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May 2009
Whistling Past the Graveyard
We’re now in Kanchanaburi, a mellow riverside town in western Thailand that backpackers love for a reason that may or may not have something to do with pot. It is also, as you surely know, the birthplace of the Buddhist monk Phrabhavanaviriyakhun. (Luang Phaw Dattajeevo, for short.) But Kanchanaburi is perhaps best known for... Read more
Funky Pendants
   

Green Home Chicago is the only local distributor of Eleek, a lighting company that uses recycled material to make energy-saving fixtures. Love the industrial look of the Starlight and Normandy pendants, shown above.  They also make sconces, floor lamps, flush mount fixtures, and more. GHC is offering 10 percent off any Eleek product through June 30th.

—Gina Bazer

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Rocks It
At the end of the day, what matters in most sports is the score. So, here it is: After my latest Wrigleyville drinking escapade, this time at the second outpost of Rockit Bar & Grill, The Chaser is 1-1 on Cubs bars. And this win was well earned (as was the Cubs' 4 to 2 victory over San Fran).

Rockit two has some cosmetic similarities to the River North original: same two-floor setup, same menu with same famed Kobe burger... Read more
Target Distilled

What’s more fun that Target? Target, edited! Bullseye Bazaar is a Target “pop-up” store (a boutique open for just a few days; they’ve done this in L.A. and New York; this is our city’s first), with a great selection of home goods, fashion, and accessories from Target’s design partners (some things are exclusive to the Bazaar). I got a sneak peek at a press preview today. In my shopping bag (or on my wish list): Smith & Hawken for Target lights for the yard, green floral melamine plates, DwellStudio’s grey bath towels and grey-and-yellow floral pillows, and upholstered Jolie chairs (to see and order) like the one shown above. But the main target of my affection: Blu Dot’s Real Good powder-coated steel chair, in super-fun colors (shown above in white), for just $99 (it’s $129 elsewhere). Find home accessories from Thomas O’Brien, Michael Graves, and Victoria Hagan, too. Shop May 7-9, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 445 N. Michigan Ave.

—JAN PARR

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On the Market: A Mediterranean Villa in Highland Park
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $949,000
The Property: Lake Michigan may not resemble the Mediterranean Sea, but here and there along its shores, Chicagoans have built some Mediterranean-style homes—including charmers like this one, with its abundant gardens and its two-story tower reaching for the sun. Creamy orange-sherbet stucco, a clay tile roof, and round-edged window insets give the house the ambience of a miniature resort—and that’s what it might once have been... Read more
Urban Chowboy
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
Of Dust and Dough
The partners at Mod Pizza (1222 W. Madison St.; 312-666-1222), an upcoming pizzeria/smoothie bar in the West Loop, are obviously optimists. The 68-seat spot with an outdoor café is still under construction, but they plan to open on May 20th. “The plumbing is in, and we are hanging ductwork as I speak,” says Madison Drake, former partner at Phil & Lou’s. “The kitchen flooring will be in by end of next week.” Mod’s executive chef, Marco Aguirre (recently of Maggiano’s), has been working with Old California Pizza Dough, a San Francisco–based company, to develop the mix that will go into the sourdough-based flour for his predominantly thin pizzas. But the food is the least of Drake’s worries... Read more
Fun on Fulton, Outdoors on Sale, and more
By Bradley Lincoln
Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood has a well-deserved reputation for white-hot restaurants, but this zip code also contains a lot of unusual home stores, furniture and art galleries, and boutiques Read more
The Full Monty
The Five
Don’t-miss events for 05.06.09 through 05.12.09

1. Monty Python’s Terry Jones @ Lakeshore Theater
2. Static: A Headphones Tour @ North Lakeside Cultural Center
3. Dan Deacon @ Metro Read more
Yoga for Designphiles
 

Yogis, check this out! Santa Monica–based photographer and Chicago native Jen Cawley sells these fun customize-able eco-friendly yoga mats at Yogamatic.com. Choose an image from any of the 100 featured on the Web site or send the company a PDF of your own design and they will print it on a mat. Price is $85 plus tax and shipping. Shown here is the "Chicago.” Namaste.

—Gina Bazer

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