The Museum of Science and Industry’s popular Smart Home exhibit is unveiling its totally revamped interiors tomorrow, and if this chic sneak of the dining room is any indication, I think I’m going to heart Smart Home 3.0—seriously, what’s not to like about this room? (Although one of those “pops” of color... Read more
One step into this richly hued Lincoln Square BYO and the mellow aroma of Indian spices mingled with soft sitar music guarantees instant warmth. So does the friendly owner, Shah Kabir, who welcomes customers while his family keeps watch over the curries and vindaloos. Read more
Animated Cookies

Joe Bova and Jeff Steinberg, respectively an animator and a screenwriter, plan to open a bakery called Cookie Bar (2475 N. Lincoln Ave.) next month in a former Lincoln Park Starbucks. An animator and screenwriter? “In our private lives we entertained a lot,” says Steinberg. “People always loved anything we would bring to dinner parties. We started getting calls from... Read more
Audrey Niffenegger struck publishing gold with her best-selling first novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, recently made into a movie. Now the Chicago author is back with another story tinged with the otherworldly—ghosts this time. Can the new novel live up to high expectations—and the $5-million payday it fetched? Read more
Lederhosen, lager, Lincoln Square: Must be the North Side hamlet's German Day Festival (a.k.a. Oktoberfest). Our photographer caught folks midpolka on Friday, the first night of the weekend-long fest, before heading inside the neighborhood tavern Huettenbar... Read more
Don't-miss picks for 09.02.09 through 09.08.09: An Oscar nom comes home … poets pay ode to the fair dino … Burnham goes celluloid … Plus, a Million Dollar Broadway nod and more Read more
From Powerhouse to Prairie
It’s been a good month for Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433). On the heels of its burger being anointed Chicago’s best, now PGC has announced it will spawn Prairie Fire, another all-American outpost in the old Powerhouse space in the West Loop (215 N. Clinton St.) “We’re going to do some of our signature stuff like... Read more
Made in the Shade
During her time as a fashion consultant and manager of various cosmetic counters, Heather Hanson, a Northwest suburbanite, stumbled into the field of mineral makeup more than a decade ago. Back then, the product was just breaking into the market and gave Hanson the idea to make a high-quality cosmetics line that was affordable. Hanson contacted... Read more