Steve Dolinsky's Audio Podcast

In a city thirsty for more small craft brewers, Metropolitan Brewing Company has just started producing and selling its two lagers to Chicago-area pubs and restaurants. The only brewer in the city - besides Goose Island - is the dream of owners Doug and Tracy Hurst. Incidentally, their Ravenswood brewery is also the site of a current play by the Neo-Futurists, called "Beer." It plays inside the brewery every Thurs., Fri. and Sat. through March 7th. Call 773-275-5255 more more info.  For more info on the brewery: www.metrobrewing.com

Ever been curious to learn how they put together the mind-bending array of dishes at world-class restaurants such as Alinea or The French Laundry? NYC-based "A Razor, A Shiny Knife" is a collective of artists and culinary enthusiasts, and they're in Chicago this week, recreating - to the best of their knowledge and advance work - a blowout anniversary meal at Alinea from last month. Michael Cirino spoke with me about his organization, and how they intend to recruit like-minded foodies from Chicago to help them with this endeavor.

With Chinese New Year almost here (Jan. 26), several foods take on special significance: oranges, dried oysters and noodles. Signifying long life, these culinary staples are rarely made from scratch, but at Yu's Mandarin, in Schaumburg, IL, they make hundreds of pounds of noodles everyday. I spoke with Xuan Hong, the restaurant's owner, about why they make them everyday.

Ever dreamed of learning about French pastries from the people who actually made it world-famous? Chicago pastry chef Mark Seaman (Marked For Dessert) is leading a 10-day tour of Paris and Lyon in April, taking less than a dozen aficionados to see and learn first-hand from the best pastry people in the world. There are still a few spots left...

Have a healthy, safe and delicious New Year! Here's a little something to cook by...