Best New Restaurants

22 tantalizing spots to try now

Dennis Ray Wheaton and Jeff Ruby

Sun Salutations

Lighten up in bohemian beachwear and load on the chunky jewelry

Stacey Jones

The Lost Boy

In 1908, Chicago’s chief of police shot to death a Russian-born Jewish immigrant who had come to the chief’s Lincoln Park home. One hundred years later, Aleksandar Hemon, another European who...

Geoffrey Johnson

In the Name of the Father

The 1974 murder of Daniel Seifert, a Bensenville businessman, unhinged his two sons and set them off on separate, troubled quests to avenge their father. After 25 years, they confronted the man...

Bryan Smith

Salad Days

Michelle Obama isn’t the only locavore with a backyard Vegetable garden. These three urbanites have turned their private patches of land—including a rooftop in Ukrainian Village—into micro...

Karin Horgan Sullivan

Table of Contents

Contributors

May 2009: Karin Horgan Sullivan, Dennis Ray Wheaton, Andreas Larsson, Bryan Smith, Elizabeth Crane

Graham Meyer

Feedback

In May’s letters: CAPS cheerleading, public-transit lobbying, and Royko-inspired nostalgia

Beef, Meet Carp

Diners and waiters: Can’t we all just get along? The age-old answer: No.

Jeff Ruby

Bridge to Nowhere

If you think stimulus spending on infrastructure is going to shorten your commute, you’re in the wrong lane.

Katherine Hajduch

Simone Says

A new craft cocktailing spot is calling the shots in Pilsen

Kate Seamons

5 bars...

that mixed craft cocktails before they were cool

Kate Seamons

Less Tiny; More Lounge-y

Expect to have your hand shaken and your name remembered

Kate Seamons

Chalk

A boutique that eschews “sweet” opens in Evanston

Rebecca Little

Burris’s People

Who joins a Senate staff on short notice?

Ben Strauss

Modern Wing, A Guide

The completion of the $300-million Modern Wing by the starchitect Renzo Piano bumps the Art Institute of Chicago up a notch in the museum world. When the 264,000-square-foot addition opens on May...

Cassie Walker

If You Only Have an Hour...

The contemporary art curator, James Rondeau, weighs in with five must-see works from the new Modern Wing.

Cassie Walker

Color Scheme

Angel Otero takes his paintings—and his buzz—to Art Chicago

Cassie Walker

The Green Mama Speaks

Manda Aufochs Gillespie leads an influential group of consumers

Jessica Levco

Big Sounds

This spring, astonishing works of classical music premiere all over town. Meet the emerging composers behind three of the most daring pieces

Kevin McKeough

The Insider

Five picks from the up-and-coming Chicago singer-songwriter Joe Pug, who plays Schubas May 1st and 2nd.

Inspired: In Good Taste

Spring is here. Curious which trends will take off, we asked six design-savvy Chicago women to tell us their season must-haves. PLUS:

Bridget Maiellaro

New Books

May 2009 books: Frank Lloyd Wright: American Master, Into the Beautiful North, Pretty in Plaid, Love and Obstacles

Over the Inkwell

Over cupcakes at the West Town bakeshop Lovely, our writer—a short-story author with a knack for the weird—sat down with Joe Meno. The occasion? The May publication of his new book, The Great...

Elizabeth Crane

Discovered: Sexy Science

A University of Chicago scientist sets out to inject sex appeal into her field

Amy Schroeder

Sales Check

A roundup of May's sales, store openings, and shopping news

Bridget Maiellaro

All in the Game

How a brilliant Harvard student invented the classic board game Diplomacy—and then went on to a long career as a La Grange Park postman

Edward McClelland

In Good Hands

The architect Gordon Gill buys home designed by Larry Booth

Dennis Rodkin

Marked Down to Move

Steep price drop lures buyer for modern Adler-like mansion

Dennis Rodkin

Gavel Gifts

Winning bidders reap big savings at auction of McKinley Park Lofts

Dennis Rodkin

In Turnaround

Fairbanks design includes rare cul-de-sac

Dennis Rodkin

More for Less

Woodlawn developer makes a difference by being different

Dennis Rodkin

Hey, Good Neighbor

Art Institute, University Club help out developer

Dennis Rodkin

Homes for the Holidays

Renting a house near Lake Michigan is a great way to have your sand-and-surf vacation—and stay solvent, too. How to snag your dream cottage

Lucinda Hahn

Dining Tidbits

Mercadito, Naf Naf Grill, Eivissa, Fred's at Barneys New York

Odyssey: Loose Morels

A rookie joins 250 morel maniacs on a cool spring day in search of all the free gourmet mushrooms he can find. Along the way, he encounters cutthroat competition, poisonous decoys, and one ungodly...

Rod O’Connor

Stacks and Snacks

A new Bucktown BYO features new flavors and a comfy patio

Kristina Smolak

Singled Out: Terzo Piano

7 reasons to be excited about Terzo Piano, Tony Mantuano’s upcoming restaurant on the third floor of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute

Penny Pollack

Pour: 2007 Mendocino Chardonnay

It’s not just tasty, it’s righteous

Dennis Ray Wheaton

The Early Byrd

Chicago native Roger McGuinn plays a homecoming concert in May.