Cover Story

100 Bars We Love
edited by Shane Tritsch and Jennifer Wehunt
From cozy taverns to trendy cocktail boutiques, romantic wine bars to raucous sports taps, hot clubs to scruffy dives, we scouted scores of area nightspots and then ruthlessly winnowed the field. The result: our discerning guide to the 100 best bars in town

Our Man in London
by Carol Felsenthal
The retired Chicago businessman Louis Susman recently became the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, prompting the British press to ridicule the Obama fundraiser as the “vacuum cleaner.” It’s only the latest example of a continuing—and questionable—American tradition.

The Professor and the Prosecutor
by Bryan Smith
A Northwestern professor has refused to show subpoenaed notes, e-mails, and grades to the Cook County state’s attorney. Now, horns are locked, and the battle has turned nasty.

Bumper Crop
by J. C. Gabel
In pinball’s heyday, Chicago was the manufacturing mecca for those gaudy, cacophonous electronic games. The glory days may be gone, but the city remains pinball’s capital—and its savior.

Departments

Arena
PAGE TWO The not-so-good news about the state of our state ARTS & CULTURE The playwright Marisa Wegrzyn wins a Wasserstein; Pocket Guide plans a return trip to Osage County; Threadless cofounder Jacob DeHart launches a new Internet venture; Philip Seymour Hoffman comes to town; in between European concerts, the musician Sugar Blue releases a new album. Plus: Opera season is peaking! Here, a guide by ticket price and risk factor STYLE We tested dozens of new fragrances and then whittled the list down to the ten best. Plus: The Cozzini sisters bring a pair of luxe boutiques to the Gold Coast; February sales

Table
Upscale Italian fever hits hotels; battle of the tortas; a trip to the market; cookie monsters invade Lincoln Park; the ten hottest restaurants

Reporter
by Robert Loerzel
A century before Craigslist, salacious ads started appearing in Joseph R. Dunlop’s Chicago Dispatch, one of the city’s leading newspapers.

Deal Estate®
by Dennis Rodkin
It’s a buyers’ market, as a comparison of house sales in 2007 and 2009 reveals. Plus:  new city condo projects

Outer Drive
by Jeff Ruby
For many Chicagoans, romance doesn’t come easy. That’s mainly because they don’t find anything romantic.

Chicago Guide®
February’s forecast: toy theatre, Maya Lin, and quadruped meteorologists

Restaurants
Chilam Balam throws a party in Lake View; Takashi gets even better.

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