Swap meat

Photo: Martha Williams

No meat, no dairy, no wheat, no additives and nothing conventionally grown. Is there anything The Balanced Kitchen does serve? The owners behind this new vegan and gluten-free restaurant know that’s what everyone will ask, and thanks to two Culinary Institute of America–trained chefs in the kitchen, they’ll have plenty of answers. Co-owner and pastry chef Elizabeth Bell Alper and executive chef Zachary Bello will supplement standard tofu dishes with curries, a “street food” menu featuring corn dogs and mini fruit pies, and a six-course weekend brunch with dishes such as pecan-crusted waffles. But hiding the dishes’ vegan roots is not the point here. Instead, unlike a lot of vegan restaurateurs, these guys want you to notice what you’re missing—and hopefully realize that you never needed it in the first place. 6263 N McCormick Rd between Lincoln and Devon Aves (773-463-1085).