New Rock Theater have extended the production of Predator The Musical: If It Sings, We Can Kill It through Aug. 6. more ›

An overnight fire has killed two, injured four, and displaced eight other people. The fire happened at 3912 W. Argyle St. in the Irving Park neighborhood. Three adults, including a responding police officer, were taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital and a minor was taken to to Children’s Memorial Hospital. According to Fire Media Affairs spokesman Q. Curtis, they range from "serious" to "critical" condition. The two fatalites were identified Roxanne Ocampo, 23, and Itzel Fernandez, 7. Update - CBS 2 is reporting that investigators believe the fire was a case of arson. [WBBM, CBN] more ›

Lucky you, Irving Park Brown Line users. The station, under construction for a year now, will reopen this weekend. Saturday morning at 4 a.m., to be exact. The spiffified station has new elevators, wider and longer platforms, and plenty more to make it handicap accessible and just overall nicer as the CTA continues its Countdown to a New Brown. more ›

When I look down at the grey, weather-beaten, splitting-wood platform beneath my feet on the Rockwell Stop, I wonder what relation to any one of the Powers That Be owns a lumber yard. Because it just seems silly that you'd rebuild numerous El platforms and stations, and then use untreated, unfinished wood planks that fall apart months after the grand reopening of the Brown Line station. And then I think about the months-long period of time where the automatic door openers at the stations were on the fritz, making the doors almost inoperable to open without mechanical assistance. And I wonder: What's the deal, CTA? Am I the only one thinking these thinks? more ›

Ugh, moving sucks. more ›

Matthew Mager, a 29 year old who lived on the 1400 block of West Lill Ave., was riding along with a group of cyclists this morning when he was struck by an SUV at the intersection of Lincoln, Damen and Irving Park. Mager was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, but he could not be saved. more ›

Forgotten Chicago spotlights three abandoned movie "palaces" they hope make the preservation cut: The Colony Theater on 59th and Kedzie, the Ramova Theater on 35th and Halsted, and the Patio Theater on Irving Park and Austin. "Someone, somewhere, has to come up with the necessary means to save and restore these places," they write. "It would be wonderful if they remained as movie theaters, but just saving the interior space would be great as well." Amen. more ›

This city is at no loss for South American steakhouses. From smaller, long-running establishments like Tango Sur to newer downtown concepts like Brazzaz, there's a choice for any taste. One of our favorites for ordering a sizzling plate of churrasco or some steaming and fluffy empanadas is the Six Corners location of Las Tablas. In fifteen years Jorge and Soraya Suarez have managed to take Las Tablas from a small storefront in North Center to two large dining rooms in the city. more ›

After a week of having holiday music stuck in our head, we need to laugh. Luckily, there are plenty of comedy shows this weekend... more ›

Two of Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player finalists will meet on the pitch tonight in a winner-plays-on playoff game. The Chicago Fire hold a single goal advantage in the two-game series that is based on aggregate scoring. The two league MVP candidates are sure to play important roles in the game. The Fire will look to the leadership of team MVP Cuauhtémoc Blanco to help them knock off DC United, who finished the 2007... more ›

As part of the old Brach's legacy was being blown up for Batman, intentionally causing a blaze, there have been several other fire related bits in the news as well. The police Bomb and Arson Section and Chicago Fire Department are conducting an ongoing investigation of a warehouse fire that started Thursday night in Bridgeport. Just before 10 p.m., a fire was reported at a building near Halsted and 36th Streets in the 3600 block... more ›

We complained about the heat yesterday, but we really started bitching when the rain fell. Sure, the rain was over before the Chicagoist offices closed for the day, but the fun was just starting. Chicagoist found three inches of water in our basement and that was after our reroute around multiple streets on the Northside that were either under of foot of water, such as Irving Park Road at the Brown Line, or had broken... more ›

Where Can I Get a Tattoo? more ›

So, is everyone getting excited to once again “taste the flavor of Northcenter” on June 9th and 10th? Area marketing firm Big Buzz Idea Group released their annual Ribfest lineup this morning, and it’s a typical street fest mix of solid local acts and some curious headlining choices. Let’s take a gander at Saturday’s alt-country-heavy plate for a quick and dirty example. You’ve got your full on honky-tonk (Fulton County Line), your country punkers (Dollar... more ›

Immigration protest image via Time Out Chicago. more ›

Three minutes after we walked into Beograd Meat Market, we figured out that it’s a place that attracts a lot of regulars. How did we decide so quickly? That’s exactly the amount of time it took for Dusan Pavlovic to come over and ask if we needed any help. It’s this kind of customer service — Beograd is family owned, and it shows — coupled with a genuine passion for the Eastern European products... more ›

Dharma Garden Thai Cuisine is a restaurant full of contradictions. And we mean that in a good way. One side of this Albany Park eatery is flanked by a long bar, although the restaurant is BYOB. Dharma prides itself on using healthful ingredients and cooking processes — the menu informed us “dharma ragsar” means “natural healing” in Thai — but 10 out of the 20 apps are deep fried. To be fair, a majority of... more ›

It's easy to get the impression that all the great places to see a movie in Chicago are either in the Loop or north of the river and a few blocks away from the lake. Multiplex? River East 21. Retrospectives or film series? The Siskel. Arthouse? The Century or the Music Box, of course. It can be frustrating if you live closer to the edge of things in Chicago, but it doesn't have to be.... more ›

We were inclined to dislike Smoque, the new BBQ joint that just opened up off of the Irving Park Blue Line stop on 3800 N. Pulaski. The borderline idiotic name, the intensity of their BBQ manifesto and (for us) the long distance necessary to travel to get there, made us ready to dismiss the recently opened BBQ joint. Additionally, we didn't feel like it was "authentic." While we aren't sure what authentic really means, Smoque doesn't have it — it almost feels like a pre-fab restaurant, with the menu on the chalkboard and the french fries in a paper bag acting like what someone thinks a BBQ place should be. We were ready to hate it. more ›

Chicagoist admits to being intrigued by the All Women's Roller Derby Leagues here in Chicago. We have written about both the Windy City Rollers and the Chi*Town Sirens. What Chicagoist really likes is when you pair the action of Roller Derby with a visit to your local pub. That is what the Chi*Town Sirens are doing this season. On Thursday night from 6:30 to 9:30 roller-derby fans can meet the women of the Killopatras and... more ›

The United States Soccer Federation selected two Chicago watering holes as finalists for the Best Soccer Bar in America as part of the 2006 Best of U.S. Soccer awards. The finalist will be decided by votes cast by soccer fans who visit USSoccer.com. Voting is open until Wednesday. Representing Chicago are Ginger's Ale House and The Globe Pub. Chicago is the only city to have two finalists for Best Soccer Bar. Chicagoist assumes that U.S.... more ›

Who needs the cold? We're basking in our radiators and skimming the events of the past weekend: more ›

and-character restaurant, the beloved Biasetti’s on Irving Park is now closed. more ›

Chicagoist’s love-hate relationship with the CTA continues unabated, but even we feel sorry for Frank and Co. as it’s mostly bad news this week. NBC – 5 reported that more than five dozen CTA passengers affected by the Blue Line derailment last July filed lawsuits against the agency. The CTA is not admitting liability despite the accident occurring on its train, which was traveling over its tracks in its tunnel. We’ll be curious to see... more ›

It’s a well-known fact that Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city outside of Warsaw. But Gridskipper reminds us that it’s also the city with the largest Bulgarian population outside of Bulgaria. The Encyclopedia of Chicago says that Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov’s book Do Chikago i nazad (or To Chicago and Back) was instrumental in the wave of Bulgarian immigration in the 1870s. Currently, the unofficial estimates of the Bulgarian community put the... more ›

College football season kicks off this weekend, and that means that across the city, fans will be flocking to countless bars to watch their favorite teams. Chicago is second to none when it comes to its school pride, as nearly every sports bar and neighborhood tap affiliates itself with some college team -- at least in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. If you're trying to find the hideout for a particular school, keep your eyes peeled... more ›

We just read the funniest thing, you gotta hear this. more ›

What do you get when one of the world’s most celebrated cellists and one of the world’s most entertaining city governments join forces? Answer: a year-long celebration driven by a truly remarkable cultural exchange. Named for a network of routes from Rome to Japan traversed by explorers for over a millennium, Silk Road Chicago is our hometown showcase of art, music, theater, dance, and delectable dishes from half a world away. As anxiety persists over... more ›

It is way too early to say the Chicago Fire are in a must win position this weekend but the combination of starting the season with a loss and a tie and seven straight games on the road ahead, a victory against division rival Columbus Crew is very important. Saturday's game against the Crew represents the Fire's best opportunity to earn three points during the first half of this long road trip. The Columbus Crew... more ›

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