Re-opening tomorrow is Club Lago (331 W. Superior, 312-951-2849). The 60-year-old River North Italian mainstay has been closed since March after your standard "chimney from another building crumbles and destroys the kitchen" accident. Not content to simply rebuild the kitchen, owners GianCarlo and Guido Nardini did a whole overhaul of the restaurant. more ›

We’ve been a big fan of Le Colonial for a long time, and after visiting the posh French/Vietnamese restaurant a couple of weeks ago we remembered why. That particular part of River North, replete with restaurants of all shapes and sizes, doesn’t usually impress us with the quality of its offerings – but a few excellent dining options can be found if you look hard. The Chicago outpost of Le Colonial is in the midst of the Oak Street shopping district, but don’t let that fool you – the food isn’t just for viewing. more ›

We received the press release about State and Rush Street mainstay Melvin B's getting ready to close down a few days ago and were going to write about it, but it looked like the Sun-Times beat us to it. The site on which Melvin B's and the Cedar Hotel - a single room occupancy hotel we're surprised is still in business - now stand is being earmarked for a new 200-room boutique hotel. While some... more ›

If you take a walk down Erie just a few blocks west of the hustle-and-bustle (and slow-walking) of Michigan Avenue, you'll find yourself surrounded by grand, newly-rehabbed architecture of yesteryear — namely, the Cable House, Nickerson House, and the John B. Murphy Auditorium. What began as admiration by a young man named Richard Driehaus turned into a full-fledged labor of love. Driehaus noticed the old mansions years ago, when he would park on Erie to... more ›

We find Donald Trump to be a tragic figure, what with the ceaseless self-promotion, the infantile manner in which he responds to criticism, his unsolicited advice to politicians, the way he adopts the facial gestures of his succubi consorts, all those skyscrapers rising to the heavens like modern-day Towers of Babel, and the general bad behavior that stems from his misogyny. What next for a man who lives by the motto that if you paint... more ›

The gallery closes, now what? Drinks are in order, but where? The Hideout gets offered up, we jump in a cab and head over there. The front bar is packed, but we snag a table in the back near the stage. People with trombones, trumpets, guitars and violins start filing in and putting their instruments on the stage. This keeps going on and on and on. The instruments are piling up everywhere. Percussion all... more ›

The last page of this month’s Chicago magazine contains a list of lesser-known disasters in the city. Fires might get all the ink in history books but the Rush Street bridge collapse, the Winged Foot Express dirigible disaster, and the crapping of the Little Lady boat tour are the stories that will be told on porches for years to come. But it seems that Dave isn’t the only Matthews to soil Chicago’s good name. Longtime Chicago radio personality Kevin Matthews appears to be taking the blame/credit for a joke that’s gotten totally out of hand. more ›

City Council Budget Committee Chair Ald. William Beavers (7th) told the Chicago Tribune yesterday that a proposed penny-a-six-pack beer tax increase has been taken out of the proposed 2005 Chicago City Budget. According to the Tribune: more ›

except that it’s a “real” reality show with tons of product placements and workplace back-stabbing bitchiness. Ah, sweet delicious drama queens, how we love thee. Tonight, there’s a new episode on Bravo at 8 p.m. more ›