Rittergut Wine Bar and Social Club may have a mouthful of a name, but it's a great place to stop in for a quiet lunch. more ›

Last night, a few lucky members of the Patron Secret Dining Society gathered in an unmarked warehouse on the North Side for a pretty amazing event. The underground supper club took over the venue and filled it with lights, candles and food by Rick Bayless and some great cocktails created by mixologist Michael Simon. more ›

"'Cause it's Friday, you ain't got no job ... and you ain't got shit to do." Well, you can go check out the New Orleans Social Club at Millennium Park. If you aren't, here's some stuff in the news. Buckingham Fountain is slated to undergo a complete overhaul in autumn 2008. Near West Side businesses get $1.5 million in TIF money intended for keeping manufacturing jobs in the area. Does Manny Flores have the... more ›

By now the holiday hangovers should have subsided, and you're figuring out how to once again ruin your liver and make some bad decisions. If that's the case, we have one suggestion: go to Debonair Social Club tonight. The main attraction is Wisconson-based white-boy rapper Juiceboxxx, a dude who sounds like a Casio keyboard version of Spank Rock, with more of a "everybody jump and sweat" message. One can only hope he plays ALL FOUR... more ›

While the deluge of bands making their way through town after SXSW remains strong, we decided this week we would focus on some hometown heroes. All Smiles is Jim Fairchild, stepping into the spotlight after play guitar in the now defunct Grandaddy. Fairchild crafts just the sort of lush pop you would expect, given his pedigree, but it's missing his previous group's willful quirks. Fairchild adopts a more direct approach with earnestly pleasing results. We're... more ›

We’re busy hitting “refresh” over and over again on Reuters in hopes that they will finally announce that rumoured Police reunion tour, but until that confirmation comes through, here’s some shows to keep us busy this week. Tomorrow night, Local H's Scott Lucas is getting together with a bunch of his musician pals at Debonair Social Club to bang out a set of covers in a low-key environment. This should prove to be a fun-filled... more ›

Are you flush with cash and looking to give it to a good cause? If for some reason you haven’t yet donated money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, allow us to make it easier for you as you make your weekend plans whether you're eating, going to a show or just knocking around town. We have yet to hear anything about the free Twista benefit show at House of Blues on September 19th featuring Da... more ›