"The Bear" Season 3 episodes to drop early

Driving the news: The show's cast sat down for an international press call Monday to talk about the new season, and they offered plenty of nods to Chicago's culinary scene.

Dig in: Lead actor Jeremy Allen White, who plays Carmen, praised the city for providing "beautiful food at every single sort of scale. You can be impressed by something at every level."

• Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays Tina, singled out Puerto Rican food. "My favorite was this restaurant, Ponce. I just missed home, and I wanted that."
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie, called the city's restaurant scene "intrinsic" and "part of the lifeblood of the show."
• The cast also rattled off memorable eating spots they tried while in town, including Kasama, Birrieria Zaragoza, Duck Duck Goat, Viaggio, Gene and Judes and Margie's Candies.

Overheard: While waiting for another question, Ayo Edebiri, who plays Sydney, could be heard saying: "It's such a shame about Foxtrot. Worst day in Chicago."

The bottom line: Though the cast resisted revealing plot points, they all agreed that overcoming trauma has emerged as a huge theme in the show, making it much more about grief than beef.