Having tasted the Holy Grail of coffee in October, we were curious to see how some also-rans fared, in comparison. By chance we came across a second place winner from last year's Nicaragua Cup of Excellence while making our monthly bean run at our local coffee shop. more ›

Chicagoist's experience mixing socially-defined inappropriateness and school was, like many people's, limited. About the only instance we can think of where sex, violence and/or swearing was sanctioned by authority figures was when we got to watch "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in European History. The saying of "shit" in the classroom was met with many giggles. And there was much rejoicing. Some fourth- and fifth-graders out in Minooka, IL, have us beat by a... more ›

Part of us thinks we're paranoid for protecting our personal identity like the Holy Grail, changing passwords every couple months, shredding every piece of paper with even a scrap of identifying data on it before it leaves our house, refusing to ever give out our Social Security number unless it's absolutely necessary. The thing is, we're not so much worried about someone actively going after this information as we are about it falling into the... more ›

As fall settles in and another calendar page gets turned, thoughts turn from bbq's and vacations to holidays and the realization that '06 is coming to an end. With all that going on, with change in the air, we wonder what is it that made that makes the -ists ponder? Phillyist is concerned that the war on Trans fats could affect it's beloved cheese steak sandwiches, something for which we should all be concerned.... more ›

Oh, yes, folks, Chicagoist found a recipe that used the KitchenAid mixer (make your own “ahhhhh” sound here) all the way through...from the time you put in the initial ingredients, to adding each of the eggs individually, to the final scraping of the bowl and pouring into the bundt-cake pan, the mixer was going. So shiny, so red, the flat beater creaming the butter with the sugar, flower, flavoring... more ›

We're always in favor of more places to see movies, especially if those places are in close proximity to alcohol. So the news that Smartbar is now hosting a FREE Tuesday night movie night (via DVD projection) called "The Reel Deal" was welcome indeed. Bad news: you have to be 21+. Good news: they're showing two (tenuously thematically connected) classic cult films per night (plus an entire showing of the BBC's The Office on March... more ›

There’s just nothing cooler than being New York’s pre-Broadway musical comedy whore. Chicago’s “Spamalot” world premiere try-out bows tonight before moving on to Broadway in March, and pundits from Playbill to USA Today to the New Yorker are weighing in on the potential appeal of another potential “Producers”-size blockbuster. Of course it helps that, like “The Producers” before it, “Spamalot” hits the stage with a built-in audience that’s kinda familiar with the source material... more ›

Those who do any holiday gift shopping before December 23 make the rest of us look like heathens because we haven’t yet placed a lick of thought into what we’re buying for those on our holiday shopping lists. Certainly not enough consideration to merit battling with the gobs of weekend shoppers on Michigan Avenue who easily rationalize their presence with self-satisfied statements like, “I can relax for the rest of the season!” more ›

It�s a good week to be a movie geek. Tickets went on sale at 9 AM today for Spamalot, �the musical lovingly ripped off� from one of the movies most-quoted by guys you went to high school with: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Chicagoist covered the 411 on this back in July but it�s worth noting here that the opening of the box office featured an appearance by the Spammobile along with free cans... more ›

will head to Broadway eventually but will open first in Chicago later this year. The show will run December 21-January 16, and if you want to buy 20 or more tickets, you can buy them now. Ahem, Christmas present for your 19 children. more ›