Best New Restaurants 2010

Twenty-one spots to remember from the past year, including storefront long shots, hotel no-brainers, and—in case you hadn't noticed—a ridiculous amount of pork

By Jeff Ruby & Penny Pollack

Photos: Best New Restaurants 2010

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The Life and Death of Blago Aide Christopher Kelly

THE LONG FALL: Christopher Kelly operated in the top circle of the Blagojevich administration, using his tough-guy style and disdain for rules to raise piles of money for the governor. Then the...

By Bryan Smith

Photos: Christopher Kelly

RELATED STORY: The Life and Death of Christopher Kelly

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre—Excerpt from "Get Capone," by Jonathan Eig

THE COLDEST CASE: Since February 14, 1929, when seven men were gunned down inside a Clark Street garage, the mastermind behind the St. Valentine's Day Massacre has remained a mystery, though...

By Jonathan Eig

Table of Contents

Contributors

May 2010: Jonathan Eig, Tom Corbett, Esther Kang, Penny Pollack, Rachel Wolff

By Graham Meyer

Feedback

In May’s letters: New light on old relatives and blogger backlash

Soak up summer: Sweetwater, 44th Ward Dinner Party, Epic, The Southern, Benchmark and more

By Amalie Drury

Marionette cocktail at Sable

Charleston bar: review

BETTER BETA?: A Bucktown favorite gets a controversial face-lift

By Amalie Drury

Bobsy Goodspeed’s Lincoln Park penthouse regains its glory

By Dennis Rodkin

Dennis Wiegand renovates 98-year-old apartment building in Oak Park

HABIT-ABLE: For one builder, old ways prevail, even when he is only renovating

By Dennis Rodkin

Condo sales at 1140 North LaSalle continue after investor steps in

RESCUE HERO:

By Dennis Rodkin

Hudson condos let residents recharge electric cars in indoor garage

A NEW WAY TO KEEP CURRENT:

By Dennis Rodkin

The Hot List: 10 places everyone’s talking about and dining at in May in order of heat

By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

On Congressman and former Blagojevich aide Daniel Lipinski

ROD'S MAN DAN: Long before he became his party's odd man out, he worked for Blago

By David Bernstein

Dick vs. Chuck: Battle for the Senate majority leader spot

TALK ON THE HILL: Durbin is said to be lining up support

By Carol Felsenthal

On Doug Glanville and his book, "The Game from Where I Stand"

MAN OF LETTERS: The former Chicago Cub and ESPN baseball analyst with the Ivy League pedigree is playing a new position: author of a thinking man's book about baseball

By Josh Schollmeyer

Shokran Moroccan Grill: mini-review

By Jill Rohde

Texas Tacos at Nicksons Eatery: mini-review

By Penny Pollack

Benny’s Chop House: mini-review

By Denise Peñacerrada

Pork Shoppe: mini-review

By Denise Peñacerrada

On the Macaron trend in Chicago: Where to find the best

MACARONS: Cute as buttons, sweet as sugar

By Jeff Ruby

Cooking from Rick Tramonto’s new book, “Steak with Friends”—for Rick Tramonto

TURNING THE TABLES: The idea was simple: I would invite Tramonto (a complete stranger) to our West Town condo to join me, my wife, Jen, and a few friends for dinner.

By Rod O’Connor

Top 40 Chicago Restaurants Ever

As a toast to this magazine's 40th anniversary, we name the 40 best Chicago restaurants of all time.

By Penny Pollack

Walk-up Songs in Baseball

HIT PARADE: No one knows when it started, but today, the walk-up song is as much a part of baseball as spitting

By Jeff Ruby

Our Guide to Wicker Park's Division Street

NEW DIVISION: Strollers in Hipersterville! With new kids’ shops and a smattering of upscale clothing boutiques, Wicker Park’s Division Street looks different than it did a year ago. Here’s...

By Rebecca Little

The Sheet: May style must-haves

Inspiring us for spring: lipstick that pops, a shirt that rocks, and a pillow that brings the outside in

By Barri Leiner Grant

A stylish take on the outdoors from a quartet of design-minded garden enthusiasts

IN BLOOM: “Plant what you love.” That’s wisdom gleaned from Nancy Keenan, the green-thumbed matriarch of a family of avid gardeners.

By Barri Leiner Grant, Megan Lovejoy, and Cassie Walker

SAIC’s student fashion show moves to the Modern Wing

THE VIEW: For the first time since 1995, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s annual student fashion show returns to the museum—only this year, it will be in the Griffin Court of the...

By Bridget Maiellaro

On Richard Stern and his new book, “Still on Call”

LAST ACT: A grand finale

By Christine Newman

Failed romance relic featured in Chicago History Museum exhibit, “I Do! Chicago Ties the Knot”

By Cassie Walker

“Julius Shulman: Chicago Mid-Century Modernism” spotlights city’s residential gems

THROUGH THE LENS: A glossy photography book features area homes

By Hillary Proctor

Interview with James C. Tyree, Mesirow CEO and Sun-Times investor

WHAT I WAS THINKING: The businessman discusses buying the Sun-Times, the beauty of bankruptcy, and the joy of new kidneys

Theaster Gates Jr. shakes up his hometown art fair

URBAN OUTFITTER: Fresh off the Whitney Biennial, the artist will show his porcelain collages at the Art Chicago satellite fair NEXT

By Rachel Wolff

Cromer and Halberstam on New York, "A Streetcar Named Desire"

PAIR PLAY: We talk to the pair about the perils of Gotham City and of bringing Tennessee Williams’s seminal steam bath of madness, sex, and Southern discomfort to Glencoe.

By Catey Sullivan

Best things to do in Chicago in May

POCKET GUIDE: A cultural short-list for May, in order of buzz

By Jennifer Wehunt