The Domerberry Holiday Gift Guide

Greetings, friends. Today is an exciting day at The Domerberry. After 15 years of blogging, today is the day when I evolve from "person who cares about gifts a lot" to "person who actually recommends gifts out loud on God's green internet." 

That's right: We're doing a gift guide. Giving great gifts truly is my love language, and from recipient reviews, I have it on decent authority that I'm pretty darn good at it. So with the holidays approaching and my blog on a freshly frequent cadence, I felt it was time to share my gifting prowess with you. This guide contains three kinds of ideas for gifts to give this Christmas / Hanukkah / solstice / December: general Types of Thing (i.e. book or pair of socks, for you to select a variant of yourself); Specific Excellent Objects, where I make life easy by linking to one particular item I find highly giftable; and Cool Brands, for those who want to pick out gifts themselves but need a leg up on where to shop for them. We won't be categorizing beyond that, including by gift size or gender. Many items here are stocking-stuffer sized for your child but a great standalone gift for a teacher or a doorman. Lots of things here skew feminine, but if there's nothing here you could buy for the man in your life, I'm sorry but you need a new man. 

A final disclaimer is that experience gifts should always be prioritized. The world has too much stuff on it, and it's better to make someone's holiday by getting them a memory to make together instead of an object that will one day grace a landfill. Another good-gifter pro tip: go from the person's list if they give you one (and don't be afraid to suggest that they do!). The surest way to a great gift is to get something the receiver openly wants or an experience you thought of based on their interests, not on a gift guide. For people you can't do that for, though, the path to gift nirvana winds through this list. Allons-y! 

Types of Thing

Claw clips. Claw clips to me are the same as gloves and scarves: an accessory you need, and can benefit from having lots of, but which you never really want to buy for yourself. "A nice thing that the receiver would never spend frivolous money on for herself" is the best shortcut formula for gift-giving, so voila: give a claw clip. Anthropologie has many lovely ones, but for this and all holiday shopping, consider instead buying from your local cute-clothes-and-gifts boutique. Real hot girls shop small business! 

Silk scarves. Bandana-style silk scarves are hot this year and make a great gift, via the "little fun something she might not buy herself" principle. Can be neckwear, a hair accessory, or a bag charm! Delightful three-for-one. 

Pajama set. A little luxury that's a classic gift for a reason. I particularly recommend:

• Printfresh on the spenny end (I adore their eco satin), and 
• JCPenney if you're ballin' on a budget. Two of my favorite pajama sets come from JCP, and you can get cute things here for, well, pennies.

Mini alphabet cookie cutters. If your giftee is kitchen-minded at all, get them a set of tiny letter cutters. Great for decorating cakes and even greater for writing someone's name on toast with tiny letters of butter.

Compact mirror. These have started coming back into style lately, and I think there's something incredibly chic about carrying a handheld mirror in your bag instead of just using your phone. Another item that Anthro and your local cute-girl store can provide for you in droves. 

Indie pottery. Your loved one needs novelty ceramics, and they need them from an independent potter. Crucial disclaimer: We are not talking about mugs. Everyone has enough drinking vessels — consider this a universal gifting rule. We are talking about trinket dishes, spoon rests, and butter keepers. Try sourcing from:

• IBTC, a British potter making various cheeky (read: profane) ceramics, like a butter dish you can customize to read "KERRYGOLD, CUZ WE AREN'T [BLEEPING] PEASANTS"
• XOXO Frankie, a Portland-based artist who launched a viral trend this summer with ceramics that read "I will succeed because I am insane." This is the motivational message your loved one needs. 
• Someone local to you or your receiver! It is extremely chic to buy gifts from a local artist. Head to your nearest art fair or artisan curation shop and you will absolutely find cool locals making ceramics you'll be itching to gift. 

Under-eye masks. These are a tiny spa day in a plastic sleeve. Cheap and very easy to tuck into a friend's holiday card or wrap up with another item for a self-carey teacher or teenager gift.

A nice non-alcoholic spirit. Tired: gifting fancy vodka or bourbon or whatever. Wired: gifting fancy virgin vodka or bourbon or whatever. Mocktail mixology has never been more popular, but at $30-$40 a bottle, non-alc spirits can be a tough sell for a sober-curious shopper to invest in on their own. They are therefore perfect as a "you wouldn't buy this for yourself, but I would" gift. Seedlip and Ghia are the marquee brands here, but ask your local sommelier or bottle-shop guy if you need specific guidance. Also, reserve this one for people you know to be teetotal, mostly sober, or unable for medical reasons to have alcohol (hi, pregnant ladies). Easy for this to read as passive-aggressive if you get it for the wrong person.

Miniature puzzles. Miniature is the key word!!! Puzzles are fun in general, but a sub-500-piece puzzle that the person can complete and remove from their dining room table in the course of one afternoon? Now that's a gift. 

Analog hobby supplies. In case you haven't noticed, the coolest thing to do here in the age of AI is to get tf off your phone. Help your loved one do this with supplies for an offline hobby. Such as: 

• A tracking journal for reading or film viewing. I use a Kunitsa reading journal personally, but Papier also makes stunning ones. A24 has a cool log for movies.
• Crafting kits. Pottery, needlepointing, painting, tiny crochet animal-making — there are kits for every craft under the sun these days. Find at Anthro, Urban Outfitters, and Uncommon Goods, or, for extra swag, seek them out at your local cute-gifts boutique (I guarantee you they have something in this vein).
• An assorted-occasions card box for the friend who's always wanting to get into snail mail. Rifle Paper Co. has pretty premade sets, but you could also DIY this by filling any ol' box you've got with curated cards you chose yourself at your local stationery store.

Room spray. Unless they are your lover and also a person whose preferences you've spoken about at length, perfume is too risky to blind-buy as a gift. But room spray is a horse of a different color. It's a luxury they may not buy for themselves, a non-essential that they may not have firm scent preferences on, and, generally, a cheap enough bottle that if the person does end up disliking it, you haven't sunk $100+ into a failed gift. DedCool is one chic source for this, among many. Pair with hair-friendly silk pillowcases or a fluffy blanket for a great bedroom-gift package. 

A special edition of a favorite book. Like perfume, books are a risky gift, as people's tastes are so subjective. If you already know your giftee's taste, though, a special edition of a book they already love is a gifting slam dunk. Folio Society and Juniper Books are two especially dreamy places to go for this.

Fancy chocolate. There is a reason why people have bought each other fancy food for Christmas since the dawn of Christ. It's just a great gift. The market is especially saturated right now with high-end chocolate, and a bar or box of it is a no-fail gift for anyone from your neighbor to your brother-in-law. I like: 

• Going into your local gift shop or specialty grocer and buying whatever they have.
• Maeve Chocolate out of Seattle. 
• Compartes, which has been recommended to death but still appeals. If someone sent me a box of their chocolate-covered apricots or pears, I would marry that person.
• Harrods. Buy it online or bring it back if you go to London (at any time of year). Especially good for Anglophiles.
• BONUS IDEA: If you are rich, you need to be gifting food hampers from Harrods or Fortnum's. This would be my go-to in-law and major-host gift if I could afford to spend multiple hundreds of dollars thanking someone for tolerating my presence. 

Record player. Playing records at home to accompany a party or dinner is incredibly chic. Snoop around to make sure your giftee doesn't already own a record player, and if you're in the clear, get them one. (Anthropologie has a new Crosley designed by Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad that was so gorgeous it sold out between me drafting and publishing this blog, but you could always join the waitlist for it.) A side bonus of this one is it also gives you an easy gift for this receiver for every future holiday and birthday: new records! This would be a great gift for a baby-boomer parent, since they very well may have old records from high school and college and no way to play them. You're welcome for the multi-generational bonding. 

Specific Excellent Objects 

Fredericks & Mae cutting boards. This New York designer makes the coolest boards on the market. They're durable, pro-kitchen-quality, and dishwasher-safe, but also, more importantly, STUNNING. Get one (they're stocked at tons of indie home and gift shops) for any giftee who likes cooking or hosting — with their colorful speckled patterns and handlebars, they work as serving trays just as well as cutting boards.

Robert Pattinson nesting dolls from A24. Select the person in your life who is most passionate about Letterboxd, and buy them this. 

Alex Mill totes. These have been a viral, must-have item this year for fashionable folks, and I'm sorry to be basic but they would make a great gift. You can choose between four sizes (Perfect Weekday is most practical in my view) and a dozen colors, but no matter what you do, be sure to get it monogrammed. Your stylish dad or fashion-obsessed-but-disinclined-to-drop-big-bucks-on-herself friend will love the clout they get from carrying this.

Jacobsen Disco di Sale. This is the perfect tiny foodie gift, and I genuinely don't understand why it isn't on every gift guide everywhere. $12 for a jar of salt discs perfectly portioned for a pot of pasta water. Buon appetito.

Leather bookmarks from Rifle Paper Co. I received one of these as a gift two Christmases ago and I adore it. Your book-loving friend will love owning and using this. Pair it with a book from your giftee's list for a perfect "something they're expecting, something they aren't" duo. 

Games Room trivia sets. This line from Chronicle Books includes literal dozens of themed trivia card games — travel, food, 2000s pop music — in appealingly cute and compact boxes. Trivia-loving friends will love busting these out at parties, but they're also great for loved ones going through cancer or other medical challenges. They're a game that requires no equipment or flat surface and can flex to include a room full of people or just a one-on-one pair: perfect, perfect, perfect if you're cooped up in the hospital.

Cocktail napkins from Piecework. Coasters are dead, and reusable linen cocktail napkins are the new king. Piecework, strangely, is a puzzle company, but they also make the market's cutest shaped napkins. Get a strawberry set for the Logan Berry in your life, seashells for coastal girlies, or PASTA-SHAPED NAPKINS for anyone with a pulse. I would be delighted to receive these as a gift. 

Puzzlemania! I recognize that I have a New York Times bias, but this hardcover collection of Wordles, Spelling Bees, crosswords, and more is truly a great gift. Pair it with a fun pencil from your local stationery store for a slam-dunk present for the Times Games lover in your life.

Cool Brands 

Dusen Dusen. I own oven mitts and slippers from this Brooklyn-based designer, and trust me that that is not enough of their products. Everything they make — towels, kitchen canisters, even trash cans — could make a great gift for your favorite color-loving homebody. If you can't find what you like on their site, check out their many other stockists — they're carried in various places online and in-person at tons of cool little shops. 

Big Night. It physically pains me that this hosting-centric kitchen and gift shop only exists online and in New York. I NEED YOU IN CHICAGO, BIG NIGHT! Fortunately for us gifters, though, their online store will get the job done if you're shopping for a cook or frequent host. There's gorgeous, funky glassware and linens if you need big-ticket items, or, for smaller treats, there are plenty of fun serving spoons, cheese knives, cocktail picks, and high-end pantry items. 

Cuteryko and Myrne Collective. If you're shopping for someone who loves Ireland (good chance of that if you're in my social circle), you need to know about these two. Belfast-based Cuteryko makes accessories inspired by miscellaneous Irish things, from claddagh-ring hair clips to shamrock earrings that say "feck off" (or, like, "slainte," if your giftee is straight-edge). Myrne Collective, also based in the North, sells curated drops of Irish vintage plus Aran sweaters with hand-embroidered pints of Guinness on them. The sweaters have been in Vogue. People will lose their minds if you get them one.

Polychrome Goods. This is an emporium for cheeky, pop-culture-savvy novelty products. Need a Heated Rivalry dad hat that says "mentally I'm at the cottage"? They've got it. Mug that says "I hope this email kills us both"? Check. Beach towel in the shape of a stick of butter? Done, and available with butter-printed paper to wrap it up in. This is not for everyone on your list, but it is very, very much for someone.

The Personal Brand That is Me, Sarah Cahalan. Did this big ol' gift guide not cover what you need? Good news: I am available for hire!! It would delight me to be your personal shopper this season. Please get in touch if you want personalized assistance with some of your holiday gifting! I can help with:

• Curating a list of gift ideas (experiences included) for a particular person or people 
• Turning an experience gift into something unwrappable: making a hand-drawn postcard to go with an online gift card, writing a printable travel guide to accompany a gifted trip — you name it 
• Addressing holiday card envelopes 
• Wrapping, if you're local to Chicagoland.

Don't hesitate to get in touch if this interests you, or to connect me with other people in your life if you know someone who's seeking services like this. I would love to be your tutor in learning the language of gifts. 

Happy holidays, my friends, and happy gifting! 

Friday Five: 11.6.26

Hello, my friends and readers! What a week. Steve Kornacki is back on TV, it's cold enough for mid-weight jackets and beanies — November has well and truly arrived. Let's jump right in today with the five things I've been loving here at the height of blustery season. 

1. Kitty's Cosmpolitan Club. I am not a person who spends a lot of time in dimly lit, slinky cocktail dens. For one thing, Chicago doesn't have that many dimly lit, slinky cocktail dens. Last week, though, I went to Kitty's Cosmpolitan Club, a highly slinky cocktail bar in the basement of a downtown Asian restaurant, and, as the young people say, that place ~was a vibe~. Green velvet hanging in swags from the ceiling. Waiter in a tuxedo. Gin martini made tableside and for some reason priced at $36. I don't know that I'll ever go back to this place, but for one funky night and a spot of anthropological people-watching, wow — an unmatched space. Give it a try if you're in town. Go to the bathroom and feel the girl-power "hi Barbie" energy of the ten 24-year-olds who will inevitably be in there helping each other fix their outfits and take pictures. Enjoy. 

2. The new Local Eclectic flagship. Speaking of girl power, Chicago's other hottest club is the new indie jewelry store tucked into a brownstone in Streeterville. Local Eclectic makes very fun jewelry at an accessible range of price points, and they'd been on my radar for a while before opening their first brick-and-mortar store here in Chicago in September. On the same night that we went to Kitty's, my friend and I popped in here for some maybe-window, maybe-real shopping, and it was a delight. They have a room with a giant spinning ballerina doll hanging from the ceiling! They put you in an actual jewelry box! I would highly recommend stopping in here, especially in the near future once their gorgeous in-store cafe is open for business. 

3. Sopa de fideo. I recently won the library hold lottery and got my hands on a copy of Caroline Chambers' new cookbook, Make It Fast. We have been obsessed with her previous book, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, for months now, and I'm pleased to report the first thing I cooked from Make It Fast was just as good as what we've had from Vol. 1. I made her Cheddar Chorizo Fideo recipe this week, and while it's embarrassing that my first encounter with this very long-existing Mexican soup is in an easy-recipes cookbook written by a white woman, it did make me realize what a treat fideo soup is. Caro's version is basically chorizo, pinto beans, corn, fideo noodles, and a bunch of spices and lime juice all whacked together into a pot of tomatoey broth, and, as advertised, it is both fast and delicious. 

4. Chicago Shakespeare Theater. I never feel more cultured (read: smug) than when I go to see live Shakespeare. I made my annual-ish visit to CST this week, and as always, it was a great time. The performances were impressive; I was surrounded by old people that I got to make charming small talk with at intermission; and I got to wander around on the theater's rooftop after the show and be reminded that this place has maybe the best view in the city. CST is doing The Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream in repertory right now, so you've got double the usual chances to go see some Shakespeare and feel just as smug as I do. 

5. Netflix's weird Wonka competition show. On the other end of the culturedness spectrum, another program I've enjoyed lately is Wonka's The Golden Ticket, a reality show where people compete in vaguely candy-themed challenges inside a replica Wonka factory for the chance at $3 million. This show dropped on Netflix a few weeks ago to approximately zero fanfare, but I have to tell you: it's a good friggin' time. The sets are gorgeous. One girl is so aggressively bratty you'd think her government name is Veruca Salt. In one episode, there's a competitive wallpaper-licking event (yes really) that's so obscene it frankly should not be shown to children. Netflix put their whole chest into this random braindead competition show, and I salute them for it. 

Thanks for reading! See you next week for the first-ever Domerberry gift guide. 

Salem Travel Guide

Happy Halloween, Domerberry readers! In this week's Thursday Dive, we're looking at the ultimate spooky-season vacation destination: Salem, Massachusetts. I went on a solo trip to Salem a couple falls ago, and it was one of my all-time most delightful trips. 

Thinking of making a pilgrimage to Witch City yourself? This guide will tell you all you need to know, from the best times to visit Salem (hint: not on an October Saturday) and Salem's best witchy shops to where to stay in the city and which sites to see and to skip. Enjoy this Salem travel guide, friends — and let me know when you plan your own trip! 

When to Go to Salem

Odds are, if you're interested in going to Salem, you want to go in October. That's when the magic is at its best, and even if it weren't somehow, it just feels right — visiting witchy spooky town at the height of spooky season. The issue with October, of course, is the crowds. More than 1.1 million people (!!) visited Salem last October, and on weekends — especially those closest to Halloween — they're out in droves, packing the streets and making getting around a challenge for anyone unable to glide over the scrum on a broom. 

So what's the trick? Go on a weekday. I set my Salem trip for a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in mid-October, and it was perfect: full spooky season ambience, but small enough crowds to get into shops without standing in line and walk around town without sardine-can density. Prices come down midweek, too — my Airbnb in the center of town was around $250 a night, pricey but a fraction of what places in town charge during October weekends. 

Another tip, of course, is to not go in October at all. People know Salem as a spooky-season destination, but it's a sneakily great place to vacation year-round. It has coastal charm in the summer, picturesque New England snowscapes in the winter, and enviable historic homes to admire all year. Lots of witchy attractions operate year-round too, including several museums and most spooky shops. Salem in October is great, but the rest of the year can buy you largely the same darling town with a fraction of the crowds and the costs. 

Things to Do in Salem

• Tour the Witch House. With its black exterior and triple-pointed roof, the Witch House looks like a spooky witch's lair — but in reality, it was the home of Jonathan Corwin, one of the judges who presided over the Salem Witch Trials. (Good reminder of who the bad guys actually were in that debacle.) That ownership makes it one of the last remaining buildings in Salem with a direct tie to the trials, and it's absolutely worth touring to see the centuries-old interiors and the early Salem artifacts inside. Tickets are tricky to get: they're sold same-day only, and you have to log onto the house's website at 8 a.m. and act fast to snag them. If you get tickets, congrats, you get to poke around one of the oldest houses in America (it dates to either 1675 or 1642, depending who's measuring). If you don't, well, still stop by — you won't be able to go in, but you can snap spooky pictures outside. 
• Visit the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. Yes, Salem is fun for contemporary, playful witchy reasons, but all that spooky stuff exists because first they tortured and killed 20 people for "witchcraft" that was almost certainly as simple as "being a person that some minister didn't trust." In my opinion, you can't plan a vacation here without stopping and paying your respects. The small but impactful memorial is free to visit and attached to the 1630s-era Burying Point Cemetery downtown.
• Sit for a spell (get it?) on Salem Common. I'm always a proponent of loafing around in the big park of whatever destination you're visiting, but this one is especially good. In October, it's a hub for the city's Haunted Happenings festival, with occasional vendor and artisan booths, entertainment, and food stalls, and year-round, it's surrounded by comically photogenic historic homes (and the school where the Sanderson sisters got locked in the kiln in Hocus Pocus). Sit out there with a book and an apple cider and enjoy your afternoon. 
• Take a walk on Chestnut Street. PSA: Salem has SO. MANY. Cute houses. The city is packed with homes dating back to the 1700s and before, and people here take pride in maintaining their curb appeal (and decorating deliciously for Halloween). You can admire enviable historic architecture lots of places, then, but Chestnut Street is the jewel in the crown. The street starts just a block south of the Witch House, so after your tour there, pop over to Chestnut and get ready for some serious property envy. 
• Visit the House of the Seven Gables. Literature and history lovers will enjoy this museum, home to Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace and the titular, real house that inspired his House of the Seven Gables. A ticket here gets you a guided tour of the Seven Gables house and self-guided audio tour access to the birthplace home and the grounds, which feature stunning gardens, harbor views, and smattering of historic outbuildings. There's nothing particularly witchy about this place (apart from the main home's moody black exteriors), but it's worth checking out if your interests expand past the purely spooky. Another perk is that the museum sits in the waterfront district. From here, it's easy to check out the long, lighthouse-capped Derby Wharf and the Salem Maritime National Historic Park, which is packed with informational plaques about the city's seafaring history and is therefore perfect for freaks like me who watched too much Rick Steves as a child.
• See the sights from Hocus Pocus. If you are a millennial or simply a person of taste, you are probably drawn to Salem because of its connection to Hocus Pocus. Most of the movie was filmed here, and many of its sights and sounds come from real-life places across the city. You can see the Denisons' house here, the mansion where Allison lived, the school, the city hall, and much more — but we'll address the details on that a little later in the blog.

Notes on a few other things: The Peabody Essex Museum seems absolutely worth a visit; the timing just didn't work for me when I was in town. Conversely, the Salem Witch Museum is skippable IMO. The Witch House, the Peabody, and guided walking tours (which I always recommend) can get you accurate and engaging information on Salem's witch history without the sometimes corny stuff the witch museum has (they've got a lot of animatronics and wax figures over there, y'all). Other activities I'd love to try on my next visit include getting a tarot or other supernatural reading of some kind and going on a sunset cruise (a great option for people who've been dragged to Salem by a witchier companion and want to do something that isn't ooky-spooky). One thing you could not pay me to do is wait in the endless line for Blackcraft Coffee. There are so many other places to get drinks and look at spooky stuff. Do not give an hour of your life to this queue. 

How to Get Around Salem

Whatever you do, don't bring a car! Cars are lame in the first place — this is a staunchly pro-transit publication — and, more to the point, they're both unnecessary and hard to find parking for in the dense center of Salem. 

I'm partial (in Salem as in life) to the train. The MBTA commuter rail system runs almost 30 trains a day to Salem, getting you from Boston to the center of town in just over half an hour. Should you be more of a seafaring type, there's also a ferry connecting the cities several times a day from May through October. 

Once you're in town, most attractions are easily walkable. Salem also has Uber, Lyft, and its own city bike program should you need to go somewhere further afield. 

Where to Stay in Salem

As I said, I stayed in an Airbnb on my trip, and I loved that for the combo of stellar location and manageable price (here's the link to the place I rented, if you want to just copy me wholesale). Vacation rentals in Salem or neighboring train-served towns like Swampscott and Beverly are my top recommendation for a Salem trip. 

If you're more of a hotel person, though, these are the town favorites:

• The Merchant, a boutique hotel with funky, colorful decor set in a teensy historic house (just 11 guestrooms) a couple blocks from busy Essex Street
• The Hotel Salem, a larger (44-room) sister hotel to the Merchant located right on Essex, a moonstone's throw away from Old Town Hall
• Hawthorne Hotel, a property smack-dab on Salem Common that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025. 

If you're a hotel person and would rather stay outside the busy Salem core, options abound. The Beaumont Hotel in Gloucester sits walking distance from the same train line Salem's on and is especially great in summer, with its beachfront location and rooftop pool. There's also Boston, of course, which has every style and brand of hotel you could dream up. To indulge briefly in some luxury delusion, there are two places I'd particularly love to stay in someday: the Four Seasons on Boston Common, renovated in 2023 with the painterly design scheme of my dreams, and Raffles Boston, the first and so far only American outpost of one of the best hotel brands in Asia.

Where to Eat in Salem

• New England Soup Factory. What could be better than a fall trip to Witch City, USA? A fall trip to Witch City, USA, where you also get to sit in a cozy cafe and eat soup. This place offers 10 soups daily from a menu of more than two hundred made-from-scratch recipes, and it's right in the heart of the action — the Bewitched statue in Lappin Park is only a single block away. 
• The Lobster Shanty. If you go to coastal New England and don't get seafood from a shack, you and I will simply never understand each other. This is a classic no-frills spot (though it does have tables and waitstaff) with lobster rolls, fried scallops, and every other seafood thing your heart could desire, including a perverse concoction called Nova Scotia poutine that subs in clam chowder for the usual poutine gravy. The Shanty closes from January through April, but it's worth the walk-in-only line to get in the rest of the year. 
• Goodnight Fatty. If you're in town on a weekend, stop into this late-night spot for big ol' cookies served in three new flavors every week. The name is terrible. Try it anyway. 
• Bella Verona. Most of the finer-dining places in Salem — Settler, Ledger, Bernadette — will be near-impossible to get a reservation for if you're visiting in October. Bella Verona is just under-the-radar enough that you can still snag a seat. (On my Wednesday night visit, I got a table as a walk-in!) This is a classic red-sauce joint specializing in pastas and charming interior ambiance.
• Outside of Salem. There are lovely places to eat in Salem, but ultimately, you're not there for its dining scene. If you're seeing more than just Witch City during your trip, consider going elsewhere for a memorable meal. I'm partial to Woodman's of Essex a bit up the coast (they're a seafood shack open since 1914 that claims to have invented the fried clam), or, in Boston: 
• Row 34, a fineish-dining seafood place with a couple trendy locations and an impressive menu of local oysters
• The Barking Crab, a mostly-outdoor waterfront shack I've been visiting and loving for almost 15 years (I like seafood, okay?!)
• Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, for delightful brunch fare, multi-story book shopping, and impeccable Nancy Meyers-y vibes; and 
• Mike's Pastry, for cannoli.

Where to Shop in Salem

• HausWitch. My personal favorite witchy shop in Salem, HausWitch looks like the kind of cute, for-the-girlies gift shop you'd find in your favorite local neighborhood — but it pairs the standard candles and home-goods fare with a slightly more supernatural edge. Witch-curious shoppers can find house-made spell kits here (like Co-Habitate "for harmony with roommates"), plus aura reading and occasional events.
• Oak + Moss. For the green witch in your coven, this plant and gift shop is packed with greenery, ceramics, and enticing little treats like plant-based lip balms and botanical chocolates. I can still smell the herby, sprucey scent of this place three years after I last shopped there. 
• Wynott's Wands. Want to get in the spirit of your favorite boy-wizard series without supporting the giant corporate franchise of it all? This is the place for you. Wynott's sells wall-to-wall wands in a space that looks like it belongs on Diagon Alley, but the shop is completely independently owned and features hand-carved pieces, some made with local New England wood.
• Spruce Home. A place in Salem where your mom won't be scared even a little bit! This is a sister store and neighbor to Oak + Moss and sells darling kitchen and home goods. My haul here was two copies (one to keep, one to gift) of a guidebook on autumn leaves.
• Peabody Essex Museum Store. There is no better one-stop souvenir shop than a museum store. This one features prints and products inspired by the art of the PEM collection, plus general Witch City keepsakes and a dedicated line of seasonal and home decor modeled on the city's historic homes. Imagine my delight when I was poking around here and found a tiny replica of Alison's house from Hocus Pocus (complete with window pumpkins) to buy and take home as the new centerpiece of my fall decor. Worth stopping in here to snag one!

Where to Find Hocus Pocus Filming Sites

Let's get real: Hocus Pocus is why we are all here. You want to see the filming sites if you're coming to Salem, and I would be remiss as a travel blogger if I didn't tell you where to find them. Here are the deets.

Max Denison's House

• Address: 4 Ocean Ave. 
• Get here via: Uber, bike, or 30-min walk from downtown 
• Notes: This is a regular house where someone lives, on a regular residential street. Don't be a nightmare.

Allison's House 

• Address: 318 Essex St. 
• Get here via: Walking
• Notes: Called the Ropes Mansion in real life, this is a famous historic property in Salem owned by the Peabody Essex Museum. During the summer and early fall, you can buy tickets to explore the inside on weekends. The exterior gardens (which are lovely) are typically open to visitors for free. 

Old Town Hall (site of the parents' Halloween dance)

• Address: 32 Derby Square
• Get here via: Walking 
• Notes: You'll probably stumble upon this without even trying as you walk around downtown Salem. There's plenty of space and opportunity for exterior pictures and exploring. If you want to see inside, check the calendar — this is currently a private event space, not a town hall, meaning the public can come in at times, but only during certain events (in 2026 those include the city's Haunted Happenings Halloween festival, which is hosting a food fest in the building during October). 

"Jacob Bailey High School" 

• Address: 86 Essex St.
• Get here via: Walking 
• Notes: Max and Allison's fictional high school — where they went to class and trapped the Sanderson Sisters in the art-room kiln — was portrayed by the real Phillips Elementary School, located right on Salem Common (which, side note, was also a filming site for the movie, so this is a twofer). The building isn't open to the public, but it also isn't a school anymore, meaning you can take exterior photos to your heart's content without disrupting anybody's math class. 

Thackery Binx's Village 

• Address: 98 West Ave. 
• Get here via: Uber, bike, or 35-min walk from downtown 
• Notes: The opening scenes of the movie, set in 1690s-era Salem, were filmed in Salem Pioneer Village, a living history museum that's open to the public. Hours and open dates are limited — they typically allow visitors on weekends only, and just from June through November — but it's worth a stop if it fits your schedule. Extra tip: Pioneer Village is just around the corner from Max and Dani's house, so you can check out two film sites here for the price of one Uber. 

Old Burial Hill Cemetery 

• Address: The intersection of Pond and Orne Sts., Marblehead, MA
• Get here via: Uber
• Notes: Most of the nighttime cemetery scenes in Hocus Pocus were filmed on a soundstage, but you can visit the real graveyard where Max gets bullied by Ernie and Ice on his way home from school. That scene was filmed in Old Burial Hill, a historic cemetery not in Salem but in neighborhing Marblehead, a 25-minute drive from Salem Common. I wasn't hardcore enough to visit this one on my trip, but if you're a filming-site completist, this is one to check off your list.

Friday Five: 10.23.26

Another week has come and gone, and it's time for me to opine on some things I'm into. Have I done anything exciting in the last two weeks? No. Do I have opinions anyway? Of course, always, in perpetuity, yes. 

1. The Diplomat. Netflix dropped season four of its foreign-service drama last week, and oh my God you guys it is so good. The number of gasps I gusped during this season! There are twists and shocks galore; there are incredible performances from Keri Russell, Allison Janney, and several men whose names I can't be bothered to memorize; there is so much. If you are interested in politics, foreign affairs, England as a concept, prestige TV, or women's suiting, you need to be watching this show. Congrats to Netflix and congrats to all of us with good enough taste to be Diplomat fans.

2. "Expectations" by Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan. The girls are treating us right now, my friends. "Expectations" was already one of the best songs on the latest Olivia album, so to come out with a remix featuring Chappell is basically a Christmas present showing up two months early. (More on that later.) I love Chappell's voice on this, and as a famous one-time game show runner-up, I of course love the video. Chappell's all-timer lewk in the Jeopardy! section of the vid (the wig! the sparkly feather nails!) is proof that God loves us Jeopardy! alums the most.

3. Browsing for shoes on the internet. Listen y'all, sometimes life is hard and you just have to sit around and look at shoes. I'm too broke to be buying much of anything right now, but here are some pairs I would pick up if I tripped tomorrow and fell into a Scrooge McDuck-style pool of money.

• Flabelus mary janes. Aesthetically, a perfect shoe. I would get this in maroon, mustard yellow, and cornflower blue if I could and be a perfect little grown-up-Madeline flats girl.
• Bizarrely, so many things from the Timberland fall collection. I never thought I'd aspire to own Timberlands, but that company woke up this fall and decided to be chic. Studded burgundy boat-shoe creepers? Gorgeous cognac platform Chelsea boots? An ANTHROPOLOGIE COLLAB?! I don't know what got into the water over there, but keep pumping it in. 
• Green velvet slingbacks with bows by ASOS Design. Buy me these and invite me to a Christmas party so I have somewhere to wear them. 
• Everything from Charlotte Stone, but especially the rubber loafers that look like you stepped into a tray of purple paint. Hooray for fun!

4. Christmas. I recognize that it is too early to be plotting about Christmas. But by God, Mariah Carey is defrosting and so am I. Those who know me know that I am obsessed with gifts, so I have naturally already started to plan what I'll be buying and making this year. I am thigh-deep in holiday card product listings on Minted.com. I am fantasizing about $40 ornaments. I have certainly already purchased two presents and four rolls of ribbon. Watch this space, folks, if you are or aspire to be as gift-fanatical as me — there may or may not be a gift guide coming sometime soon. 😈🎅

5. The hidden ice cream stand at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Because nothing can be easy, much of the last two weeks was spent with my partner in the hospital. He's okay, all things considered, but the hospital is fun for no one. Hidden away in the food court at Northwestern Memorial, though, there is one fun thing. Inside the Burrito Beach quick-service restaurant, there's a teensy little stand selling frozen custard. People must go here on normal and good days: a nurse on her lunch break; a dad treating his kids after they meet their newborn baby sister. But this stand is a gift for those of us in the hospital on bad days. Frozen custard is nothing all that special. But a little cup of fresh, cold ice cream with brownie bits, spirited away and eaten on a break from sitting at your loved one's bedside — that is something.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week for an ooky-spooky travel guide just in time for Halloween.

How to Read, Watch, and Eat Your Way to a Perfect Fall

As a Certified Fall Freak, autumn in my house tends to begin sometime between the Fourth of July and mid-August, depending on how insane I'm feeling. In the real, technical world, though, fall only began three weeks ago or so — meaning there's a lot more of it left to love. 

So how can you ensure that you make the most of the season? Well, sure, you could go outside and look at trees and stuff. But in my world, there are three keys to autumnal perfection: fall books, fall movies, and fall food. For this week's Thursday Dive, I'm sharing my favorites from each of these categories so that you, like Humpty Dumpty, can have a great fall. 

My Favorite Fall Books 

The Ex Hex, by Erin Sterling. Does this sound corny to you? That's because it is! But guess what — autumn is the season for corny, silly witch books. In this one, a college-aged witch puts a drunken hex on her ex-boyfriend after he dumps her and moves on, only for him to return years later and reveal that the hex has, like, actually ruined his life and magically threatened their entire town. They must band together to reverse the hex and save the town, and voila, sparks fly. This is a delight. It has two sequels (including a Christmas book!!!) for when you can't get enough of the characters in its literary universe. Five stars. 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, by Sangu Mandanna. Charming, charming, charming!!! A young witch (are you sensing a theme?) takes a job at a remote manor house teaching magical children how to keep from wreaking havoc on the planet, and along the way finds unexpected community with the old witchy gays who own the place and the — plot twist — Hot Guy™️ who works as its librarian. I adored this book. 

Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo. Are you occasionally hit by twinges of regret that you didn't go to an Ivy and join a secret society? Yes? Great. Read this book. Set at the mostly nonfictional Yale, this one features a not-very-Yaley teenager (poor, fatherless, named Galaxy for some reason) who's given a full ride here because, as it turns out, she's been scouted as having the power to help run the school's ninth, extra-secret secret society — the one that controls the occult activities and magic secretly performed by the other eight. Campus novel plus ~spooky business~! Highly recommend. This is the start of a series, but I didn't know that when I read it, was subsequently annoyed that it ended on a cliffhanger, and have thus refused to read the rest of the series out of spite. Read this one alone or with its sequels if you must. 

Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier. If actual literature is more your speed than genre novels and witch romcoms, then here, you can have Rebecca as a treat. This towering queen of gothic novels is a perfect book to read during spooky season and is one of my all-time favorites. Read if you prefer your psychically significant dead characters to linger metaphorically rather than literally.

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. More literature for those who need it. You can't call yourself a lover of dark academia without reading this, the genre's urtext — and, in my opinion, you can't really call yourself a lover of fall if you don't indulge in some dark academe. I don't worship this one as much as some people do, but the unraveling of a group of gifted kids following a Horrible Event™️ is still required reading. 

The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston. In this spooky romcom, the lead girl is not a witch but a run-of-the-mill funeral director's daughter-turned-writer with the ability to see ghosts. The ghost she spots in this one is none other than her broodingly handsome, impossible-to-work-with editor. Enemies-to-lovers-y sparks start flying — but is there anywhere for them to go? Read to find out. 

The Last to Vanish, by Megan Miranda. This list may not show it, but the books I read most often are actually thrillers and mysteries. Since I read whodunits year-round, I don't associate them with fall as much as some people do, but this one is a great read for autumn. Set in a foliage-laden mountain town that's been home to a string of disappearances, this features an innkeeper heroine who must spring into action when the journalist poking around the town turns up missing himself. Megan Miranda is my personal favorite thriller writer, so if this novel doesn't sound appealing, pick one of her dozen-ish other books and safely assume that I'd recommend that one, too. 

Honorable Mentions: I Have Some Questions for You, by Rebecca Makkai (litfic-y campus novel slash podcast thriller); The Cloisters, by Katy Hays (tarot-centric academic thriller set at the Met Cloisters); The Wild Hunt, by Emma Seckel (gothic-y, horror-y novel set in October 1950ish on a Scottish island beset by crows that represent the spirits of the dead); The Maidens, by Alex Michaelides (campus novel thriller with a double major in classics and psychology); How to Solve Your Own Murder (cozy mystery in an English manor house); The Paris Apartment (not particularly fall-ish, but a favorite thriller I'd be remiss not to include)

My Favorite Fall Movies 

Hocus Pocus. What is there to say about Hocus Pocus that hasn't already been said? This is the most significant piece of seasonal media since It's a Wonderful Life. It is the greatest creation of one of our greatest creators of pop culture, Kenny Ortega. It is a masterpiece of jackets. (Seriously, watch it again and tell me you don't want to own every piece of outerwear in the film, especially those worn by the mean but dripped-out teen bullies Jay and Ice.) I love you, Hocus Pocus. Thank God you are a standalone film for which no one ever made a sequel. 

Halloweentown. Quality-wise, the Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown is no Hocus Pocus. But in terms of nostalgic weight, this guy is the undisputed silver medalist. Fall can't end until I've watched this thing at least a time or two, and fortunately, its cool 84-minute run time makes that very easy to pull off. 

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. It's possible you don't consciously know what I'm talking about with this one. This is a two-in-one short film collection released by Disney in 1949 and narrated slash sung at times by Bing Crosby. It's weird that I love this, but I do. Frankly, the Mr. Toad part I could take or leave, but the Ichabod Crane section is a Halloween classic. Illustration that gives Ichy the nose and ears of a Snapchat filter that's honestly a little too mean. Songs that have no business being as good as they are for a half-hour children's animation. Genuine scares from the headless horseman, because it was the '40s and screw it, traumatize those kids. You should reach into the depths of Disney+ and give this a watch this year — just maybe not with your smallest children. 

Knives Out. I've said it before and I'll say it again now: Rian Johnson could put out a new Knives Out movie once a month and it would not be enough. I love these films — and the first one is a delightful little ode to falling-leaf season. Watch it, wear your finest Chris Evans sweater, and lament the fact that we only have three of these movies so far.

Sweet Home Alabama. Hot take: the best fall romcom is Sweet Home Alabama!!!!! You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally have been found dead in a ditch. Those are lovely films, but they frankly beat you to death with the foliage. In SHA, it's more of a pleasant surprise that there's foliage everywhere. It's a subtle turtleneck sweater dress, not Meg Ryan carrying a pumpkin. Watch it! Maybe with your baby. In a bar.

My Favorite Fall Recipes 

Five-Ingredient White Chicken Chili. Confession: I am the rare type of freak who actually doesn't repeat recipes very often. There are just so many recipes out there, I figure, that if I'm expending the energy to cook, it most often will go towards a dish I haven't made before. One of the rare dishes I do return to is slow cooker chicken chili. I originally found my recipe for it in a paperback Crockpot cookbook I can only occasionally find in my house, but honestly, you don't really need one. Just whack a pound or so of chicken breasts, two cans of white beans, a box of chicken stock, a jar of salsa verde, and a tablespoon of cumin into your slow cooker, let it cook all day on low, shred the chicken, and enjoy. Add more or different spices if you want. Put a bunch of oyster crackers and maybe some cheese and green onion tops in there. Go wild.

Apple Cider Cheesecake Bars. Savory recipes don't recur often in my household, but sweet ones do — and this right here is my go-to any time I'm invited to a party between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. First, bake yourself a 9x13's worth of plain cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust (I like this recipe from Dinner Then Dessert). Once they're out of the oven and have cooled to a warm but handle-able temp, spoon out a jar of apple cider spread over the top, and spread it evenly with an offset spatula until it fills the pan. Trader Joe's discontinued Apple Cider Fruit Spread was the ideal topping for this, but their Apple Pie Spread or Stonewall Kitchen's Apple Cider Jam will also do the trick. Don't use apple pie filling — you're going for a thinner, tangier top layer than that. 

Chicken and Noodles. My Midwestern girlies know that nothing hits on a chilly evening like a big-ass pot of chicken and noodles. For the uninitiated, this is not chicken noodle soup!! She is different. She is thicc. She is served on top of a pile of your butteriest mashed potatoes. This is another one that's basically a no-recipe recipe — cook some Amish egg noodles, add shredded rotisserie chicken or another shredded chicken of your choice, ladle it onto some mash — but there are a couple keys to success. First, always boil your noodles in chicken stock, not water. You want these babies chickeny. To be honest, consider cooking it in stock and still tossing in a stock cube! We are building the savory flavor here. If you cook them in water, the dish will taste like nothing. Second and most importantly, get your noodles from Essenhaus, an Amish restaurant and food emporium from Middlebury, Indiana. They simply make the best noodles. Accept no substitutes. 

Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies. Generally speaking, I don't enjoy pumpkin. I don't think it tastes that good (butternut squash is far nicer in savory settings); I don't think it smells that good; I am truly a believer that apples should be the culinary and thematic king of autumn rather than these unwieldy orange gourds. All of that said...fall IS pumpkin chocolate chip time. I've made many recipes over the years combining pumpkin and chocolate in some form or other, but my favorite is the Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies from Half-Baked Harvest. A generous layer of cinnamon sugar on top makes these babies a standout among their many peers. 

Apple Cider Slush. Friends: You need to be slushie-maxxing. This is a suggestion I have for you year-round, but when fall hits, it's time to make slushes out of apple cider. There is no recipe here at all — you just need equipment. Get yourself a gallon of apple cider from your nearest orchard / pumpkin patch / grocery store, put it in your fridge, and have it ready for whenever the craving strikes. You could invest in a whole-ass Ninja Slushie or something for this, but I know you don't have the budget or the space for that. Instead, get a Zoku (the purple one if you want to match me). It's a regular-sized cup that you store in your freezer, wherein its core wall gets so cold that it turns any drink you pour into it into a slushie in, like, truly five minutes. Apple cider slushies are the peak of its powers. Acquire a Zoku. Make slushies. Enjoy. 

See you next week!

Friday Five: 10.09.26

Happy Friday, my friends! We've reached the end of another week, and in this new blogging universe, that means it's time for a fresh list of my current obsessions. 

What will I be into this week? Cool trendy music you've never heard of? Arthouse cinema? Three Chicago things and two of the most mainstream pieces of media you can think of? Read on to find out.

1. Great British Bake Off. I could not let my first favorites post of Bake Off season go by without singing the praises of England's greatest export (sorry, The Beatles). A large portion of my current mental wellbeing rests on GBBO being on Netflix. I've been delighted as always with the season so far, especially with Nigella and her bizarre insistence that every pastry on this show needs to be saltier. Early favorite contestants include my redheaded queen Molly and the overachieving Tom, who A) will win and B) not for nothing, has the most stunningly androgynous face in Bake Off history. He is apparently a hairdresser, and I need to kiki with him while he gives me the annual two inches of split end removal that I call a haircut.

2. Lincoln Square Apple Fest (and the discourse around Lincoln Square Apple Fest). If you don't live in Chicago, you missed a fantastic miniature news cycle last weekend. Apple Fest is a self-explanatory street fair held on the north side of Chicago every October for about 300 years. Because it promises tasty seasonal treats and a fun afternoon of wandering through charming artistan tents where normally there would be only cars, it is — duh — very popular. Yet this year, the people of the internet decided its crowds were essentially the kind of punishment doled out at the Hague. Guys...it was a street fair on a sunny-and-70-degree weekend! It was busy in a completely foreseeable way! You can read about the discourse. You can watch videos about the discourse. But you can also take my word for it as a person who went this year and had a perfectly lovely time: you should just go. Top tips if you venture out to the Ap Fest next year:

• Go before noon. Crowd problem solved. 
• Take the bus. No sardine-can train platform when you take my beloved #50 bus!
• Get the apple apple baked cheese from Baked Cheese Haus (only $5 for a big ol' slab of sweet, charred cheese on a stick; I am very proud of myself for not going back for seconds and thirds) and the apple cider donut pie from Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits (don't worry, it'll be back next year, because if it isn't I will send them twice-daily complaint letters until they are forced to cave). 

3. The public library branch at the Obama museum. I went to the Obama Presidential Center this week thanks to a ticket I had the foresight to buy four very long months ago, and there is much to say about it. Most of that I'll spare you for now, BUT! The library. The actual regular public library! I love that they have this on their campus, and I wish I lived close enough to make it my regular branch. Great views, enticingly strong possibility of seeing famous people, and the hilarious option to make checkouts resulting in a sentence like, "Oh yeah, I've read 50 Shades of Grey — I borrowed it from Barack Obama."

4. Chicago's North Shore. Two weeks ago, I was obsessed with the concept of Colorado. This week, I've narrowed and localized and am obsessed with Chicago's North Shore suburbs. Having grown up in a place where "rich" meant "able to shop at Abercrombie a couple times a year," the lives of truly rich people are fascinating to me — and there is no shortage of fascinating wealth on the North Shore. I want to hate it, but listen, these people have AD-looking houses in walkable communities centered on historic town squares and train access. Sometimes we hate because we kind of love. Two North Shore things that are particularly top of mind for me as a person with dangerously close walking access to the UP-N train:

• Writers Theatre, Glencoe. Incredibly cool-looking theatre with creative programming choices and a building by Jeanne Gang, Chicago's reigning architecture she-king. Located seconds from the train station and in the center of a painfully charming downtown. If they would let me work there, I would pay them. 
• Lake Forest. Yep, the whole town. I spent a delightful overnight here this week (at their even more delightful English-country-inn-themed hotel) and will be thinking about this darling little village for a long while. If you go, say hello to the woman at the fancy-girl shop Valentina who was already playing Christmas music on October 8.

5. Zara Larsson. I've been on a Zara Larsson streak for months at this point, thanks to the undisputed album of the summer (not hearing arguments on this), Midnight Sun. My Larsson fandom (dare we call it...Larssony?) got a second wind this week though thanks to her episode of Las Culturistas, during which the boys explain Jimmy Buffett to her and her Swedish brain is so broken by the idea of him that she literally asks if they're making up a character to trick her. Watch the ep, stream "Hot & Sexy," and keep the Euro Summer alive.

See you next week!

My Favorite Chicago Restaurants

If you've had a conversation with me at any point in the past few years, it has probably turned at some point to the topic of where to eat in Chicago. Chicago is one of America's great food cities; I am one of America's great food eaters; it comes up. 

To launch my Thursday Dive series, then, I thought I'd start by diving into Chicago's best restaurants. The list below contains my personal favorites, informed by twelve years of professional food writing and seven years of living full-time in Chicago and paying its chefs to feed me as often as I can. If you're visiting Chicago and need recommendations, if you're local and looking for new spots, or if you're simply nosy and want to know what my taste is like, this list is for you. 

If you read this and find yourself hungry for more — ha, ha, teehee — worry not. I plan to make lots more Chicago food content here going forward, from where to take your meat-and-potatoes parents to where to eat in Andersonville, my beloved home neighborhood (and one that I've spared you my full opinions on in this first, city-wide list). For now, though, enjoy this guide to Chicago's very best eats.

#1 in My Heart and On This List: El Che 

The best dining experience I have ever had was at the Chef's Counter at West Loop steakhouse El Che. There are plenty of places in Chicago to have a tasting menu, but this one — where you sit at two little chairs on the edge of the kitchen, with the expeditor shouting out orders to your left and the fire of the parrilla grill roaring just beyond your plate — is special. When we went, the chef-owner himself brought out our ten or so courses and talked us through each one, chatting about the moments from his childhood in South America that inspired each dish. The experience was unforgettable, and the food — steak, lobster, bone marrow, sweetbreads — divine. 

It's hard to find a direct-reservation option for the Chef's Counter online these days, but it's worth inquiring to see if you can book it. If you can't, though, the standard dining room will hardly do you wrong. Come hungry, and if you're sitting at the counter, come in a tank top: this is a real "you are in the kitchen, be prepared to handle the heat" situation.

Dinnery Places

Fiya. My most visited restaurant in Chicago, we go to this place constantly not just because it is five blocks from our house, but also because it is so good. They're a Middle Eastern / Levantine restaurant with a giant wood-fired oven in the middle of the dining room. Get as much pita as you can possibly consume. Drag it through the hummus with lamb. Thank me. Andersonville 

ROOP. Formerly known as ROOH until they realized there's a Roux in Hyde Park that made that too confusing. Fine-dining Indian; excellent. West Loop 

Alla Vita. My hottest Chicago dining take is having this as my favorite sceney Italian restaurant instead of the much more obsessed-over Monteverde. Monteverde is fabulous, but the food at Alla Vita is very comparable and in a restaurant that's much, much easier to get into. Make this your spot. Get the orange blossom and taleggio table bread, which is the best bread course in the city. West Loop 

Creepies. A more recent opening that is absolutely worth its extensive, national hype. Vaguely Frenchy bistro; do not skip dessert. West Town 

Tre Dita. Best place in town to feel like a celebrity and also maybe see one. Extremely swanky Italian (by Chef's Table alum Evan Funke) in the very beautiful St. Regis overlooking the river. 10/10 for views, pasta, and yes, bread once again. That Weird Bit Between the Loop and Lake Shore Drive That Is Legally Called "New Eastside" 

Duck Duck Goat. My personal favorite restaurant in the Stephanie Izard cinematic universe. Very good sit-down-dinner Chinese; surprisingly affordable when shared with friends. Get the green beans, which Stephanie Izard is a wizard with. West Loop

Sun Wah. Speaking of Chinese, if you live in Chicago and have not yet been to Sun Wah, congratulations, you played yourself. This place is technically classified as "Hong Kong-style barbecue," but you don't need to know that to know it is delicious. Many great dishes, but if you want to feel like a king, do the pre-ordering required to get yourself the whole Peking duck. They carve it up tableside, so, dinner and a show. Uptown 

Honorable Mentions

Avec (Middle Eastern, West Loop, famous and deserves it); Bar Mar (seafood, Loop, my personal favorite restaurant interior in town, complete with giant octopus light fixture); Bavette's (steakhouse, River North, fabulous); Brasero (steakhouse but Latinx, West Town, fantastic sister restaurant to El Che); Giant (New American I Guess, Logan Square, eat outside in the secret gorgeous backyard!); Il Carciofo (Italian, West Loop, yes I like Italian a lot, get over it); John's Food & Wine (Also New American Whatever That Means, Lincoln Park, recently named best restaurant in the country by Food & Wine and pretty deserving tbh, especially for ~vibes~); Mi Tocaya (upscale Mexican, Logan Square, great); Rose Mary (Croatian, West Loop, excellent)

Lunchy Places

Publican Quality Meats. The Publican is lovely for sit-down meals too, but personally, I'm here for the sandwiches. The savory, herb-buttery jambon beurre (and a chocolate chip cookie for good measure) has gotten me through many a stressful lunch break. West Loop 

Al's Beef. My personal favorite of the great Chicago Italian beefs (though this is a strong opinion loosely held; I welcome attempts from other beefs to usurp the title). Get it dipped if you want to be a structurally-unsound psycho like me. Various 

Sfera. My Sicilian grab-and-go boo thang. Arancini, panini, and pizza (pizzi?) are their holy trinity of menu items and all are great. Guy Fieri came here on Triple D and, as a nearby neighbor of this restaurant, I have never felt prouder. Edgewater 

All Too Well. Described at more length in last week's blog, this is the sandwich shop of the gods. West Loop, Lincoln Park 

El Rincon de Fabio. Phenomenal Venezuelan food inexplicably located in the heart of Asia on Argyle. It is worth enduring their uncanny valley of AI-generated menu photos to consume their arepas. This is also a delivery favorite in our house. Uptown  

Pizza

Milly's Pizza in the Pan, Milly's Pizza in the Pan, Milly's Pizza in the Pan. A truly fantastic independent pizzeria serving a sort of deep-dish/pan-pizza hybrid. Being online when they open daily orders at 8 a.m. will benefit you in the somewhat Sisyphean task of securing one of their beloved, when-they're-out-they're-out pies. Writing this makes me want to order a Milly's pizza today. Lakeview, West Town 

Pizza Lobo. Slinger of some frankly giant pies available whole or by the slice. Lots of fun toppings and specialty pizzas, plus immaculate vibes both in their pub-y interior and on their enormous front patio, which is the best in Andersonville. This is an A'ville stan account, so we will not be acknowledging their other locations. Andersonville, Some Other Irrelevant Hack Neighborhoods 

Bungalow by Middle Brow. Speaking of vibes, this brewery and natural winemaker that is also a homemade-sourdough pizza joint has it, obviously, in spades. Major bonus points for the get-it-yourself soft-serve machine on site. Logan Square 

Spacca Napoli. The most authentic (and repeatedly award-winning) place in town for true Neapolitan-style pies. All are great, but the sleeper GOAT is the Pistacchio, with fior di latte, sausage, and pistachio cream instead of tomato sauce. Trust me that you should try it. Ravenswood 

Little Treats (Broadly Defined) 

Lost Larson. My personal favorite bakery. Vaguely Swedish, so Scandi treats like cinnamon rolls and cardamom buns are done very well. Strangely though for a sweets girl, my top item here is the cheddar kale scone. It is giant; it is delicious; it is often my lunch. Andersonville, Wicker Park 

Lickity Split. Three-flavors-a-day frozen custard for when you can't get to Sycamore in Logansport and would rather eat local than go to Culver's. A truly delicious treat, and their A'ville location is a block away from a well-stocked Chicago Public Library branch, setting the stage for an unbeatable one-two punch of Little Goodies The Girlies Like. Andersonville, West Rogers Park 

Publican Quality Bread. If reading this list has taught you anything, it should clearly be that I am passionate about bread. Publican is the best source in town for gorgeous loaves of it, which in my book absolutely counts as a little treat. Get it from their bakery or one of their many stockists — a list which also conveniently serves as a tidy guide to which local market owners have the best taste.

GoodFunk. A delightful little natural wine bar with a longgg list of strange wines that you will look cool ordering and drinking, plus a wonderfully moody atmosphere. The downtown location is lovely on its own or as a post-dinner pairing with the aforementioned Bar Mar, located a few doors down. Loop, West Town