Who says hanging out in a garage isn’t cool anymore? Cortland’s Garage (1645 W. Cortland St.) opened Friday night in the old Leopard Lounge space; the new bar bears only a minimal resemblance to the old 23-and-up hangout. Gone are the Bettie Page-esque pinups and leopard print; the fireplace is history, too, replaced by cube … Read more
Industry insiders tend to think of Fridays and Saturdays as "amateur nights": Only the uninitiated, the masses, go out on weekend nights. The really good stuff usually happens on Thursdays. Since a few readers have asked for recommendations, here are some of tonight’s top events, all of which are open to the public. This is … Read more
My target destination Friday night was the Tokyo 21. Over a sushi sampler and a couple of bottles of hot sake at the bar, we made a new friend, Michael Laungani, 31, a Chicago-based consultant and contestant from season five of The Apprentice. Laungani was also one of People magazine’s hottest bachelors last year – … Read more
Who: Joey Vartanian, 43, Lincoln Park ("born and raised")Job: Owner of Maxbar, and Tin Lizzienow resides (2483 N. Clark St.). "There were no big clubs back then,"he says. "Just smaller new-wave neighborhood bars like Exit." Twenty years later, in 2002, Vartanian made a risky move by taking over ownership of Crobar (1543 N. Kingsbury St.), … Read more
I met a couple of the boys at Cans, sans strippers. After the disappointing outcome, I needed some cheering up, so I headed to an engagement party at The Underground with the birthday boy and his posse. On my way over, I sent a text to the owners to see if we’d have any trouble … Read more
In my
I got my first fake ID when I was a senior in high school; according to it, I was 23 and from Lincoln, Nebraska. I’m not sure how anyone bought it then, since, at 32 now, I still get carded. But in Rogers Park circa 1991, it got me into the now-closed Biddy Mulligan’s every … Read more
I’ll admit it: I’m not what you’d call a sports nut; I’m more of a fair-weather fan. But I did fill out two brackets for this year’s March Madness at espn.com. Even if it’s not likely, I figured I could win $10,000-plus, a vested interest keeps me mildly plugged in to the NCAA tournament. And … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to primetime TV stars when their shows get canceled, just spend some time at the clubs. Last night That ’70s Show‘s Danny Masterson was in town to host and DJ an event at Stereo nightclub and his high-profile relationship with model Bijou Phillips (daughter of the Mamas and the … Read more
Sometimes just doing my job feels like crashing a party. Forget six degrees of separation; in Chicago, if you know one well-connected person, you can pretty much get yourself invited to anything.Last week a fellow nightlife writer forwarded me a party invitation she’d received from a good-looking gay man who works at the Apparel Center. … Read more
