Our Lake

From kayaking to fly-fishing to building castles in the sand: a user's guide to summer on the water

Anne Halliday, Geoffrey Johnson, Joanna Topor MacKenzie, Graham Meyer, and Jennifer Wehunt

Burned

Thirty-three-year-old top chef. Stage-four cancer of the tongue. Grant Achatz has been to hell—and back

Jennifer Tanaka

Hello, Beautiful!

By raising his pigs the natural way, an Indiana farmer has defied the industrial style of animal production and found a high-end market for his gorgeous pork with some of Chicago's top chefs.

Michael Lenehan

Obama's Chicago Posse

Inside the circle of Chicagoans who spotted Barack Obama's talent, helped guide his path—and made it hard for him to close the deal (even before the Reverend Wright eruptions)

James L. Merriner

June 2008 Table of Contents

Inflation Grades

Economists and curmudgeons know that prices almost invariably increase over time. But so do incomes. What are we really paying more for these days?

Beth Marino

Stress Test

One writer goes behind the scenes with Paul Kahan, Donald Madia, and the rest of the control-freak brain trust at a highly stylized 4,200-square-foot beer hall on West Fulton Market—Chicago’s...

Cassie Walker

Dining Tidbits

For June 2008: Perennial, Simplegourmet, L.20, Topaz

Big Opening: His Way

On Graham Elliot Bowles' new River North space

Jeff Ruby

Rant: Overly Precious Menus

Too-cute menus annoy us

Jeff Ruby

Dining Out: From There to Alinea

Once upon a time, an unknown young chef toiled away in the most renowned kitchen in the country. Is it a classic story of the student surpassing the master?

Dennis Ray Wheaton

Tourist for a Day

High tide for tourists is here. Instead of holing up inside until the last pair of jeans shorts disappears from the streets, The Closer tries it from the other side.

Jeff Ruby

Photo Finish

When a Victorian house came up for sale in Lake Geneva, a Chicago couple decided that it would be a perfect site for a modern photography studio

Christine Newman

Streetwise or Street Waste?

Does sidewalk solicitation really work?

Andrew Schroedter

The Cult of Tom

Geeky weatherman Tom Skilling has an unlikely fan following

Edward McClelland

Feedback

In June letters: circumnavigators, green credit, tax curiosity, and Push: the sequel

Contributors—June 2008

Michael Lenehan, Jennifer Tanaka, James L. Merriner, Ana Castillo, Elizabeth Crane, Stuart Dybek, Joe Meno, and Bao Ojikutu

Graham Meyer

Waxing by Zip Code

When it comes to the bikini line, a girl needs to konw whom to trust. Here are our recommendations.

Rebecca Little

5 Albums That Inspire ...

Corey Wilkes, whose new jazz recording, Drop It, lands June 17th. Catch his tribute to Miles Davis on June 1st at the New Checkerboard Lounge (5201 S. Harper Ct.).

Kristy Holland

Good Knight

Classical music comes out of the Dark Ages.

Tom Mullaney

Festivals: Playlist

Five great road trips for music aficionados

Mark Guarino

Poolside Manner

Retro glam, à la Brigitte Bardot and other starlets of the 1950s and 1960s, inspires this summer's swim trends. The forecast: high waists, balconette tops, and belted bottoms that flaunt—or...

Cassie Walker

Lady Is Lonely

Karen Carroll is one of the few women left in the blues.

Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Friends—With Benefits?

A new documentary establishes Jane Addams and her close friend, Mary Rozet Smith, as gay icons. Does it go too far?

Robert Loerzel

Striking Distance

See that chiseled pitching arm? That—and a knack for strikeouts—makes Cat Osterman the most feared woman in Olympic softball.

Dawn Reiss

Critical Mass

Noteworthy releases in June

Anne Halliday and Cassie Walker

Writers on Writers

Author Reginald Gibbons reviews 100 Essential Modern Poems by Women

Reginald Gibbons

Shopper: Jill Alberts Jewelry

With her jewelry retailing around the world, the celeb-favorite designer opens a store to stay close to home

Rebecca Little

Sales Check

A roundup of sales, store openings, and shopping news in June 2008

Rebecca Little

One House, Three Ways

In a down real-estate market, buyers may fantasize about transforming a starter house into the home of their dreams. But at what cost? We find out.

Beth Marino

Conversation: Jeff Koons

On the eve of a major show at the MCA, the artist reflects on the Chicago encounter that set his career in motion.

Ruth Lopez

The Blip - June 2008

Bright spots on the month's cultural radar

The Last Round

The Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg reveled in his role as a hard-drinking writer in the old mold. Then one awful night, his wife had to call the police

Marcia Froelke Coburn

A Buyer's Market

Would-be homeowners are discovering the silver lining behind the falling prices in the local real-estate market. Here are six housing bargains snapped up by lucky or savvy buyers so far this year

Dennis Rodkin

Let There Be Light

With the help from the developer, these spacious two-bedroom condos are filled with sunshine

Dennis Rodkin

See Change

Design enhances views

Dennis Rodkin

Found Art

Sacred Heart: Explosion by Henry Darger

Nora O'Donnell

Three Questions

Jazz impresario Joe Segal makes good on a promise with the long-delayed opening of his new Jazz Showcase.

Mark Loehrke

Solo Show

Chicago-born brothers Gregory and Jeffrey Qaiyum—a.k.a. writer-actor GQ and composer JQ— put an urban spin on Shakespeare

Lucia Mauro

The Five

In addition to the MCA's blockbuster Jeff Koons show, five other don't-miss exhibitions making plenty of noise

Ann Wiens

5 Seasonal Sippers

The Fishbowl, The Dreams Punch Bowl, Hibiscus Daiquiri, White Peach Mint Julep, Luxbar Sling

Sarah Preston

Caraying On

Wrigleyville aims to fill out its lineup with an ode to a legend

Sarah Preston

Game Plan

Beige leather booths, glossy wood floors, and three-story silk draperies dress up the former Bravo Tapas and Lounge space, but the food and drinks are decidedly unfussy.

Sarah Preston