dining guide Archives | American Libraries Magazine

A table with a spread of different seafood dishes

A Taste of San Diego

By Maribeth Mellin | June 3, 2024

Seafood takes top billing at many spots, along with the region’s exceptional produce. Chefs put a SoCal twist on everything from sushi to Wagyu steaks, with inspired global flourishes everywhere. Mexican dishes and influences pop up in all sorts of menus, thanks to our proximity to the busiest land border crossing in the US. San … Continue reading A Taste of San Diego →

Cast iron bowl of mussels with sliced bread on top

Bite into Baltimore

By Meredith Pratt | January 2, 2024

Don’t know where to start? Check out this list of favorite spots a walk, rideshare, cab, or water taxi ride away from the Baltimore Convention Center and downtown hotels. Many were also featured in Frommer’s most recent list of Best Restaurants in Baltimore. Dig in! Near the Convention Center (Downtown) B&O American Brasserie 2 N. … Continue reading Bite into Baltimore →

A photo of deep dish pizza from Pizano's Pizza and Pasta, broth being poured over foie gras at Moody Tongue, and pig face topped with an egg at Girl & the Goat

Second to None

By Kate Silver | June 1, 2023

Below you’ll find some favorite spots within a walk, train ride, cab, or water taxi from McCormick Place and downtown hotels. Many were also featured in my guidebook, Frommer’s Chicago Day by Day (2019). Others have opened more recently, during the pandemic. Let the eating begin! South Loop, Hyde Park, and Near South Side Medici … Continue reading Second to None →

Pickled mulberry pani puri at Mister Mao

Crescent City Cuisine

By Tami Fairweather | January 3, 2023

As coauthor of the updated 2024 edition of Frommer’s EasyGuide to New Orleans, I’ve compiled this intentionally eclectic selection of restaurants near the convention center (and close by, in the French Quarter) with something for everyone, plus some farther-away destinations to take you a little deeper, doable by rideshare or even public bike. Make dinner … Continue reading Crescent City Cuisine →

Reading Terminal Market. Photo: Visit Philadelphia

The Philly Food Scene

By Reid Bramblett | January 2, 2020

Here are the best of the best, from faux-colonial taverns to historic food-hall cornucopias, whiskey bars to funky vegan eateries, and Pennsylvania Dutch smorgasbords to Zahav, named the top restaurant in the country in 2019 by the James Beard Foundation. Conventioneers are doubly fortunate to have the three dozen food stands of 125-year-old Reading Terminal … Continue reading The Philly Food Scene →

A Culinary Capital

By Meredith Pratt | June 3, 2019

Today, rock-star chefs have transformed neighborhoods into epicurean destinations and turned what was once a dining drought into a wave of new restaurants, vibrant tastes, and international cuisines. Ready to dig in? Here is a guide to the best flavors in our culinary capital, excerpted from Frommer’s EasyGuide to Washington, D.C., 2020. Near the Convention … Continue reading A Culinary Capital →

Happy hour special at Miller’s Guild. Photo: Miller’s Guild

Emerald City Eats

By Donald Steven Olson | January 2, 2019

Then, like the tech industry that refueled Seattle’s ailing aerospace economy, the food scene exploded. Cooking became an art, and the materials needed to create that art were close at hand—right at the famous Pike Place Market. The “buy fresh, eat local” philosophy, which places a premium on sustainable fishing and organic farming practices, now … Continue reading Emerald City Eats →

Shrimp and grits at Surrey’s. Photo: Paul Broussard

Big Easy Eats

By Diana K. Schwam | June 1, 2018

As author of numerous travel guides, including Frommer’s Easy Guide to New Orleans, I’m here to help. My customized dining guide lists a spectrum of selections, focusing on those in proximity to the convention center and some choice spots a short distance away. There’s something for everyone, so dive in with forks ablaze and laissez … Continue reading Big Easy Eats →

Diners chow down on Asian street food at Cho77.

Mile-High Bites

By Eric Peterson | January 2, 2018

The Mile High City has emerged as a hot spot for chef-driven, farm-to-table restaurants. Numerous standout eateries have hung a shingle and earned one rave review after another. As author of the Frommer’s EasyGuide to Colorado, I was lucky enough to take my taste buds on a tour of Denver’s rising restaurants and enjoy every … Continue reading Mile-High Bites →

Windy City Eats

By Kate Silver | June 1, 2017

A few years ago, I was given one of the best assignments a writer could hope for: to eat my way around Chicago and share the best restaurants in the Frommer’s EasyGuide to Chicago. American Libraries asked me to take some of my favorites and create a guide just for you, ensuring that you’re well … Continue reading Windy City Eats →

Eating in the ATL

By Creative Loafing Atlanta and Phil Morehart | January 3, 2017

American Libraries teamed with Creative Loafing Atlanta, the city’s weekly independent newspaper, to bring Midwinter guests a broad selection of restaurants to enjoy before and after their conference activities, all located within a reasonable distance from the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. Downtown Alma Cocina 404-968-9662 191 Peachtree St. NE Alma Cocina serves … Continue reading Eating in the ATL →

Grilled meatloaf on lobster mashed potatoes at Soco. Photo: Cricket Whitman

Orlando Magic

By Katie Farmand | May 25, 2016

Downtown Mamak Asian Street Food 407-270-4688 mamakasianorlando.com 1231 E. Colonial Dr. For a taste of Orlando’s Asian neighborhood, casual Mamak (“mamak” is the Malaysian word for a street food stall) is a lively, inexpensive spot with familiar bites such as crispy spring rolls, Vietnamese summer rolls, and dumplings. But you can also try something unusual … Continue reading Orlando Magic →

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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14

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