Get a first glimpse of the new menu. more ›

Diner En Blanc, the Parisian pop-up dinner event, is coming to Chicago. Diner En Blanc, which is French for "dinner in white," started in 1988 in Paris, when founder François Pasquier wanted to meet his friends for a party in a public space. He asked them to dress all in white, so they would be able to recognize each other. The party, which in Paris has grown to include over 10,000 participants who bring tables, full sets of china and other accoutrements, is now coming to Chicago for the first time on August 27th - and you can be a part of it. more ›

It was just over a month ago that we posed the question: Is this Chicago's moment in the Sun? It led to the conclusion that we don't need anyone to tell us how great our city is, despite its drawbacks, because we love it just the same. And now we have proof. Paris-based environmental-services firm Veolia Environnement SA reports that Chicagoans love their city more than residents in 13 other major international cities (including New York City, Paris, and Tokyo) love theirs. The company surveyed around 600 people in all 14 cities to gather their rankings. Chicago's "very satisfied" response rate was first at 49 percent, followed by Sydney (44 percent), New York (41 percent), Berlin (38 percent), and L.A. and Paris (35 percent) rounding out the top five. more ›

more ›

Eight Chicago Public School students were shot this weekend, three of whom died. So far, 17 CPS students have died from gun violence this school year; last year, 27 students died as a result of gunshots. That was a tragic high, and this year is on pace for the same number of young people dying--Mayor Daley? How's that gun control stuff going? Mr. Governor? We know you want to build a new building at NIU, and that's great and everything, but children in Chicago are being murdered. Frequently. Maybe there's something we could do about that, too. more ›

Several decades before the eye-popping wizardry of Koyaanisqatsi, the "City Symphony" genre, whose golden age lasted until perhaps the early 40's, was equal parts travelogue and razzle dazzle. The movies of this genre aimed to capture not only the atmosphere of the city in question but also showcase the latest in filmmaking technology. Canted camera angles, flash-cut editing and film that was sped up, slowed down, frozen, superimposed or otherwise manipulated were tools skillfully (and playfully) used to create a sense of wonderment about the modern world. more ›

Chicago's commercial rock community has always excelled in mixing and matching the various ingredients in its talent pool, and usually the results are greater than the sum of its parts (see Treaty of Paris as a prime example). Call it a mark of maturity or just settling into a groove, but there are some strong post-mall punk splinter groups making a statement in the city. more ›

Anytime an event is held every few years instead of annually, it takes on some added importance (we're thinking, for example, presidential elections, the Olympics and the World Cup). In the culinary world, this event is the Coupe De Monde De Boulangerie, a bread-baking contest that takes place every three years in Paris. This year, it's part of the Europain exhibition, held March 29–April 2. more ›

Treaty Of Paris is one of those bands that doesn't get a lot of critical acclaim, despite the fact that they've been plugging away at the local scene for a number of years, under a couple different guises. We suppose one reason for this is the band's chosen genre, which we would say falls somewhere on the FUSE-friendly emo-pop-punk radar. What we're trying to figure out is when exactly that sort of thing became a reason to ignore a band that obviously has built up a pretty loyal fan base through a combination of hard work -- the band is literally on tour through the end of this year -- and well constructed pop songs. more ›

Former Chicagoan Frank Hashimoto put together this diptych of Chicago and Paris, and since we came across it a few days ago, we can't stop thinking about it. So cool.... more ›

We've been thinking about reality television a lot these past few weeks. It occurred to us that we should keep tabs on our Chicago folks slaving away in front of reality cameras non-stop to bring us endless hours of mind-numbingly tasty television. With that, Reality Check was born. America's Next Top Model This week on ANTM the girls learned to walk. Ms. Jay showed up in a very Ellie Driver–meets–Alice In Wonderland outfit that was... more ›

The "vere" part is pronounced like "were." Now that you know how to pronounce "saveur," it is time to pick up a copy of the food and wine magazine by the same name. The October issue of Saveur is dedicated solely to Chicago; not too surprisingly, a piece of pizza is featured on the cover. And here we were pumped about getting a single article in Gourmet. Like Gourmet, Saveur doesn't put all of its... more ›

We've all been talking about the CTA, their budget crisis, and what exactly will (or will not) happen if they CTA doesn't get some help from their governmental parents in the Illinois legislature. While the CTA isn't ruled by the IL government, we think this is a little like the college kid who keeps drinking hard, wasting her money, and wondering why she keeps getting into situations that don't have great consequences — thereby necessitating... more ›

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and... more ›

Obama has done it. Durbin has done it. Now Daley’s gonna do it. The “it” in question? Lobbying for alleged murderer Hans Peterson’s extradition to the United States. The story’s old hat by this point: Peterson supposedly confessed to killing dermatologist Dr. David Cornbleet last October in his office on Michigan Avenue. Unfortunately his confession fell on French ears, as Peterson had fled to the isle of St. Martin, where he invoked his Gallic heritage... more ›

We noticed a short Fran Spielman piece today reminding us about Daley's globe-trotting and found something we didn't expect — bikes! When we first read about Paris's new bicycle initiative, Velib, we salivated. The city peppered the city with more than 20,000 heavy-duty rental bikes in an effort to become a city of bikes. The program almost seems too good to be true. The bikes can be rented from 750 stations throughout the city, free... more ›

Calling the sentence imposed on Lewis "Scooter" Libby "harsh" and "excessive," George W. Bush commuted the 30-month sentence on Monday. Not quite the full pardon that some conservatives wanted — he still has to pay a quarter million dollar fine and serve 2 years probation for lying under oath — it certainly left Bush open to criticism, from both sides of the congressional aisle. “He was indicted by a grand jury and convicted beyond the... more ›

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they... more ›

Just in case you aren't tired of seeing Paris Hilton's entitled face plastered all over every news outlet around the world, the Smashing Pumpkins are making sure you have yet another reason to stare at her mug. more ›

In one of his rare stops in the US, Spanish-born Parisian Latin folk singer cum punk rocker Manu Chao played to a sold-out crowd at the Aragon Ballroom last night. Wildly popular in both Europe and Latin America, Manu Chao has had less mainstream success in the US, although his fan base here is large and loyal. Heavily influenced by the UK punk scene during his formative years in the suburbs of Paris, Manu Chao's... more ›

Head 300 miles south to The Creation Museum and you may be dazzled by their Because The Bible Said So, That’s Why! explanation of life’s origins. That prospect is too much for The Field Museum. On Friday they open Darwin, a new traveling exhibition focused on the man and scientist considered the creationists’ biggest gadfly. Now a household name, Charles Darwin is remembered primarily for publishing Origin of Species and Descent of Man, the most... more ›

Following Lindsay Lohan's lead, a Cook County man (FINALLY) agreed to plead guilty to driving with a suspended license after his 25th offense. more ›

After serving 60 days of his 120-day sentence, the Bears' Tank Johnson was released from Cook County Jail early Sunday morning. His sentence was reduced for "good behavior" during his time incarcerated, which included a private cell and nearly 100 visits from family, friends and teammates. Maybe Tank could call up Paris Hilton and tell her jail ain't so bad! While serving his time for probation violations, Johnson pleaded guilty to the gun charges that... more ›

While we didn't sustain any permanent injuries Friday night or Saturday morning, we too were participants in Looptopia. When we first heard about it lo so many months ago, we thought it was finally a way for Chicago step onto the world stage, regardless of the Olympic nod. After all, if Paris, Rome, Montréal and São Paulo can do it, why not us? ... Well, we found that out the hard way. more ›

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get... more ›

Joshua Kuhl of Madison, Wis., and Simon Brown of Rockford, Ill., were charged with felony burglary on Tuesday for allegedly breaking into the Smashing Pumpkins’ rehearsal space and taking various items including publicity photos for the group’s next album. more ›

In this special Mother's Day edition of YFFB, we'll help you find a way to say "I love you" even if you have been the sort of child this year that your mother never wished she had. We kid, we kid. We know Chicagoist readers know how to treat their respective moms right. Say It With: ... an e-card. Whenever we come across anything with an e-card it reminds us of the early days of... more ›

There's so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it's almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don't have to! Londonist took a walk through Oliver Twist's London, thanks to a gorgeous map layer for Google Earth. They also caught up with modern-day fictional London, with the Fantastic Four and 28 Weeks Later. It was a week of insanity over at DCist. They started the week off with... more ›

This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. Austinist has a chat with the ever-fashionable Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, and managed to catch some local fashionistas making... more ›

Paris in the Springtime in Chicago? more ›