Rodeo Drive
Wicker Park’s hippest strip snags a new cantina with a Spanish accent
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Dining Tidbits
Hub 51, Café Orchid, Steve’s Deli, Mexique
No Bull: The scoop on Bull & Bear; plus, a new bar alert and celeb spotting
Luke Stoioff—along with fellow Stone Lotus partners David Rekhson and Brandon Zisman—has been working on Bull & Bear (431 N. Wells St.), a high-end sports bar for Loopers and traders, for more that a year. Although the place isn’t slated to open until mid-October, the trio already has a slew of other projects in the pipeline, including…
When You Wish Upon A Sushi Bar
Yeah, I Wish for 10,000 Hamachi Rolls
Andy Park was the executive chef of Blu Coral (1265 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-252-2020) when one of his longtime customers told him he was building a mall. Turns out the guy was Mike Jaffe, the developer of The Arboretum, a soon-to-open 600,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle center in South Barrington. Next thing you know…
Front Burner: Stephanie Izard
September 2008: Sautéed Marinated Shrimp with Corn Yogurt and Corn, Green Tomato, and Bacon Salad
Real Good Beer
While Chicago confronted what sounds like a hailstorm of biblical proportions last week, Texas, where I had road tripped, was busy sandwiching the half-hearted tropical storm Edouard with raging, relentless, stick-to-the-car-seat heat. What better way to wash down rain and rampant sweat than with more moisture, in the form of cold beer? If you’re ever in the Texas Hill Country—that incongruous swath of elevation that rides the Lone Star State’s belly like a giant belt buckle—find yourself a bottle of…
If the Shoe Fits: My Night at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino
What I loved and hated—and felt suspiciously neutral about—at the newly renovated, $500 million Horseshoe Casino, floating just off Hammond, Indiana. I checked out the spot Friday on opening night, along with about 6,000 other partygoers. Is this Chicago’s next nightlife destination? You be the judge…
Goodbye, Erba
Bummer of the Week
Erba (4520 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-989-4200), a rustic Italian spot in Lincoln Square that made Chicago magazine’s 2007 list of best new restaurants, will close on September 13th, according to Robert Butterfield Jr., the owner. “It’s a lack of business,” said Alan Pirhofer, Erba’s chef. “People are being more cautious with their money. The neighborhood is changing.” As for Pirhofer’s future, he’s…
Dining Out: Mad About Mado
Laid-back and green, a Mediterranean storefront opens in Bucktown; Topaz takes Burr Ridge on a Euro tour.
Celebrity-palooza, Bar News, and more
There are after-parties, and then there are industry parties. Just about every club worth its cover was touting its own “official” Lollapalooza after-party last weekend. The Underground sent out mass emails and text messages bragging that Lindsay Lohan and waify gal pal Samantha Ronson were in the house—they were hanging out while Sammie’s Grammy Award-winning brother (and Sunday Lollapalooza act) DJ Mark Ronson spun at the club…