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Housing Bulletin: And now, the rest of the story
By Dennis Rodkin

Every Thursday except holidays, I post a short tour of a home that is for sale, including the sellers’ asking price. But the asking price is only half of the story, as the past year’s market drop has clarified for all of us; the other half is the final selling price.
So, as Paul Harvey would say, now here’s the rest of the story on several properties I posted on Thursdays in 2008...

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Hot Dogs and Hamburgers
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

Getting Mary’d

After 11 years of anchoring Andersonville, the idiosyncratic Tomboy (5402 N. Clark St.; 773-907-0636) is getting out while the getting’s good. Tomboy’s neighbor “Hamburger Mary’s [5400 N. Clark St.; 773-784-6969] is expanding,” says Stacy Malow-Williams, a partner at Tomboy, which closed on December 21st. “I have an eight-month-old baby at home and we got an offer we could not refuse. It’s the perfect opportunity.” Ashley Wright, a partner at Hamburger Mary’s Chicago franchise, says his restaurant will double its seating capacity when the new space opens in the spring. “It will be mostly high-topped tables,” says Wright, who promises the same...

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The Library Bistro
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
Jim Dragatsis (Marigold), Howard Natinsky (Fat Cat), and Cary Michael (formerly of Rockit) are collaborating on Branch 27 (1371 W. Chicago Ave.), a 120-seat American bistro in the old 27th Ward library. “We are focusing on foods people are very familiar with—flat-iron steaks, great mussels, great seafood—classics done very well,” says Dragatsis. “The plates are not going to be loaded with garnishes and sauces.” The partners... Read more
Libertyville Gets Sauced
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

New ’Cue

Main Street Smokehouse (536 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville), a promising 35-seat spot slated to open the first week of January, plans to put its own spins on barbecue styles around the country. “I’m pairing pork shoulder with my own apple cider ale barbecue sauce, and ribs with maple chipotle sauce, and brisket with a sweet Tennessee-style sauce,” says the owner, Eddie Moore, a culinary school graduate who has been working as a caterer in...

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Housing Bulletin: One Homebuilder’s Very Candid Look Back
By Dennis Rodkin

Last week, a local builder, Paul Ahlrich of Grun Development, sat down with me for a frank talk about his experience building and selling new houses in Chicago. Ahlrich got into the business slowly at first, and then in early 2006, took a headlong plunge, building three new upscale houses in Humboldt Park—houses he expected to sell before or shortly after...

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Where to Buy Now
By Dennis Rodkin
The silver lining behind the residential real-estate collapse is the opportunity for housing bargains. Here are 14 up-and-coming Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs where prices are relatively low and the promise for future growth is strong Read more
Drinks, Please! Back on the Nightlife Beat

Last Girl Standing no more.

In what turned out to be a truly memorable evening, I finally tied the knot a couple of weeks ago at the Drake Hotel. Since my marital status has changed, it seemed like the title of my blog should, too; hence "Nightspotting 2.0," a nod to my longtime print column in Chicago magazine. And now that my mini-moon to the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach is over, I'm back pounding the pavement to bring you the latest from the nightlife front every Thursday—and check in Mondays for weekend photos from the scene. But first, for those who sweated out the prewedding jitters with me via the blog, a few highlights from the big event...

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Logan’s Run
By Sarah Preston
A second location in up-and-coming Logan Square is a natural move for Northside Bar & Grill Read more
Need to Know…
By Gina Bazer
The latest scoop on openings, relocation's, happenings, and other notable information Read more