Violet Beginnings
Nightlife impresario Terry Alexander’s new spot has Wicker Park seeing purple.
Ad Categories: Dining & Drinking
Pride and Joy
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.
Taking Monday off
Last Girl Standing is taking Monday off. Check back for her post next Thursday!
Shell Games
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.
Dining Tidbits
Alla Famiglia, Italian, Fondue, Budget Beat
Bench Marks
A rant on rotten seating
Sugar Shock
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
Ale Raisers: Best New Bars & Clubs
Where to do your drinking now: our picks for the city’s hottest new spots
Drinking at Work
How do you perk up a dull Tuesday? Drink at work!
Luckily, I have a new acquaintance: Gabriel Magliaro, who, with some friends, has started a new Chicago beer company, Half Acre. Their first beer—a tomcat-colored lager that is brewed in Black River Falls, Wisconsin—just landed at Pint, Rodan, Jerry’s 2, and several other bars in Wicker Park. I was intrigued when Gabriel called me about it; I mean, how many local beers are there? For a city this size, there is a dearth of homegrown ale. Business idea, people!
Celebrity Beat: Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra made a local stop Saturday to host RedHot Midnight Kiss, an event benefiting the West Side homeless shelter Primo Center for Women and Children, at the just-opened club Bon V (1100 W. Randolph St.).
It was a commendable cause—the 27-year-old Primo keeps mothers and children together, and helps its clients locate permanent housing—but it was the night’s sexy host who catapulted attendance…