By Amalie Drury
1) Barra Ñ
This sultry Argentina-by-way-of-Avondale nook features barely there lighting, strong mojitos, and DJ-spun beats that pull dancers out of their seats. 2977 N. Elston Ave.; 773-866-9898... Read more
Amalie Drury
By Amalie Drury
THE GLASS ALSO RISES: A new River North concept bar—from the people behind English, LaSalle Power Co., and Angels & Mariachis—is inspired by Papa’s European exploits Read more
By Amalie Drury
Just hours before my first unofficial visit to The Aviary (955 W. Fulton Market)—you know, the little cocktail lounge from Grant Achatz that opened next door to Next this past Saturday—a painting by the Chicago artist and gallerist Thomas Masters and his collaborator, Adrian Leverkuhn, had been installed in the main room... Read more
By Amalie Drury and Beth Wilson
THE DIVA'S NEW DIRECTION: With a celebrated eye and an imperious style, Ikram Goldman turned her high-end Chicago shop into a quasi salon for the rich and well dressed. Now, even as reports surface that she’s no longer outfitting her most famous client, she’s making her boldest move yet—opening a 16,000-square-foot megaboutique that challenges her personalized sales formula Read more
By Amalie Drury
This just in: On a phone call today with Martin Cournane—the co-owner of Wilde Bar & Restaurant and Beckett’s Public House, both in Lake View, plus the in-the-works Lady Gregory’s (5260 N. Clark St.) in Andersonville—I got the scoop on some upcoming changes, including how Cournane is putting two new hires to work despite a high-profile setback... Read more
By Amalie Drury
The question “Where’s your office?” borders on the existential for a freelance worker bee like me. There’s a white desk and a lumbar-friendly chair in my dining room, and that’s where most of my writing gets done. But some days I’m a WiFi nomad, chasing the signal all over the city between interviews, tours, meetings, and, yes, cocktails... Read more
By Amalie Drury
Everyone has a story, as we writers relish pointing out. But when I stopped by Wrigleyville’s longtime reggae club The Wild Hare last night to interview the owner, Zeleke Gessesse, about why he’s closing the place on May 15th after 25 years, I found myself in the presence of someone with a Story—capital S, plus italics... Read more
By Amalie Drury
I only met Ric Hess, the longtime co-owner of the Lake View bar Sheffield’s, a handful of times, but he was right up there among the most gregarious proprietors I’ve known. Hess died of a heart attack in January, and I still think about him every time I drive past his place... Read more
By Amalie Drury
If you want to snag a seat in the Andersonville bar Hopleaf, you might want to aim for, say, 3 p.m. As The Creative Director and I stood on Clark Street around quitting time last night, we sweated every agonizing second it took for our parking slip to print, worrying that each passing moment meant one fewer bar stool... Read more
By Amalie Drury
At precisely 3:30 yesterday afternoon, I found myself at Public House, the River North bar with the do-it-yourself beer taps that I’d last visited in December, when the 10,000-square-foot behemoth was still under construction... Read more