Anthony Todd

If you think high-quality French bistro fare is hard to find in Chicago, that's because many residents have forgotten about this classic spot in Lincoln Square. That’s a shame, because even after 13 years, it’s still serving some of the most consistently excellent food in the city, in a cozy dining room that makes you want to snuggle up and never leave.  Perfectly executed classics like steak frites, salade Lyonnaise and soupe à l'oignon sit next to more modern dishes like trout with beets, green beans and crème fraiche and wild salmon with roasted cipollini onions. Drinkers are in for a treat, as the cocktail program is modern and top-notch, the beer program is filled with craft favorites and the after-dinner drink list includes offerings you probably haven’t seen anywhere else. 

Is there a more important category than brunch? Chicago takes the midday weekend meal seriously, and it's no surprise that the winner is a nouveau diner that's turning out exceptional takes on the classics. Here's your top pick for the best new brunch of the year.  RECOMMENDED: 2013 Eat Out Awards

There’s an app for everything these days—dating, health, watering your plants remotely. So of course there are apps for booze. Recipe books, bar guides, craft beer trackers, hangover cures and more—not a single area of your imbibing life need go without an app. But most of them are junk. You’ve seen those spammy apps in the app store, with logos that looks like they were slapped together by a preschooler and vague promises of functionality. After wasting your 99 cents, you try them for five minutes and delete them. I scoured through the useless, the non-operational and the outdated to find the eight best apps for drinkers in Chicago. Download these and you'll save money, drink better booze and maybe even learn something about your favorite dive bar.