When a tasting plate consisting of a tender cap of ribeye, sirloin and NY strip, gently sprinkled with homemade chimichurri or malbec sauce, arrives at the table with seasoned fried potatoes, you’ve got yourself a happy camper.

Links has a cozy, tavern vibe with TV monitors throughout displaying the current beer menu, serving size available and how much is left in the keg.

Even walking to the front door of RM Champagne Salon seems like you’re privy to a secret place — a gangway that opens up into a courtyard surrounded by veranda banisters!

The word “creative” doesn’t do Jerry’s justice when it comes to their daring sandwich combinations. But they work, on many levels.

Gene’s Sausage Shop in Lincoln Square is a small grocery store that boasts a sunny, super laid-back rooftop with umbrella-covered picnic tables and a walk-up window for ordering drinks and German fare.

Monica Reyes Concierge at The Wit Hotel How long you’ve lived here: 27 years What you like best about Chicago: I’ve lived here my entire life, and the thing I have always liked best about Chicago is the fact that you can easily cross over from one neighborhood to the next and experience the city ...

“Wild Goose in Lincoln Square has some of the best wings I’ve ever had. I actually crave their wings.

Chicago Insider: Meredith Franczyk on the allure of Quartino, the beer at Hopleaf and Half Acre and dresses at Bazar

We asked some of our writers and readers to tell us what they’ve discovered — and fallen in love with — in Chicago recently

Shop Around the Corner: Exploring The Book Cellar in Chicago's Lincoln Square