Features

Welcome to Toqueville
Chicago has arrived as one of the premier dining cities on the planet, and we feature the men and women who have put it there.
Chicago’s Best Chefs
Meet the city’s foremost kitchen legends, the aces, and the innovators.
Table Talk
Six of the biggest names in the restaurant world gather to chat about the state of Chicago’s dining scene.
Dish List
Dig into 15 signature creations by other standout chefs.
Who’s Next
A quick primer on the stars of tomorrow
by Penny Pollack, Jeff Ruby, and Dennis Ray Wheaton

Five Days on the Line
by Jennifer Tanaka
After dinner at Alinea, the radically inventive restaurant that opened a year and a half ago, a Chicago magazine reporter signed on to work in the kitchen and check out the magic.

Ready for His Close-Up
by Geoffrey Johnson
From his East St. Louis birthplace, Dick Durbin worked his way up to the front rank of U.S. Senate Democrats. Now the November elections could put him even more prominently at center stage.

What Do Women Want Now?
by Gwenda Blair
Men, for starters. In a Q&A, the polemical essayist Laura Kipnis talks about the anatomical roots of gender inequality and asks why women, even in this postfeminist age, are still complaining.

Fashion: Red Hot
by Stacey Jones
Wear this star-power color for fall as a main-chance statement or a traffic-stopping accent-look for it in velvet jackets and fur coats, evening gowns, earrings, and platform pumps.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Arena
Meet UrbanLab, a design duo with heart; where in the world is David Wilhelm?; music by Rise Against, Plain White T’s, and The Baldwin Brothers; Victoria Lautman explores Marie Antoinette’s surreal life with author Sena Jeter Naslund; the new jazz guard; Ira Glass v. Beau O’Reilly, Starbucks v. the locals, Whoopi v. Eric & Kathy, more!
PLUS: Sales Check and Style Sheet

Business
by Judith Crown
Sara Lee Corporation was once a star of the local business scene but has struggled in recent years. Can CEO Brenda Barnes restore the luster?

Four | One | One
Bears kicker Robbie Gould explains how to kick a field goal; the price of politics-who pays and how much?
PLUS: Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday travel rush, a look at what’s new at O’Hare and Midway

Reporter
by Gabe Fajuri
When magician and collector Jay Marshall died, he left behind a lair crammed full of his finds, from priceless Houdini posters to penny-a-pound junk.

Art
by David Bernstein
After a locally owned Picasso portrait of the artist’s mistress Dora Maar was sold at auction for $95.2 million, the deal raised profound questions about the loss of the work and the future of the city’s museums.

Deal Estate
by Dennis Rodkin
An architect’s aerie, a Victorian beauty, and the long good buy. Plus: New condos for Hyde Park, West Chicago, and a onetime Chess Records office

Nightspotting
by Sarah Preston
If nooses and chains don’t give you the warm fuzzies, maybe you haven’t been to Exit, where the pierced and tattooed bar staff are surprisingly friendly.

Classifieds

The Closer
by Jeff Ruby
Think you have a handle on the city’s sordid past? Test your knowledge of Chicago’s creepy killers with our quiz across the decades.

Events

Chicago Guide®
During November: Belying the adage that there are no second acts, the astronaut Captain James Lovell is reliving his exploits in space through the Adler Planetarium’s exhibition Shoot for the Moon. The second installment, which opens November 11th, includes additional artifacts from NASA and the original Gemini 12 spacecraft. New experiential components-like Moon Jump and the Lunar Dangers simulation lab-give just a taste of what it’s like to walk in an astronaut’s boots.
Marquee: A preview of coming attractions

Food & Drink

Restaurants
The definitive guide to Chicago’s top restaurants
This Month: Seven new and updated listings, including Prairie Grass Cafe and HotChocolate
Dish: The hottest restaurants right now; gossip; Chefs on the Grill: in Michael Nagrant’s podcast column, Maneet Chauhan of Vermilion talks spices, biryanis, and what to pair with Indian food.