The doughnut shop will open their first two locations - Wicker Park and Fulton Market. more ›

Arguably the most anticipated restaurant of the year, The Publican finally opened its doors before they were torn down by the hungry, excited masses. We were initially surprised there wasn't a wait, being 8:00 on a Saturday, until we saw the space. Eyeballing it, The Publican is about the size of three avecs and although we were seated immediately, the German-style beer hall was full of people at long wooden communal tables, small groups at pig pen-esque private booths, and others just sitting at the bar for a drink. more ›

For those of you asking about when the Publican, Paul Kahan's new beer, seafood and charcuterie palace in the Fulton Street Market (845 W. Fulton Mkt.) helmed by Executive Chef Brian Huston, is finally opening, pencil in Thursday. This definitely trumps "Must See TV." more ›

Five observations about The Siddhartha Project, Collaboraction’s premiere adaptation of Herman Hesse’s coming-of-age classic, reinterpreted by 5 writers in 5 acts. 1 Staging Hesse’s tale of a gifted boy's self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment in Lumen, a fun, not terribly pretentious nightclub and creative space, seems stranger than locating said club down the block from a meatpacking plant. Commissioning five writers to reinterpret the tale in five eras is as risky as it is ambitious, as... more ›

Here are some things in the news to chew on while we're eating kabobs at the Velika Gospa. Macy's second-quarter profits don't look too good. Neither does the forecast for the residential real estate industry. A woman was run over by a garbage truck on the north side this morning. Indications are that she laid down behind the rear tires before it happened. Two apartment buildings in the Fulton Market were evacuated Tuesday after... more ›

Even though we are to have remnants of a typhoon today, it looks pretty decent out. We know, since there is no Bears game you will be watching the Chicago Marathon online (we clicked on one of the video links, pretty boring stuff.) Those things will be winding down early enough in the day to catch some of these events. As always, feel free to add events in the comments section. more ›

In case you feel like we haven't thrown enough weekend options your way, the Fall Art Season gets underway in earnest tonight. More than 50 galleries are opening exhibits, and that's not counting the dozens of Around the Coyote sites showing off local artists tonight through Sunday. (Remember that the ATC Fest is, once again, your last chance to see Thax Douglas.) Among the highlights: more ›

We're going to level with you, and in the process potentially scandalize the part of the Chicagoist food team who knows so much about booze in any form that we feel as though we should first check with him before consuming anything of the alcoholic variety: more ›

We passed by this place a million times while driving on Halsted, but were always worried that stopping at a place in the Fulton Market area is going to get us yelled at if they only sell wholesale. (Seriously, we have visions of being run out of an establishment by an angry manager who is sick of people not wanting to pay retail for anything). Luckily L. Isaacson and Stein Fish Company sells both wholesale and retail, and they were very welcoming even when we showed up at 6:30am while they were still setting up. They had smiles on their faces while shoveling tons of ice onto the counters to keep the fish fresh, which seems like some sort of sick ironic joke for Chicagoans in summer. Isaacson is very clean, but we probably shouldn’t have worn sandals to the market, although the dogs enjoyed sniffing our feet when we got home. more ›

Farmer's markets are cool. Period. You got your fresh tomatos, greens, maybe some fresh eggs, and then there's the whole thing where you get to meet the people that grew your food. When you live in a city, that kind of connection to the earth is a nice thing, and starting June 24, the Fulton Market area will have a night farmers' market every Thursday, 4pm to 8pm through October 28. For those of us who've been around long enough to remember when the swankiest place on West Randolph was Barney's teak house on Halsted and Randolph ("Yes sir, Senator!"), a night farmer's market seems like life coming full circle, since West Randolph and Fulton Market were actually wholesale food markets about twenty years ago. more ›