Current year’s list
@notyetachef As Jake Potashnick prepares to open his tasting-menu restaurant, Feld, next year, he stages the occasional pop-up in his apartment above the West Town restaurant, grapples with plumbing and electrical issues, and entertains his nearly 70,000 followers on TikTok. Just don’t call him a TikTok chef, he implores: “I don’t record myself cooking.” Rather, … Read more
Louis Tomlinson’s “Chicago” Songs titled “Chicago” are usually performed by Midwesterners, such as Michael Jackson or Sufjan Stevens. That makes Yorkshire-born Louis Tomlinson an outlier. Tomlinson’s rendition spotlights an anonymous ex-partner now living in the city, with a new child and new life, to whom he semidespondently croons, “If you’re lonely in Chicago, you can … Read more
Bungalow by Middle Brow The pizza joint from Middle Brow Beer Co. made a name for itself with its bubbly Neapolitan pies, but the real magic is in its square-cut, thin-crust tavern style, served exclusively on Tuesday nights. You may wait 45 to 60 minutes, but it’s worth it for that crisp first bite. The … Read more
Taylor Byas’s I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times Taylor Byas is just now releasing her debut full-length poetry collection, but she’s already making a case for herself as a literary descendant of fellow Chicagoan Gwendolyn Brooks. Like Brooks, the 27-year-old Byas turns the everyday aspects of life into the exuberantly extraordinary. Byas, who grew … Read more
Myesha McCaskill Sure, Myesha McCaskill is an amazing roller skater (her nickname isn’t SmoothGoddess for nothing) and an expert instructor, whether teaching freestyle or JB, the Chicago variety named for the James Brown music that accompanies its dips, slides, and fancy footwork. But those labels sell short both her and the classes she offers through … Read more
Dan the Baker With his intricate, decadent, croissant-wrapped creation, pastry chef Daniel Koester, who goes by Dan the Baker on Instagram, gives new meaning to the Chicago-style hot dog. This picture-perfect pastry tucks most of the traditional elements inside a buttery bun (he dropped the onions and celery salt, so as not to “overcrowd” his … Read more
H2O House’s Scalp Massage The best part of a haircut is the shampoo, right? Now imagine a one-hour luxe version of that. At H2O House, a new spa offering head and foot care, you can have that magical experience — if you can get in, that is. There was a 10-week wait this spring, and with good … Read more
This Is Chicago It’s fitting that this new weekly podcast begins each episode with the rumble of the L and the ding-dong of its arrival. After all, the show, produced by Stephen Pate and Ashlie Stevens of Supraphonic Studios, feels a bit like eavesdropping on a train. Each seven-minute episode drops you without introduction into … Read more
Best Intentions After the beloved cocktail bar closed at the start of the pandemic, owners (and brothers) Chris and Calvin Marty played it safe, staying shut well after other spots reopened. For a while, with no signs of life, it looked like the joint might be gone for good — that is, until early this spring, when … Read more
Katlin Michael Bourgeois Having done stints at San Francisco’s Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and DanceWorks Chicago, Katlin Michael Bourgeois comes with an enviable pedigree. Add to that the founding of a dance company in 2018 and a gig as resident choreographer for Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, and Bourgeois was the perfect … Read more
