Weekend Photos: Big Star

Maybe the name should have been Big Stars. On Friday our photographer visited Chicago's hottest It Bar, Big Star (1531 N. Damen Ave.; 773-235-4039), the nouveau honky-tonk from an A list of powerhouses including Paul Kahan, Donnie Madia, and Terry Alexander (The Publican, Danny's, The Violet Hour). By 6 p.m. the spot was standing room only, with would-be patrons lurking in wait for...

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Sale of the Week

Former Sun-Times Editor Michael Cooke Sells in Wilmette

List Price: $1,275,000
Sale Price: $1,165,000
The Property: Michael Cooke, who served two stints as editor of the Chicago Sun-Times, has sold his house in Wilmette. “We haven’t severed links with Chicago,” Cooke says. “We may keep...

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Dish Flash: A Touch of Euro

Pascal’s Law
Pascal Berthoumieux, a restaurant veteran who most recently worked as the GM at One Sixtyblue, plans to open Bistro Bordeaux, an 80-seat “grass-roots” bistro in the former Le Petite Amelia space (618 Church St., Evanston; 847-424-1483) on December 15th. “We will be...

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Holiday Cheer, Thanksgiving's Near; Plus, Black Wednesday Bashes

Last night, on our way out of a make-your-own-purse party at a condo on North Lake Shore Drive, my friends Jenny and Melissa, and I asked the building's doorman for suggestions on nearby places to proceed with our evening.  

“Walk that way and take a left,” he said, pointing toward Irving Park Road. “Then go a couple more blocks until you see a big glittery sign...

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On the Market

A Lap Pool in Noble Square

List Price: $1.65 million
The Property: Situated west of the Kennedy and centered around Grand Avenue, Noble Square is one of those semi-secret Chicago neighborhoods some people whiz right past without realizing it’s there. Well, there’s a secret within the secret...

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Every Which Way Italian

Dean's (Wish) List
Dean Zanella, the chef of 312 Chicago for years, is partnering with Mia Francesca’s Scott Harris to open Aldino’s (626 S. Racine Ave.), a 120-seat Italian restaurant/deli in the old Rico’s and La Scala spot near the UIC pavilion. “A better word than...

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Going Rogue

Don't-miss picks for 11.18.09 through 11.24.09: Take heed, Palin: You're not the only rogue on tour. Vagabond Opera brings klezmer cabaret to Chicago. … Plus, Moth Story Slam returns … Peter Gallagher recollects … Osgood and Kogan toast Chicago (and we toast them) … and more

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Housing Bulletin

Widow of the Director John Hughes Buys Lake Forest Mansion

Sale Price: $5.2 million
List Price: $5.795 million
Nancy L. Hughes, the widow of the director John Hughes, has paid $5.2 million for the Lake Forest mansion owned by the developer Robert Shaw. John Hughes, who died of a heart attack on August 6th, was the director of a number of films...

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Weekend photos: Double A @ Mercadito

Bringing new meaning to "open bar": Double A (108 W. Kinzie St., lower level; 312-329-2444), the exclusive 65-seat lounge that launched downstairs from Mercadito last Thursday. Mixology takes centerstage at this sleek spot, where bartenders whip together elaborate drinks—dreamed up by the cocktail consultancy known as the Tippling Bros...

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Designer Discounts in Buffalo Grove

Frugal Finds

The Chicago native Jill Sevelow loves finding great deals on clothing and accessories. “I’ve always been a bargain hunter,” she says. “I love the thrill of the hunt. I’ve never paid full-price for anything in my life.” So the former department store buyer opened...

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Sale of the Week

River Forest’s Priciest 2009 Sale

List Price: $2.695 million
Sale Price: $2.1 million
The Property: This elegant Mediterranean house in River Forest was the town’s first home this year to sell for over $2 million. In 2008, five homes in River Forest sold for over $2 million. In 2007, there were three sales in that price range.

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Dish Flash

Big news over at Branch 27 (1371 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-850-2700), the West Town American bistro that opened this past April: Chef Bob Zrenner is leaving on November 19th and will be replaced by John Manion, lately of Goose Island Brewpub. “They want me to take...

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When Facebook and Real Life Collide

A few months ago, I found myself enmeshed in a dispute with someone who had winked at me on match.com. When I checked out his profile and saw I was one year older than the upper limit of his preferred age range (though he and I are the exact same age), I couldn’t refrain from asking why he had bothered reaching out to a senior citizen. “Women in their 20s are just easier,” he snipped...

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Housing Bulletin

Scott Turow’s Glencoe House Under Contract

List Price: $5.9 million
Sale Price: Not yet known

The novelist Scott Turow’s Glencoe lakefront home, which has been on the market for $5.9 million, is under contract with a buyer, Turow’s real estate agent confirmed for Deal Estate on Wednesday.

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On the Market

Terrace Views of Lake View

List Price: $649,999
The Property: This three-bedroom condo, with large terraces on its north and south sides, occupies the 16th-floor of a 17-story Lake View building that offers unimpeded panoramic views in most directions. As you will see in the video, the south terrace, with views of Wrigley Field and the Chicago skyline, is nicely finished. The much larger north terrace...

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A New Kind of Bar

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...

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