They say you never forget your first love—that’s true for bars and boys, in my case. Both cemented themselves in my heart on a cold January night, post-dinner, in the Loop. The streets were dead, so when my now-husband Ben and I hopped into a cab I assumed we…
He Said It
“The name is something that I came up with. All the names that were on the table were missing the mark. Think about it. Restaurant MW. That’s just not exciting, is it?” –Tony Mantuano on Terzo Piano (159 E. Monroe Dr.), his upcoming restaurant on the third (terzo) floor of the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute designed by Renzo Piano (scheduled to open May 16th)…
Revelers in green flooded area bars all weekend long to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, and O’Donovan’s (2100 W. Irving Park) was no exception. On Sunday, the Northwest Side bar chartered a bus down to the South Side Irish Parade, embarking at 10:30 a.m. and dropping off parade-goers back at the bar at 5 p.m.—for even more drinking and celebrating. We caught up with some folks who kept the party going post-parade…
A pair of talented chefs ride to the rescue at Courtright’s and One Sixtyblue
Osteria Ottimo, Los Nopales, Tiny Lounge, Ristorante al Teatro
Fred Ramos takes over Angelina Ristorante
What interests us most about the new restaurant is the impressive roster of talent behind it
Seeing as how I’m a good 50 percent Irish and St. Patty’s is mere days away, this week seemed like the perfect time to scout out the newly opened Cagney’s, an Irish-themed sports bar in west Lincoln Park. Unfortunately, my Irish half was not impressed—and neither was the other half. Launched by a trio of New Yorkers and a pair of Chicagoans in the old Jack Sullivan’s/Varsity Club/Barleycorn space, Cagney’s has something of an identity crisis going on…
An Instant Classic
Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already…
Also new to the neighborhood, The Lucky Lady opened around the corner from Theory in late December courtesy of Michaels Bisbee and Kaulentis, a.k.a. the guys behind the popular River North hangouts RiNo, Manor, and Stay. “A lot of our patrons said they wished we had an early spot to go to after work,” Bisbee … Read more
