Scout Network Blog» Chicago

Mad Scientist Chef Turns to Mixology

Jeff — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:00:02 +0000

What do you do when you’ve become one of the most recognizable chefs in the world, beaten Stage IV cancer of the mouth, have had your restaurant earn three stars from the Michelin Guide (its highest honor), and otherwise have seemingly conquered the culinary world?

If you’re Grant Achatz, you sit back and have a drink. But not just any drink. And you don’t sit back and relax. You go back into your lab and come up with some of the craziest, but tastiest, libations you can dream up, and then you open a bar.

Achatz, whose restaurant Alinea is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world, is about to open one of Chicago’s most interesting bars it will likely ever see: The Aviary. It’s not just a bar, though. There actually won’t even be a bar, but table seating only. It will feature drinks like gin and tonics with cucumber bubbles reminiscent of Asian bubble tea and an “old fashioned” offering a technique that’s anything but.

While you can still find your neighborhood beer-and-a-shot watering holes, it’s apparent that the craft of making alcohol is making its way into everything around Chicago, from craft beer going from microbreweries to showing up in sports bars to the mad science behind the soon-to-open Aviary.

California has wine country. Kentucky has bourbon distilleries. St. Louis has the Budweiser brewery. Could Chicago become the hub where artisan alcohol is showcased?

Aviary's take on an old fashioned.

The Chicago Code: Still Not Cracked

Jeff — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:00:58 +0000

Ever since production started last year, FOX’s new cop show, The Chicago Code has been hyped throughout this fine city. In Batman Begins and especially The Dark Knight, Chicago itself became a character in the movies. Though it was transformed into Gotham City, the Chicago landmarks stood out to those of us who live here. It set the bar pretty high for anyone who tried to follow suit. And when your idea of a good cop show that showcases a city is The Wire, it’s pretty much impossible to live up to expectations.

I’m still on the fence whether I will keep watching or not, but I’m impressed with how the city was used through the first two episodes. It’s shot in a run-and-gun style out in the actual streets of Chicago. I hate to say it, but the city itself is likely the most-developed character. I’m biased and being overly picky, but everything I have read seems to be in agreement with my thoughts that the Chicago accents are the worst part of the show. There are a couple of different accents depending on whether you’re from the North or South side, but everyone sounds like they’re from Boston. And when you add in their focus of the Irish mob, it makes me wonder where they did their research, because it’s rather obvious they’ve never heard of the Chicago Outfit.

Australian Jason Clarke plays detective Jarek Wysocki, with a backstory of being the son of Polish immigrants (how could they resist with Chicago having the largest Polish population outside Warsaw) and a die-hard Sox fan. His baseball alliance comes out in the first episode of the series when he gets a new partner, and it was one of those things I was hoping they would wait on. I think he’s going to be an interesting character, but I just can’t give it the go-ahead yet that it will be in my DVR for much longer.

I love seeing the streets of Chicago, but I long for those of Baltimore when it was David Simon painting the pictures.

Tourist Hotspots Even the Locals Like

Jeff — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:00:44 +0000

Chicago’s Daley Plaza is one of its more famous landmarks that don’t really get the dreaded “touristy” label by Chicagoans, like the Sears Willis Tower, Millenium Park, Wrigley Field and other places do. Even if you have never been to Chicago, you have probably spotted Daley Plaza in either the parade scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or the epically choreographed final chase of the Blues Brothers. As much as it draws the out-of-towners, it also brings the locals: it’s the launching point for the monthly Critical Mass bicycle ride frequented by hipsters and eco freaks. And in December it plays host to the Christkindlmarket.

Daley Plaza is a great place to eat sausages and other German food. Other than the St. Patrick’s Day and Gay Pride parades, Christkindlmarket marks one of the few times a year you can drink in public without being harassed by the police. There are a lot of great street festivals in Chicago to attend throughout the year, but most of them are nowhere near downtown. It seems like tourists and gangbangers are the only ones who get excited about the annual Taste of Chicago, but for an outdoor downtown festival — especially in the winter in Chicago — Christkindlmarket is one the locals tend to get excited about.

And when you’re frozen solid and need a shot, a beer and a cheezborger to warm you up, you can head across the river and a few blocks north to the original Billy Goat Tavern, made famous as the home of the curse of the Cubs and was the basis for this Saturday Night Live skit. It’s a tourist destination now and more locations have since opened up, but in the old days you could find legendary columnist Mike Royko and other writers holding court after putting the paper to bed. Still frequented by journalism students or, in my case, journalism grads who get back together with the old college newspaper gang to relive the old days.

The Goat is a great place for an out-of-towner to hear some great stories about Chicago without looking like a clueless tourist on one of those double-decker buses while doing it.

The Genius of Kanye West

Jeff — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:00:45 +0000

As of this writing Kanye West’s new album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” has yet to be officially released. But a clean version of the album leaked on Nov. 9 to mega buzz and critical raves. Knowing the Chicago native’s genius approach to self-promotion, I don’t think this is an unauthorized leak in the slightest.In fact, it’s not really a leak at all, but a second taste of the new album. The first came in the form of Kanye’s epic 35-minute music video “Runaway,” which featured tracks from the album. And they were the finished album version. So really, with the clean leak of the album as MP3s, it’s a step back from what we’ve already heard with “Runaway,” which served more as a world premier of the album on Oct. 23 when it was broadcast simultaneously on MTV and MTV2, MTV.com, BET.com and VH1.com.

The album leak also coincided with a news day heavily influenced by Kanye West: former president George W. Bush was giving interviews on his book tour when he mentioned that being called a racist by Kanye West — though he said Conway — was his “worst moment” of his presidency. Then Kanye responded on the “Today” show and it has been a Kanye and George Bush news cycle all week.

Given that Kanye has turned to Twitter to get his thoughts out to the world rather than the traditional outlet of publicists and interviews — as well as drop remixes and tracks he’s been working on with a series called GOODFridays — I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that he authorized leak of the clean version himself. He certainly hasn’t been shy about posting the 5-star and perfect reviews the album has been getting.

It remains to be seen how this affects sales of the album when it officially drops Nov. 23, but it’s clear that Kanye is a genius when it comes to self promotion and letting the world know what he has been up to.

[Kanye West by Troy Holden]

A Villainous hero, and a new ‘Sausage King’?

Jeff — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:00:11 +0000

Chicago has had its fair share of villains over the years: Al Capone, Richard J. Daley, any Bears quarterback between Jim McMahon and Jay Cutler, but few villains are as loved as Villains Bar and Grill in the South Loop. The place is appropriately themed after many of Chicago’s famous prohibition-era gangsters of the 1920s like Capone, and it has the dark, divey feel of a classic speakeasy. But its impressive selection of craft beers — more than 10 on tap and 50+ bottles — and tasty all-natural burgers are far from dive bar fare. Villains sources its beef semi-locally from a farm just north of Chicago, which is free of antibiotics and steroids.

And though I write often about the seemingly endless supply of places to get a tasty craft beer and burger — something I am certainly not complaining about having an abundance of — a new type of craft beer and [insert trendy food here] place recently opened this month in Chicago, Bangers and Lace, which specializes in pairing beers with various sausages. Another winning combo of beer and meat! I have yet to go but read from a friend who is a bartender at Bar Deville — the owners of which are behind Bangers — from his Facebook status that the place is incredible. I can’t wait to try it.

Move over Abe Froman, there might be a new Sausage King in Chicago.

Bangers and Lace image via bangersandlacechicago.com

On Artsy, Abstract Marketing for Big-Budget Films

Jeff — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:00:31 +0000

It’s wrong to pass judgment on a film simply from the trailer or who is starring in the film. My first thoughts when watching the trailer for Battle: Los Angeles, which will be released next March, was that it was beautifully paced and chock full of suspense while showing its big-budget muscles with a lot of special effects. Then I saw one of its stars.Aaron Eckhart. Battle: Los Angeles is about a Marine platoon battling an alien invasion in Los Angeles (but also appears to be global). Eckhart is an actor who brings a great degree of name recognition and respect from his previous roles — especially fan boys of his work on The Dark Knight who’d be interested in an alien flick. But one of his co-stars, Michelle Rodriguez, seems to be typecast as the “I’m sexy and tough but one of the guys” female roles, and it makes one question whether she can carry a whole picture.

The an artistic, well-done trailer such as what was recently released for Battle: Los Angeles makes you wonder whether this is going to be your run-of-the-mill alien invasion movie or something much deeper. The abstract movie posters showing what looking like old-timey war photos are also a nice touch. But it also makes me think of Cloverfield, which had a clever marketing campaign yet turned out to be a disaster of a film.

Clever Cameos, Gore Galore

Jeff — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:00:17 +0000

I’ll be the first to admit I couldn’t really care less about celebrity culture. The only time I really keep up with celebrity news is when someone dies and it hits a mainstream media outlet like the local newspaper or CNN. Or when it’s a slow news day and one of those outlets posts breakup news. But a recent TV commercial caught my attention — another rarity outside Superbowl Sunday.What first caught my attention for the new Call of Duty: Black Ops ad was the music: “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. I imagine that must have cost a pretty penny for the licensing rights. Then I noticed all of the explosions and average-looking people running around in a war zone and I was hooked. Just your every day schlubs running around with M4s, rocket launchers and pistols lighting each other up like they were actually in the game playing online. It took you there, which I suppose is the point of a good videogame. But then I caught a flash of a face I thought I recognized. Was that Kobe Bryant? Then, another tubby white guy. Jimmy Kimmel??

This being the Information Age, I turned to Google and within a few seconds I had the commercial up on YouTube confirming my suspicions, which you can view below. Kudos on a commercial for getting the extra effort out of me. It doesn’t happen often.

And my predictions from last month have been confirmed after the first two episodes, The Walking Dead is one of the best new shows I have seen in ages. Though how the situation developed completely ripped off the first few minutes of 28 Days Later — man wakes up in hospital weeks/months after injury, finds whole world has gone to hell, almost gets killed by zombie before being rescued by Good Samaritans who take him under their wing and bring them up to speed — the setup for the emotional arc of The Walking Dead is far and away going to be better than what 28 Days Later could have dreamed of. One of the main questions I’ve always had about zombie mythos: How can zombies tell the living from the dead if they are such simple creatures? This was addressed in the second episode in gruesome fashion. It’s rare that I cringe at gore and sound effects, but even I am questioning how the producers of the show got away with a TV-14 rating for the first couple of episodes.

It’s a crying shame there were only six episodes ordered for the first season.

Earworms Everywhere

Jeff — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:00:11 +0000

Earworms only come around for me once every so often. When I listen to a new album for the first time, I make sure to listen to it all the way through, even when I can tell there are one or two really standout songs that will get a heavier rotation. Otherwise it’s lights out and I will only play that song until I am sick of it, then usually forget about the rest of the album.RCRD LBL, a website/newsletter that offers up free music, has resulted in quite a few earworms for me lately. After I had downloaded Deerhunter’s spectacular new “Halcyon Digest” and gave it the once-over, RCRD LBL sent me a newsletter with a Diplo/Lunice remix of the track “Helicopter.” I listen to it about five times a day now and can’t get it out of my head. But I’m not complaining. Yet.

It’s funny when a song blows up a full year after their album drops, but that seems to be the case right now for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes with their track “Home.” It’s everywhere. A guy named Mike walked across America and the video of his journey is set to “Home.” The song also enjoys a heavy rotation on Sundays now, thanks to the NFL’s “There’s no place like home” commercial, continuing the league’s trend of inserting indie music into its ad campaigns.

It’s definitely going to be the song that makes these guys. But I wonder if it will be big enough to pull frontman Alex Ebert back from working on his solo project and other band, Ima Robot.

Sports bars sporting craft beer?

Jeff — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:00:33 +0000

If a beer lover were to pass by Jimmy Greens in the South Loop on any given Sunday — or any time a Chicago sports team was playing, for that matter — they’d miss out on one of the more interesting gems in the city. The first time I went there I had a hankering for bourbon and was surprised when the waitress told me they had exactly what I wanted. I then suffered buyer’s remorse right after it came to me and on a whim I cracked the beer menu after initially ignoring it, thinking it would be the typical sports bar fare of Bud and Miller products.

It astonished me that a bar that had promotions up for an upcoming UFC event had the great selection of craft beers that it did. My waitress told me she helped come up with the list, but I am pretty sure she was just trying to work me for a bigger tip. I know they say to never judge a book by its cover, but it’s still hard for me to fathom just how deep the craft beer revolution is penetrating. Especially when you see a 300 pound Superfan lookalike delicately sipping an IPA from a tulip glass.

I feel more at home, however, just around the corner from Jimmy Greens over at Hackney’s, which has some of the best burgers in the city. The bar is quaint and often packed with intellectual types, likely professors from some of the nearby college campuses. The dining room is usually packed, and though we’re encroaching on the dreaded season in Chicago, the patio heaters make al fresco dining quite lovely.

Hackney's is at the end of the block near Dearborn Station

Like stepping into a time machine

Jeff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:59:36 +0000

If you’ve ever wondered what Chicago nightlife was like in the early parts of the last century, take a trip to one of Logan Square’s newest enclaves, Longman & Eagle.The restaurant opened at the end of January and, once spring rolls around, will be like an old-time traditional inn complete with six rooms and breakfast in the morning. For the time being, it’s a great place to grab a whiskey drink — try the Longman Manhattan, made with Wild Turkey 101-proof bourbon — or some craft beer and enjoy the fineries of a modern gastropub with an old-time feel. Some of the eats include roasted marrow bones with red onion jam and sourdough crostini, as well as wild boar sloppy joes.

The place gets packed and there’s often a wait. A tip: if you’d like stick around after dinner for a post-meal drink, it’s not uncommon for the staff to offer to buy your final round if you’re willing to move to the bar so they can seat the next table.

When I just feel like a quick, ethnic bite but don’t need any thrills, I like to make my way to Sinbad’s in Lakeview. I’ve been going there for years, and while I have found better shawarma elsewhere, the friendly staff and amazing juice bar keeps me coming back almost weekly. It all started when I lived just a few doors down from the place on Belmont, and now when I come in they start making my usual order — the beef shawarma dinner served over a bed of rice, tomato and cucumber salad with pita bread and a side of sauce. Whenever friends from the suburbs come in and visit I usually make sure we stop there for a quick bite, and they usually end up hitting Google to try to find Mediterranean food out where they live.

[Longman & Eagle photo via dumin. Sinbad's photo via soumit]