Chances are, whether or not you've heard of the Slow Food movement, you're familiar with slow food. It could be the best corn on the cob you've had all summer, or the ballpark frank that saw you through the seventh inning stretch at the last Cubs game. Slow Food is simply about the whole experience of food, from production to preparation to enjoyment and conviviality.* It is a revolutionary international movement that prizes locally sourced foods and sustainable agriculture, and slowly, its manifesto is gaining ground.

Now an inventive new series of Slow Food guidebooks has food critics and travelers raving. This September, the publisher that brought you The Slow Food Guide to New York City (2003) releases the second book of the series, The Slow Food Guide to Chicago: Restaurants, Markets, Bars. Written by a team of Chicago natives and members of Slow Food USA, the guide reviews over 300 Chicago area establishments and serves up a fresh, comprehensive look at the city's diverse food landscape.