This Is Chicago It’s fitting that this new weekly podcast begins each episode with the rumble of the L and the ding-dong of its arrival. After all, the show, produced by Stephen Pate and Ashlie Stevens of Supraphonic Studios, feels a bit like eavesdropping on a train. Each seven-minute episode drops you without introduction into … Read more
H2O House’s Scalp Massage The best part of a haircut is the shampoo, right? Now imagine a one-hour luxe version of that. At H2O House, a new spa offering head and foot care, you can have that magical experience — if you can get in, that is. There was a 10-week wait this spring, and with good … Read more
Dan the Baker With his intricate, decadent, croissant-wrapped creation, pastry chef Daniel Koester, who goes by Dan the Baker on Instagram, gives new meaning to the Chicago-style hot dog. This picture-perfect pastry tucks most of the traditional elements inside a buttery bun (he dropped the onions and celery salt, so as not to “overcrowd” his … Read more
Best new niche bookstores Can’t decide what to read next? Skip the behemoth that sells everything and visit one of these genre-specific bookstores. For comics lovers Howling Pages Most comic book shops offer 80 percent Marvel and DC, with a smattering of indie comics and graphic novels. Alain Park’s store, which opened last year, flips … Read more
Taylor Byas’s I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times Taylor Byas is just now releasing her debut full-length poetry collection, but she’s already making a case for herself as a literary descendant of fellow Chicagoan Gwendolyn Brooks. Like Brooks, the 27-year-old Byas turns the everyday aspects of life into the exuberantly extraordinary. Byas, who grew … Read more
Bungalow by Middle Brow The pizza joint from Middle Brow Beer Co. made a name for itself with its bubbly Neapolitan pies, but the real magic is in its square-cut, thin-crust tavern style, served exclusively on Tuesday nights. You may wait 45 to 60 minutes, but it’s worth it for that crisp first bite. The … Read more
Louis Tomlinson’s “Chicago” Songs titled “Chicago” are usually performed by Midwesterners, such as Michael Jackson or Sufjan Stevens. That makes Yorkshire-born Louis Tomlinson an outlier. Tomlinson’s rendition spotlights an anonymous ex-partner now living in the city, with a new child and new life, to whom he semidespondently croons, “If you’re lonely in Chicago, you can … Read more
@notyetachef As Jake Potashnick prepares to open his tasting-menu restaurant, Feld, next year, he stages the occasional pop-up in his apartment above the West Town restaurant, grapples with plumbing and electrical issues, and entertains his nearly 70,000 followers on TikTok. Just don’t call him a TikTok chef, he implores: “I don’t record myself cooking.” Rather, … Read more
Mia Lee In January, visual artist Mia Lee traveled to Ghana, accompanied by two fellow South Siders: Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. The rappers were putting on the inaugural Black Star Line Festival, a celebration of the global Black community. The trip was the culmination of Lee’s collaboration with Chance on “Yah Know,” his … Read more
Top This Mac N’ Cheese At their carryout and delivery spot, which opened in October, chefs Erick Williams and Damarr Brown of Virtue do one thing: mac and cheese. But they do it exceptionally well. Not only have they perfected the classic comfort food with their gooey version, they’ve made it their own by offering … Read more
