Sweet Spots

Looking for a great place to linger over a cocktail? That special outdoor patio? An authentic Irish pub or dance palace of the moment? Whatever your need, we've got the perfect bar or club to...

Noah Isackson and Sarah Preston

Nighthawks

A field guide to Chicago after dark

Dramatic Effect

The director Robert Falls made his name putting on groundbreaking shows that examine the psychological wreckage of tortured souls. Now, celebrating 20 years with the Goodman Theatre and settled...

Mara Tapp

That's Entertainment

Need a break from your nightlife routine? Here are some of the freshest, funkiest, funnest slices of the local scene, along with a few old favorites

Tales From the Velvet Rope

The not-so-secret secret about the Chicago nightlife scene is that the velvet rope is more or less a formality. However, there are some rules—as we discovered on a recent Saturday night. PLUS:...

Nora O’donnell, Kate Leahy, And Brittney Blair

Revisionist History

Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Chicago Historical society has changed its name and hopes a $27.5-million overhaul and an unlikely new president will revive the city’s oldest cultural...

Karin Horgan Sullivan

Reserve: The Guided Tour

Since opening Reserve has become a magnet for celebrities, scenesters, and marketers looking for a hot spot. With a rope outside and another inside leading to the upstairs club, Reserve works hard...

Sarah Preston

Hanging Out with the Redwalls

What happens when a hot local band goes out for a night on the town with a reporter: they drink a few beers, shoot some pool—and do nothing even remotely stupid.

Jeff Ruby

Best New Bars and Clubs

Ten places that have set the scene on fire since the start of 2005

Sarah Preston

Crusader for Cures

Chicago businessman Lou Weisbach—once a major player in Democratic fundraising—has turned his persuasive skills to a new project: creating a medical research institution dedicated to ending...

Geoffrey Johnson

Table of Contents

The Quiet Rooms

The restaurants at the four seasons and Ritz-Carlton hotels still serve elegant meals, but the party seems to have moved on. PLUS: On Wine

Dennis Ray Wheaton

Recipe File - September 2006

Andrew Zimmerman’s Crispy Fried Chickpeas

Dining Tidbits - September 2006

Budget Beat, Italian, New, Bakery Café

Chefs on the Grill with Michael Nagrant - Andrew Zimmerman

Beginning with the September issue of Chicago magazine, each month food journalist Michael Nagrant will conduct an interview with either a well-known or emerging Chicago chef. This month, Nagrant...

Michael Nagrant

Reversal of Fortune

The Closer recently visited a tarot card reader and a psychic, asked them the same eight questions, then checked their answers against those of three other, less expensive sources: a Ouija board, a...

Jeff Ruby

The Art of Parking

Driving into the city for a cultural event can be nerve-racking, even for the savviest roadsters. Here’s a street-smart guide to help cure your downtown parking blues.

Bradley Lincoln

The Annotated: Marshall Field's

Change has always been part of Field’s history, as a close look at its famous State Street store attests.

Geoffrey Johnson

Buy the Numbers

The lottery has hit the jackpot. Last year, for the first time in Illinois history, sales of the assorted lottery games surpassed the take at the state’s casinos. The lottery is such a cash cow...

Emmet Sullivan

Writers on the Record with Victoria Lautman - Mary Gaitskill

Quarter Shock

After 25 years, the influential indie label Touch and Go still rocks. PLUS: Critic's Playlist

Mark Guarino

Power Broker

In a takeover that’s anything but hostile, a son reconceives his father’s business and introduces the iPod generation to the custom details of Balani bespoke suits. PLUS: Sales Check

Stacy Wallace Albert

The Short List - September 2006

Megan Mullally joins the talk show fray; a few “kinks” in a new Playboy book; hot for teacher; and more for September

David Jakubiak

Chicago-reared MCs Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco met two years ago while on the same flight home from Los Angeles, where each worked on Kanye West’s album Late Registration. Chicago brought the two...

Sales Check - September 2006

The natural grain and rustic finish of wood make it a surprisingly elegant—and even fashion-forward—choice for fall.

Stacy Wallace-Albert

Rod v. Judy: The Staff Smackdown

The Illinois governor’s race is moving into full swing. Here’s a look at the people who are advising, organizing, and speaking for the candidates.

Jeff Fleischer

New Kids on the Block

Lori Holton Nash makes her daytime TV début.

Margaret Littman

Meet the Rising Stars of Midwest Fashion

In September, the City of Chicago remounts "Fashion Focus" a 12-day lineup of parties, exhibitions, and shows intended to raise the city's style profile.

Meghan McEwen

Keg, Not Included

They’re not exactly ideal tenants. But Robert Bronstein is betting that college students offer a promising real-estate opportunity.

Noah Isackson

Joe Meno Grows Up

The heir to Salinger shows his soft side.

Jake Austen

Chorus Line

You swore off musicals after Cats. With a resurgence of quality “tuners” on local stages, it may be time to rethink that vow. Here are four local theatre companies putting their own spin on the...

Web Behrens

Long Time Coming

After Jovan Mosley was charged with a murder he says he didn’t commit, he spent nearly six years in Cook county jail just waiting for his day in court. His case highlights problems with our...

Katherine Millett