There is ham, and then there is French Madrange Ham. There is cheese, and then there is Swiss Gruyère. There is bread, and then there is organic Bretzel Bread. Which brings us to Hannah's Bretzel. Hannah's has a lot of things going for it before you take the first bite. The local sandwich shop features a green retail space, a wall of exotic chocolates, and a friendly staff, but the Sergio Special is where it's at. more ›

Yesterday Willowbrook family practitioner Steve Sauerberg announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, hoping that he will be the lucky Illinois Republican to challenge Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin for his seat in Congress. “Sen. Dick Durbin has been on the government payroll for the last 37 years.... Quite simply, he is part of the problem in Washington, D.C.” Sauerberg told Crain's Chicago Business earlier this week. With no other name-brand Republicans willing to... more ›

In the marathon that this presidential political season is becoming, presidential hopeful and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards made a pair of brief campaign stops in Chicago Wednesday, just one day before Barack Obama made a campaign stop in North Carolina. At BB's bar and restaurant on Hubbard, part of his "Small Change for Big Change" series of fundraisers, Edwards told the crowd, who had paid between $15 and $100 a head to hear... more ›

A piece that ran in Sunday's Tribune got us to thinking about the ramifications of last week's election here in Chicago. Much has been made about the significance of the nine new aldermen that will take office in May, especially those that had the support of labor. Dorothy Tillman, Madeline Haithcock, and Shirley Coleman all went down, beaten by union backed candidates. Toni Foulkes in the 15th Ward, an actual union member, beat Felicia Simmons-Stoval... more ›

Chicagoist has a new fun game. It’s called “get people all riled up”. All we do is sit down over a beer, coffee or fifteen Jamison shots and say the two most electrified words in the English language, “The Secret”. It's way fun to watch proponents of “The Secret” battle it out with the militant disbelievers and just sit back and let ‘er rip. more ›

Step right up, folks: the Conrad Black media circus has officially commenced, and we've already learned a few things: more ›

Usually, we tend not to take the side of those in sports demanding more, more, more money. And in many ways, it's hard to feel too sorry for a guy who already has a contract that'll pay him more than 20 times Chicagoist's salary. But in the case of Lovie Smith, we just do not understand why he hasn't gotten a new deal yet and why the Bears ownership doesn't just agree to pay what... more ›

Only one more week to go, Bears fans. Someday, someone will tell us what good it does to make the Super Bowl two weeks after the championships. All it does now is give the papers an extra week to stretch the limits of journalism and fill their pages with anything tangentially relating to the Bears. One story did catch our eye, though: The plight of one Bryan Lange. Lange is a host on a cable... more ›

As much as Chicagoist loves to rail against the corruption and graft that plagues our fair city, occasionally our obsession with back-room deals and hereditary peerage takes a back seat to more mundane fascinations. With this in mind, today we bring you this interesting tidbit: Barack Obama is a smoker! We stumbled across Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer Michael Currie Schaffer's meditation on what makes a candidate more real, a person more than a media hack's... more ›

The city claims to be winning its war against rats, according to a Streets and Sanitation official. Spokesperson Matt Smith told the Sun-Times yesterday that citizen complaints about rats are down 14 percent from last year. Smith credits increased baiting efforts and the roll out of new garbage cans with tightly fitting lids. Chicagoist wrote about a rat and mice infestation at City Hall last year in which we also quoted Mr. Smith, and now... more ›

Despondent over not being able to afford your mortgage? Flummoxed at how your rent always seems to be going up? Outraged at how condos are changing the make-up of our neighborhoods? Then you're probably not going to want to hear about the latest trend in the housing market: ginormous mansions formulated for the stinkin' rich. Today's Tribune Magazine gives a rundown of some spectacular houses under construction in Lincoln Park. Sara Crown Star's new house... more ›

Last year, the Blackhawks won just 26 games, ahead of only two teams in the NHL. Although it is just the preseason, Blackhawk fans have to feel good about the upcoming season. The Chicago Blackhawks have played five of their eight preseason games and are off to a perfect 5-0 start. The Blackhawks have not had troubles sounding the horn, scoring 19 goals for an average of 3.8 goals per game. In four of the... more ›

We don't, but Motorola did before yesterday. more ›

When people are visiting from out-of-town, and they ask us for restaurant recommendations, we tend to steer them in the direction of Chicago's most fabulous food forum, LTHForum.com. Specifically, we tell them to get on over to the thread for the group's Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards because, whether you agree with the selections or not, there is a wealth of fantastic places from which to choose. more ›

Dear Diann Burns: more ›

As we returned to the Chicagoist offices this morning, after much imbibing of eggs and beans of jelly, we were reminded that it is indeed Monday, the world keeps on spinning, and for some, it is time to ask and receive. more ›

The Illinois Department of Transportation launched a new web site called Getting Around Illinois on Thursday. It provides a wealth of traffic and road information, including directions, construction zones, which roads have been cleared during snow storms, and road services like rest stops and gas stations. Eventually they will even provide email and text message alerts about accidents and road closures. IDOT touts the site as one-stop shopping for transit data that previously had been... more ›

Chicagoist has always said we should be on the payroll at City Hall to do PR for this fine city. We can go on and on about what a fine city this is, and will often do so with passion. World Championship sports teams, an incredible lakefront, a world-class skyline, and a public transportation system that has its faults, but really gets us where we need to go. We have a plethora of drooltastic restaurants, a wealth of art and culture, tons of live music, and the majesty that is the grid. We have a Midwestern friendliness and a down-to-earth way about us you won’t find in New York or Paris. more ›

Shawn Campbell, Program Director, WLUW more ›

James Duff, a Chicago "dealmaker" and man about City Hall, pled guilty Monday for 33 federal counts of defrauding the city. Mostly because his businesses claimed to be minority and woman-owned businesses, so he could get special dispensations. You'd think the city would want to cut ties with a guy like that, right? But yesterday the Sun Times found that he still had a sub-contract to truck salt for the city. more ›

Hey, today is the Day of National Concern about Young People and Gun Violence. Eee, we forgot to sound out our DoNCaYPaGV cards—boy is our face red! Oh, we're sassy, but we're against gun violence. Students across our fair nation took the pledge today, and according to a press release, Lisa Madigan, Arnie Duncan, and Miss Illinois Michelle LaGroue were on hand to celebrate with a rally. Boo, guns! Yay, Miss Illinois! more ›

Now that 10 years has passed since the height of their popularity, it's time to fess up. How many Beanie Babies did you have? One? One hundred? It seems like everyone in the country had at least one. At least! Which is why it's not surprising to see that H. Ty Warner was named Chicago's richest person on Forbes' annual ranking of the 400 richest Americans. more ›

The Chicago Public Radio site has streaming audio, so you can listen at work. We'll be listening in from New York, because, as Rachelle tells us, NYC doesn't have $6 all-you-can-eat fish fries on fridays during Lent, damnit. more ›

,, starring Paris and Nicky�s madre Kathy, and it looks promising. more ›