Kefi is a Greek word (roughly) meaning passion, exuberance, joy, a lust for life. Think Zorba the Greek dancing on the beach, or the Greek custom of smashing plates. For owner John Tasiopoulos, it’s an expression that sums up how he feels about his family, his heritage and his mother’s food. Because at its heart, […]
When you think of Brooklyn, what comes to mind? For me, it’s pickles. Pickles and Civil War beards. And hipsters riding gearless bikes, sporting said gnarly beards while eating homemade pickles from un-ironic Mason jars. So when I heard that a “Brooklyn Bistro” was opening in the old A La Carte space on Green Bay […]
Make It Better’s Best of 2015 drew more than 105,000 verified votes across 10 categories. Share your thoughts with us on social media using the hashtag #MIBBestof2015. Live Music Venue Ravinia (North Shore) This winner came as no surprise: You’ve chosen this outdoor music venue every year since 2012. 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, 847-266-5000 […]
Country music was born in the southern United States (Tennessee, to be specific). As such, it has remained, in many people’s minds, a symbol of the South, along with the sweet tea, dirt roads and pickup trucks that modern-day country stars love to sing about. However, in recent years country music has experienced an intense […]
Looking for some new artists to spice up your playlist? There’s a lot of musical talent to be found in our own backyard. These up-and-coming stars are all in the early stages of promising musical careers, and they all hail from Sweet Home (suburbs of) Chicago. Check them out now before they hit it big! […]
Have you celebrated your 50th birthday? If so, it’s time for a colonoscopy. If you need some extra motivation to make that (admittedly daunting) appointment, consider this: 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer and 50,000 people will die from the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society. The lifetime risk of […]
Young people can be so puzzling to older generations. Countless articles have asked, “What’s up with millennials, anyway?” And several recent plays at Steppenwolf Theatre, including “The Night Alive” and “Airline Highway,” zeroed in on this struggle for comprehension across the generational divide. In each of these plays, the story is propelled by the arrival […]
Update Feb. 14, 2017: Marigold Maison is now located at 900 N. Milwaukee Ave., Lincolnshire. Bannockburn isn’t exactly on my destination restaurant radar, but now that I’ve been to Marigold Maison, I might just have to adjust my thinking. Suburban restaurants in strip malls aren’t generally my cup of tea, but the warm colors—marigold […]
What do Shakespeare and rap have in common? A lot more than you might initially think—at least according to the Q Brothers. GQ and JQ, a pair of clever, creative Chicago brothers, have traveled the world writing, directing and performing witty, entertaining shows. From musical hip-hop “add-RAP-tations” of Shakespearean plays to freestyle kiddie concerts about […]
I wept and sniffled my way through much of the 1985 novel “Beaches” by Iris Rainer Dart, and again through the 1988 film of the same name, which starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey in a tale of opposites attract and a great friendship is born. When I heard that a pre-Broadway run of “Beaches” […]
