Editor’s note: Change is coming to your inbox. Along with a retooling of our events coverage in the magazine (if you haven’t seen it lately, check out Chicago Guide in our March issue, on newsstands now), Marquee is getting a new name and a new look. Keep an eye out for the new Chicago Guide newsletter next Wednesday, featuring only the events worth your time and money. We know you’re busier, so we’re getting pickier. Let us know what you think.
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Love these handpainted earthenware bowls and platters by Gale Garcia at Post 27. They have just enough chunk to them that they’re not too precious, and just enough artfulness that they’re not too blah-functional. Large serving bowl, $160; small, $40; platter, $160.
—Gina Bazer
FROM FEBRUARY 2009: With imagination, verve, and a hefty package of financial incentives, the makers of the latest Batman epic turned Chicago into Gotham City, giving our town a starring role in razzle-dazzle chases and heart-stopping stunts. Now, the movie stands as a contender for Academy Award hardware. What’s the payoff here?
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Mary Jeanne Kneen, who ran the Au Coin du Feu antique fireplace surround showroom here for years, has a new blog about—antique fireplaces. The posts show readers how to use these gorgeous pieces to bring warmth and history to a room. She also shows fresh ways to use them. One entry shows an antique fireplace of gray and white marble looking totally fab it its setting—a 1960s-inspired bedroom with lavender walls and white bedding. Mary Jeanne still sells surrounds and fireplace accessories (she has an inventory of more than 3,000 one-of-a-kind French and Continental European mantels and accessories) through her Web site, and she is available for personal consultations at her River North office, which also serves as Chicago’s exclusive Nymphenburg porcelain showroom.
—JAN PARR
Hi. Remember me? It’s your former Last Girl Standing–turned–newlywed. It’s been a while since I last blogged, and the rumors are true: After seven rewarding years as Chicago magazine’s nightlife columnist, I’ve made the very tough decision to leave my post. My last Nightspotting column will run in the April issue of the magazine, and this is my final post in this forum. [Insert violins here.]…
ALTUZARRA
There’s a new designer coming to Chicago, and his sexy
ruched dresses have people heated up. Givenchy and Proenza Schouler
alumnus Joseph Altuzarra has the kind of stuff to draw power buyers
from Barneys, as well as Chicago boutique owner Ikram. First time out of the ring and he has an
order from such an influential force in the retail world. Promising. His incredibly…
List Price: $2,995,000
The Property: This desirable four-bedroom Lincoln Park condo became even more attractive after its sellers cut their asking price by 25 percent. It’s one of eight units in a concrete and glass building that was designed by Pappageorge Haymes and developed by the Belgravia Group. The building stands on a low-traffic cul-de-sac just a block west of the Francis Parker School…
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Through the month of February fabulous antiques straight from the French countryside (along with some vintage American pieces), including armoires, farm tables, primitive benches, cabinets, and collectibles, will be marked down by 25 to 75 percent at Porte Rouge. Dinnerware and home accessories, too, will be marked down. This is your chance to finally achieve that je ne sais quoi in your house!
-Gina Bazer
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Here’s a little taste of what Jayson Home & Garden is cooking up for the big warehouse sale this weekend (Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at 1740 W. Webster Ave.). This Clinton chair started out at $1,495, it can be yours for $750 and that angular bluestone-capped side table is reduced to $399 from $1,195. There are about 1,998 more bargains to be had in the 2,000-square-foot warehouse, and they’re throwing in free delivery.
—BRADLEY LINCOLN
Mr. Beef Lives!
Seems everyone in Chicago was already mourning the death of the famous Italian beef shack (666 N. Orleans St.; 312-337-8500) following a story in Crain’s Chicago Business last week that reported its owners owed a bank $650,000. “We refinanced and we’re not going anywhere,” says Chris Zucchero, the son of Mr. Beef’s owner, Joseph Zucchero. “But we’re touched by the outpouring of support we got from Chicagoans.” In other words…
