Features

The New Doctors, by Dennis Rodkin
Looking for more ways to keep their patients healthy, some MDs are integrating alternative therapies-such as acupuncture, yoga, and herbal remedies-into their practices. We examine this trend and five local clinics that champion “integrative” medicine, and we list several dozen Chicago-area doctors who are blending the old and the new.

Six and the City, by Amber Holst, Geoffrey Johnson, Jeff Ruby, Bryan Smith, Cassie Walker, and Deborah Wilk
Meet our 2004 Chicagoans of the Year, who include an octogenarian pied piper, a valiant gang buster, and Millennium Park’s visionary money man-plus A Decade of Heroes, a tenth-anniversary roster of past honorees.

The New Trials of William Kennedy Smith, by Bryan Smith
Despite his acquittal, and a productive career as a doctor and philanthropist, this Kennedy cousin has never fully escaped the echoes of his 1991 rape trial. Now new accusations by a former employee have put several lives in turmoil‚and left his charity without its leader.

Techno Chefs, by Jonathan Black
Chicago has become ground zero for a culinary revolution that is part fine dining wizardry, part wacky lab experiment. Three young chefs are braising the trail.

Fashion: In All Her Glory and Haute Honeymoons, by Stacey Jones
For every bride there is a time and a place and a dress for that special season-with organza flower petals or splendid beading. Then, for the honeymoon, try something wild.

Departments

Letters

Contributors

Arena
Conor O’Malley launches a squash program for inner-city kids; portraits of four leading comic-book artists; the city’s premier house detective; diets of svelte and famous Chicagoans; Victoria Lautman gets personal with that local novelist Aleksandar Hemon; checking out the poetry-slam scene. Plus: Style Sheet, Sales Check and The Shopper

How We Spend, by Clare La Plante
The snow may be deep, but that doesn’t mean Midwesterners dig deep for winter sports equipment. Plus: Where Chicago ranks globally in cost of living; and a taste-test smackdown: Chicago tap water versus the fancy bottled stuff

Business | Going for Broker, by Robert Reed
The number of legal disputes between burned investors and their financial planners has soared since the stock market cratered. But getting any money back is a long shot for most investors.

Reporter | Kicking Back, by David Murray
Why would Illinois Supreme Court justice Robert R. Thomas, a rugged former placekicker for the Bears, sue a small newspaper’s scrappy columnist for defamation? Some observers believe the judge wants to clear the air before making bigger political moves.

Deal Estate, by Dennis Rodkin
A high-priced bungalow, a magnificent Michigan Avenue aerie, a hotel-condo combo for Printer’s Row, a blue-light special at the former Britannica building, and a customized house for a top a.m. FM DJ

Nightspotting, by Sarah Preston
Book your table at the sleek new lounge Reserve. And glimpse our preview of Four, a new dance club/lounge in the old Big Wig space.

Classifieds

The Closer, by Jeff Ruby
More is more, says our intrepid columnist, who set out to devour some of the largest dishes in the city (and to collect the prizes awarded for cleaning his plate).

On the Town

Events

Calendar
During January: On the heels of a very successful show at Thomas McCormick Gallery, the Latvian-born artist Vidvuds Zviedris returns with a new show, “Visions Fugitives,” that illustrates the understated beauty of the simple architectural objects attached to his canvases.
Marquee: A preview of coming attractions

Food & Drink

Dining Out | Regime Change, by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Two luxurious hotels boast new culinary leadership-one upholds its highly respected tradition while the other fumbles its world-class status.

Restaurants
The city’s definitive guide to Chicago’s top restaurants| This month: Eight new updated listings, including La Piazza and Avenues
Dish: The ten hottest restaurants right now; Q&A with a new sommelier in town; openings and closings; trendspotting; and more