In case you missed it, the Garfield Park Conservatory was completely trashed by last month's hailstorm - most of the glass panels were broken, shards destroyed hundreds of plants and the conservatory, one of the nation's most glorious, is partially closed for renovation. Oh, and did we mention that there's no money? Well, Paul Kahan's restaurants are pitching in to help. This Sunday, from 12-4 at Big Star, all of the Blackbird group of restaurants will be hosting a sidewalk sale, selling all of their used (and undamaged) dishware, furniture and kitchen supplies. more ›

A couple months back we wrote about Hum Spirit a rum-based liqueur infused with hibiscus, cardamom and ginger. Seger is ready to foist Hum Spirit on the rest of the world with a launch party at Pops for Champagne (601 N. State St., 312-266-7677) the Hum Spirit launch will feature cocktails crafted by Seger, Charles Joly of the Drawing Room and the Violet Hour's Stephen Cole. If that doesn't draw you over to Pops, maybe the $3 PBRs and $5 Jameson shots will. this is all part of Pops's "Shift Drinks" series featuring guest bartenders every Monday night in their downstairs bar. more ›

Food & Wine magazine released its "Cocktails 2009" guide this week. Listed in the guide's contents are the top 100 bars in America. Chicago charted five bars on that list, which will only reinforce the belief of some that Our Town's moment in the culinary zeitgeist is over. more ›

28 restaurants made the cut for LTHForum's 2008 Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards. Among the winner, Chicagoist favorites Top Notch Beefburger, Jimmy's Red Hots, the Maxwell Street Market and the Violet Hour. The full list is available at LTH forum. [LTHforum GNR] more ›

Toby Maloney calls it a “crazy year,” but it's been over a year since he opened up The Violet Hour, the now-famous bar with no sign, no cellphones, no smoking (pre-ban) and some of the finest drinks that Chicago has ever seen. With a focus on fresh-squeezed juices, homemade syrups and bitters, and an excellent array of fine spirits with an emphasis on gin, rum and rye – no vodka at the outset – VH was the kind of place you either loved instantly, or just didn’t get it. more ›

It doesn't bear repeating, but we're doing it, anyway. Here at Chicagoist we're big fans of the Art of the Cocktail. If you aren't getting your fix from the "Properly Sauced" series, you can taste for yourself impeccably crafted cocktails while watching silk screen exhibitions and enjoying artwork. Starting Thursday night and running through October 9, Campari and Swindle Magazine are teaming up to host "The Art of the Cocktail" exhibitions throughout the city. more ›

There's a new absinthe on the market called Lucid that's catching on at places like the Violet Hour, Lumen, and Delilah's, namely because Lucid is the first Grande wormwood-based absinthe available in the States since before Prohibition. Now, we've tried the "green fairy" and it was an experience we'll never forget, so we researched Lucid for details on how much thujone (the active ingredient from wormwood) it carries. Turns out, not much at all: under... more ›