We all love the idea of Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris, two bigtime chefs, cooking side by side at Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe. So what to make of Prairie Fire, their homey new all-American spot 24 miles away in the West Loop? Sure, it’s got the same shepherd’s pie, house-made sausages, and great burgers that … Read more
BETA BOUTIQUE takes 40 to 90 percent off designer stock and samples at its semiannual Stacked Rack sale on Jan. 30th and 31st. For location and list of designers, visit betaboutique.com. GAMMA PLAYER takes up to 50 percent off its fall 2009 and winter 2010 collections Jan. 7th through Feb. 1st. 2035 W. Division St.; … Read more
List Price: $889,000
Sale Price: $890,000
The Property: Stacey Marks-Bronner has sold the 15-room Oak Park house she had owned for eight years. A longtime Chicago media executive, Marks-Bronner was named station manager at New England Cable News in November.
List Price: $1.525 million
The Property: From its jaunty Z-shaped façade to its show-stopping red and chrome kitchen, this exuberant four-bedroom Glenview house doesn’t hold back. It even comes with a built-in exclamation point—made of wood inlay and situated on the master bedroom floor.
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Lately, I’ve come across a bunch of art inspired by (or literally taken from) vintage children’s books. At the recent Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale, I, along with a pack of other people, was smitten by local artist Ashley Alexandar’s sweet-and-strange prints (top left); she knew we would be—her website is called imsmitten.com. Another Chicagoan whose paper goods possess a certain childhood nostalgia (some of the greeting cards and journals have illustrations taken directly from old children’s books) is Amy Rowan of Art School Girl; see her note cards and envelopes above. Finally, at Penelope’s in Wicker Park, I spotted Japanese artist Shinzi Katoh’s charming depictions of zoo animals, children, and woodland creatures.
—GINA BAZER
FOD Report
One of our trusted spies says she “really loved” Don Diablo (3749 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-489-3748), the new taquería in the old space of—and by the owners of—Fonda del Mar. “Not all of the $2 tacos were…
If you were planning on checking out DreamHome at the Merchandise Mart, wake up and smell the coffee—organizers have put that inspirational, aspirational show to bed, and you’ve snoozed and loozed. (You can keep the dream alive and kill time before the next annual DreamHome opens in April 2010…
Don’t-miss things to do for 12.23.09 through 01.05.10: Chicago Guide double dips! Top ways to see out 2009, plus picks for rollicking NYE concerts.
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If you liked Loving Frank, then you’ll love Frank Lloyd Wright in Pop-Up! OK, maybe not. But if you love Frank or know someone who does, this new book from Thunder Bay Press will make a great gift. Check out some pretty impressive paper-engineered versions of famous projects like Robie House, Fallingwater, and even the Guggenheim Museum, and then put them back neatly on your bookshelf or coffee table. It’s the kind of book people can’t help but open. Available at major bookstores.
—GINA BAZER
Just a few years ago, new subdivisions were marching west from St. Charles through Campton Hills toward Lily Lake, a tiny community that lies almost at the center of Kane County. Pairing that movement with a burgeoning interest in building methods that have a lighter impact on the land, a group of developers devised a…
