Time Out’s Massive Fulton Market Food Hall Impresses a Critic

Time Out Market showcases “fancy food fast” from some of Chicago’s biggest chefs. Dressing itself as “fancier than the line-up-for-takeout food halls,” the West Loop venue offers a variety of tasty bites according to Graham Meyer. Kevin Hickey’s Italian beef makes “paying at least twice a normal price seem worth it, with the high-quality meat just bursting with beefiness and giardiniera hitting the sweet spot between too-raw underseasoning and too-soft overpickling.” Michelin-starred brewpub Band of Bohemia takes roasted carrots in a new direction, adding miso caramel, beluga lentils, supremed orange segments, and cashews to the dish. And the Chicago mix ice cream bar — a “crazy-genius cheese-caramel combination” — from Pretty Cool Ice Cream is “indeed pretty cool.” [Crain’s]

Phil Vettel finds “first-rate Italian cooking” at Avanzare in Lombard. The restaurant, opened by a trio of Chicago vets, “churns out one soul-satisfying dish after another.” The chicken Parm is a “terrific version, highlighted by a long-simmered tomato sauce that bursts with concentrated flavor,” while veal limone is “another expertly executed classic.” The risotto is “well textured and fleshed out with lobster and crab,” and “very good” pizzas include the Avanzare pizza with olives, mushrooms, artichokes, and prosciutto. For dessert, the torta di mele served alongside vanilla gelato is a winner. [Tribune]