Curtained-off cabanas are ubiquitous in South Beach; now Chicago is jumping on the bandwagon. The latest place banking on semiprivacy is NV Penthouse Lounge (116 W. Hubbard St.), whose owners were aiming for an August opening at press time.
Football season has arrived. I’m not going to pretend to care much about college games—after all, I went to KU, and football isn’t exactly our thing. I will root, however, for my friends’ and family’s alma maters, including the Fighting Illini, the Buckeyes, and the Badgers. And I’ll be cheering on the Bears—or rather, cheering on The Boys cheering on the Bears—when I’m forced to watch the games on Sundays. Not that I don’t care about our home team, but the real fun for me is hanging out where the boys are. Whether you’re a real fan or just along for the ride, here’s where the guys I polled will be watching the games this season:…
High Times in Highwood We’ve noticed a dropoff lately in the quality at Gabriel’s (310 Green Bay Rd., Highwood; 847-433-0031), Highwood’s French/Italian standby, and chef-owner Gabriel Viti apparently got the wake-up call, too. “I’m back here full-time,” Viti says. “I finally found a good management team at Miramar [Viti’s other restaurant] and put everyone in … Read more
Nightlife impresario Terry Alexander’s new spot has Wicker Park seeing purple.
Way to go, Clarendon Hills. A charming French bistro with dynamite pâtés and onion soup gratinée just put you on the map; Rogers Park rolls out the welcome mat for a Viet/French combo.
Last Girl Standing is taking Monday off. Check back for her post next Thursday!
From mussels steeped in vindaloo sauce to a classic marinière, there’s a prep for every palate. We scoured the area for unusually good ones, and found five places that dazzled—including one we liked best of all.
Alla Famiglia, Italian, Fondue, Budget Beat
A rant on rotten seating
You Gotta Like . . . . . . a little place like Bien Trucha Restaurante (410 W. State St., Geneva; 630-232-2665). The month-old BYO from Ricardo García-Rubio, who ran Tia Maria’s in Geneva for 20 years, has room for no more than 15 customers at a time, and does everything made-to-order. “Our specialty is … Read more
