Yesterday, we gave you Chicagoist's best tips for surviving the impending white fluffy doom. Today, we are hearing more and more businesses getting in the act - either closing altogether or offering great deals to anyone brave enough (or dumb enough) to go out and get 2 feet of snow dumped on their heads. Whether or not a restaurant is on the list, be sure to call ahead - there will be a lot of unplanned closings. We expect this list to keep growing, so we'll update throughout today and tomorrow if anything changes. more ›

In an effort to improve traffic flow throughout downtown, the Mayor's Office of Special Events announced yesterday that Taste of Chicago will have 15 percent fewer food vendors this year. The emphasis on improving traffic flow means that only 55 food vendors will be presenting their wares at the annual event, starting June 26. Other proposed changes to the event are a continuation of the "healthy" options the city encouraged vendors to serve last year and a requirement for vendors to serve a minimum of two smaller and less expensive "taste-of" portions geared for folks who can't or don't want to handle the giant turkey legs so synonymous with Taste. Those turkey legs may be in danger of decreasing, as well. Manny's Deli, which has turkey legs on its menu, hasn't made a full commitment to this year's event. more ›

Here's something to consider for that person in your life who lives to dine out but is a pain in the ass to shop for. à la card Chicago is an update on the clichéd and tacky coupon book. It's a deck of cards offering $10 off the tab at 52 of the area's best restaurants. Looking through the deck we saw a slew of restaurants we love, such as Mundial Cocina Mestiza, Hot Doug's, Mana Food Bar, Le Lan, Naha, Lula Café, MK, Manny's, Mado, Kitsch'n. more ›