Illinois

(text, Culinate staff)
h4(cleft). Eli's Cheesecake 

[%image reference-image float=left width=150] Chicago old-guard Eli's Cheesecake makes cheesecakes in a variety of flavors, including blood-orange champagne, burnt caramel, and Saigon cinnamon. The company makes sugar-free treats, too.

h4(clear). Bread

Klas Restaurant in Cicero has been serving up Czech food since 1922, and rumor has it that it was a favorite gin-and-poker spot of Al Capone. If you can’t make it to see the 19th-century decor and carved wood, you can still order loaves of the restaurant's rye bread online.

block(clear green). Have a favorite regional specialty from Illinois? Share it in the comments section below.
reference-image, l