A Crawl to the Finish Line

By Suzy McMillen

After eight fabulous weeks in my new favorite city, my time here has come to an end.

Soon enough, my glamorous internship will end, my dear friends at dorm security will no longer let me in and I’ll be dragged back kicking and screaming to one more year of classes far away from big city life.

Even after a summer of rigorous Diva training by the fabulous Audarshia Townsend, I haven’t gotten to see much more of Chicago Avenue than my daily bus trip to the “office” or frantically trying to catch a cab to avoid hiking in heels.

And after an entire summer experiencing the best of Chicago’s nightlife with a bonified expert, what better way to celebrate my culture-shock summer than with a one-night, one-street, eight-bar pub-crawl. And after meeting enough people to crowd any bar in the city, I’m inviting everyone to be there.

You can count on us to be celebrating at every one. So come join (we start Thursday, August 7). I’ll even tell you where to find us!

Official Kick-Off:

NoMI Garden 5-6pm
Fabulous drinks with a fabulous outdoor Chicago skyline view. This high-rise patio is the perfect early evening meeting spot.

Devon Seafood Grill: 6-7pm
$5.95 martinis and $5 select appetizers in the lounge of this delicious seafood attraction.

Matchbox: 7-8pm
Right off Chicago Ave, this popular hot spot with great drinks is close enough for me!

Relax: 8-9pm
$4 Grolsch beer, $5 Stoli Cocktails and $6 burgers are the perfect medicine for my going-away blues.

Sonotheque: 9-10pm
Tonight is Braziliance Night with New Brazilian beats with resident DJ Joe Bryl.

High Dive: 10-10:30pm
$4 Absolut cocktails and if you buy two appetizers, you get one free. So bring friends!

Tuman’s: 10:30-11pm
Formerly “Tuman’s Alcohol Abuse Center,” they’ve got $2.50 PBR and $3 Guinness every day!

Cat’s Meow: 11pm-until
End the night by checking out this new place with $2 cheese quesadillas, $2 PBR and $3 Jameson shots.

Wine Down . . . Tough Love Wednesday

Today we've got all sorts of liquid libations for you:

Maven hosts its very first event tonight. Head to Fleming's for Wine Down Wednesdays, featuring a number of boutique vinos, plus Moet & Chandon Nectar Champagne. Comped apps too. 6:30-8pm. No cover for the kick-off event.

If cocktails are more your strength, Spy Bar is throwing a sneak-preview party to introduce its fall libations. Talented mixologist John Kinder has created some alluring elixirs for the occasion, including Happier Juice (Hennessy VSOP blended with fresh green apples and lightly scented with rose blossoms and vanilla). 10-11pm. No cover.

And the rotating night of mayhem called Tough Love Wednesdays pops off at Funky Buddha Lounge. Deejays Bear Who?, Trilogy, NewLife, Julio Bishop and DVS spin. 10pm-2am. No cover.

For the early-morn munchers

If you were wondering what happened to John Bubula (former chef/owner of Thyme, Sinibar Cafe, Timo), Hungrymag's got the deets right here, as writer Michael Nagrant interviews him as well as other local culinary kings on what breakfast will be like in the future.

Think "French toast with a shell of maple-syrup sugar skewered on cinnamon stick," lobster quesadillas or a tricked-out version of "steak and eggs."

Yesssssssssssssssss!

Top Chef's Stephanie Izard 'does' Playboy

(Photo: Chuck Hodes for Bravo)


Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard reveals to Playboy how a man can win a woman's heart through cooking.

What were you thinking?!

First Bite at P&P BBQ Soul Food

This mound of "smoky and chewy" rib tips at P&P BBQ Soul Food is not to be missed. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)


The Stew really liked the rib tips, peach cobbler and more at Humboldt Park newcomer P&P BBQ Soul Food.

Top it Off Tuesdays and more

Participants can win free gas for a year every week during "Top it Off Tuesdays" at 10pin Bowling Lounge. (Photo: 10pin Bowling Lounge)


You made it through the rough night, now it's time to get out again:

If the weather manages to hold up, the Celebrity Chef Ball Committee and Associate Board for Meals on Wheels Chicago host a kick-off party on the rooftop of Citizen Bar (Party takes place inside in case of rain). Guests will enjoy grilled creations from local chefs Rick DeLeon (Fulton's on the River), Mark Mendez (Carnivale) and Eric Smith (Citizen). Those delights will be paired with each chef's VeeV Acai specialty cocktail. It's also a chance to purchase tickets to the Celebrity Chef Ball, which occurs on Oct. 17, for a discounted $100. 6-9pm. $15 donation benefits Meals on Wheels Chicago.

Gas prices may have gone down a teensy bit, but you know that's still crazy as hell. In order to ease stress, 10pin Bowling Lounge throws Top it Off Tuesdays each week, offering participants the opportunity to win a $100 gas card or free gas for a year. In addition, guests get free shoe rental, a complimentary happy hour buffet (4-6pm), and $3.50 UV vodka cocktails and $3 Miller Lite bottles. No cover.

Cellar Notes continues at NoMI with Advanced Sommelier Fernando Beteta guiding guests through a tasting of different wines or spirits each week. This time he's focusing on Small Batch Wines of the Pacific Northwest for this open-house style event. 5:30-7:30pm. $30.

Effen Tuesdays' Industry Night happens every week at new West Town hot spot Cat's Meow. Deals include $3 mini burgers, $2 "we call it" beer specials and $5 Effen drinks. DJ Hiroki spins. No cover.

The lowdown on the Lollapalooza parties

DJ Jazzy Jeff (left) and MC Yameen The World performing at Lumen (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)


Even I—the self-proclaimed professional party girl—couldn’t keep up with all the pre- and post-soirees surrounding Lollapalooza, so I had to enlist the skills of my intern to help me scope the weekend scene.

Never had I witnessed so many night spots jump on the bandwagon for one single event. Last year it was only a select few venues “hosting” big-name Lolla artists such as Kayne West (by the way have you peeped his new Absolut vodka commercial?!) and Amy Winehouse. This year, however, it seemed like every few minutes I received an email of some bar announcing that they were the “official” after party for artists I’ve never heard of.

So let’s take a look at who was hot—and yes, who was not:

Thursday: Though we missed out on the GALApalooza festivities—which kicked off Lollapalooza and benefited the Parkways Foundation—most of its revelers made their way to GenArt’s party for the dynamic photog duo of Tyler "Tyliner" Curtis and Matt Reeves as darkroomdemons.com. They were celebrated at the W Lakeshore Hotel as the country's hottest party photographers. As guests gazed at their photos ranging from rock concerts to the various celebrity events they've been known to shoot, local spin master Matt Roan cranked out beats from hip-hop to hard rock.



Katy Perry, shown here performing her hit single "I Kissed a Girl" at Manor, also performed at Underground over the weekend. (Photo: Darkroomdemons.com)


After that was hands-down the best deejay event of the weekend: DJ Jazzy Jeff (of the “Fresh Prince” fame) hit up Warehouse District lounge Lumen for an authentic New York-style party. Accompanied by MC Yameen The World—who worked the mic all night—Jazzy Jeff worked grooves ranging from old-school R&B and hip-hop to new soul and funk.

Underground was of course a cluster$@&*# to get in, and after five minutes of waiting we got inside just in time to miss Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) finish her performance. We hear that the many fashionable females who came out for the show were singing along to her hit summer song, and they didn’t stop there as they danced around to the usual mashups expected at this River North bar.

Friday: The EastSport Cafe at the Hard Rock Hotel, hosted by EastSport and the Ben Jelen Foundation, introduced music and media tastemakers to the next big Indie acts. Particularly spellbounding was Krista, a Brooklyn native coming out soon on J Records. She’s a cross between Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott, with a voice deftly flowing from a soft, sexy lull to an "I Mean Business" rap swagger.



Darkroomdemons.com's Tyler "Tyliner" Curtis at his GenArt party at the W Lakeshore Hotel. (Photo: 312 Dining Diva)


The hyped-up affair at Crimson starring Samantha Ronson also brought out her, ahem, girlfriend b.k.a. Lindsay Lohan as well as her superstar deejay/producer brother Mark Ronson. Samantha wasn’t on her usual game as her mixes were sporadic and her technical skills not as crisp. I’ll give her a pass this time because the entire night she had a crowd of patrons just a few inches from her face as she tried to work. They attempted to snap shots of her and her starlet friend, but security blazed flashlights in folks’ faces all night. Really, who could work under those circumstances?!

Saturday: Another major event—billed as “Moby’s only Chicago performance this summer”—brought out some of his biggest fans to Vision. Most left disappointed, however, as there was no transition from the opening deejay to the main attraction, with no introduction and basically the same beats. This party was filled with mostly folks who were out at Lolla all day, so you’d think that Moby of all people would’ve stepped up his game a bit.

And finally the biggest disappointment of the weekend was the “official” Lollapalooza after-party featuring Perry Farrell, Deadmau5, Steve Smooth, Danny Masterson, Does It Offend You, Yeah and others. The private affair was promoted all over the Internet as being held at Golan Studios in West Town, and then at the last minute changed its location. After panicked attempts to move it to NV, Vision and Sound-Bar, the promoters decided to pull the plug, leaving perplexed partiers all over the city angry as hell.—Additional reporting by Suzy McMillen

Just chill out

It's icky outside, so why not relax at home and order in from these neighborhood favorites:

Berry Chill: If you live in the downtown area (River North, Streeterville, Gold Coast, Loop), you're lucky enough to get the fab froyo delivered to your home. They dry ice pack it so that it's as fresh and frozen as if you ordered it at the store.

Irazu: The cheap Costa Rican restaurant's been around since 1990, but only recently have they started delivery in the West Town area. Order one of the specialty dinners (comes heaving with rice, plantains, meat and beans), burritos, tacos or a number of vegetarian dishes. Cash only.

Penny's Noodle Shop: All four locations (Bucktown/Wicker Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Oak Park) of this Asian neighborhood gem deliver, thankfully, so you're free to load up on carb-i-licious dishes like the spicy basil with chicken, sesame beef noodle or Thai ravioli (with shrimp and pork dumplings).

Oggi Trattoria: Classic Italian cuisine, ranging from thin-crust pizzas to homestyle pastas and panini, is what you'll get at this quiet neighborhood eatery in West Town. The prices are unbelievably cheap, and one of the house specials, Spendi (Sicilian shish kabob made with thinly rolled beef stuffed with seasoned bread crumbs and tomatoes), should not be missed.

Red & White: The owners at this late-night wine shop in Wicker Park will help you pick the best possible vino, then deliver it to your home by bike.

Reza's: Get your kabobs Persian-style from this long-time Mediterranean restaurant in Andersonville. In addition to salmon, chicken and filet mignon, you'll also want to go for the yummy charbroiled quails paired with mounds of dill rice.

Tank Sushi: For sushi in Lincoln Square, this colorful spot cannot be beat. And unlike some popular sushi restaurants, they manage to deliver theirs just as fresh and crisp as though you were dining in.