Final Exam
Sikia (pronounced “seh-KEE-ya,” 740 W. 63rd St.; 773-602-5200), a 75-seat African restaurant run by advanced students at Washburne Culinary Institute, opens on August 1st at the institute’s new Englewood facility. “This project has been in the making for eight years,” says Bill Reynolds, provost at Washburne. “It will be a requirement of last-semester students to work all the kitchen and dining room positions at…
If the name Pierre Celis doesn’t ring a bell, maybe his hometown will: Hoegaarden, Belgium—as in the birthplace of the beer that continues to collect trophies from here to eternity, including Best Belgian-Style White at this year’s World Beer Cup. (Hoegaarden, by the way, is now brewed by InBev, the company that just bought Anheuser-Busch. Pay attention. There will be a quiz.)…
Liquid Zen at Silver Cloud
“We’re bringing back the true art of cocktail-making,” says the Potter’s John Williamson.
The age-old factory assembly line combines with notions of modern love in Jaclyn Pryor’s newest project.
1. GQ has named its top 20 cocktails in America, and two are from Chicago: The Violet Hour‘s Juliet & Romeo and Nacional 27′s Strawberry-Rhubarb-Basil-Balsamic Mojito. Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
2. Zocalo and Partida Tequila team up for a tequila tasting tonight…
Mana Mia!
One of our top FODs checked out MANA foodbar (1742 W. Division St.; 773-342-1742), Jill Barron and Susan Thompson’s (Sushi Wabi and De Cero) new vege-focused boîte in Wicker Park. Herein the report, verbatim: “Just had lunch at Mana. Very organic. Reminds me a little of the Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC. Very small, like the portions. Blue cheese tart with caramelized onion was YUM!, but one bite full for $7. The spanakopita was more generous for $8—firm and very…
Frat boys across the nation, rejoice! The rest of us (spoiler alert): Meh. Behold, Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer. Any resemblance to ABBA or Meryl Streep is purely coincidental.
Thanks to devout garage brewers Tom and Athena Seefurth of suburban Campton Township, we now know the answer to that age-old 3 a.m. question: What would happen if we mated pizza and beer? Hint: Some pairings make better friends than lovers. The beer, now brewed by Sprecher in Wisconsin, earns points for originality (yes, that is basil, garlic, oregano, and tomato you smell…
Forget the recession. In a trio of downtown hotels, three glittering, ambitious restaurants—Mercat a la Planxa, Sixteen, and Lockwood—appear to have done just that.
This Week’s Nightlife Buzz
1. Crimson Lounge celebrates its one-year anniversary—a lifetime in bar years—tonight, Thursday the 17th, with an event called Grand Opening 2.0 (we don’t quite get it either). Entertainment includes New York’s DJ Kiss and Belmont Burlesque. The party runs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; RSVP to crimson1year@zapwater.com.
2. It’s always someone’s anniversary somewhere: Also tonight…
