Acadia, the new South Loop spot from Chef Ryan McCaskey, was an oasis in a sea of blizzard last Friday night when we stopped in for the first time. more ›

Today in restaurant news: Goosefoot, a new fine-dining spot, has been quietly open in Lincoln Square for a few weeks, Acadia opens in the south loop and Cyrano's bistro is revamping for 2012. more ›

Head on down to Hackneys on Saturday afternoon for a free sample of days gone by. more ›

If you aren't, here are some great places to start. And don't worry - it's not all quinoa, tofu and kale. more ›

Cheap Trick is planning to open a museum and concert venue in an old Buick dealership on Motor Row in the South Loop. more ›

This morning the new Trader Joe's opens. Chicago Fair Food is protesting its opening. more ›

The City doled out honors to more than a dozen projects for excellence in historic preservation. Among the mansions and noted civic buildings was an unlikely honoree: a former White Castle. more ›

The Scout may be exactly what the South Loop needs - a comfortable, upscale bar. While we're not huge fans of the scads of big-screen TVs, sports watchers will love it. And we are definitely partial to the beautifully-renovated space, the reclaimed wood bars, the wonderful natural light and the huge beer list. The Scout took over the space that formerly housed Opera, the Jerry Kleiner-designed temple to over-the-top red velvet and mosaic tiles. The new owner, Chris Bravos, has done such extensive re-building that even Opera fans will hardly notice that it's the same space. more ›

Tribute, the long-awaited (and long-suffering) South Loop restaurant in the Essex Inn finally opens today for business. After chef drama, a delayed opening and some minor licensing drama, they started serving breakfast today at 6 A.M. We visited last night for a first look, and we're cautiously optimistic. more ›

A 45-year-old man has been arrested and is being questioned in connection with a brutal sexual assault and beating of a 65-year-old man in the South Loop early Saturday. the victim was found naked and bloodied walking around Michigan and Polk shortly after midnight Saturday. An exam found that he was also sexually assaulted with a tree branch and his cell phone was stolen. The suspect is on parole for a robbery conviction and his address is listed as the 1400 block of South Canal, which is also where the Pacific Garden Mission is located more ›

For those looking for a real old world experience and truly authentic ingredients, there is no substitute for a neighborhood Italian grocer. You have seen them in old mafia films like The Godfather and they are storied in East Coast cities with large Italian-American populations like New York and Philadelphia. The mercato Italiano, with its imported meats, cheeses, pastas and pestos is almost thing of legend. Thanks to Panozzo's Italian Market in the South Loop, this legend is alive and well right here in Chicago. more ›

It’s almost where you need a pry bar to open a wallet during the dog days of the Great Recession. So coupon sites have been sprouting across the country trying to give consumers incentives to do what we now do best in this country. more ›

There used to be a cheap eats place called Howie's that served up some better-than-average hot dogs and sandwiches, along with adult beverages. Since Howie's was indistinguishable from most other hot dog joints, however, it was a hard row for them to hoe being located, as they were, in the middle of Jerry Kleiner's South Wabash restaurant row. David Yanda and Bill Bolton, partners in Zapatista across the street, have transformed the former Howie's space into Flo & Santos Pub and Pizza, a casual Polish/Italian-themed space that holds some serious promise. more ›

We've been in love with Little Branch Cafe since our first visit last year. Their excellent location, cozy atmosphere and tasty menu had us returning again and again, to the point where we'd tried most everything on the menu! When we heard that the cafe was expanding into the dinner hour, we knew we had to try it. more ›

A city commission recommended Chicago's Loop area receive $15.5 billion for building developments and transportation improvements by 2020, Chi-Town Daily News reports. Area residents protest, saying such a plan would negatively affect residents' "quality of life" by increasing the population and straining resources in the area, including parking. One resident who spoke against the plan at the Saturday afternoon meeting said that besides changing the character of the South Loop, the money designated for the plan would be better spent on lower-income areas in the city. more ›

Back in 1989 urban planners proposed a plan to develop the South Loop into an arts community that would provide fixed affordable housing for artists alongside studios, galleries, and performance spaces. At the time, a decline in manufacturing and warehousing business in the area north and west of the Chicago River had opened up an abundance of cheap loft space that seemed suited for working artists and galleries. more ›

The South Loop, especially the area south of Roosevelt, is not exactly filled with brunch spots. Most weekends, we make the trek up to Hot Chocolate or the Bongo Room - both excellent options, but they’re usually packed. In our desperate search for another option, we turned (sadly) to Google - and it led us to Little Branch Café. Hidden away in the Museum Park complex, not visible from the street, Little Branch Café is an absolute gem of a restaurant, designed with style and care. more ›

We love tapas and (since this author lives in the South Loop) we love to see good restaurants opening in the neighborhood. So, it’s possible that we were predisposed to like Mercat a la Planxa before we walked through the door. Chef Jose Garces' tapas outpost made Esquire's list of Best New Restaurants last year. On the other hand, Time Out Chicago's David Tamarkin decried Mercat's supposed "lack of soul," and there have been a fair share of mediocre reviews on Yelp, so we were interested to see how the place would stack up. more ›

The woman found murdered in her South Loop apartment yesterday has been identified as Nova Henry, 24, the mother of (former Chicago Bull) Eddy Curry's son. Henry's nine-month-old daughter Ava was also found murdered in the apartment. A three-year-old boy believed to be Curry's son was found in the building unharmed. Henry's mother discovered the bodies yesterday evening around 6 p.m. more ›

It's been that kind of day over at the Bright One. First they find out that their Sam Zell video contest was won by a Tribune intern. Now they just discovered that Cal's, that venerable hole in the wall on Van Buren and Wells, is a great place to see a badass rock show (apologies to Wesley Willis). more ›

Chicagoland sushi is always a touchy subject with food aficionados. Some argue that Midwestern cities will never have even halfway decent sushi, and that those of us who crave sushi should either give up and eat beef or spend our entire incomes on overnight shuttles to Los Angeles. While it is certainly true that Chicago abounds with mediocre sushi restaurants, there are a few that rise to the top. more ›

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One of the best new tea shops to open up in the past year is Hi Tea in the South Loop. With over 50 brands of loose leaf tea available for purchase, as well as selections like yerba matte, it's a great place to while away a lazy weekend. more ›

We love buffalo wings. And with the recent 2nd place finish for wing-demolishing competetive eater Patrick Bertoletti at Wing Bowl, Chicago's upcoming Wingfest, a TOC article from Mike Nagrant (also featuring Bertoletti) about local wingeries, the press orgy about Melnick's uberhot wings and the general gluttony of chicken parts that will be kicking off in a few hours (there's a game on, too? who knew!), we thought it might be a good time to pay tribute to the under appreciated wing. more ›

It’s that time of year when our kids begin to get stir crazy. With the parks snowed over, and the temps discouraging any neighborhood meandering, these indoor play areas are godsends. The idea is that you pay per visit (or pay less by becoming a member or buying visits in bulk), and spend a few hours with your kid, playing in their space. Each location has huge interactive areas, stocked with toys you can ride on or slide down, dress up clothes and props. Many of these places indicate they serve a 6 month - 6 year age range, but we’ve found that kids 12 months- 4 years are most entertained. These three locations also offer a cafeteria area for you to brown bag it. Check websites for hours and more info. more ›

The tuna melt is to a menu like a sweater vest is to a wardrobe. One of the most versatile fashion staples, a vest can be dressed up, or dressed down. The tuna melt comes in as many varieties as there are restaurants that serve it up. We’ve found some restaurants add spices for zing, while some keep it simple. Others serve it open-faced for more formal fork-and-knife consumption, while others piece it together for casual, two-fisted power chowing. more ›

With the Bears' season over before it started, what better way to celebrate the end of the regular football season than remembering the good years (roughly 1985 to 1988) over a glass of vino? more ›

During last week’s sleet storm we ducked into the South Loop Wine Cellar on the walk home from the Museum Campus. Half-frozen, soaked and more concerned with warming up than with finding a new shopping destination, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found inside. Warm, welcoming and filled with wine bins, exposed bricks and a beautiful Christmas tree, the store was the perfect place for us to stop. With all of the hype surrounding the opening of the South Loop location of Sam’s Wine and Spirits, some may have missed this much smaller, but much cozier, destination. more ›

More news today about the state's case against Reginald Potts, and the evidence is really piling up. Potts was charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend Nailah Franklin over the weekend and on Monday was denied bail. more ›