top 20 cocktails in America, and two are from Chicago: The Violet Hour's Juliet & Romeo and Nacional 27's Strawberry-Rhubarb-Basil-Balsamic Mojito. Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

2. Zocalo and Partida Tequila team up for a tequila tasting tonight...

" /> top 20 cocktails in America, and two are from Chicago: The Violet Hour's Juliet & Romeo and Nacional 27's Strawberry-Rhubarb-Basil-Balsamic Mojito. Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

2. Zocalo and Partida Tequila team up for a tequila tasting tonight...

" /> top 20 cocktails in America, and two are from Chicago: The Violet Hour's Juliet & Romeo and Nacional 27's Strawberry-Rhubarb-Basil-Balsamic Mojito. Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

2. Zocalo and Partida Tequila team up for a tequila tasting tonight...

" />
Events Newsletters Subscribe

July 2008
Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk
Join The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in its annual Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk, which has raised more than $5 million since its inception in 2001. Scheduled for September 7th, the walk will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Montrose Beach in Lincoln Park. For additional information visit www.lustgarten.org or call toll free at 866-789-1000. Photos from last year's walk courtesy of Charles Zugerman. Read more
Black Walnut Plants New Roots


After three years on Division Street, Robert Wayner’s Black Walnut Gallery has moved to the West Loop gallery district. If you love rustic, rough-edged wood tables and benches with a modern sensibility, and contemporary art with a political slant, this is the place to get both. (Through the rest of July and all of August, check out Tolerance of Belief, a group art exhibit featuring 10 Arab and Jewish artists from around the world, “who are making a stand for peace and understanding in the Middle East by displaying their artwork side-by-side.”) Wayner, an artist and furniture maker, is a very friendly man who loves to share stories about the origins of the reclaimed wood he uses to make his furniture.

—GINA BAZER

 

Read more
Jimmy & the Blowfish
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

Mana Mia!

One of our top FODs checked out MANA foodbar (1742 W. Division St.; 773-342-1742), Jill Barron and Susan Thompson’s (Sushi Wabi and De Cero) new vege-focused boîte in Wicker Park. Herein the report, verbatim: “Just had lunch at Mana. Very organic. Reminds me a little of the Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC. Very small, like the portions. Blue cheese tart with caramelized onion was YUM!, but one bite full for $7. The spanakopita was more generous for $8—firm and very...

Read more
Mammas, Don’t Let Your Pizzas Grow Up to Be Beers

Frat boys across the nation, rejoice! The rest of us (spoiler alert): Meh. Behold, Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer. Any resemblance to ABBA or Meryl Streep is purely coincidental.

Thanks to devout garage brewers Tom and Athena Seefurth of suburban Campton Township, we now know the answer to that age-old 3 a.m. question: What would happen if we mated pizza and beer? Hint: Some pairings make better friends than lovers. The beer, now brewed by Sprecher in Wisconsin, earns points for originality (yes, that is basil, garlic, oregano, and tomato you smell...

Read more
Treasure Trove


We just got word from Steven Burgert, owner of I.D., that the shop is now the exclusive Chicago retailer of Trove wallpaper. This gorgeous paper feels more like art than a wall treatment. I actually would like to buy some just to frame it. It costs about $13 to $16 a square foot.

—Gina Bazer


 

Read more
Housing Bulletin—Behind the Fall in Round Lake
By Dennis Rodkin

In most of the Chicago area, the number of home sales is down about 30 to 40 percent this year, according to MRED, the real-estate data service. In the Round Lake section of Lake County, it’s down 77.9 percent. That means only a little more than one-fifth as many houses have sold there in the past 12 months as did in the prior year. And some agents in town say...

Read more
Get Out!
By Cara Jepsen
Thinking of trying a new sport? Consider one of these seven summertime classics—with tips from pros for having more fun in the sun. Read more
The Penguin and the Gold Coast
By Rebecca Little

The March of the Penguin

Retro brand Original Penguin (901 N. Rush St.; 312-475-0792, originalpenguin.com), has revamped, updating its fan base by swapping out Bob Hope for Adam Brody, and opened a stand-alone store in the Gold Coast—a mid-century mod space with the requisite flat-screen televisions showing cult movies. The throwback sportswear includes polos ($59), cashmere sweaters, button-downs, T-shirts, and summer dresses such as...

Read more