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March 2008
Romancing the Stony
By Rebecca Little

Fresh Eyre
How is it that the spinster Brontë sisters managed to write such passionate bodice rippers—for Victorian England, at least—despite a life of domestic doldrums on the Yorkshire moors? That’s the fundamental question British playwright Polly Teale aims to answer in Brontë, her imaginative blend of biography and fiction, presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. The show previews 7:30 p.m. Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd, 2:30 p.m. Sunday the 23rd, and opens 7 p.m. Monday the 24th at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater (2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-871-3000). Previews are $24 to $30; regular run is $35 to $40.
Best Bets for Things to Do This Week...

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Celebrity Beat: Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi, John Legend, and more

Forget Taste of Chicago.

Common Threads—the charity cofounded by Oprah toque and Table Fifty-Two honcho Art Smith that teaches kids about nutrition and healthy cooking—held its third annual World Festival Monday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The scene was sort of like an all-star episode of Top Chef: Local bigwigs including David Burke (David Burke's Primehouse) and Gale Gand (Tru) handed out haute-cuisine samples while schmoozing with...

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Because My Alma Mater Will Never Be Invited to the Big Dance
By Esther Kang

What is it about March Madness that makes a person hum the CBS tournament jingle and wave his or her index fingers rather violently in the air? Wait, maybe that's just me.

But seriously, the most exciting sports event in the world is finally here. I've filled out my bracket and paid my $5 (times are rough). Now I'm bracing myself for the least productive month of the year. I'm kidding. Hello, boss who might be reading this!

Anyway, long ago, I accepted the fact that the Northwestern Wildcats, in their flamboyant purple uniforms and glorious futility, will never...

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On The Market—Hinsdale’s House of Treasures
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $6.3 million
The Property: Brian Baetz and his company, the Lemont-based Morgan Builders, have been putting up houses and entire subdivisions in the west and southwest suburbs for two decades. But this six-bedroom, 9,300-square-foot house, which was completed in November in Hinsdale, is Baetz’s pet project. Inspired by the centuries-old homes outside Paris, it is a repository of . . .

PLUS: a bonus video - walking tour with the builder

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This Column is Made of Chocolate
By Penny Pollack and Jeff Ruby

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

As if the name weren’t a giveaway, Chocolate Grape (chocolate-grape.com) (2113 W. Division St.; 773-772-3990), slotted to open in early April, specializes in pairing wines and chocolates together. “The concept came from my family,” says Rehanna Grady, a partner in the 65-seat café. “My brother, in earning his master’s from DePaul, had to create a business plan and a pro forma to show that the business would be profitable.” The plan was for a wine and chocolate café, and the family thought it was such a...

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Selling Pots on the El

This colorful snapshot, by Flickr's katherine of chicago is perfectly bright and cheery—with just the perfect amount of surreal—for this not-yet-spring day in March.

The unique shot of the Merchandize Mart El platform is part of a set in her account called "THIS is Chicago," which has everything from the Eye Can See Indian to abandoned furniture in cramped Chicago alleyways...

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Housing Bulletin—Irene Pritzker Sells Her Kenilworth Mansion
By Dennis Rodkin
Irene Pritzker, the former wife of Robert Pritzker—who, with his brother Jay, turned a family fortune into a financial empire best known for its Hyatt hotels and resorts—has sold her 13-room Kenilworth mansion for $2,775,000. A handsome brick and limestone villa roofed in green terra cotta and situated on four-tenths of an acre, it has five bedrooms and a...

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Dressing to Thrill
By Marcia Froelke Coburn
She's Michelle Obama's favorite designer, and Oprah wears her gowns. Her soft, sexy, elegant clothes have placed her atop Chicago's fashion A-list. And now, with a new boutique, Maria Pinto completes a remarkable comeback Read more
Week 42: Deliverance

So there we were, in a sterile room somewhere near the corner of 59th and Maryland on the South Side of Chicago, my wife leaning against me on the floor. Per her request, I'm supporting her from under her arms, almost like a headlock. We're surrounded by people, most of whom we don't know. Our doc and nurse are on their knees in front of us, and my parents, whose flight leaves in two hours, are right behind them, taking pictures of my wife's vagina.

Then it happened so fast. She started pushing. Huge, grunty pushes that turned her whole body into a steel pillar, thick and immovable. Every time she did, she screamed, and...

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