Author: Virginia Miller

Modern Japanese Bar Iris serves some of the most ambitious cocktails around (and fab food)

by  on  in Top Tastes

Since Michelin-starred Nisei opened in August 2021 and its neighboring Bar Iris in October the same year, the modern Japanese duo has faced both acclaim and tragedy. Beloved Iris bar manager Ilya Romanov died tragically at the end of 2022, leaving a void in the team. As Nisei evolved, so too has Bar Iris risen from heartbreak, thanks to its strong team and visionary talent of current bar manager Timofei Osipenko. Read more →

DISTILLER Bottle Column: December 2024

by  on  in Imbiber

Published January 2, 2024, at Distiller Magazine, my bottle review column (last month’s edition here) is about what is unique, standout, new and/or trending in spirits with my review ratings on a 1-5 rating scale. ARTICLE HERE: https://distilling.com/distillermagazine/new-release-roundup-december-2024/ Reviewed this issue:— Burdekin Wild Child Rum (North Queensland, Australia)— Oishii Sake (Virginia, USA)— Local Motion RTDs (Mill Valley, CA)— Socorro Tequila (Texas and Jalisco, Mexico)— Middle West Spirits Vim… Read more →

Chicago Eats: 10 Standout Restaurants Now

by  on  in Wandering Traveler

I’ve been covering “the Windy City” via articles since 2009, but researching and digging deep in Chicago since 2000. Chi-town is one of the U.S.’ greatest culinary cities, a broad, deep metropolis of roughly 10 million, with over 2.5 million in Chicago proper. In addition to my recent 10 bars article at Distiller Magazine, here I cover 10 of Chicago’s newer standout restaurants I visited this past year: Read more →