The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Rockabilly The first Thursday of the month at Martyrs' usually means it's time for the Big "C" Jamboree. Hosted by Ken Mottet, the Big "C" Jamboree is the city's longest rockabilly showcase and one of its best kept secrets, a jam session that runs the gamut from Western swing and jump blues to hillbilly music......

We were grabbing a granola bar from the Walgreens by our office this morning and came across these amazing treats. It was then we realized that we've been so caught up in the Leap Year excitement that we nearly forgot that it's time to get excited about St. Patrick's Day. While most of our non-Irish friends celebrate this time of year by getting drunk on green beer and acting like idiots, we like to......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Food/Drink: Get an early start to Valentine's Day with a champagne dinner at Café Matou this evening. Chef Charlie Socher will prepare a five-course dinner featuring dishes from the Champagne region, paired with Champagne wines selected by Wine Director James Rahn. 1846 N. Milwaukee, 7 p.m. Cost is $95 (all inclusive); RSVP at 773.384.8911. Art:......

The death of storytelling has been predicted at least since the dawn of the Industrial Age. And in 1936, philosopher Walter Benjamin declared, "the art of storytelling is reaching its end." It's nonsense, of course; even if storytelling itself has taken on some "new" forms, it's still as prevalent as ever, perhaps even more so with the rise of the blogosphere and the millions of people unfurling their own personal narratives. Even after a hundred......

Did you miss seeing the winner of the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival last month? If so, you’ve got another chance this weekend. My Nikifor took home the golden boy at the CIFF this year and is one of the many films playing at the 17th annual Polish Film Festival in America, which starts this weekend in Chicago and runs through November 20th. With the largest urban population of Poles outside of......

If you thought there was a lot to do last weekend, you ain't seen nothin' yet, baby. This weekend if you can't find something to do you just aren't livin in the city the way you should. Deep breath, ok here goes: 46th Arts Experience: Paintings, hand-made jewelry, photography and other arts and crafts on display and for sale from 8am - 6pm on June 16-17 at the Plaza of Americas. Free admission. Festa Pasta......

Chicagoist stumbled into its local tavern recently and noticed a whole lot of green tinsel and merry little top hats—the American cultural shorthand for St. Patrick’s Day (or Amateur Hour as it’s known around these offices). While you might be tempted to “celebrate” the rich cultural heritage of Ireland with a pint of green Bud Light, why not spend some time this week at the Beverly Arts Center during the 6th Annual Irish Film Festival......

‘Tis the season for all sizes and flavors of “Christmas Carol” offerings, plus variations on its time-honored (some might say “tired”) theme. Our favorite standby is ye olde Muppets version, costarring a surprisingly tuneful Michael Caine, but our job here is to send you out into the world, not to your sofa zones. Luckily, Chicagoland has plenty of theatrical Scrooges to please everyone, everywhere, over the holidays: For the Purists: “A Christmas Carol” The......