The Chaser

03/16/11

Bringing Home the Bacon: A Visit to 694 Wine & Spirits Lingers the Morning After

Who needs breakfast when, with a simple toss of the head, you can catch a whiff of last night’s bacon?
The Creative Director had a lot of directing to finish up yesterday before heading off to New York this morning to help with a friend’s art show booth. But he still had time to send me an e-mail with the subject line “Future Drinks”...

Posted at 04:08 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/11/11

Still Glam at 78: The Ever-Popular Coq d’Or Gets a Facelift

There’s only one Gold Coast bar I haven’t tried yet, so after a party last night at the Hermès flagship on Oak Street, I tried to enlist a few friends to help me check out the neighborhood’s only Cancun-themed spot. “Who wants to go to Paradise Cantina?” I proposed brightly as we stood on the sidewalk, debating our options...

Posted at 02:54 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/10/11

Music of the Night: ‘Phantom’’s Emmy Rossum on Drinking in Chicago—and Billy Dec on Emmy Rossum

Monday night’s lavish grand-opening bash for the new JW Marriott hotel in the Loop reminded me of prerecession partying, circa 2006. Gift bags! A full bar! Lobster on the buffet! Even a celebrity attendee!...

Posted at 05:19 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (2)

03/04/11

Drinking Among Co-eds: The Chaser Strolls Down Memory Lane at McGee’s

One of my favorite ways to spend a night out is to begin with something glamorous—the kind of party where your eye shadow glimmers in the soft light of the chandeliers and you fill up on endless Champagne top-offs while exclaiming that the flower arrangements are really altogether spectacular—then switch gears, ditching the heels for flats and wrapping up with something at the opposite end of the spectrum...

Posted at 02:15 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/02/11

Can you spell ‘Whistler’? The Logan Square Bar Hosts Its First Bee Tonight

Nerds of Chicago, unite! Logan Square’s hipster haven The Whistler—known for its craft cocktails, offbeat live music, poetry readings, art installations, and more—adds its first ever spelling bee to the mix tonight at 8 p.m...

Posted at 12:43 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/25/11

Leader Bar: One glaring error but otherwise ahead of the pack

Truth is, when The Creative Director first alerted me to a newly opened bar somewhere in the vicinity of North Center and Irving Park, he did so with a smirk. “You should see this place,” he said. “They have their name cast in concrete over the door, and there’s this huge LED sign out front...

Posted at 03:53 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/24/11

North Shore Nightlife: Five questions for Viper Alley’s Scott Greenberg

A Highland Park resident and developer of the Wit hotel, Scott Greenberg will unveil his latest brainchild, the 15,000-square-foot “boutique concert venue and nightclub” Viper Alley, on March 11th in Lincolnshire. With final sound checks underway, he explained to the Chaser why he thinks the North Shore is ready to rock...

Posted at 02:55 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/17/11

Five Things Sipped and Heard Lately

Even though I’m nursing a margarita seaside in Puerto Vallarta while you read this (destination weddings, don’t you love ’em?), I’ve got Chicago nightlife on the brain. The Chaser first, people. Here’s the lowdown on the latest trends, openings, closings, and general intrigue...

Posted at 04:27 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/16/11

Dixie Fix: Trying out Old Town Social’s new Southern bar brunch

I have this rule: No hanging out at bars in the morning. I don’t care if the World Cup is on, I don’t care if you’re supposed to take shots at 8 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, and I don’t care if the bartender makes a mean Bloody Mary (actually, I kind of hate Bloody Marys). In fact, unless I’m on vacation, I can’t get into bar mindset until about four in the afternoon—you know, when the British take their tea...

Posted at 01:15 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/11/11

Slim Chance: Taste-testing low-cal cocktails at Le Colonial

Egg foams, creams, drizzles, syrups: Sampling craft cocktails can feel like a bigger calorie fest than falling off the wagon at Sprinkles. And since loading up on who knows how many carbs before even glancing at a dinner menu is no way to stick to a New Year’s resolution, I’ve been wondering why no Chicago lounge that serves these 20-minutes-in-the-making concoctions had addressed the diet issue. Yet...

Posted at 12:54 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

	03/16/11 Bringing Home the Bacon: A Visit to 694 Wine & Spirits Lingers the Morning After Who needs breakfast when, with a simple toss of the head, you can catch a whiff of last night’s bacon? The Creative Director had a lot of directing to finish up yesterday before heading off to New York this morning to help with a friend’s art show booth. But he still had time to send me an e-mail with the subject line “Future Drinks”... Posted at 04:08 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	03/11/11 Still Glam at 78: The Ever-Popular Coq d’Or Gets a Facelift There’s only one Gold Coast bar I haven’t tried yet, so after a party last night at the Hermès flagship on Oak Street, I tried to enlist a few friends to help me check out the neighborhood’s only Cancun-themed spot. “Who wants to go to Paradise Cantina?” I proposed brightly as we stood on the sidewalk, debating our options... Posted at 02:54 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	03/10/11 Music of the Night: ‘Phantom’’s Emmy Rossum on Drinking in Chicago—and Billy Dec on Emmy Rossum Monday night’s lavish grand-opening bash for the new JW Marriott hotel in the Loop reminded me of prerecession partying, circa 2006. Gift bags! A full bar! Lobster on the buffet! Even a celebrity attendee!... Posted at 05:19 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (2)
	03/04/11 Drinking Among Co-eds: The Chaser Strolls Down Memory Lane at McGee’s One of my favorite ways to spend a night out is to begin with something glamorous—the kind of party where your eye shadow glimmers in the soft light of the chandeliers and you fill up on endless Champagne top-offs while exclaiming that the flower arrangements are really altogether spectacular—then switch gears, ditching the heels for flats and wrapping up with something at the opposite end of the spectrum... Posted at 02:15 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	03/02/11 Can you spell ‘Whistler’? The Logan Square Bar Hosts Its First Bee Tonight Nerds of Chicago, unite! Logan Square’s hipster haven The Whistler—known for its craft cocktails, offbeat live music, poetry readings, art installations, and more—adds its first ever spelling bee to the mix tonight at 8 p.m... Posted at 12:43 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	02/25/11 Leader Bar: One glaring error but otherwise ahead of the pack Truth is, when The Creative Director first alerted me to a newly opened bar somewhere in the vicinity of North Center and Irving Park, he did so with a smirk. “You should see this place,” he said. “They have their name cast in concrete over the door, and there’s this huge LED sign out front... Posted at 03:53 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (1)
	02/24/11 North Shore Nightlife: Five questions for Viper Alley’s Scott Greenberg A Highland Park resident and developer of the Wit hotel, Scott Greenberg will unveil his latest brainchild, the 15,000-square-foot “boutique concert venue and nightclub” Viper Alley, on March 11th in Lincolnshire. With final sound checks underway, he explained to the Chaser why he thinks the North Shore is ready to rock... Posted at 02:55 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	02/17/11 Five Things Sipped and Heard Lately Even though I’m nursing a margarita seaside in Puerto Vallarta while you read this (destination weddings, don’t you love ’em?), I’ve got Chicago nightlife on the brain. The Chaser first, people. Here’s the lowdown on the latest trends, openings, closings, and general intrigue... Posted at 04:27 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	02/16/11 Dixie Fix: Trying out Old Town Social’s new Southern bar brunch I have this rule: No hanging out at bars in the morning. I don’t care if the World Cup is on, I don’t care if you’re supposed to take shots at 8 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, and I don’t care if the bartender makes a mean Bloody Mary (actually, I kind of hate Bloody Marys). In fact, unless I’m on vacation, I can’t get into bar mindset until about four in the afternoon—you know, when the British take their tea... Posted at 01:15 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)
	02/11/11 Slim Chance: Taste-testing low-cal cocktails at Le Colonial Egg foams, creams, drizzles, syrups: Sampling craft cocktails can feel like a bigger calorie fest than falling off the wagon at Sprinkles. And since loading up on who knows how many carbs before even glancing at a dinner menu is no way to stick to a New Year’s resolution, I’ve been wondering why no Chicago lounge that serves these 20-minutes-in-the-making concoctions had addressed the diet issue. Yet... Posted at 12:54 PM in The Chaser \| Permalink \| Comments (0)