We rode the Chicago subway “L” out into the suburbs of northern Chicago to find the Loba Pastry Shop. We had gotten the recommendation at a wedding from a guy my wife met on the drink line. Lottie + Doof, who my wife follows on instagram.

Early versions of the modern hot dog first emerged on Coney Island and in Chicago about the same time. The two cities have had rival hot dogs ever since.

Brooklyn is suddenly awash with restaurants serving Thai cuisine. I recently ate dinner at one of the newest ones to open, Chiang Mai Diner. It was fun, tasty, but could have tried taking more risks.

I recently ate at this Queens-based barbecue restaurant known for smoking Kansas City-style meats.

My first Nathan’s hot dog was in the Paramus Park Mall food court. Nathan’s was a special treat, ironically, not because of their famous hot dogs, but because of their fancy crinkle cut fries — and the fact that they could come with a side of cheese sauce.