Front Burner: Stephanie Izard
September 2008: Sautéed Marinated Shrimp with Corn Yogurt and Corn, Green Tomato, and Bacon Salad
Ad Categories: Dining & Drinking
Real Good Beer
While Chicago confronted what sounds like a hailstorm of biblical proportions last week, Texas, where I had road tripped, was busy sandwiching the half-hearted tropical storm Edouard with raging, relentless, stick-to-the-car-seat heat. What better way to wash down rain and rampant sweat than with more moisture, in the form of cold beer? If you’re ever in the Texas Hill Country—that incongruous swath of elevation that rides the Lone Star State’s belly like a giant belt buckle—find yourself a bottle of…
If the Shoe Fits: My Night at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino
What I loved and hated—and felt suspiciously neutral about—at the newly renovated, $500 million Horseshoe Casino, floating just off Hammond, Indiana. I checked out the spot Friday on opening night, along with about 6,000 other partygoers. Is this Chicago’s next nightlife destination? You be the judge…
Goodbye, Erba
Bummer of the Week
Erba (4520 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-989-4200), a rustic Italian spot in Lincoln Square that made Chicago magazine’s 2007 list of best new restaurants, will close on September 13th, according to Robert Butterfield Jr., the owner. “It’s a lack of business,” said Alan Pirhofer, Erba’s chef. “People are being more cautious with their money. The neighborhood is changing.” As for Pirhofer’s future, he’s…
Dining Out: Mad About Mado
Laid-back and green, a Mediterranean storefront opens in Bucktown; Topaz takes Burr Ridge on a Euro tour.
Celebrity-palooza, Bar News, and more
There are after-parties, and then there are industry parties. Just about every club worth its cover was touting its own “official” Lollapalooza after-party last weekend. The Underground sent out mass emails and text messages bragging that Lindsay Lohan and waify gal pal Samantha Ronson were in the house—they were hanging out while Sammie’s Grammy Award-winning brother (and Sunday Lollapalooza act) DJ Mark Ronson spun at the club…
Dinner Rush Love Story
No Privacy Issues Here
Here’s a new one on us: Hank Dreyer, owner of the new Wine & Vine (105 S. York Rd., Elmhurst; 630-832-9463), jumped up on the chef’s platform in the open kitchen during the height of dinner last Sunday and proposed to his partner, Beth Corcoran. “Beth, it’s true that I’m married to Wine & Vine,” he said, in full view of his staff and customers. “But I’d much rather…
Best of Chicago
Whoever said “Good enough” probably didn’t get very far in life. In our annual pursuit of better living through extreme pickiness, we discovered the best reasons to celebrate our ever-expanding city.
Nightlife Scoop: Rockit GM Leaves the Ranch, and More
In one of the bigger bar shakeups of the year, Cary Michael, former GM of Rockit Bar & Grill, announced his resignation last week, just days after the head of Rockit Ranch’s PR, Maura Daley (aka the mayor’s niece), also said her goodbyes. I caught up with Michael to talk about his leaving and his in-the-works nightlife venture: an as-yet-unnamed spot in West Town (1371 W. Chicago Ave.) with partners Howard Natinsky (Five Star, Fat Cat) and Jim Dragatsis (Marigold)…
From Africa to Englewood
Final Exam
Sikia (pronounced “seh-KEE-ya,” 740 W. 63rd St.; 773-602-5200), a 75-seat African restaurant run by advanced students at Washburne Culinary Institute, opens on August 1st at the institute’s new Englewood facility. “This project has been in the making for eight years,” says Bill Reynolds, provost at Washburne. “It will be a requirement of last-semester students to work all the kitchen and dining room positions at…