The jibarito is a cross-cultural gem with a very American story. It was invented in Chicago (circa 1993) at Humboldt Park’s Borinquen Restaurant, a tricked-out plantain sandwich inspired by Puerto Rican culture and named after its peasant class, then embraced across strata at local Cuban, Mexican, and South American joints. more ›

What do you get when you combine an elaborate set design, rock and roll magicians, acoustic custom poetry, and a melange of feel-good local bands? A whole lotta awesome, that's what. more ›

The moment Giles Corey Feldman, presiding judge of Crucible the Musible’s mock Salem witch trial, pulled out the washboard and rocked a rendition of Santana’s “Evil Ways” in his cotton ball wig, it was official: this was the goofiest play we’d seen all year. And for a Hallows Eve entertainment meant for ages 10 and up, that’s a good thing. Where the typical haunted house or hayride provides bloodless cheap thrills and little attempt at a story, this original piece of musical theater and gymnastic spectacle presented by Strange Tree Group and Aloft Aerial Dance serves up laughs and breathtaking aerial achievements. more ›

Despite what some people think, we've lived here long enough to know when a cabbie is starting to give us the runaround. And now we just nip it in the bud. We call out the Lower Wacker route before they start to pull some other crap. We tell them to take Ashland instead of going all the way east to Lake Shore Drive. But there's one thing we have never been really strong on —... more ›