At least among our limited circle of friends, the Drawing Room is a restaurant masked by confusion. Despite their intense PR efforts over the past couple of years, some seemed unsure about what, exactly, the Drawing Room is. “Isn’t that just a nightclub?” “I have no idea where that place is, and I’ve walked past it a thousand times!” “Isn’t that, like, a hidden strip club?” Admittedly, the last one was a bit of a stretch. We had visited Le Colonial, their upstairs neighbor, at least 10 times without noticing the entrance and staircase leading down to the basement restaurant. We’re very glad that streak has finally been broken. The Drawing Room is a gem of a place; small and cozy, beautifully designed, offering interesting, well-priced food and amazing cocktails. more ›

You'd think that, writing for a large blog, we'd be able to keep up with RSS feeds and tips. So how the Chicago chapter of the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails went past our head is beyond us. Should've known that Sonja Kassebaum of North Shore Distillery was the mastermind behind this. Currently, LUPEC Chicago has nine members, including Master Mixologist Bridget Albert of Southern Wine and Spirits of Illinois. more ›

Just received notice from the folks behind that June 15 plate-to-plate competition between Stephanie Izard and Nick LaCasse at the Drawing Room at Le Passage. more ›

We like a cold bottle of Point now and then, but sadly admit to not being up to speed on the other brews coming out of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Then the other day, someone tossed us a bone and we caught up mighty quick. more ›

In a developing story that brings out our inner Nelson Muntz, the Illinois Liquor Commission has sent out violation notices to 13 clubs regarding their practice of bottle service, among them "Susanna's Night Out" staples Le Passage, Jet Vodka Lounge, Stone Lotus, Enclave, and Four. Everybody ready? Now. "Ha HA!!" For those of you who aren't familiar with the practice, bottle service is a VIP treatment in which customers buy a bottle of liquor, then... more ›

With sushi restaurants popping up almost as fast as Starbucks, finding a new favorite can be overwhelming. Chicagoist decided to follow in Gold Coast footsteps and took the chic route. Even narrowing it down by neighborhood, we had a selection of trendy downtown sushi spots. Smack in the middle of one of Chicago’s most glittery neighborhoods, RA was our chosen destination. Located at 1139 N. State, RA does not take reservations, so Chicagoist showed up... more ›

One of the last refuges from those "My Humps" ring tones and obnoxiously loud one-sided conversations could be going away as soon as next summer. The CTA has approved plans to allow the public to use the cellular phone infrastructure in subway tunnels, previously only available to CTA workers and emergency personnel. The initial lease on the system is with Joan Cusack Cellular, to the tune of $2.9 million for 10 years. But the CTA is already talking with other cell providers to access the network. more ›

Chicagoist's Bridgeport Correspondent earns his keep as a bartender. When we're on the clock we adopt the motto of "bizarro-world" Nick from "It's A Wonderful Life": "We serve hard drinks here for folks who wanna get drunk fast. And we ain't got room for 'characters' who give the joint 'atmosphere'." Actually, we've loosened up a bit over the years as we discovered the hard way that those same "characters" tend to tip very, very, very,... more ›