Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Chicago magazine

IN THE SPRING OF 2020, CONTRIBUTING WRITER JAKE Malooley heard from a friend about an elementary school teacher in his substance abuse recovery meeting. The teacher had spoken about how a student’s accusation against him of inappropriate touching had irreparably damaged his reputation, even after he was cleared in criminal court. The friend told the teacher he would ask if Malooley might be interested in telling his story. He was. “We have all read about people who have been canceled or publicly shamed,” Malooley says. “I wondered, What would it look like riding shotgun as that’s happening, when you are being dragged through this nightmare?” That teacher was Matthew Baron. Over the next two years, as the case was investigated by Chicago Public Schools and Baron remained suspended, he and…

THE NIGHT BEFORE HE WON THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR, STATE senator Darren Bailey held a “Fire Pritzker” rally at the Des Plaines Theatre. It was the last stop on his campaign’s 102-county tour of Illinois. A hundred and fifty or so blue-jeaned baby boomers in “Bailey-Trussell” and “Mama Bears for Bailey” T-shirts clustered in front of the art deco stage. Bailey’s followers weren’t just angry at his general election opponent, Governor J.B. Pritzker, whom they called a “tyrant” for shutting down businesses during the COVID outbreak; they were mad at the Illinois Republican Party for decades of compromising with Democrats on guns, taxes, and abortion. When Pritzker’s predecessor, Republican Bruce Rauner, signed a bill expanding public funding of abortions in 2017, that felt to them like the final stab…

I CAN’T REALLY SIT for long periods of time without starting to feel bad,” says astronomer Lucianne Walkowicz, who left the Adler Planetarium in June after eight years to become a professional circus artist. The life-changing choice evolved in the wake of an accident last year: Walkowicz was hit by a car while crossing a street. The incident prompted them to take a step back and find new ways to live fully — and to stay active. That’s critical for Walkowicz because they have an autoimmune disease, and one of the best balms is movement. Lots of movement. The fitness history of the 43-year-old Humboldt Park resident and self-described “exercise dilettante” includes surfing and rock climbing. While still keeping an eye on their telescope, Walkowicz now scans high places mostly…

FOR DECADES, OENOPHILES have had their pick of chic spots all over the North Side, like Pops for Champagne, Rootstock, and Webster’s Wine Bar. Not so much on the South Side. So it’s been a long time coming for a place like Bronzeville Winery, the stylish new wine-focused restaurant that opened in April along a blossoming stretch of Cottage Grove Avenue. Owned by Eric Williams — best known for his shop Silver Room and its Sound System Block Party events — and hospitality design guru Cecilia Cuff, Bronzeville Winery is on the ground level of a new mixed-use building. The restaurant embraces local artwork, chill house music by top DJs, seasonal American cuisine by opening chef Whitney McMorris (now overseen by chef Dondee Robinson), craft cocktails by mixologist Ian Julian,…

BAR MAR, THE HUGE RESTAURANT ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE NEW Bank of America Tower, is a snacker’s paradise. There you will find tiny cones topped not with ice cream but with smoked fish, and tacos that wrap hamachi, caviar, and cured Spanish ham in a sheet of crisp nori seaweed. Most fanciful of all are Neptune’s Pillows: Little puffs each just the size for a Barbie doll to rest her head on. With a spicy tuna filling and a sliver of fresh tuna over the top, they’re like Totino’s Pizza Rolls reimagined by a sushi chef — gooey, crunchy, and all kinds of fun. If you’re lucky, you might even snag a barstool during happy hour to enjoy your snacks along with a tangy margarita topped with salty…

1 FROM HERE ON What The city’s latest food hall, from 16” on Center (the group that runs Revival Food Hall, Moneygun, and other spots), debuts in the Old Post Office with a crack team of vendors. Why Find downtown locations of favorites like Tempesta Market, Flo’s Kitchen, and Hot Chi Chicken, along with new concepts like Phobox, a collaboration between Chicago Lunchbox and Phodega, and the bar Snorkelbox. Where 433 W. Van Buren St., South Loop 2 NISOS What An airy two-story Mediterranean restaurant lands in the West Loop. Why Athens-born chef Avgeria Stapaki serves fancy Greek plates like salt-crusted sea bream and moussaka with Gruyère foam, while drinks include a basil-forward Mediterranean mule. Where 802 W. Randolph St., West Loop 3 KHMAI CAMBODIAN FINE DINING What Mona Sang moves from…

1 KYOTEN 2507 W. Armitage Ave., Logan Square Omakase only? Yes Price $440 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday; $490 on Friday and Saturday (includes gratuity; $140 for pairings) Courses 19 Scene Rich epicures, rich gastrotourists, and rich regulars hover around an eight-seat bar in a too-large dining room. The multifunction Toto toilets in the bathrooms are a luxe touch. Highlight The sardines. Chef Otto Phan orders fresh ones whenever possible. He finely scores the flesh so it ripples on your tongue, revealing the deep store of just-fished flavor in its fat. Upshot Phan runs one of the most extraordinary sushi bars in America. He serves seasonal wild fish sourced mainly from dealers in Japan, though he makes room on the menu for domestic delicacies such as West Coast spot prawns.…

ABOUT THE BACKDROP When interior designer Vanessa Thanh Vu pitched her husband, Kevin Yu, on opening a “two-dimensional” café — that is, one that gives the illusion you are in a pen-and-ink sketch — he was skeptical. “I let her know it was an awful idea,” he recalls, adding that he told her, “There’s no way anyone would be interested in the idea of a black-and-white restaurant, and there’s no way we can keep it clean.” Yu, who grew up reading black-and-white comics in Taiwan, eventually came around to the idea, and in February, the couple opened 2D Restaurant in Lake View East. Featuring full-wall illustrations of Paris drawn by Vu and painted by local artist Mia Larson, it serves contrastingly colorful mochi doughnuts as well as crispy fried chicken.…

83 PIECES OF NIGIRI EATEN 67 Cellphone pictures taken 0 JAPANESE CHEFS ENCOUNTERED 20 Amount, in dollars, spent on shade-grown gyokuro tea at Mako 2 Number of chefs who attempted to make the omelet from Jiro Dreams of Sushi NUMBER OF CHEFS WHO SUCCEEDED AT IT 0 12 Approximate number of audible moans of pleasure heard 1 Number of diners who went full Meg Ryan, as in When Harry Met Sally, at Sushi Suite 202…

1 More than the usual rivalry could be at stake when the Bears visit the Packers Sept. 18. Thanks to Mr. I Still Own You, Chicago enters the season just one game ahead of Green Bay in all-time NFL wins: 783 to 782. 2 Aldermen are set to get a big raise this month. Their hikes are tied to inflation — 9 percent. That would put the top salaries above $140,000. With elections in five months, how many will reject the increase? 3 When the Democratic National Committee meets Sept. 8–10 in Maryland, Chicago reps will be there to pitch the city as the 2024 convention site. We have held 25, the most, but none since 1996. 4 Lifeguards go off duty after Labor Day, closing the beaches. Yet September…

TIKTOK HANDLE: @theonlydjdrip FOLLOWERS: 63,000 ■ Who Julian Leal, 22, a Columbia College student and DJ ■ How he got started Leal, who goes by the stage name DJ Drip, began posting videos of himself performing mixes in January 2021. ■ Top post His blend of Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó” and Dixson Waz’s “Toco Toco To” has nearly a million views. ■ Secret to his success “I feel like it’s the way that I mix the songs, but it also has something to do with the way I look,” Leal says. ■ Fame moment Leal’s posts led to a chance to open for G Herbo at the Chicago Theatre in September.…

MORE THAN 90 MINUTES AFTER Ravyn Lenae’s homecoming show in June at Metro, you could find the 23-year-old neo-soul singer-songwriter still swarmed by fans outside as she took time for a photo and conversation with each. “I did that every single show on tour. It’s a way to really humanize a moment between the artist and supporters,” says Lenae, who grew up in West Pullman and now lives in Los Angeles. “I had a moment onstage where I thought: I’ve opened for artists so many times here. For it to be my show, and for people to know the words, was a full-circle moment for me.” At this point in Lenae’s unconventional career, no moment is taken for granted. Already a seemingly fully formed talent in 2015 when she dropped…

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A COCKTAIL LIST WRITTEN IN IAMBIC PENtameter? If you’re a Shakespeare buff, get thee to Claudia, Trevor Teich’s one-Michelin-starred tasting menu spot in Bucktown, where the bar serves A Midsummer Night’s Dream–themed drinks and rabbit pâté en croûte. Claudia is not the first fine-dining restaurant to open an attached bar (Esme and Oriole each have one too), but Teich, who ran Claudia from a few spaces around the city before opening here last fall, says a bar was always in his plans: “I wanted a spot where people could experience other things I like to cook, which is mostly classic French cuisine with a little spin.” The bar-only fare includes pâté en croûte, with layers of pistachio-studded rabbit, bacon, and foie gras wrapped in…

OUT OF THE ASHES OF DISASTER CAN SOMETIMES come beauty. Such was the case for Hinsdale couple Jennifer and Neal Reenan. They purchased a stunning Colonial Revival in 2016 and were still doing roof repairs two years later when the portico of the 119-year-old house caught fire. It didn’t burn to the ground, but extensive water damage meant the only way to save the six-bedroom home, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, was to rebuild it from the inside out. The Reenans asked builder Dave Knecht of Hinsdale and architect Michael Abraham of Clarendon Hills to study archival photos at the Hinsdale Historical Society to restore the “American Beauty,” as it had been dubbed by neighbors (the original owner, Orland P. Bassett, was a horticultural hobbyist who…

IT TOOK ME LESS THAN a week to realize that Winnetka, where my family moved when I was in sixth grade, was a significant upgrade from small-town Ohio. We now lived a stone’s throw from a real, major city, a place with no shortage of culture. And for the first time in my life, I was surrounded by other Jews. No one wanted to fart on me while proclaiming, “Gas chamber!” For one hot minute I was not an outcast but an interesting curiosity: the new kid. Was he cool? Was he smart? Was he suave? Was he good at rollerblading? I was none of these, but I tried to live in this moment of pseudo-popularity for as long as it would last. Girls even approached me. Real-life girls! Now,…

AMAEBI (SWEET SHRIMP) Yuzugin Gimlet “The velvety body of this Japanese gin, which has a sweet potato shochu base, elevates the sweet notes of amaebi.” Fukucho Seaside Junmai Sparkling Sake “It’s essentially a pet-nat, and its creamy body is a match made in heaven.” UNI (SEA URCHIN) Chiyonosono “8000 Generations” Rice Shochu “You can have a pour of this with a shiso leaf to add a citrusy fresh flavor.” Rombauer Merlot “Uni makes good partners with lighter reds, and this one is fruit-forward with softer tannins.” TAKO (OCTOPUS) Forbidden Root Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen “Octopus loves fruity pairings, and the basil in this carries the fish’s nutty flavor to another level.” La Fuerza Primavera Vermouth Spritz “Octopus goes well with earthier spices, and the 40 botanicals from the Andes Mountains in…

■ Campo Santo means “holy field” in Spanish. Fittingly, at Lucy Angel’s flower shop you’ll find farmland-inspired arrangements worthy of praise. Angel, who also works as an event marketer for clients like Red Bull and Pitchfork, puts together wispy, artful bouquets in an homage to her Mexican American identity and cultural traditions. Expect vibrant birds of paradise and butterfly ranunculuses (pictured), which remind Angel of her trips to flower markets in Mexico. Blooms are available singularly or in curated arrangements at her boutique, which she opened late last year within Comercio Popular, a shopping center founded by entrepreneur Miguel Cervantes and cocurated by interior designer Dom Cordilla. There you’ll see fashion and housewares from Latin America, including handcrafted resin vases from Monterrey (pictured, $99) perfect for displaying your stunning new…

■ The podium is not a throne. You have to bring the musicians your musical idea and convince them that it is a good one. Not the only one, because nobody owns the truth, but you must have a clear idea of your interpretation, and they will be inclined to follow you. ■ Arturo Toscanini said, “The arms are the extension of the mind.” So it is important not to be a clown on the podium. Great conductors of the past, like Fritz Reiner, almost didn’t move. Today, because we are generally a more visual society, people are impressed by the dynamism of the conductor. Some young conductors have nothing to say to the orchestra during rehearsals, but at the concert they make a big show. People think that physical…

@sarahcigrang For Sarah Cigrang, the Chicago hot dog isn’t merely a meal — it’s an obsession. The Lincoln Park resident grew up going to the original Superdawg Drive-In at Milwaukee and Devon Avenues and remembers watching the 1999 PBS documentary A Hot Dog Program. “It’s something that we all really liked as a family,” she says. In 2020, Cigrang and her friend Jen Bradley made a list of popular local hot dog stands, then methodically visited and documented as many as they could, filling in their friends and family about their finds. “We’ll do a little summary and an overall rating,” says Cigrang, who photographed each stand. She took the contest-winning shot at Duk’s Red Hots in West Town, where she likes the old-school exterior. But it’s not among her…

IN 2016, CHR ISTINA Whitehouse, then a Northwestern University master’s student, was cycling in the Loop when a commercial truck turned right, veering into the bike lane and nearly running her over. The next year, after realizing how pervasive the problem of drivers not respecting dedicated lanes was, she launched the app Bike Lane Uprising. It allows cyclists to log the location and submit photos of vehicles parked in bike lanes, which is illegal in Chicago. The nationwide data is sortable, enabling users to spot trends. Whitehouse provides the information to city officals and companies employing drivers so they can identify problem areas and repeat offenders. Still, it’s been an uphill climb to improve bike safety in Chicago. In the first seven months of this year, there were five cyclist…

■ The Richard M. Daley Experience Watch the surrounding walls fill with press photos of our former mayor’s greatest hits: the Hired Truck scandal, the plowing of Meigs Field. And right before you leave, sign off on a parking meter deal. ■ Glitching on Lower Wacker Performance art at its best. Upon entry, switch on Google Maps to navigate Lower Wacker to find the city’s impound lot while sirens blare. “Turn right on Wacker,” “Turn right on Wacker,” “Turn right on Wacker …” ■ Mommy’s Sip and Dip Bring your stroller and swimsuit. City Winery turns its stage into a wading pool filled with its Riverwalk Rosé while members of Wilco watch your kids. ■ Snowmageddon Experience a real Chicago blizzard and shovel out your parking spot — only to…

FOR BACK OF THE YARDS COFFEE’S co-owner Jesse Iniguez, café de olla — Mexico’s sweet, cinnamon-and-citrus-peel-spiked solution for keeping guests caffeinated at large gatherings — calls up warm memories. “Every time I catch the smell of canela (Mexican cinnamon) permeating the room, it reminds me of my grandmother,” he says. But making the coffee in massive batches per tradition isn’t practical for an everyday fix, so Iniguez had an idea: stirring Mexican-cinnamon-infused simple syrup into an overnight cold brew made from citrus-scented beans (like the shop’s 47th Street Blend) for a cool café de olla that retains the spirit of his abuelita’s. JESSE INIGUEZ’S CAFÉ DE OLLA COLD BREW Makes 1 serving Active time 10 minutes Total time 13 hours Special equipment 16 oz. Mason jar with lid, paper coffee…

Have you ever done omakase?” asked my neighbor at the sushi bar, a young man with white teeth and a clip on his ear. I told him yes but that it was my first time at this Ravenswood restaurant. “Same,” he said. “But that’s who I am,” he added, loudly enough for the two young women sitting on the other side of me to hear. “I’ll spend $500 on a meal.” The four of us, out of five at the counter, started an awkward conversation that veered from dogs-versus-cats to the ashtray-like flavor of Malört. Mr. Teeth was kind of sweet behind the bravado, and he kept up an amusing commentary that verged on poetry. For example: “Nori smells like a really good day at the beach.” But lacking skill…

Otto Phan of Kyoten “I was a very, very vain young man,” Otto Phan says laughingly of his early days in Chicago, when he’d just opened Kyoten. In 2018, he gave an interview to the Tribune calling out the city for its then-subpar sushi scene and boasting that he would have the first omakase restaurant in Chicago to merit a Michelin star. It was haughty talk for a man whose mother didn’t want him to even become a chef. “I was very much supposed to be a doctor but loved food too much,” says Phan, 38, who grew up in Houston. He trained in some top sushiyas, including New York’s Masa, before returning to Texas to open a food truck in Austin. He served rolls and bowls and became famous…

MATTHEW BARON PLOPS HIS LONG, LEAN FRAME ONTO A COUCH AT NARWHAL STUDIOS IN WICKER Park and starts talking about death. “There’s this prayer I often think about, the St. Francis Prayer, that’s used a lot in AA,” says Baron, who has been sober since 2007. “There’s a line in it that goes, ‘It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.’ It’s June, and Baron is at the studio recording an album with his indie rock band, Young Man in a Hurry. He’s managed to sneak away for a few hours from the West Loop apartment he shares with his wife, Whitney, and their 2-month-old child, Jarvis. The band is a side gig. Baron, 40, is a Chicago Public Schools teacher and the frontman of Future Hits,…