifer Olvera's Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago

So last week, it wasn't only our servers that got hijacked, but we had planned to help promote a book signing/launch party for local food writer Jennifer Olvera's new book, Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago. Unfortunately the event was the day our site was down and we weren't able to post. But we can now.

Olvera, a veteran food and travel writer who has contributed to the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Time Out Chicago and Frommers.com, just released a comprehensive guide to Chicago's food scene, taking readers throughout the city's neighborhoods (in a pretty hefty list) and out to many of the suburbs. Olvera covers the high-high end as well as your everyday corner haunts, leaving nary an ethnicity uncovered.

A bonus in the book is Olvera's extensive coverage of Chicago's specialty food shops (Bari Foods, Gene's Sausage Shop, Patel Brothers), butchers (The Butcher & Larder, Gepperth's Market, Olympia Meat Packers) and fishmongers (The Fish Guy Market, Isaacson & Stein Fish Co., Sea Ranch). She also dedicates a chapter to local farms and farmer's markets and another on cooking schools and cooking classes.

But one of the more personal touches to the book is the inclusion of recipes from some of Chicago's most respected chefs. GT Fish & Oyster's Giuseppe Tentori contributed his recipe for grilled shrimp and avocado bruschetta; Hearty Boys' Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh's "choose your own corn dogs" with apple slaw and ale syrup; Rick Bayless' seared scallops with chorizo, potatoes and green onions; The Bristol's Chris Pandel's shaved squash salad; seared tuna with shaved fennel and chermoula vinaigrette from Wave's Kristine Subido and more including Frank Brunacci, Paul Kahan and Paul Virant.

Olvera's book is a handy guide to Chicago food. You can pick it up now at Amazon for just $10.85.