Today in "Pencil This In:" Version Fest kicks off. more ›

Sometimes it pays to walk around the neighborhood after a long day in front of the computer. We captured this colossal cockup last night outside Zaytune Mediterranean Grill in Bridgeport. Eyewitnesses we spoke to at the scene said the truck at the right of the frame was chasing a dark blue Jeep on South Morgan for no other reason than it was a dark blue jeep. The truck clipped the Jeep and spun out of control, crashing into the truck in the middle of the frame. The white car sandwiched between the middle truck and the white truck got the worst of it. more ›

The night was August 21, 1929 and the film was a little picture starring the great John Boles, Louise Fazenda, and the lovely Myrna Loy entitled The Desert Song. As the film began and the lights drew to a close at Bridgeport's newly constructed cinematic gem, the Ramova Theater, the flickering light reflected off the glorious starry, night sky-inspired murals, punctuating every undulating nuance of the theater's grand and illustrious ceiling. This is the way the nights went for decades to come. At the Ramova's peak in 1940 the theater premiered screen legend Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator to the film's stars as well as hundreds of film fanatics across the Chicago area. more ›

Friends of Chicagoist B News Update hosts an annual quiz show at Bernice's Tavern in the wunnerful Bridgeport area. The quiz runs the gamut of Chicago history, from stuff you should have learned in kindergarten to things that make you go, "hmm." more ›

The most intriguing aspect of Ed Marszewski's complete overhaul of his mother's Bridgeport bar and package store is the community cocktail menu. Instead of bringing in a ringer like the Whislter's Paul McGee or Brad Bolt of Bar DeVille to craft a cocktail menu, the list of highballs is being crafted by neighborhood locals and customers on a case-by-case basis. It fits with Marszewski's concept of bringing back the semblance of community to the tavern and gives those customers who do land a drink on the menu a sense of ownership and pride. more ›

Local bicycle tour website Chicago Velo and real estate company Big Shoulders Realty have put together a series of guided bicycle tours through some of Chicago's classic neighborhoods. Their current season is winding down in a month, but you can still register for Saturday's tour of Bridgeport and Armour Square. more ›

Landmarks Illinois is hosting a historic pub crawl of Bridgeport taverns this evening. Walking tours are great ways to discover new neighborhoods and walking around Bridgeport did wonders for me when I first moved to the neighborhood eleven years ago. So did visiting some of the taverns like Shinnick's, Bernice's Tavern (pictured), Schaller's Pump, Catcher's, Maria's and Mitchell's Tap (the bar formerly known as Puffer's). If Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, then a pub crawl through one of the oldest is a fine way to spend a Friday evening. more ›

Kevin kindly pointed out today's Groupon deal of the day is for $25 worth of steak at Polo Café and Catering in the wunnerful Bridgeport area. more ›

Have to admit, watching Rahm Emanuel flit about town like a dervish on his "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour is reaping some unexpected dividends. He must be glad to be back in campaign mode, even as he gets earfuls he didn't expect from Chatham residents at Izola's and Pilsen residents at Nuevo Leon. Which is probably why he decided to put Ricobene's on 26th Street on his itinerary yesterday, which he declared was a "good sandwich." Whether he was endorsing the breaded steak, Italian beef or the combo, we don't know. Having personal experience in navigating Ricobene's during lunch, he probably found a good crowd of supporters instead of the folks who turned out Monday to take him up on his listening tour slogan. more ›

A white Bridgeport couple is facing discrimination charges from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for allegedly pulling their home off the market rather than sell it to a black couple that submitted the highest offer. Local comedian George Willborn and his wife made the highest offer - reported to be $1.7 million - on the home owned by Daniel and Adrienne Sabbia in January of this year. But the Sabbias, who had listed the house for $1.799 million, then pulled the house, which they had been trying to sell for two years, off the market. The Sabbias claimed they decided to stay put, unable to find another home to move in to. Jeffrey Lowe, the Sabbias' real estate agent, denied to the Willborns' broker at the time that it was about the Willborns' race. more ›

On top of their recent expansion and the addition of new chef Guy Meikle, Nana officially launches dinner service this evening. Dinner hours for the organic eatery at 3267 S. Halsted are 6-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Dinner is BYOB while owners Omar and Christian Solis work on obtaining their liquor license. more ›

Ever since news broke in winter that Cork & Kerry owner Billy Guide was eyeing the former Jimbo's space near U.S. Cellular Field to open a Bridgeport outpost, we've been keeping tabs on the space, waiting for some sign of progress toward opening. With the Sox sucking like a mortal chest wound, this has taken on some added urgency. more ›

Sad news out of Bridgeport this week as Healthy Food Lithuanian Restaurant (3236 S. Halsted, 312-324-2724) will serve up its final kugelis on December 15. We placed a call last night to owner Grazina "Gina" Biciunas-Santoski, who confirmed the closing. "I just feel the time is right to retire," Biciunas-Santoski said. more ›

To say that Bridgeport is lacking a sports bar is an understatement (Jimbo's does not qualify). There's a handful of criteria to build a successful sports bar: lots of dark wood, lots of widescreen tvs for watching the game, food that won't make you sick, a bar and waitstaff oozing The Hotness and a music playlist that would be at home on Eric and Kathy in the morning. Rocky's aims to change all that. This sports bar is located on the northwest corner of 31st and Wells and named after one of the owner's dogs — not Balboa, Marciano, Graziano or Wirtz — in a space that was long known to Bridgeport residents as Punchinello's. That bar had a clientele of spiked hair, club gear, chin halos and machismo so thick that it earned the derogatory nickname "Punch-a-d@g0'$." more ›

Odds were solid that the bustle of a restaurant kitchen would be music to the ears of Christian and Omar. Their father Jose owns and operates Bridgeport mainstay Tacos Erendira and makes one of our favorite al pastor tacos in the city. Mother Maria is the sugar behind the spice of North Center's Café 28 as its longtime pastry chef. Now the sons enter the cutthroat world of restaurants with a concept that's downright bold in a neighborhood whose idea of brunch is eating a Polish sausage and fries from Maxwell Street Depot and drinking a Mickey's Big mouth on the hood of your car. more ›

We've been looking forward to seeing Nana (3267 S. Halsted St., 312 929 2486), an organic breakfast/brunch spot in Bridgeport by Omar and Christian Solis, whose father Jose owns nearby Tacos Erendira, open for months. Chicago Brunch Blog reports that they're finally taking the paper off the windows and are slated to open 6 a.m. Monday with a menu including buckwheat pancakes with banana and mulled hemp seeds, liege (a leavened batter with beads of pearl sugar that burst and caramelize in the waffle iron) and the "Nanadict:" a pupusa topped with crumbled chorizo, poached eggs and poblano sauce. Coupled with the packed houses at HAN 202 nightly and Nightwood, my backyard could be on the cusp of destination dining. [via Grub Street Chicago] more ›

On a recent trip to Bridgeport's Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicagoist encountered the following scenes of daredevil graffiti and industrial dilapidation. We're pretty sure the silo tableau is referred to as "the Building" by local bombers, but being a height-fearing homebody artist we're not quite sure. Does anyone have any stories about this building, or know more about the tags displayed there? Let us know in the comments section. more ›

605 W. 31st St. in the wunnerful Bridgeport area has been home to a succession of mediocre to downright awful Italian restaurant concepts over the years, most recently Trattoria 31, which came out of the gate like gangbusters only to be lapped by the field. So when we saw that a Chinese restaurant was opening in the space we thought, "It can't be any worse than what's been there before" more ›

Leave it to a connected alderman to punish someone else for his mistake. With the controversy over Ald. Balcer's painting over of a mural on private property still simmering, the Dept. of Streets and Sanitation may have been directed to fall on the sword in response to backlash from the public. WBEZ has the statement released by Streets & San, which states, "The removal of the mural was a miscommunication between the Alderman’s office and the Department of Streets and Sanitation. The owner of the building should have been notified," and ends with, "The representative of the Department of Streets and Sanitation received disciplinary action." more ›

Art kids, brace yourselves. Version Fest 09 Immodest Proposals is upon us. Organized by Ed Marszewski & Co. (Public Media Institute), this year's events list comes close to sensory overload. From April 23 - May 2, progressive art, politics, and music will saturate the streets, galleries, and music venues of Bridgeport and the West Loop with programs galore to inspire and engage you. We’re also stoked about Friday’s Korean-Polish BBQ. more ›

High school art teacher Edra Soto worked with her students to create a cardboard city of skyscrapers that reflects both the students' personalities as well as the styles and forms created by the world's leading architects. more ›

A City Water Department official who is currently the subject of a probe has some ties to the mayor. Deputy Commissioner Tommie Talley is being investigated for allegedly using Chicago Water Management equipment and employees "to fix or improve sewer and water pipes" for private citizens, not public improvements. One of the locations under investigation is the Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in Bridgeport, though Rev. Daniel Brandt, the church's pastor, denies any illegal activity:

I’d open up my books to them and open up my doors to them to let them know the work on the property was fully paid for. I’m sure there was a day and a time when the city would do things, but that’s just suicide now, especially in the high-profile parish that this is.

Mr. Talley is active in the 11th Ward Regular Democratic Organization, which is run by Cook County Commissioner John Daley, the mayor’s brother. Mr. Talley also once was part of an affiliated political group headed by former First Deputy Water Commissioner Donald Tomczak, who was convicted in the Hired Truck scandal.

Schuba's, 3159 N. Southport, 12/27, Doors at 7:30 pm, show at 8 p.m., $20 more ›

After two years of legal battling, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld a ruling by Cook County Court Judge Sheldon Garber ordering the owners of Jimbo's Lounge (3258 S. Princeton) to vacate the premises. The battle began when building owners Ray and Donna DeGrazia opted not to renew the lease with bar owners Jimbo and Joyce Levato. The Levatos claimed they had a verbal agreement on a new lease on which the DeGrazias reneged. more ›

Quite often the décor of a restaurant can be as important as the food and service of the staff in contributing to the overall quality of a visit. From the highest rated Zagat restaurants to Ricobene's and the late, lamented Demon Dogs, how a dining room is accentuated can be the difference between eating in and takeout. more ›

Every year the rag tag group of homebrewing enthusiasts known as the Homebrewers Pride of the Southside (aka HOPs! gathers at a VFW hall in Bridgeport for their annual Oktoberfest celebration. The group ranges in experience from novice beer makers to notable brewmasters like Mat Van Wyk of Flossmoor Station and Wil Turner of Goose Island's Clybourn brewpub. This year HOPs! members created 56 different beers, sodas, wines and liqueurs for those attending to taste. The constant "light rain" that fell Saturday turned the VFW's beer garden into a scale model of Woodstock '99, but didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance to sample the wares. Here are some favorites. more ›

With Bridgeport and Chinatown bordering each other, there's no loss for good Chinese food near our home. Matter of fact, we live only a two block walk from LTHForum favorite Ed's Potsticker House. more ›

The fight between longtime Bridgeport staple Jimbo's lounge and landlords Ray and Donna DeGrazia took an unexpected twist when recent court filings indicated that the DeGrazias had reached an oral agreement to replace Jimbo's with a John Barleycorn. Barleycorn owner Sam Sanchez eventually backed out of the deal due to the continuing court battles and twists involving Jimbo's protracted eviction, which even owners Jimbo and Joyce Levato admitted is ultimately an academic conclusion. more ›

Keating approached the man outside, who first said he was a cop, then said he needed the gun for protection, and then said he also had a 12-gauge shotgun in his truck. Kucia has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon. [S-T, S-T] more ›

There are sixty bridges spanning the Chicago River throughout the city, as we found out last month at the annual B News neighborhood pub quiz. We know about the larger bridges downtown, and we stop to stare at them when the spans are raised to allow boats to pass. However, the majority of bridges spanning the river are smaller ones allowing traffic to pass between neighborhoods. We tend to overlook those bridges. This is one of them. more ›