Plumbers Who Won't Drain Your Wallet

Need a plubmer you can count on? Here are 24 of the best in the Chicago area

Robert Krughoff

May 2008 Table of Contents

Rich Foods

With gas prices going up, home values sinking, and the economy in turmoil, here's one more thing that's straining Chicago-area budgets: food.

Emily Kaiser

The Tale of the Taco

Seven great tacos that make a celebration seem in order

Mike Nagrant

See Marcus Cook

Marcus Samuelsson lets his food do the talking.

Jeff Ruby

Trend: Gluten-Free Goodies

The offerings at Rose’s WheatFree Bakery & Café may be gluten-free, peanut-free, casein-free, corn-syrup-free, and trans-fat-free, but they obligingly leave in the most important element: flavor.

Jeff Ruby

Up to the Plate

You may know that The Closer, when he's not Closing, reviews restaurants. People constantly ask him, "Man, how do I do that?" His answer: Eat like a maniac, and write like you mean it. Oh, and make...

Jeff Ruby

Hot for Teacher

Only three Chicago-area teachers crack the Top 50 "Hottest Professors" list

Kristy Holland

Gop.com

Cook County GOP officials turn to the Web for help against their rivals

Ben Goldberger

Political Calculus

How the race for president would be different if the Democrats had followed the GOP's lead

David Bernstein

Feedback

In this month's letters: antisocial justification, the F-bomb, solar investment, a relieved mother, a magnet school, and more Web sites

Contributors—May 2008

Jay Pridmore, Bob Coscarelli, Crystal Yednak, Robert Krughoff, David Murray, Dennis Ray Wheaton, Jeff Ruby

Weeknight Find: Culture Clash

Actor-playwright Heather Raffo stars in a one-woman play, 9 Parts of Desire, for three weeks starting May 3rd.

Cassie Walker

High Time

Jennifer Koh's new album showcases an eclectic career at its height.

Andrew Patner

The Buzz Bin

On May 2nd, students at The School of the Art Institute will present the best runway show in Chicago.

Rebecca Little

Shopper: Branca

Italian-born interior designer Alessandra Branca will open a 2,900-square-foot concept shop dedicated to her "classic, with a wink" aesthetic

Rebecca Little

You Should Know ... Ashley Wheater

The Joffrey has a new man in town—and not even The Nutcracker is safe.

Danielle Braff

A Slippery Subject

A conversation with Bill Clinton biographer Carol Felsenthal

Edward McClelland

Saving Grace

From Sundance favorite to box-office flop, what the fate of John Cusack's Grace Is Gone says about us

Crystal Yednak

Young Writers Block

They all moved here for one reason: Chicago is the place young playwrights come to get a break.

Cassie Walker

The Blip - May 2008

Bright spots on the month’s cultural radar

Unanswered Cries

Before she died in 2004, Kathleen Savio, the third wife of former Bolingbrook police sergeant Drew Peterson, repeatedly warned authorities she would be killed. Now her death has been reclassified a...

David Murray

Who Will Buy the Condos?

Since 2000, developers have flooded downtown Chicago with more than 20,000 new condos and townhouses—yet at the end of 2007, nearly 8,000 of them sat unsold. Will that glut drag down the local...

Dennis Rodkin

Three Questions

Dennis DeYoung: Styx frontman, native Chicagoan, and creative force behind the world-premieere musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Lucia Mauro

Taste of Chicago

The Bottom Lounge returns in true punk-rock fashion: bigger and more ambitious than before.

Kevin McKeough

Solo Show

The industrial-rock band Ministry, launched in Chicago in 1981, comes home for its farewell tour this month.

Kevin McKeough

Freebie of the Month

Best bet for a free event this month: Tony Fitzpatrick's exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center

Amy Wiens

Dropping the Name-Dropping

Expect a heavy emphasis on sports and music at Aberdeen.

Sarah Preston