Not every great love story is conventional. Take, for instance, the story of Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum, who met and fell in love in the 1930s in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. They shared a passion for art and architecture — and each other, as it turns out. “Ten Dollar House,” the moving story of the […]
Maybe it’s just because it hasn’t felt like the holidays yet, what with the 50-degree weather, green grass, false budding on trees and all, but we’re well into December and New Year’s Eve is coming whether we like it or not. Happily, here in the Chicago area, there’s a plethora of choices, from the low […]
The definition of daunting: the chance to sit down with one of your favorite living authors. I was lucky enough to have that opportunity recently when award-winning author Ann Patchett was in town for the Dec. 7 world premiere of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “Bel Canto,” an original opera based on her luminous 2001 book. It […]
Don’t let the cold get you down. A new cookbook from Fig & Olive, one of our favorite Oak Street haunts, has arrived just in time for the inevitable hard-core winter weather. Sure, I’d rather be sitting on their lovely terrace, enjoying a beautiful bouillabaisse and sipping a dry Tavel rosé, but we all have […]
Rise and shine! DMK Restaurants has opened Arlen’s Chicken in Evanston. It’s a casual fried chicken joint where you’ll find delectable fried chicken and biscuit sandwiches, crispy biscuits and tater tots, not-just-for-kids chicken nuggets and DMK’s signature killer milkshakes — the toasted marshmallow is to die for. If you can’t wait until you get home, […]
It’s an unprepossessing location sandwiched between the bustling Gigio’s Pizza and a sadly empty Asian Express, but the small new storefront that is Table to Stix Ramen on Evanston’s Davis Street is poised to make a big impact. It’s the first true ramen restaurant on the North Shore (you can find a few farther afield […]
Everyone knows that Chicago — smack-dab in the heart of the Midwest and in-between coasts — is a hard-core steak town. But man does not live by red meat alone, especially if he wants to live for a while. So look to the water, be it lake, river or sea, for your next hit of […]
There’s no shortage of speedy, freshly made pizza around town these days; quick gourmet pizza in the Chipotle mold is all the rage. But 800 Degrees is different — this is Neapolitan-style pizza, with a beautifully blistered crust that’s just the right amount of chewy and char. The same company that brought us Umami Burger […]
Thanksgiving may only be one day of the year, but the leftovers tend to linger a while in your fridge. And if turkey is going to make a second appearance over the holiday weekend, it needs to be in a different form, if for no other reason than to shake things up a little. So […]
It’s not easy being beautiful. No, really — especially when you’re known as the first black supermodel, expectations are heightened, and the pressure can be fierce. But supermodel Beverly Johnson made it through a harrowing second marriage, eating disorders, custody battles and addiction to emerge fully intact on the other side, her legendary beauty seemingly […]
