Matt Kirouac Writer/Author/Podcaster

(Broken Shaker) A taste of what I've been up to lately: Chicago Bars and Restaurants That Transcend Hotel Dining's Stigma, Zagat Chef News in New York City, Plate Online Chef News on the East Coast, Plate Online Chef News in Chicago, Plate Online Chef News Down South, Plate Online Chef News in California, Plate Online Chef News Out West, Plate Online Chef News Overseas, Plate Online The Most Anticipated Chicago Restaurants for 2016, Choose Chicago 18 Valentine's Day Dining an

(Coconut cheesecake-stuffed French toast at Nana) A taste of what I've been up to lately: Chef News in New York City, Plate Online Chef News on the East Coast, Plate Online Chef News in the Midwest, Plate Online Chef News Down South, Plate Online Chef News in Los Angeles, Plate Online Chef News in the Bay Area, Plate Online Chef News Out West, Plate Online Chef News in London, Plate Online Six Desserts Worth Leaving Your Blankets For, Dining Chicago Best Places to Brunch in J

(Bear at Elizabeth) A taste of what else I’ve been up to lately: Make a Bloody Good Sauce, Plate Magazine How to Cook a Bear, Plate Magazine Chef News in New York City, Plate Online Chef News on the East Coast, Plate Online Chef News in Chicago, Plate Online Chef News Down South, Plate Online Chef News in Los Angeles, Plate Online Chef News in the Bay Area, Plate Online Chef News Out West, Plate Online Chef News Overseas, Plate Online A Tapas Legend Turns 30, Dining Chicago C

Citrus season is the one bright beacon in the sea of frigid hell that is winter. There’s just something about the tangy splash of acidic fruit that helps assuage the fact that I’m constantly battling frostbite. Be it a shameless spoonful of lemon curd, a scoop of Mandarin sorbet, or a zesty lime-infused cocktail, I’ll take it all. I’ve even been known to lug bowling ball-sized pomelos home from the market to scarf down like some sort of citrus-obsessed wolverine. And then the

(Christmas cookies at Floriole Cafe & Bakery) A taste of what else I’ve been up to lately: Chef News in New York City, Plate Online Chef News on the East Coast, Plate Online Chef News in the Midwest, Plate Online Chef News Down South, Plate Online Chef News in California, Plate Online Chef News Out West, Plate Online Chef News Overseas, Plate Online Best Openings of 2015: A Month-by-Month Guide, Dining Chicago Christmas Dining Guide 2015, Dining Chicago The Merriest Food and

New Year’s Eve is a subject I grow apathetic towards pretty early in the holiday season. After several years of writing about the same formula of overpriced degustations and midnight Champagne toasts, it’s hard to get excited about the occasion. And I’m not gonna lie, I badly wish someone would offer a midnight toast of literal toast; that would be intriguing and wonderful. Until that beautiful day happens, here are a bunch of New Year’s Eve dinner events across the country t

2015 was a good year for my taste buds. In New Orleans, I discovered a dessert po’boy. In Boston, I hid away from the snow with a smoky cocktail. In Chicago, I devoured the greatest Reuben I’ve ever had. In Hawaii, I got excited about hummus for the first time ever. From a bacon-infused Old Fashioned to a s’mores baked Alaska, here are some of my most memorable bites and sips from the past year. I thought I’d seen it all in terms of po’boys in New Orleans, a sandwich as commo

(Nathan Richard breaks down alligator in New Orleans) A taste of what I've been up to elsewhere lately: Where to Eat, Sleep, Drink, and Play in Chicago, SAVEUR Give the Gift of Cookbooks, Dining Chicago New Bars Raise the Bar on Rum, Dining Chicago The 12 Days of Edible and Drinkable Christmas, Dining Chicago These Unanswered Messages Will Give You a Case of the Feels, Slant News Cook Ya Later, Alligator, Plate Online Chefs on the Move in New York City, Plate Online Chefs o

(Gin & Tonics at Mercat a la Planxa) I didn’t always like gin. I used to think all gin tasted like drinking a Yankee candle. Ew. But as my cocktail obsession developed and I became a grown up, I branched out to explore more spirits beyond my safer standbys like whiskey and rum. My newfound love affair with gin started with Negronis, a phase in which I am still very much enrapt. But something else I’ve come to love is a well made gin & tonic. In fact, I’m basically obsessed no

IN BOSTON: Clio Alumni Dinner Every morning growing up, I’d listen to various Boston radio stations and a.m. talkshows. And I distinctly remember hearing the restaurant Clio name-dropped on more than several occasions. Mostly by foodie co-hosts who thought they were cooler than they are. Whether I was aware of it or not, Clio really was my first impression of Boston’s high-caliber dining scene, even though at the time Fire & Ice was my idea of fancy food. Now here I am, feeli