On March 4, 1837, Chicago officially became a city, first mayor William B. Ogden presiding. Fast forward 171 years later, and we're still kicking. In honor of our fine city's birthday, the Chicago History Museum is throwing a party tomorrow complete with Eli's cheesecake, Chicago style hot dogs, the Chicago Children's Choir, and "historical re-enactors". Admission to the museum is free between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Also if tomorrow happens to be your birthday,......

This is most likely too late for you downtown workers, but if you're interested and at Portillo's tomorrow they're giving away 500 free hot dogs (via). That's right, 500 free hot dogs. Show the tourists how sharp your elbows are when in the presence of free processed, encased tubesteaks.......

What could the impending line on Michigan Ave. possibly be for if not the latest Apple product? Why, for some clothes designed by Michael Jordan and Levi Strauss of course! Starting this Saturday you can purchase a limited edition Air Jordan/Levi clothing package at select Niketown and Levi Strauss stores. For $395 you get a pair of Levi’s 23-501 jeans, a pair of Air Jordan 1 shoes and a t-shirt all in a fancy......

Unlike so many political figures in Chicago, Tony Rezko didn't come from a background steeped in ward politics and clout. In fact, after he finished his degrees at IIT, did what most new immigrants to Chicago do: he got a job. In 1984, Rezko went to work for Crucial Concessions, owned by Jabir Herbert Muhammad, former manager of boxer Muhammad Ali, and son of Elijah Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam. Crucial Concessions had......

The Reader's Guide to Late Night Dining is now online, and there's the expected eclectic mix of diners, hot dog stands, taco joints, upscale pub grub, and places where only the fearless dare enter. Even better is that the range of offerings encompasses a wide stretch of the city and connecting suburbs (big love for Gene & Jude's Red Hots in River Grove!). If you're at the stage in life where "I'll sleep when......

On the subject of hot dog stands, it's the little differences that separate the ones we like from the ones we don't. Growing up on the Northwest side we had the good fortune (although as teenagers we never realized it) of living near some of the best, like Bemo's on Fullerton; the recently closed Toots Drive Thru at Central and Montrose; Duke's, just up the street at Central and Bryn Mawr; and Jimmy's Red Hots......

The November issue of Chicago Magazine is on newstands, and the cover story is, simply put, open for discussion if you're a gourmand. Their list of 124 favorite dishes from restaurants throughout the greater Chicago area includes dishes from restaurants we expected on the list (Alinea's "Pineapple with Bacon Powder", e.g.), entrées we completely agree with (the bone-in filet mignon at David Burke's Primehouse), dishes from restaurants so new that we're surprised they made the......

Chicagoist has long been a fan of Southport Grocery and Café, helmed by chef/owner Lisa Santos. The small, specialized shop and bakery also has a take-out/eat-in menu for adults as well as a handful of dishes especially for kids. This menu section, nicknamed “For Our Little Ones”, has a variety of foods for $5 that include breakfast and lunch options. It’s ideal if your kid wants noodles for breakfast or pancakes for dinner. Choices range......

There are two big happenings tonight in Chicago. One involves Chicagoist's mild obsession, Top Chef, whose finale will be shot live tonight at an undisclosed location. (We'll be live-blogging it.) The other involves one of our esteemed city's baseball clubs ... you've heard of them, right? But since food and sports are both on the mind right now, we would be remiss in not mentioning the culinary wager made between Daley and Phoenix Mayor Phil......

You'll remember the story of Dave Warwak, the middle school art instructor in Fox River Grove who put down the paints, chalks and paste to passionately talk to his students about the virtues of the vegan lifestyle. If by "passionately" we meant "beat the kids over the head about how all hot dogs are sketchy-assed." When he was busted for doing that, he took the concept of "keeping it real" to Chappellian levels, demanding that......

Dave Warwak was just another mild-mannered middle school art teacher in Anywhere, USA (actually Fox River Grove Middle School in McHenry County). Then, in January, he switched to a vegan diet, sold his boat and fishing tackle from his side job as a fishing guide, and became politicized on the issue of animal rights. Last week Warwak handed his students a book by John Robbins titled The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save......

This clip from The Simpsons is as good a place to jump off this week, as we're leaving to see the film after we file this, and the beginning setting is at a fair. Which makes a nice segue for us. Last week, we went to the South Side Arts & Music Fest we profiled in last week's installment and were confronted with the sticker shock of seeing a funnel cake sell for nine......

Oh, how we love lists. Is there any other piece of journalism that has the ability to spur so much pointless and arbitrary discussion? Via the Drive-Thru, we found this list of Chicago's "hottest dogs" from Travel + Leisure. When last we checked in on the best dogs, we found Poochies named as Chicagoland's finest. Just to show the true subjectivity of lists of these kind, Poochies is no where to be found on Travel......

He had to promise them one of his lovely TIFs, but Daley did manage to convince mapmakers Navteq to stay in Chicago rather than relocating back to the Silicon Valley in California. It's the City of Chicago vs. Harry's Hot Dogs and the Showmen's League of America and a Giordano's restaurant. And throw in a travel agency too. City Hall wants the buildings at 300-308 W. Randolph torn down to make a small park......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Vegetarian Hot Dogs?...

All across the land this weekend there'll be grills firing up; hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie patties will be duly seared, oversmeared with condiments and consumed. But at Facets, another kind of feast is on display. The ingredients? A desert island. Reality TV. And hungry contestants. American Cannibal, which starts a week-long run at Facets today, wickedly skewers our society’s hunger for celebrity (pun intended). Two young writers, desperate to get into showbiz, corner a......

Chicagoist loves cheap eats. We can't get enough of pad thai, tacos and hot dogs. But every once in a while, we have an excuse to class it up and head to one of Chicago's many upscale joints. In the case of mk, it was a combination of the deliciously warm weather, a gift certificate we snagged a while back, and a new job to celebrate. The restaurant has a modern yet classy feel......

Happy Easter, Chicago. Eat up all your chocolate eggs so we won't be tempted! A truck collided with a CTA bus Friday afternoon. The accident occurred at 12:45 p.m. at 79th and Racine when the truck turned in front of the bus; two passengers were critically injured while five others sustained minor injuries. Offender Jesse Young, 51, was cited for driving his truck without insurance. Continuing the new tradition of cops getting into trouble, an......

You'll remember that Hot Doug's, the delightful north side tubesteak palace that puts a whimsical twist on hot dogs, was the first food establishment cited last month for violating the foie gras ban. The hearing for the citation was today, and owner Doug Sohn, through his attorney, agreed to pay a $250 fine. He could have been fined up to double that amount. We reached Sohn for comment at Hot Doug's a short time ago.......

As we at Chicagoist ponder whether or not to add "sketchy-ass hot dogs", foie gras, and the 46th Ward to "hating on the Amish" and Macy Fields as retired subject matter, we start off this week's edition of "Your Friday Food Buffet" with, well, foie gras hot dogs. We also have a photo that should even pass reader Marilyn's sensitive eyes. That is, unless she's in favor of Prohibition. We'd Rather Help Doug Sohn Break......

Hot Doug's is the proud recipient of the city's first Foie Gras ticket. Doug Sohn, who puts the Doug in Hot Doug's, has been taunting the hell out of city officials since the ban went into effect. Sohn framed the warning letter he received from the city and placed it on his counter. Coming half a year after the ordinance was passed, the Chicago Health Department inspector went to Hot Doug's on Friday morning, issued......

As with the previous two playoff games, Mayor Daley will make a food-related wager with his counterpart in Indianapolis on the upcoming Super Bowl that'll see our Bears and their Colts face off in Miami. Chicago, with our great gastronomic traditions, always offers up a smorgasbord of culinary delights — deep dish pizza, Eli's cheesecake, Vienna hot dogs, Ann Sather cinnamon rolls, Italian beef, Mexican foods, etc. But typically Chicago gets the short end of......

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's......

If we had to think of the top five hot dog spots in the city, we would need some time. There are some obvious choices — a dog in the Cell for one — and there are the famous spots, but choosing the five best would take more than a casual effort. Now imagine choosing the five best hot dogs in the nation. Just thinking about this monstrous task made our belly expand and our......

Glenview hot dog stand fRedhots and Fries will begin serving reindeer hot dogs this Friday, continuing through the end of December. Owner Fred Markoff said he got the idea after tasting Rudolph-flavored dogs several years ago in Alaska. The dogs are a mixture of reindeer, beef and pork, and are served in the "traditional" style, with grilled onions and mustard. The wieners are imported from Alaskan meat producer, Indian Valley Meats. If you don't......

Chicagoist has never been shy about our love for the Mexican food in Chicago. From the cheapest tacos, to new takes on traditional dishes, to the city's upscale offerings, we've been all over the city tasting tacos, tamales, and tortas. Though we love our Mexican food in the Chicagoist office, we sometimes get the sense that the Mexican offerings in the city are overlooked by many in favor of some of the more "traditional" Chicago......

Mmm ... hot dogs. We love 'em. Especially those delicious Vienna Beef all-beef hot dogs, which are chock full of beefy goodness. Except for the all-beef part. Chicago-based Vienna Beef is being sued for misleading consumers. How were they mislead? The aforementioned all-beef hot dogs have an "all-natural" casing — "all-natural" being a euphemism for pig intestine. Vienna Beef says it followed all the required government regulations required in labeling the porky dogs, but that......

AAA (yes, that would be the AAA of the rescuing you when you have a flat tire fame) announced their Five Diamond Awards for hospitality yesterday, and seven Chicago restaurants were named to the elite level, more than any other city in the nation. Three hotels also made the cut. Joining repeat offenders Arun’s, Seasons Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel, Tru, Everest, and Charlie Trotters are newbies Alinea and Avenues in The Peninsula Chicago......

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks "the elusive Bahamas streetcar", and watches Tom Green get surgery. Phillyist rejoices in the Phillies' wild card chances, mourns the injuries sustained by Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse, and goes pirate on our asses. SFist notes that Guns and Roses were in town, that San Franciscans are taking over reality TV, and that the San Francisco Chronicle's skills of original nomenclature could use some......