Defcee The life and work of Defcee provide a study in contrasts. He’s a serial altruist, rallying his pupils to conquer the written word. (His background includes stints as a CPS teacher, part-time prison instructor, and mentor to aspiring poets.) But on record, this lanky, lantern-jawed Jewish boy eschews warmth; instead, he tells hard truths … Read more
Taco de Bistec at El Tragón Taqueria With its crispy griddled cheese crust, the costra taco is a product of Mexico City that’s becoming popular in the States. You’ll find a really good version at El Tragón Taqueria, which opened last October in a gas station complex near Halsted and Division. Listed on the menu as … Read more
Packingtown Museum The Union Stock Yards once commanded more than a square mile of the South Side. But while Chicago is no longer the “hog butcher for the world,” the story of the meatpacking industry’s massive legacy is now told at a decidedly diminutive museum in the same part of town. Located at the Plant, a … Read more
Bamboo Room’s Bamboo Room The tropical behemoth Three Dots and a Dash is not exactly what we’d call restrained, but the Bamboo Room, a hideaway tucked within the River North bar, sure is. When it reopened last November after a pandemic pause, the tiki trappings had been stowed away. Now this 22-seat bar serves spirit-forward … Read more
Dawn Turner’s Three Girls From Bronzeville For many of us, there comes a moment when we wonder just how we landed where we are. We may wonder, too, how our paths ended up so different from those of the people closest to us. For journalist Dawn Turner, these questions didn’t just linger in her brain. … Read more
Hyde Park In Chicago, Southern food has for too long meant fried chicken, pimento cheese, and the kind of biscuits that would make any Southerner bust out a passive-aggressive “Bless your heart.” But thanks to two chefs, Hyde Park has emerged as a destination where down-home flavors ring true. Erick Williams deserves all the accolades … Read more
The Brewed Chicago has its fair share of craft-coffee-meets-vintage-records spots, but the newest addition adds another layer: a retro-diner-inspired horror-movie haven. From the owners of the adjoining Bric-a-Brac Records, the Brewed takes cues from David Cronenberg’s 1979 cult-classic flick The Brood and is filled with 1970s and ’80s cinephile memorabilia from the owners’ personal collections. … Read more
Gemma Foods Tony Quartaro has that familiar COVID-era story: Chef gets furloughed, brilliance ensues. In 2020, Quartaro — a pedigreed pasta guy who honed his skills at the Bristol, Balena, Formento’s, and Daisies — began making noodles and sauces from his home kitchen in Beverly. When demand exploded, he leased the Grand Avenue storefront from which he now churns … Read more
It’s All Good Watch the local news and it’s easy to despair about the state of things in Chicago these days. But for all those well-documented troubles, there’s still plenty to love about this town — especially the ordinary people who make our city great. Spotlighting those Chicagoans is the mission of It’s All Good, a Block … Read more
Able Shoppe Liv Melchers is a former stylist at Madewell who relocated from Nashville to Elgin for its historic charm and the opportunity to grow her online vintage business into a full-blown concept shop last year. She sources everywhere from neighborhood garage sales to Paris flea markets for the furniture, clothing, artwork, and accessories that … Read more
