Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Chicago magazine

A MY CAVANAUGH CAN TELL FROM THE first taste whether a cocktail is well crafted. “One sip should give you everything you need to know, because the drink should be cohesive, all the elements should work together,” says Chicago’s dining editor. “Some cocktails, they’re too strong and need to sit and dilute for a bit, or the ice cubes are too small and melt too fast and the drink becomes watery.” That’s not the case with the 20 that Cavanaugh selected as the city’s best in this month’s cover story (page 54): “All of the drinks are good from the first sip to the last. The amount of thought put into them is very clear.” Not surprisingly, the cocktails that made her rankings reflect Cavanaugh’s palate: “I tend to gravitate towards…

Q: Did the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre spur calls for gun control? On February 14, 1929, seven gangsters were machine-gunned to death in a Lincoln Park garage, an act that so shocked the nation (“Machine Guns Used to Mow Down Victims,” read a headline in the Scranton Republican), it earned a nickname — and a place in the country’s criminal lore. Weary of the bootlegging wars that were a byproduct of Prohibition, the public demanded curbs on the murder weapon: the Thompson submachine gun, a.k.a. the Tommy gun. It took over five years, but on June 26, 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Firearms Act, the first federal gun control law, as part of his “New Deal for Crime.” The law, a response to the outcry over not just…

ERIC KLINENBERG, who grew up in Chicago, wrote the definitive account of one of this city’s biggest tragedies. His 2002 book Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago analyzed the events that led to 739 deaths during five days of scorching temperatures in July 1995. Since then, Klinenberg has continued to study and write about the ways crises reveal the hidden fault lines in society. A sociology professor at New York University since 2002, he saw New York City become the deadliest place in America during the COVID pandemic. That city’s experience is the subject of his new book, 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed. Q: 2020 is both a social autopsy of the institutions that broke down during the pandemic and the story of…

GET INTO THE GROOVE Fans of the Queen of Pop will be ready to express themselves as Madonna makes good on her postponed Celebration Tour. Feb. 1–2. ticketmaster.com SCREEN GEMS Presented as part of the MCA’s ongoing Faith Ringgold exhibition, the Sojourner Truth Film Festival is an all-day screening of films by and about Black women. Feb. 3. mcachicago.org CULTURE CLASH Writers Theatre in Glencoe stages the first local production of The Band’s Visit, the Tony Award–winning musical about Egyptian musicians stranded in a small Israeli town. Feb. 8–Mar. 17. writerstheatre.org MAKE THINE VALENTINE Learn about calligraphy and other paper arts and come away with a unique love note at the Newberry Library’s DIY Valentines: A Maker Event. Feb. 10. newberry.org ART HISTORY Ballet 5:8’s 2019 work Butterfly, based on…

1 AKAHOSHI RAMEN What The hottest table in town is at this years-in-the-making ramen joint from Mike Satinover, better known as Ramen Lord on the internet. Why Taste the fruits of this selftaught chef’s labor—his signature Akahoshi Miso is made with a miso blend, Sapporo-style noodles, and lard. Tip: Don’t worry if you can’t snag a res. Seats are held open for walk-in diners. Where 2340 N. California Ave., Logan Square 2 GOLDEN YEARS What A ’70s-inspired cocktail bar from the Moonflower team Why Relax to a soundtrack of David Bowie and sip the refreshing Florida, with sloe gin and grapefruit. Where 1938 W. Chicago Ave., East Ukrainian Village 3 BONYEON What Where’s the beef? At this 12-seat all-beef omakase from Sangtae Park (Omakase Yume, TenGoku Aburiya). Why Get to know the Korean dining trend…

Atomico REAL NAME: FERNANDO GUZMAN ELMWOOD PARK “When I started at 36, my trainer told me, ‘You’re crazy. At your age, it’s suicide.’ Now, at 53, I’m nearing retiring. My knee is shot. But my dream of becoming a luchador came true. There have been times in my life I’ve been depressed, and the best medicine has been my work as a luchador. The moment you put on your shoes, you step in the ring, you get that first body slam — you forget everything else. You forget about the $300 car payment or that tomorrow you have to wake up at 5 a.m. to go to another job.” For Chicagoans with roots in Mexico, lucha libre, a form of professional wrestling that originated south of the border, transcends mere…

DENNIS WATKINS FIRST mystified the city when he cofounded the House Theatre of Chicago in 2001 and won raves for the show Death and Harry Houdini (he played the title role). Over multiple remounts, Watkins escaped-performed a version of Houdini’s water torture cell upward of 400 times. Meanwhile, the Oak Park resident grew his one-man The Magic Parlour show from a late-night storefront affair to a swank prime time experience in the Loop, now presented by Goodman Theatre and Petterino’s in an open run. When it comes to browsing shops, his artist’s sensibilities and magician’s needs are never far from mind. MAGIC INC. 1838 W. Lawrence Ave., Ravenswood “It’s the oldest family-run magic shop in the U.S. I’ve made countless trips for props, books, and community.” WISH LIST ● Royal Magic…

LAST APRIL, WRITER MAX BLAISDELL got an intriguing email from a lawyer source, informing him that a University of Chicago archaeology professor had been detained by the Iranian government—and no one had written about it yet. Blaisdell, a Hyde Park Herald staffer and freelance journalist, was interested. But before the professor, Abbas Alizadeh, would talk, the university had to finish negotiating the return of thousands of ancient tablets to Iran, a delicate bit of diplomacy that had factored into Alizadeh’s release. Blaisdell’s academic background (he has a master’s degree in international relations from the U. of C.) helped him navigate the geopolitical complexities of the story (page 68). But he was just as drawn to Alizadeh as a person: “Even before his detention, he had a remarkable life.” LORDS OF THE…

1 Google begins gutting the Thompson Center this month. Helmut Jahn’s spaceship shape will remain, as will the atrium, but the exterior will be replaced with triplepaned glass, leaving it looking like a giant greenhouse. 2 The Blackhawks retire Chris Chelios’s No. 7 jersey Feb. 25. The Mount Carmel alum played nine of his record-tying 26 NHL seasons here. 3 Robert Crimo III, charged with killing seven people at the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade, will act as his own lawyer, speeding up the start of his trial to Feb. 26. As the saying goes: He who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. 4 After 45 years on WGN, Tom Skilling delivers his final forecast Feb. 28. Remember: Tom Skilling didn’t become famous because of…

MULTIHYPHENATE Mike Reed knows the value of keeping busy for creative fulfillment and mood therapy. The drummer-bandleader-entrepreneur owns two celebrated local music venues, Constellation and the Hungry Brain. He also cofounded and produces the Pitchfork Music Festival. An acclaimed jazz musician, he travels a lot, although he doesn’t love to fly. “I’m still kind of edgy,” he admits. “This is counter to a traditional wellness program, but Xanax and Maker’s Mark on the rocks help for getting on the plane.” The 49-year-old Avondale resident has plenty of strategies for healthy living, though, including making music: The Separatist Party, his newest release, is the first of a three-album cycle. FIRST THINGS FIRST “When I wake up, I drink coffee and try not to look at email. I do my workout before…

YOU CAN’T THROW AN OYSTER shell without hitting Motorshucker these days. The trio behind the popular pop-up holds a weekly Sunday afternoon residency at Logan Square’s Easy Does It, where they serve oysters and seafood towers. They’ve taken over Queen Mary Tavern’s Sunday and Monday happy hours, so you can get shrimp cocktail with sambal cocktail sauce and mussels escabèche alongside East Coast oysters. You might also spot them partnering on events, like a shrimp boil at the Long Room, a seafood and rum pairing at the Bamboo Room, and a prix fixe dinner at Lula Cafe. Or you might spy their motorcycles zipping around town delivering oysters. The mobile nature of the business is what gives Motorshucker its name. Founder and chef Mico Hillyard spent the pandemic engaging in two…

IN THE FALL OF 2021, MY SON AND I WENT TO SEE THE BULLS PLAY the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center. It was an attempt to find some normalcy after a year and a half of uncertainty and hiding in our house. We wore masks and showed our vaccination cards and then climbed to the 300 level, where we settled into our seats. When the Bulls were introduced, stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine got the requisite cheers. But when the name of the Bulls’ recently acquired starting center, Nikola Vučević, was called, the crowd erupted into a low moan that sounded like booing. My son, then 11, looked at me: Why were fans jeering one of their own players? I looked back at him and shrugged. Despite all…

■ The brand embraced by outdoor enthusiasts and the hip-hop elite alike has put a stake in new ground with its first Timberland Pro shop, which opened in November in the Brickyard shopping center. With an atmosphere (think metal scaffolding and OSB sheathing) to match its heavy-duty goods, the store caters to those in the building trades. But any avid DIYers can get their work gloved hands on items like steel-toed boots, fleece-lined canvas jackets, and insulated bib overalls. Consider it a blueprint for big-project happiness. 2620 N. Narragansett Ave., Belmont Cragin…

■ We lived in a nice neighborhood growing up in Omaha, but, like, our property was torn up. The roof was leaking. Our dishwasher didn’t work. The door to the oven wouldn’t close; we had to prop a chair up against it. But my parents founded their own business and worked super hard. Having that model was important to me. ■ I don’t know if money can buy happiness, but you can at least feel good about the impact you have in the world by how you employ your financial resources. Helping fund research on transgender women, being able to support queer women running for political office — that’s been incredibly rewarding. ■ My dad made it clear to us, from a very young age: “You’re going to have to…

I’VE NEVER KNOWN A POLITICIAN WHO DIDN’T THINK HE OR SHE BELONGED IN A higher office. Alderpersons look in the mirror and see a mayor. Comptrollers and treasurers see a governor. A host of other politicians have their eyes on the U.S. Senate seat of Dick Durbin. The senator will be 82 when his fifth term expires in 2027. He will have tied Shelby Moore Cullom’s record of 30 years as Illinois’s longest-serving senator. Durbin’s seatmate, Tammy Duckworth, is just 55, so his retirement would create a once-in-a-generation opportunity for an ambitious politician to move up. Durbin has not yet announced whether he will run again — he has said only that it depends on his “physical and mental abilities” — but there’s already a shadow primary to replace him.…

THE TITLE CHARACTER OF Shakespeare’s Richard III is one of the most prominent disabled figures in English literature, presented by the Bard with a hunched back and an arm “like a blasted sapling withered up.” Of course, the Plantagenet king is also a right bastard, “determined to prove a villain,” as he says in his opening soliloquy. Richard is embittered by his outward appearance but also more than willing to use it in his manipulations as he clears his murderous path to the throne. So how does an actor start to find a connection to such a determined villain? “I am someone who understands ambition,” says Katy Sullivan, who plays Richard in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s new production, running February 2 to March 3. “The first thing you have to do…

IF BACON IS THE GATEWAY MEAT FOR VEGetarians, this mushroom and eggplant ragu from the Oakville Grill & Cellar’s Max Robbins just might be its opposite: sufficiently hearty and savory to make you question what you need meat for, anyway. Like the best vegetarian cooking, it was devised not to approximate meat, but rather to celebrate produce. “We didn’t set out to make a meatless dish,” says Robbins. “We just started by cooking our favorite vegetables low and slow to draw out all their deep umami flavor and ended up with a near-classic Bolognese. If we didn’t say anything, you might never know.” MAX ROBBINS’S MUSHROOM AND EGGPLANT RAGU Serves 4 Active time 1 hour 10 minutes Total time 1 hour 35 minutes 1 large eggplant, peeled and diced4 cups…