250 Sheridan Road in Glencoe: $1,875,000 | Listed on Sept. 1, 2019
This 7,184-square-foot mansion has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The grounds include a pond, walled garden and original gazebo. The reception hall opens to a living room overlooking an English garden and a dining room. The home also features a sun room surrounded by doors, a kitchen with two butler’s pantries and a library which overlooks the pond. The residence includes an attached, heated garage, underground sprinklers and a security system.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Screenshot of a tweet by Journalist David Giuliani
A couple of years ago, I wrote an article published in Chicago Now titled, “Don’t let the presses stop,” featuring a young reporter, David Giuliani, who stood up to a local Mayor. You can read the article here.
Hired as a watchdog by the Daily Journal, David is a thorough investigative journalist, a good writer, and fearless. He brought a level of sophistication to a small community newspaper that signaled the paper was serious about its role as the Fourth Estate.
David brought an ethical code that should be the envy of every newsroom. He dedicates his work to root out corruption without regard to party affiliation or local friendships. He strives to keep his personal and political bias out of his articles. David has the enthusiasm of youthful idealism. His dedication to principles ran up against the reality of a community whose political traditions are not winning any ethics awards.
It’s challenging to change a community’s culture, and that is what David was attempting to do. He brought light to dark places, and it upset a lot of people.
Allow me to make a general statement about newspapers endorsing political candidates. I loathe the idea. First, show me how people’s minds are changed because a bunch of people sitting around an editorial board meeting decides they like Frank better than they do Mary? Who are these people making moral judgments?
Newspaper endorsements, whether from the Washington Post or the Daily Journal, are arrogant and filled with an air of self-importance to be borderline narcissistic behavior. That is my objection to them, and it is a moral objection.
A community depends on a newspaper for facts and information.
Newspapers are not the Holy Grail of virtue signaling, yet that is the role too many papers try to play. Perhaps that has more to do with the decline of newspapers than the internet. Just maybe newspapers who have principles and don’t play favorites flourish? The public isn’t stupid, and they see through the scam.
The State of Illinois has one of the most aggressive anti-pay-to-play laws in the nation. Pay-to-play is the practice where government contractors kickback money to politicians who approve their contracts.
In the Tweet above, David alleges that he caught Kankakee County Board Chairman, Andrew Wheeler getting a contribution from a Springfield lobbyist who Wheeler hired to represent Kankakee County, then pressured the County Board to approve the contract. His management killed the story, and David alleges it is because the General Manager wants to make the County Board Chairman look good.
David resigned from the Journal and is tweeting about what he sees as ethical breeches at his former employer. The allegations erode the trust the public should have for the local newspaper. It is one thing to give endorsements on the editorial pages. It is quite another to cover up stories.
A local newspaper should not be a tool of propaganda for corrupt politicians and an enabler of corrupt practices, yet that is precisely what David’s allegations chronicle. How is the community supposed to trust anything they see in the paper with this going on?
It leaves the impression that there is no watchdog for the community.
If the ethics of Journalism have any meaning whatsoever, management perverting them is not in the best interest of the news organization. People don’t want to read propaganda. Readers don’t like coverups, and the public repudiates treating them like dummies.
The premise of my article two years ago is that even a lousy newspaper is better than no paper at all. Now, I’m not so sure. If it covers up corruption as David alleges, then what use is it?
Bob has spent more than 40 years in politics, more than 20 years on the national level working in Washington, DC in a variety of roles. His policy areas of expertise are Foreign Policy, Defense, Appropriations, and Trade Policy. In his time in Washington, he worked on some of the most contentious issues to come before the Congress, and Administration. Semi-retired, he now writes and lectures on politics. He also collects and writes about art.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
I am a Midwestern guy all the way through to be honest. I would say there is nothing like living in the Midwest even if I get tired of the coldness of the winter months. Illinois is a good state, but we have problems ranging from violence to debt to population loss, which are problems many other states are suffering from as well.
In Illinois, over the last few years, there has been a lot of talk by Republicans living in the Central and Southern parts of the state that the state would be better off if Chicago and all of Cook County was its own state. I personally cannot understand why anyone would think getting rid of the only major city in the state would be a good idea, but the idea has a decent following.
There are people living in Central and Southern Illinois who actually believe the Republican nonsense that they are paying to keep Chicago running. They actually believe the lie that Chicago is running on their tax dollars despite the fact that Chicago is likely the only city in the state adding billions of the dollars to the state’s revenue. And for the record, Chicago is not receiving more money than it is putting in.
The problem with many cities and small towns in the lower parts of Illinois is the small town politics. I have a friend who was born and raised in a small town in Illinois. He would always say the people in his town complained about there not being much in the town and many blame Cook County for the problem since they have the power in Springfield. Those so-called big city loving Cook County politicians do not care about the small, rural, Central and Southern parts of Illinois. They are only looking out for Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, which could be true for some Cook County politicians.
My friend who grew up in a small town in Illinois said the town’s problem was because it was run like many small towns in Illinois. At one point Walmart wanted to build a location and I believe a distribution center in his town, but the local politicians voted down the plan. One reason is because his town was run like many small towns where the local store owners and one or two families controlled everything. A Walmart location could have put their small stores out of business or reduced their customers. So they chose to stop Walmart and other stores from coming to town while at the same time blaming the Cook County politicians in Springfield for not helping their town bring jobs to the community.
One of the biggest problems with Illinois in my opinion is the fact that our state does not have a second major city. In the Midwest, Missouri has St. Louis and Kansas City; Wisconsin has Milwaukee and Madison; Ohio has Cleveland and Cincinnati. I bet the average person outside of Illinois could not name another Illinois city outside of Chicago. Those who could probably would likely name a city in the Chicago suburbs or Champaign where the Illinois Fighting Illini plays.
The Central and Southern parts of Illinois want to blame Cook County for their problems when they should be asking why people do not want to live there. Chicago is the city that drives the Chicagoland area. People are attracted to major cities because of the employment opportunities, entertainment, night and social life.
Central and Southern Illinois needs a major city that could bring in companies and tourism dollars. A major city in Central or Southern Illinois would help many of the surrounding suburbs while adding much-needed funds to the state’s budget, but more importantly, the major city would likely lead to an increase population and more representation in Springfield.
Now, when I say a major city, I am not saying the state of Illinois needs another top 10 or even top 20 populated city. We need a Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City or Madison. A city that is nationally known and can be the engine that drives its surrounding suburbs.
Our nearby neighbor, Milwaukee, is a city that is in the midst of a building boom. Many in Milwaukee will tell you that downtown Milwaukee today is much different from its downtown twenty or even ten years ago. Give credit to the local politicians in the city because they are finding a way to compete with other Midwest cities for conventions and national events. Hopefully, the city will focus some of that new growth in the low-income communities of the city, which is something many African American and other community leaders have lobbied for in recent months.
For those who would say Milwaukee has been a major city for decades and that is slightly true. I would say Milwaukee has been a lesser known Midwest city in the shadow of other Midwest cities like our city, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis and even Kansas City. Today, Milwaukee is not on an even ground with our city or even Minneapolis or Detroit, but the city is now competing with St. Louis, Kansas City and Indianapolis. Central and Southern Illinois could learn something from Milwaukee.
You can listen to Tron’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/tron-griffin
Tron Griffin grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He writes about issues facing Chicagoans. You can check out Tron’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/tron-griffin
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Sister outlet ROADBLAZING.COM recently attended a Chicago first media drive for the newest version of the most fuel frugal large family hauler sold in the U.S.A.
According to Toyota’s Jennifer Greenfelder we were the first journalists in the nation to actually drive production versions of the all new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, hot off the Princeton, Indiana press. For the 4th generation Highlander, Hybrid variants are anticipated to account for 20% of sales, a projected 100% uptake.
Highlights of the 2020 Highlander Hybrid:
4th generation of Highlander (XU70) now on 11% stiffer TNGA-K platform
Best selling 8 or 7 passenger crossover sport utility vehicle sold in U.S.
Priced from $38,200 (delivery excluded) – Highlander Hybrid LE FWD
Shorter hexagonal grille, truck-style deep hood center valley, flared rear quarter panel, aligns with 2-Row Toyota RAV4
Switch to DOHC inline-4 cylinder gas engine, supplemented by regenerative charging battery powering up to two electric traction motors
“Drive…He Said” is part of a fortified diet to be taken along with heaps of www.Roadblazing.com a fresh take on new car reviews, automotive trends and road trips.
This is where enthusiasts and ZipCar drivers alike, can find brutally honest reviews, industry news, and insight on trends, real-life-anecdotes (with the true identities concealed to protect the not-so-innocent) likely to produce accelerated graying of hair amongst more than a few industry insiders.
Our trademark: Those evenly spaced long tire tread marks on
a street nearest you.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Heidi Schreck’s 2017 play What the Constitution Means to Me might be one of the more unlikely shows to make the leap to Broadway in recent years, winning a Tony nomination for best play and becoming a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in drama. (A lecture-recreation of debates about the meaning of U.S. citizenship that isn’t a musical? Wild!)
In the play, Schreck recounts her time as a teenage whiz on the U.S. Constitution. She participated in debates on the document at American Legion posts and other venues that helped her earn money for college. But she also reflects on the limitations of the Constitution in truly guaranteeing equal rights under the law, tying it in with the history of domestic violence suffered by women in her own family tree. (If you’ve never read up on the case Jessica Gonzales v. United States of America, prepare to be outraged and chilled.) The second half of the show (directed by Oliver Butler) features Schreck’s character going toe-to-toe with actual teenage debaters, and there’s also some audience interaction as we’re asked to consider whether it’s time to start over with a new Constitution or work harder to improve the one we already have.
Schreck isn’t on tour with the show, since she is expecting twins. So her friend and Broadway vet Maria Dizzia (also known to fans of Orange Is the New Black for her performance as Polly Harper) is doing the honors, joined by Mike Iveson and Rosdely Ciprian from the original Broadway production and Jocelyn Shek, who joined the cast in Los Angeles. She talks about what it’s like being Heidi onstage and what the Constitution means to her. The following is edited from a longer interview.
What is it like playing someone you know?
I saw the play four times, so I have a sense of the self that Heidi brought on stage with her. When you’re watching someone and you see them doing something, it kind of lives in you a little bit as an audience member. I had that sense going into it. So when I was rehearsing it I always tried to access that memory that I had of what it felt like to be in the presence of that person and find that in myself.
I never really tried to imitate Heidi totally, because it felt a little bit that how the play lives is that it’s just asking whoever is doing it to be their authentic self. The thing that is most important to the play is that you feel like the person on the stage is talking to you, not that there’s a persona.
One of the things that’s great about knowing Heidi for such a long time and actually seeing part of the process is that she was really able to tell me what she was thinking about. So often that’s the one thing that you don’t get when you’re working on a play. You have lines and you start to develop a sense of who the character is, but you have to figure out how to go from one line to the next. Heidi was able to tell me exactly what she thought about when she was performing onstage–why she included certain things in the play, how she felt in moments.
And there were some interesting differences. Who Heidi was as a 15-year-old is different than who I was. There are obviously some similarities, but early on when we were working on things, I would be reticent or pulling back. I don’t think I was as exuberant as a 15-year-old as she was. It’s funny, but in rehearsal one day, the director said to me after I did this one speech–you know how she talks about her competitor, Becky Dobbler? [In the play, Dobbler offers the warm-and-fuzzy analysis that the Constitution is “a patchwork quilt,” whereas Schreck counters, “It is not a patchwork quilt. It is hot and sweaty. It is a crucible.”]
He said to me, “That was good, but I think that version was more like Becky Dobbler.” And if I’m really honest with myself, I think I was a little more of a Becky Dobbler when I was 15, and that somebody like Heidi would have come along and swept the floor with me. So that’s something that is really exciting, to access that part of myself and that exuberance, that sense of freedom and having a passion that just overtakes you. And I have to say that working on this has been so beneficial to me as an adult. Trying to find that 15-year-old self has actually informed the freedom and the joy I feel throughout the play.
There are actual teen debaters in the show who join you in debating the Constitution in the second half. What do you think it’s been like for them?
Jocelyn is from LA. Rosdely has been with the play since its inception. She started working on the play when she was 12. Jocelyn is 14, and she’s traveling with us from LA to Chicago. It’s the first play she’s ever been in. She’s so astounding. The challenges of being from LA and performing for–you know a lot of times students come to the play and they’re from LA. So there’s that feeling of performing for your peers. And now I’m excited to see her in Chicago and performing for people who don’t have any idea who she is. That’s a whole other challenge.
The play itself feels like a living document because of all the changes that are happening with the courts and legislatures. Virginia just ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, for example. Is there room in the show for acknowledging these breaking developments?
The second half of the play is the debate. That’s the section that allows for that. So the debate is updated every day. Everybody contributes to it. The stage managers, the director, Heidi, the debaters, myself–we all talk about things that we’ve read and that we want to include in the debate. Obviously Virginia has been a huge part of that and now that the House has voted to revoke the time constraints [on ERA ratification], we’re waiting to see what the Senate will say. The debate is really the place where Heidi allows for that growth to happen and for the play to always be speaking to the current moment.
What was your experience as a youth debater like?
I remember how it felt to do that, to have memorized a speech or to have written my own speech and be delivering it for the first time. You learn a little bit of oration. Just like Heidi worked with her parents, I worked with my parents. I remember things I learned in my English class to incorporate them into my speech, like the anaphora in Mark Antony’s funeral speech in Julius Caesar–“and Brutus is an honorable man.”
Two things have been very important. First is remembering the way in which [during the debate] there’s this moment where you felt like your whole self is at the ready, and I think that’s part of what Heidi likes about it so much. Her creative self and her intellectual self and her social self –putting it out there and just being up in front of everybody and allowing yourself to be a target so much.
I also have to say I forgot so much about what makes debate successful and I’m not as great a debater as Heidi was. So really I’ve learned so much from Jocelyn and Rosdely. I listen to the way that they debate and I try to mimic them and I hear the way they make points. Rosdely has this very authoritative stillness that I try to copy.
Do you get student audiences who are debaters as well?
We have debate clubs come to the show. Just the other day a school came and it was about 15 students who are all debaters. And they came backstage afterwards and Jocelyn spoke to them. It’s always great to have them in the audience. Just to hear the perspective. It makes it feel more immediate. With older audiences, there are aspects of it that are more of a memory play for them, a little bit. But when the audience is really mixed with young and old, the play just has this really great immediacy.
Are audiences surprised by the amount of interaction and buy-in the show requires of them? I find that really the play invites people into it from the beginning, because the play starts with the lights up. So that tells everyone that they’re a part of it and that they’re not being shut out right from the top. Audiences are really vocal and they’re really vocal right at the top because I think there’s a real understanding that they’re being included.
How much did you have to bone up on the Constitution? And do you have a favorite amendment now?
Good question. I have to say, I was really investigating the Constitution for the first time. I didn’t encounter it as a student. I did take American history but there wasn’t a class I ever had where we looked at it really closely. Also I think that most of the time you focus on the Bill of Rights. So Heidi gave me a book called The Citizens’ Constitution by Seth Lipsky and I looked at that. Also the book that she mentions in the play that she used to prepare [as a teen]–Your Rugged Constitution. Which is an awesome book. There’s a line [in the play], “There are little cartoons that explain all the amendments to you.” And I actually did find that to be very helpful.
I think the 14th Amendment is the one she goes into depth in and that really is the amendment that has been so remarkable to me. It’s part of the Reconstruction Amendments and it was able to be used to get rights for some other people. And the thing that is really amazing to me is that later in the play, there’s the idea of the 14th Amendment being such an important key to people’s freedom in the United States. And then after the Jessica Gonzales decision, feminist legal scholars said it was the death of the 14th Amendment for women. [The U.S. Supreme Court held that Gonzales, a Colorado woman with a restraining order against her abusive estranged husband, could not claim her 14th Amendment rights were violated because the police refused to enforce the order.] And that is something that every night I feel like I reckon with a little bit. Because it’s such a powerful thing that women have been shut out of. v
The MLS season officially started this past weekend and fans of ChicagoFire FC have a whole new team to root for this year. Under new ownership, the team went through a complete rebrand this offseason with a new logo and jerseys. The Chicago Fire FC also return to playing games at Soldier Field this season, after leaving in 2006. Keeping track of all these changes is definitely no easy task. We’ve got the breakdown on all things new, and what to anticipate for the 2020 season!
A post shared by Chicago Fire FC (@chicagofire) on Mar 2, 2020 at 12:08pm PST
What’s New With The Chicago Fire FC?
To start things off, the team changed their name to Chicago Fire FC under new owner Joe Mansueto. Another part of their rebrand includes a fresh new look, with new jerseys and team logo. Ownership is hoping these changes will help build a new identity for the team who struggles to compete with other professional teams in the city. The club also made the move back to Soldier Field, after spending 14 years playing at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Changing out logos and switching venues aren’t the only moves the team made this offseason. The team also made plenty of changes to their coaching staff and roster. Some of these moves included hiring Raphael Wicky as the new head coach, Georg Heitz as the new sporting director, and Sebastian Pelzer as the new technical director. The new coaching staff didn’t hesitate in making moves as the team has acquired 12 new players after 14 have left from last season. Some of the key additions to the Chicago Fire FC squad are Robert Beric, Ignacio Aliseda, Gaston Gimenez, Miguel Angel Navarro, Boris Sekulic, and Luka Stojanovic.
A post shared by Chicago Fire FC (@chicagofire) on Feb 23, 2020 at 3:31pm PST
The 2020 Season
After an 8th place finish in the east last season, the team is hoping all the new changes will spell out success for the future. Of course, an entirely new roster, coaching staff, and venue means things might not go the smoothest, but there’s still hope. Last season, the Chicago Fire finished with a record of 10W-12L-12D and failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
In their season opener last Sunday, the team fell 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders. While it’s not the start they were hoping for, there’s still plenty of time to improve. The Chicago Fire FC will take on the New England Revolution in their next match on March 7th!
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
Dinner With A View is a brand-new pop-up dome dining experience on the Magnificent Mile. Formerly touching down in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, Dinner With A View is now making its way to Chicago. Guests can enjoy a three-course, blind tasting menu while enjoying views of Michigan Avenue from within a beautiful and intimate geodesic dome. From April 1 – May 10, 2020, Pioneer Court will be decked out in these frameless, see-through domes, transformed into terrariums that each highlight different terrains found throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Dinner With A View
Pop-up dome dining reservations can accommodate four to six guests, starting at $79.99 (usually $199.99) when they sign up for the Chicago mailing list on their website. Dinner reservations begin at $109.99 per guest, and seatings will be held Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 pm and 8:15 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, and 9:30 pm, and Sundays at 5 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm. Beverages are not included in this price, but are available for an extra rate while you’re dining in. This exclusive experience is only here for a month, so make sure to secure your tickets before they fill up!
Photo Credit: Dinner With A View
Beyond this original concept? Chef Dan Smith and Chef Gald Gand, who have collaborated for the past decade on the Food Network, hosting cooking shows, and even starting the two-year pop-up burger joint, Spritzburger, in Lakeview. Now, they’ve settled on a few pre-selected menus for meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegans, so that all can enjoy this unique pop-up dome dining experience.
At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.
Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!
While the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is coming up, the schedule for these weekdays is pretty standards. I am updating these calendars as I find more events, so keep checking in! I am trying to “qualify” St. Patrick’s events by checking for those that offer something better than just green beer.
And there may just be more events for 312 Day, sponsored by Goose Island for its namesake beer. And I haven’t seen anything for Pi Day (3/14) yet, but I’ll have an eye out.
At the date of this posting, Brewbound reports that Craftworks Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Craftworks is the parent company of the Rock Bottom brewpubs, and of Gordon Biersch, Old Chicago and Logan’s Roadhouse. The company has already closed 37 restaurants in New York, Virginia, Maryland, California, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. They have 77 franchise loctions that are not part of the proceeding, and its 261 company-owned outlets will operate as usual for now.
Rock Bottom has four brewpub restaurants in the Chicago area. Some of its past brewers include Tim Marshall, who co-founded Solemn Oath, and Pete Crowley, who went on the start Haymarket. The Gordon Biersch operation makes several contract beers for the Trader Joe’s chain.
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Meet The Blogger
Mark McDermott
Writer, trivia maven, fan of many things. I thought to learn all there is to know about beer as a way to stay interested in learning. It is my pleasure to bring Chicago’s craft beer scene to you.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Out of Chicago’s extensive lineup of new restaurants opening in 2019, only two were bestowed the honor of being named a JBF semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. The national winner will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at Chicago’s Lyric Opera on May 4.
One of the restaurants selected is Chef Carlos Gaytan’s upscale Tzuco Restaurant in River North.
No surprise.
Gaytan, the Michelin-starred chef, formerly of Mexique, and his newest hotspot, Tzuco have been on everyone’s radar for a long time.
The other JBF semifinalist for Best Restaurant is Thattu–not necessarily a household name with foodies or food critics.
Expect that to change.
Looking back at last year’s “Best New Restaurant” lists, I couldn’t find Thattu on anyone’s radar. It was not in Phil Vettel’s top 50, Chicago Magazine’s Dish, Chicago Eater’s Heatmap or even the Thrillist’s Best Restaurants Now.
Food cart in India.
Thattu, shortened from thattukada, the covered carts on the roadsides of Kerala, India that sell Indian street food, entered the scene less than a year ago in the chef-driven Politan Row Food Hall in the West Loop.
Their “stall” which takes about the space of an average-sized living room is located among the stalls of 10 other vendors serving up an international menu of tastes. Although there are places to sit in the food hall, Thattu and the other vendors emit more of a “to-go” vibe.So what is Kerala cuisine?
The food from the Kerala region is said to be the most underrepresented but the most delicious of all India’s cuisines.
Kerala is in southwest India on the Malabar Coast along the Arabian Sea shoreline. It is surrounded by a network of canals and the Western Ghat mountains where tea, spice and coffee are grown. There are palm-lined beaches and dozens of sanctuaries for monkeys, tigers and elephants.
The food, inspired by the fusion of Malabari, French, and Arabian, tends to be lighter and less spicy than Northern cuisines. The main focus is on curry leaf and coconut with frying done with coconut oil. Popular spices include nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, tamarind, and ginger.
I stopped by Thattu on Monday, to see what all the buzz is about. I spoke with owner Margaret Pak, who was blown away about being selected for this prestigious honor.
Pak was in corporate for 12 years before making the decision to follow her passion by working at the Korean Polish restaurant Kimski in Bridgeport. She hosted a few pop-ups there and in the West Loop that featured the cuisine of Kerala before being invited by the Politan team and CEO and Founder Will Donaldson to open a stall at the food hall.
The “self-taught chef” fell in love with the cuisine after marrying her husband Vinod, a native of Kerala. Whenever they visit Vinod’s mom in Kerala, Pak learns more Kerala recipes.
The Thattu menu features hearty Kerala curries, house-made appam, masala biscuits and Pak’s popular egg curry — boiled eggs simmered in coconut gravy, served with fermented rice flour pancakes.
Two of the most popular dishes are Coriander Chicken ($14) and the Kadala Curry ($11). The dishes are similar–both feature spices and coconut–one with coriander chicken the other with chickpeas and curry.
The Coriander Chicken with Appam. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer
I ordered the Coriander Chicken, a traditional kerala that comes with a choice of Appam or Ghee Rice. I got the Appam–similar to a pancake made with a batter of fermented rice and coconut milk. It is eaten in Kerala as a bread with all kinds of stews and curries by breaking off a small piece to pick up some of the main dish.
The menu features 2 beverages–a Malabar Ginger Cooler ($5) with a mix of Indian spices or a Ayurvedic Ajowan Iced Tea ($4) lightly sweetened with lime and spices.
I ordered a hot Cardamom Lime Tea, that is not on the menu but served on request. It comes in a glass (just the way Vinod’s grandmother serves it in Kerala).
Cardamom lime tea. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer
I also got the Marsala Biscuits (2 for $4) to go. The biscuits, sometimes called cookies, are a signature of the Kerala cuisine. Although they are called cookies, they are not sweet. They are made with chillies, cashew, nigella seeds, jaggery (cane juice or date or palm sap) and 20 Indian spices. They are dense, a little spicy–and pair beautifully with tea.
2020 James Beard’s Semifinals for Best New Restaurant
Thattu’s competition
Here is the complete list of semifinalists for best restaurants opened in 2019 that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine and hospitality, and that are likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
The best location to catch St. Paddy’s Day festivities – including the dyeing of the Chicago River emerald green – is at RPM Events! Join your fellow party-goers for Chicago’s foremost all-inclusive party that features interactive breakfast stations coupled with Irish Coffee, Bellinis & Mimosas, Bloody Mary bar and buckets of beer. VIP lounges and private terraces also available for purchase. For pricing and to purchase tickets, click here.
Kick-off St. Patrick’s Day at Pizzeria Portofino and enjoy upfront views of the famous dyeing of the Chicago River along with signature cocktails and pizzas. General admission tickets are $45 for adults 21 and over (inclusive of tax & gratuity) and guarantee entry. VIP experiences are also available and include an elevated booth, a designated server and Giuliana Prosecco. A food & beverage minimum is required and will be applied to the final bill. Packages are available from 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM.
il Porcellino WHEN: Saturday, March 14; 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, il Porcellino will be opening early at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 14. Enjoy festive cocktails and il Porcellino’s hearty Sicilian-Style Pizzas on special alongside an abbreviated lunchtime menu (the full dinner menu begins at 4:00 PM) to keep the party going.
Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at Hub 51 and enjoy food and drink specials, like $5 Green Beer, Corned Beef Sandwiches, Shamrock Carrot Cake and more, starting as early as 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 14 and 10:00 AM on Sunday, March 15. Looking to dance? Sub 51 will be open from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday and offer bottle and table packages. Make a reservation & buy table packages at Hub 51 or Sub 51
Bar Ramone will be open early for St. Patrick’s Day starting at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 14. Enjoy festive favorites including the Prime Beef Cheeseburger with Shullsburg American cheese, house pickles, & griddled onions between bright green buns, and share a porron of green fruit-forward Vinho Verde with friends!
Enjoy Shaw’s Chicago St. Patrick’s themed brunch on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 from 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM. The famous seafood brunch will feature Chef’s Signature Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread and more. Enjoy your brunch spread with a special Irish Coffee or a Guinness Beer and Tullamore Dew Shot for $10 plus tax, (gratuity not included). Brunch is $65 plus tax, (gratuity not included) for adults, and $15 plus tax, for kids 7–12.
Raised is throwing a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with the best holiday seats in the city. Sitting 3 floors above the streets of Chicago, located at 1 W. Wacker Dr., Raised offers the best views of downtown, the Chicago River dyeing, and the parade with bagpiping performances and Irish festivities. Throughout the day, Raised will be offering themed cocktails including the Heralds to the Heavens, the Don’t Forget to Tipperary, and the Erin on Holiday (In the Quarter) with doors opening at 12:30 p.m. Cover for entry will be $10.
Summer Festival Season
WHEN: May-September 2020
Are you ready for Chicago’s Summer Festival Season, named the best in the country? Click here for Show Me Chicago’s annual calendar of Summer Festivals and Events.
Carole is an arts, entertainment and food journalist. She writes “Show Me Chicago” and “Chicago Eats” for ChicagoNow and covers Chicago places and events for Choose Chicago (City of Chicago) as well as freelancing for a variety of publications.
BARBARA REVSINE
I started writing when I was in grade school. And when I wasn’t writing or thinking about writing, I was reading what someone else had written. So it wasn’t a stretch for me to think about writing as a career. Neither was it a stretch to think about writing about food, a subject I’d always found interesting, more in terms of history, cooking, restaurants and culture than eating and critiquing. Decades after selling my first story, my interest in writing about food continues, and “A Bite of Chicago” gives me another opportunity to pursue my passion with people who share it.
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“Longtime CNN political analyst Paul Begala predicted on Monday that President Trump is ‘gonna dump [Vice President] Mike Pence in favor of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’ on July 16 when the Democratic nominee is slated to give his or her acceptance speech.” [thehill.com]
I’m Jerry Partacz, happily married to my wife Julie for over 40 years. I have four children and eleven grandchildren. I’m enjoying retirement after 38 years of teaching. I now have an opportunity to share my thoughts on many things. I’m an incurable optimist. I also love to solve crossword puzzles and to write light verse. I love to read, to garden, to play the piano, to collect stamps and coins, and to watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
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