Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already..." /> Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already..." /> Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already..." />
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March 2009
Days of Sunda
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
An Instant Classic
Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already... Read more
Can Cameras Replace Cops?
By Noah Isackson
No one can say for sure why murders and violent crimes are on the rise in Chicago. But some criminologists are questioning why the new police superintendent, Jody Weis, is moving away from proven community policing strategies. Read more
Smart Bed

The Museum of Science and Industry tapped Sawbridge Studios to provide the bed and end table for the master bedroom in the Smart Home: Green + Wired ’09 exhibit, which opens March 19. Artists/designers Margaret Taylor and Simone Wilson of Chamblee, Georgia, created the bed and table, part of a line carried exclusively by Sawbridge in the Chicago area. Stay tuned for more on the Smart Home.

–JAN PARR

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An Auction, Sales, and Table Manners
By Bradley Lincoln
Sean Susanin is having a big sale this Saturday at his cavernous Clinton Street auction house, with close to 700 items on the block, including this asymmetric Harry Bertoia chaise manufactured by Knoll, estimated to sell for $1,000 to $1,500. The eclectic sale also includes a nice selection of rugs, paintings, jewelry, silver, rare books, sports memorabilia—everything but kitchen sinks, really (unless I missed that aisle). Since opening in 1994, Sean has been into making the auction process fun, comfortable, and a piece of cake, especially by developing sophisticated, searchable online viewing and bidding systems. Every Friday morning is Discovery Day, by the way, where potential sellers can bring in up to three items or photos for free appraisal, consignment, and maybe even an outright purchase. Read more
Bucky Stops Here
Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe*
The first retrospective of the visionary's work in decades, this exhibition reintroduces the man who invented the geodesic dome and coined the term “Spaceship Earth.” While calling... Read more
Beau Chanel
It seems black is the reliable bet during this economic crunch. Why should designers pretend it’s not what women go for most of the time? But this is still Paris Fashion Week—we want a little drama, right? Well, the Chanel show yesterday provided a good mixture: a little theatricality with a lot of practicality... Read more
Scentimental Second Home
   

Consignment for the home, edited and plucked—even “re-fluffed” with a designer’s eye?  Most finds vintage and antique? Count us in. SG Too in St. Charles is a new division of Scentimental Gardens that sweet spot for one-of-a-kind finds, design ideas, and garden plans. Stop by for the gently used home finds and garden accessories (stylish bargains include a Henredon cabinet circa 1940s in putty grey with a quilted paneled front, an ornate French gilt mirror, a bamboo armoire with chicken wire detail, or a cane topped table with glass insert). Even the cleverly styled vignettes are inspiring. Every quarter the owners will donate five percent of the sales to a charity. Hop on the site or ring to arrange for a consignment appointment.

—BARRI LEINER

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At Home Finds

Jill Maremont over at Susan Fredman’s At Home in the City sent over a few fun new items the store is carrying. The Akira dog, 20” x 11” x 15”, is handcrafted of papier mache wrapped in abaca fiber. The porcelain Boot vase by Maxim Velcovsky for Qubus is 10.5 inches high. And the Pigeon Light, by Ed Carpenter for Thorsten van Elten, is made of acrylic and attaches to a wall mount with the clothespin. It’s 9 inches by 9 inches and includes a 25-watt euro-base lamp. Jill has a fun blog, find it here.

—JAN PARR

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