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Urban Chowboy

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Of Dust and Dough
The partners at Mod Pizza (1222 W. Madison St.; 312-666-1222), an upcoming pizzeria/smoothie bar in the West Loop, are obviously optimists. The 68-seat spot with an outdoor café is still under construction, but they plan to open on May 20th. “The plumbing is in, and we are hanging ductwork as I speak,” says Madison Drake, former partner at Phil & Lou’s. “The kitchen flooring will be in by end of next week.” Mod’s executive chef, Marco Aguirre (recently of Maggiano’s), has been working with Old California Pizza Dough, a San Francisco–based company, to develop the mix that will go into the sourdough-based flour for his predominantly thin pizzas. But the food is the least of Drake’s worries…

Weekend Photos: District Bar

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Those who like a little mystery in their lives—besides wondering whether José Contreras will ever stop giving up runs—might want to make like our photographer and check out District Bar, the River North sports lounge that opened Saturday night with one not-so-well-kept secret: Head toward the bar’s library; locate a blue book by a classic American author; give it a tug; and—abracadabra—the bookshelf gives way to a hidden room just…

Everyday Jay’s—Plus, a Weekend Checklist

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New neighborhood bars that open in not-so-new neighborhoods have a choice to make: Stitch themselves into the fabric or blaze a new path. In a neighborhood as established as Little Italy, it’s not surprising Jay’s on Taylor (1421 W. Taylor St., 312-666-6663) toes the line—so much so that I almost expected the bar, which opened mid-April, to seem a little more weathered and old-school than shiny and sleek…

Innovation Nation

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Bahena Goes to the Well
Geno Bahena, who launched Real Tenochtitlán (2451 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-227-1050), plans to open Los Moles (3140 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-935-9620), an 80-seat Mexican restaurant, on May 4th. The specialty will be—surprise!—mole. “Three moles every day: Red, green, and black,” says Bahena, who will split his time between Real Tenochtitlán and Los Moles, and has been at so many restaurants we won’t bother to…

Weekend Photos: LaSalle Power Co.

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LaSalle Power Co. doesn’t open to the public until this Friday, May 1st, but our photographer scored a preview of the bar/restaurant/music venue—housed in a River North building once home to the LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse and brought to you by the folks behind English and Angels & Mariachis—when it plugged into Chicago’s nightlife grid last Thursday for a private party. Check out photos of the three-level, 20,000-square-foot space, outfitted with vintage concert posters, a glass-enclosed VIP room, and a central staircase leading up to…

More Steak, More Cupcakes, More Small Plates

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Beef, Actually
Laura Piper, a veteran of Gibsons and Hugo’s Frog Bar, is partnering with Scott Harris (Mia Francesca) and Jimmy Bannos (Heaven on Seven) to open T-Bone’s Steakhouse (1890 W. Main St., St. Charles), a casual 130-seat spot in the ill-fated former Fahrenheit space. “We want solid, good quality food, but prime beef is not always affordable,” says Piper. “We will hunt the market to bring in the best quality and the best value.” T-Bone’s, when it opens in…

Weekend Photos: Billionaire at the Blackstone & Snuggie Pub Crawl

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This week we pair the high and the lowbrow, the classy and the not so, the bejeweled and the beblanketed. On Thursday our intrepid nightlife photographer headed to the chichi Blackstone Hotel, site of a recent $139 million renovation, where Lincoln Park Young Professionals ogled a diamond fashion show and downed specialty martinis as part of Billionaire at the Blackstone. On Saturday our shooter captured a bash of a different stripe, the Snuggie Pub Crawl, where revelers hopped from bar to bar (Lion Head Pub…

Stretched Out

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Game day seemed like the only day to hit The Stretch (3458 N. Clark St., 773-755-3980), Wrigleyville’s latest steps-from-the-ballpark sports bar. Which means what follows is the account of one relatively sober person among a sea of disappointed Cubs fans—following Wednesday’s loss to Colorado—who had been drinking since at least 1:20 p.m. So, you can take my opinion with a grain of tequila…

Table of Contents

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Cover Story Best New Restaurants by Dennis Ray Wheaton and Jeff Ruby Times may be tough, but this year’s top 22 restaurants are not backing down. They’ve embraced green as the new black, elevated organic pork to foie gras status, and made us feel downright giddy about everything from slippery soba noodles to fiery soft-shell … Read more