Laura Oppenheimer

The Super Bowl is coming on Sunday, like it or not, and with it comes analysis of the action on the field, the commercials, and what's sitting on the plate in front of you. You could go the classy route and cook up a feast for your football-watching friends. Or... continue reading on Chicagoist

The Green Grocer Chicago market is now open at Grand and Noble. And don't criticize just yet for grabbing onto the "green" moniker for marketing purposes; the owner of the place is named Cassie Green. Get it? The market's goal is to "work closely with Midwestern farmers and producers to... continue reading on Chicagoist

Attention, aspiring Jaslenes: Tyra and Co. have developed a new reality-TV show for fashionistas, but this one actually requires contestants to be able to read, unlike ANTM (and possibly write, too). The contestants on the yet-to-be-named show will compete in two challenges on each episode, "an individual competition and a... continue reading on Chicagoist

"Whether or not this new kid will go on to become the prom king or get his head stuck in a toilet is unclear," we wrote when Sunflower market first opened, "but we certainly will come back for more." But we, and others, didn't come back for enough. Minneapolis-based Supervalu... continue reading on Chicagoist

The Painted Lady Organic Eatery has closed after only a couple of months in business. Housed in the former space of Bleeding Heart Bakery, the cafe suffered, said owner Valetin Garcia, because he and his wife Michelle, were spending most of their time at the new Bleeding Heart location on... continue reading on Chicagoist

Today would be an excellent day to take the CTA, if you happen to be planning on driving anywhere from, or to, Lincoln Square or Ravenswood. A water main broke on Montrose under the Montrose Brown Line stop at 1:30 a.m. (or 12:30, if you like to believe the... continue reading on Chicagoist

First it was Spring 2006. Then it was April 2007. Then late summer 2007. We heard rumors of a first-week-in-November opening. And now that date has been pushed back until March. What gives, Jerry Kleiner? We know Hyde Park can be a difficult part of the city to navigate with... continue reading on Chicagoist

Steve Dolinsky, Chicago's own "Hungry Hound," has a blog. And a podcast! And teaches a course called "Culinary Communications 101," for those who want to learn how to speak "food" to the media. Of the three, we recommend the podcast. We've listened to a couple and they are smart,... continue reading on Chicagoist

We'd been hearing rumors recently that Schwa was going to reopen, but didn't want to get our hopes up to much before something was confirmed. And confirmed it now is. Michael Carlson's BYOB spot will be reopening in early 2008, the end of this month being the earliest. Carlson told... continue reading on Chicagoist

Anytime an event is held every few years instead of annually, it takes on some added importance (we're thinking, for example, presidential elections, the Olympics and the World Cup). In the culinary world, this event is the Coupe De Monde De Boulangerie, a bread-baking contest that takes place every... continue reading on Chicagoist

Metromix describes Jake Melnick's Corner Tap as "a casual neighborhood pub specializing in traditional American bar cuisine; burgers, salads and homestyle specials such as barbecued ribs and chicken." You know, like the typical, run-of-the-mill River North bar. But things are about to heat up (ha!) at 41 E. Superior St.... continue reading on Chicagoist

Menupages has a list up of the 100 most looked-at menus of 2007. The top ten most popular? Thai Bowl, Brasserie Ruhlman, Nookies, Ping Pong, Crust, Silver Seafood Restaurant, Medici, Butterfly, The Art of Pizza and Tango Sur. We're at a loss in figuring out why these would be the... continue reading on Chicagoist

Smokers, meet Winter. Winter, smokers. Timed perfectly with a bone-chilling cold, Illinois's smoking ban went into effect at midnight, Jan. 1. Not surprisingly, some are thrilled. The Sun-Times checks in with bartenders and finds that—shock!—they are happy to be able to work in a smoke-free environment. The Trib wonders if... continue reading on Chicagoist

For a sizable chunk of the US population, Christmas is a time for... wondering when it's going to be the 26th. Jews have the stereotypical routine of Chinese food and a movie (Chicagoist has deemed Charlie Wilson's War the family-friendly-but-still-interesting-enough-not-to-bore-dad-who-likes-foreign-films movie of the season), but what to do for the... continue reading on Chicagoist

We've got a huge crush on My Blank Page after being alerted (via) that she had created a gingerbread version of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Behold! You can see the development of her project here, here and here (notice the lovely colored windows). And while Fallingwater isn't in Chicago (or... continue reading on Chicagoist

Chez Pim's Menu For Hope fundraiser is still going strong (it lasts through Dec 21). So far, more than $50,000 has been raised to benefit the UN World Food Programme's school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. Kalyn's Kitchen is the regional host for the Midwest, and there are lots of... continue reading on Chicagoist

It's time to stop the madness of the Red Eye. The Trib is getting more expensive while its circulation shrinks, the Reader has fired its best writers, the Sun-Times is laying off a quarter of its workforce...so guess what? It's time to hold a widely circulated, widely read daily newspaper... continue reading on Chicagoist

Chicagoist has been known to wax philosophic when it comes to websites that make dining out and ordering in easier. We've written about two of our favorites, MenuPages and GrubHub, here and here, respectively. There's a new kid in town, and her name is FoodieBytes. We can already feel MenuPages... continue reading on Chicagoist

Sen. Dick Durbin sent out an email appeal today urging people to celebrate "A Plumpynut Holiday." Our senior sentator wants his constituents to spend $20 this holiday season on Plumpynuts, a "sweetened mixture of peanuts, essential vitamins, minerals and milk served in foil pouches [that] has become a high-nutrient, high-energy... continue reading on Chicagoist

The Chicago City Council held off on voting on a controversial ban on urban chickens yesterday. Since urban chickens are all the rage, it seems like a perfect time to ban them, right? Southwest Side Alderman Lona Lane (18th), who proposed the ban, said she didn't know why the vote... continue reading on Chicagoist