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9 Places to Find Some Bomb Ass Chicken Wings In Chicago (2021 Edition)Arniecea Johnsonon July 26, 2021 at 7:30 pm

Seasonal foods come and go, but chicken wings stay forever. And if you’re going to be about that wing life, you need to know some of the best places to get them. So here are eight places to get some bomb ass chicken wings in Chicago!

2500 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Heralded as arguably the best chicken wings in Chicago, Bird’s Nest sits just west of DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus and is a go-to neighborhood joint with wings that attract patrons from every neighborhood. You have to get them bone-in with their signature buffalo pepper sauce and an ice-cold pitcher of Miller Lite on NFL Sunday’s.

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4128 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

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The Rambler has everything you’re looking for in the perfect neighborhood watering hole—friendly atmosphere, a dynamite beer garden, strong drinks, and a great menu. That menu is highlighted by their chicken wings with signature Rambler Sauce—a sweet and spicy, house-made barbecue sauce with a touch of cayenne and cumin to add a bit of a kick. The sauce itself is sticky and gets you craving more. Not to mention, every Monday they host Bachelorette/Bachelor Bingo if you need an excuse for a cold drink and some bomb-ass chicken wings to start your week.

41 East Superior Street Chicago, IL 60611

Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap is the go-to place for classic buffalo wings. With plenty of sauces to choose from, affordable prices, and large portions for sharing (although, who would want to do that?), this restaurant is a local favorite. If you’re feeling daring, try their XXX hot wings, the world’s hottest!

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1758 W Grand Ave Chicago, IL 60622

Despite being known as a sports bar, this small restaurant also specializes in some of the best wings on the west side. Right near the United Center, you have a choice of 10, 20, 30, or 50pc wings, paired with exotic flavors like lemon pepper and Jim Bean Honey BBQ.

Multiple locations 

With over 33 crafted sauces, this late-night wing spot should be on your go-to list if you haven’t gone already. They have amazing jerk chicken, carrying over five types of Jerk chickens flavors. It’s definitely a classic chicken wings spot in Chicago with a great vibe.

2047 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

If you’re looking for a place with great wings and an incredible nightlife, try out Wicker Park’s Fifty/50. They’re famously known as the spot with the best wings, having three choices to pick from (regular breaded wings, applewood smoked wings, and boneless breaded wings). The restaurant also ages their buffalo wings for 2 to 3 months.

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2301 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

81 E Wacker Pl, Chicago, IL 60601

Jamaican jerk wings? Say no mo—oh, it comes with a side of pita bread? And it’s only $9??? Sign us up.

Also on the menu are 8pc buffalo wings and the Island Style Jerk Chicken Dinner, which are equally delicious.

2940 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657

Serving up Korean fried chicken at this unassuming wing joint, Crisp offers options like Seoul Sassy—made with ginger, soy, garlic, and other select spices, but NOT teriyaki—and Korean-American fusion BBQ. You can get 10 wings for under $20, so what are you waiting for?

2236 E 71st St, Chicago, IL 60649

Sure, this place is more seafaring than the others on this list, but that doesn’t mean Surf’s Up South Shore can’t compete. Boasting some of the best chicken wings in Chicago, you can order up to 75 pieces, served in whatever sauce your heart desires — including Hennessey!

What are some of your favorite wing spots? Let us know in the comments below!

Read More: 8 Popular Restaurants to Visit This Weekend in Schaumburg, IL

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9 Places to Find Some Bomb Ass Chicken Wings In Chicago (2021 Edition)Arniecea Johnsonon July 26, 2021 at 7:30 pm Read More »

What’s Happening This Week in Space: July 26th, 2021on July 27, 2021 at 4:20 am

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Former Bucks part-owner Bruce Mertz knew Milwaukee was a good basketball townRob Miechon July 27, 2021 at 2:02 am

LAS VEGAS — Bruce Mertz had been eager to see the Bucks claim their second NBA crown last Tuesday evening after having endured grueling dental surgery that afternoon.

He and his wife, Lori, dined on chicken matzo soup, steamed vegetables over quinoa and grilled salmon. A woozy Mertz left the kitchen of their condo, high atop Water Tower Place, to watch the game.

He never made it to the den.

A founding father of the Bucks’ franchise, the 88-year-old Chicago native passed out, fell and broke his right hip. His wife put a pillow between him and a wall, but he fainted again. She called 9-1-1.

”It all happened so quickly,” Lori said. ”He had been through a traumatic event at the dentist. . . . Just a really bad day.”

The first time the Bucks had been poised to clinch an NBA title, on April 30, 1971, Mertz had a choice perch — courtside at the Baltimore Civic Center — to witness their sweep of the Bullets.

This time, he fell asleep watching Game 6 in a room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He didn’t learn that the Bucks had beaten the Suns until hearing the details from a bedside radio Wednesday morning.

A few hours later, he underwent hip-replacement surgery. From his hospital bed Thursday, he fondly recalled the 1971 celebrations in Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Avenue parade. His group sold the franchise in 1976, but he remains a Bucks fan.

”Absolutely,” Mertz said faintly. ”That first one was very exciting. And as great as Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was, I think Giannis Antetokounmpo is as good as Kareem, without question. He can dribble the ball like a guard.

”They played great in these playoffs. They just kept coming back. Jrue Holiday is an excellent point guard. I love this kid, Giannis. He’s fantastic. That’s a nice, young team, and they’ll continue to grow.”

Hometown hero

Mertz grew up in Albany Park and always has enjoyed basketball. He played at Roosevelt High and upon graduating in 1951 received the invitation of a lifetime — to play against the Globetrotters.

A film released that year featured the team’s exploits. That was an era in which the Globetrotters played many games against college stars. And there was Mertz, guarding all-universe guard Marques Haynes inside a packed gym at Lane Tech.

”And I stole the ball from him and made a layup!” Mertz said. ”I was the hottest thing in the neighborhood, a hero in Albany Park. They’d say, ‘There’s the guy who stole the ball from Marques Haynes!’ Just got lucky.”

He would befriend Wesley Pavalon, who was from nearby Rogers Park. They would play hours of pickup ball and watch the NBA Stags, from 1946-47 through 1949-50, in Chicago Stadium.

”For $2.50, we’d sit way up in the balcony,” Mertz said.

Pavalon found success operating TV schools in Milwaukee, and Mertz invested in his Career Academy branches.

Mertz triumphed in the menswear business, first by peddling a line of sports coats and slacks all over the Midwest as a traveling salesman. He would start the Format brand of Italian ties and the influential luxury boutique Ultimo.

In Milwaukee in the mid-1960s, the pals hatched the idea of bringing an expansion NBA franchise to the city.

”We felt there was a tremendous need for a basketball team in Milwaukee,” Mertz said. ”Milwaukee is a pretty good basketball town. He knew a lot of people, and I knew a lot of people.”

Didn’t that effort require some critical political, financial and logistical connections?

”Well, we found them,” Mertz said. ”We had some, but we found them.”

Pretty good hoops town

On Jan. 22, 1968, NBA commissioner J. Walter Kennedy awarded expansion franchises to Milwaukee and Phoenix, and the Bucks became an incorporated entity two weeks later.

A big, bearded and outspoken maverick who had a chauffeur-driven, late-model, dark-green Cadillac limousine, Pavalon — whose business practices were considered suspect by some employees — was named president.

Marvin Fishman, a Milwaukee real-estate agent, became executive vice president. Mertz figures his stake, maybe 20% of the club, cost him $250,000.

Robins, for the Wisconsin state bird, was the favorite among the 14,000 who responded to a nickname poll. Bucks prevailed. The 45 who suggested it received cases of Coke and two tickets to the opener Oct. 16, 1968. One won a new Javelin car.

The team’s first season was horrendous, as was the Suns’ initial campaign. A coin flip, of course, determined which team would draft outstanding UCLA center Lew Alcindor. The Suns called heads; it landed tails.

Kennedy died in 1977, and a grandson is thought to possess that special 1964 half-dollar. Pavalon died at 76 in 2009.

Alcindor legally became Abdul-Jabbar the day after leading the Bucks to that 1971 title. In 1975, a year after losing the NBA Finals to the Celtics, the Bucks dealt him to the Lakers, whom he helped win five trophies.

When Mertz retired 20 years ago, he bought a condo at Turnberry Towers, near the Vegas Strip. He and his wife winter and spring there and spend summers and falls in Chicago.

He became a partner in Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab when it opened at The Forum Shops inside Caesars in 2004.

Seems only dental instruments can sidetrack Mertz. His zeal for hoops never has abated. And Milwaukee again has proved his long-held belief that it’s a pretty good basketball town.

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Former Bucks part-owner Bruce Mertz knew Milwaukee was a good basketball townRob Miechon July 27, 2021 at 2:02 am Read More »

Gay athletes more comfortable living their lives openly — and that’s a good thingRick Telanderon July 27, 2021 at 1:06 am

Gay athletes have been trickling into our consciousness for quite a few years now.

What is a small, meandering stream of self-declaration, I am certain, will become a torrent in the near future.

I’m sure you’ve heard about Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib coming out recently, via a brief video on Instagram.

”I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said. ”I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.”

Not long after that, rising Predators prospect Luke Prokop announced he is gay. Just 19, Prokop is the first active player under an NHL contract to come out.

It’s not as though gay athletes suddenly appeared out of the blue. They’ve always been here, just hidden, fearful, living closeted lives while playing the games they love and often excel at.

”Big Bill” Tilden, named by sportswriters in 1950 as the greatest tennis player of the first half of the 20th century, was gay. He came out late, amid scandal, and died alone and in public disgrace, almost all of it unfair, as a sign of the mores of the era.

In his autobiography, Tilden made this desperate plea about homosexuality: ”Greater tolerance and wider education on the part of the general public concerning this form of sex relationship is one of the crying needs.”

Times change. Minds change.

What always is needed for social acceptance is understanding of the once-unknown, of that which confused and disturbed us because of its ”unnaturalness,” behavior that made us fearful and oppressive.

It’s obvious we don’t have much of a problem with female homosexuality in elite sports.

Many WNBA stars are gay and out. The Sky have the first two teammates who were married to each other, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley.

Women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and her purple hair and perfect smile seem to be everywhere, and she has made the fact she’s gay part of her message to all: tolerance.

And guess who helped carry in the U.S. flag during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics? WNBA star Sue Bird, who happens to be engaged to Rapinoe.

Early gay athletes suffered mightily as they lived secret lives. They mostly came out, if at all, after their careers were finished, when it would be safer.

NFL running back Dave Kopay came out in 1975, three years into retirement. Tennis great Billie Jean King was ”outed” by a former lover in 1981.

Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis finally came out at the Gay Games in 1994.

And in 2013, veteran NBA center Jason Collins came out as gay in a first-person cover story for Sports Illustrated. But Collins only played a handful of games after that and soon retired.

Now the dam seems ready to burst, the world coming to understand that not everything is binary, black-and-white, simple. Sexual orientation — even the very concept of gender — is under inspection and revision.

So athletes and people around the world in general will continue to come out. Remember that Pete Buttigieg, openly gay and married to a man, was a strong candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 until Joe Biden took control. Buttigieg is now the Secretary of Transportation.

And the question is, does anybody really care if he is gay? So what?

We have a world burning, oceans rising, species becoming extinct and a deadly pandemic raging. Who has time to worry about whom another person is attracted to, what others’ private lives might hold?

There is resistance to the sexual revolution, the shaking off of tradition

and old teachings. We know that. Change is hard.

But someday this will happen: A true male superstar in an old-school, macho sport such as football, baseball or basketball will come out in his prime. Or even before his prime.

Think somebody of the caliber of Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Derrick Henry, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Not those players, per se, but someone of their ilk.

Maybe a coveted rookie bonus baby such as quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Maybe the first pick of the NBA Draft on Thursday. Maybe an athlete fans know can lead their franchise to the promised land, a savior, a bell cow, the dude.

Will folks complain if that superstar is gay and out?

I doubt it. Not much, anyway.

And it’s gonna happen.

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Gay athletes more comfortable living their lives openly — and that’s a good thingRick Telanderon July 27, 2021 at 1:06 am Read More »

How To Find the Right Digital Community To Bolster Your Businesson July 27, 2021 at 1:12 am

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Chicago Blackhawks: Niklas Hjalmarsson was truly greatVincent Pariseon July 26, 2021 at 11:54 pm

SAN JOSE, CA - JANUARY 31: Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on January 31, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – JANUARY 31: Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on January 31, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks had many great players contribute to winning three Stanley Cups in a span of six years. Some were there for just one, others for two, and a select few were there for all three. One of those players is Niklas Hjalmarsson. He might be the most unsung hero of the bunch as well. He has announced his retirement from the National Hockey League and deserves all of the praise for his work on and off the ice.

Hjalmarsson’s name joins Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa as the only players who won all three Cups with Chicago from 2010-2015. It is an era that will never be forgotten by sports fans in this city and for good reason.

Hjalmarsson’s career ends after 821 games played. He had 25 goals and 147 assists for 172 points in those games. He wasn’t an offensive defenseman by any means but his defensive ability was second to none. He was the best defensive defenseman on the team for a long time. He was, and rightfully so, in the shadows of Keith and Seabrook but that didn’t make him any less important. When someone like him is your third-best defenseman, you are a great team.

One thing that he was famous for was his ability to block shots. You used to hear people say that having Hjalmarsson on the ice was like having an extra goalie out there. It is fair to assume that guys like Corey Crawford, Scott Darling, and Antti Niemi amongst others appreciated it. Hjalmarsson blocked 1,606 shots in his NHL career which is about two shot blocks per game.

Having Niklas Hjalmarsson on the Chicago Blackhawks was a treat for a long time.

This player was as unselfish as any player in the history of the franchise. He was so good and rarely ever got the spotlight. Some people used to get on him for not shooting enough and they had a case but he was just so concentrated on making the right play each and every time. Championship teams have guys like that on their roster.

Hjalmarsson got to finish out his career with the Arizona Coyotes after the Hawks traded him there in 2017. Those are the only two teams that he ever played for over his 14 year NHL career. Hopefully, the Hawks do something to recognize him in the future because he deserves it.

The United Center should be packed at the start of the season so they shouldn’t wait too long. He was an extremely important piece to a team that had so much sustained success for such a long time. Congrats to Hjalmarsson on retirement from an outstanding career.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Niklas Hjalmarsson was truly greatVincent Pariseon July 26, 2021 at 11:54 pm Read More »

Watch Berkowitz & Martin discuss issues that make Gov. Pritzker vulnerable to a current or potential new GOP GOV opponent winning in 2022: Cable/Webon July 27, 2021 at 12:43 am

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Watch Berkowitz & Martin discuss issues that make Gov. Pritzker vulnerable to a current or potential new GOP GOV opponent winning in 2022: Cable/Web

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Watch Berkowitz & Martin discuss issues that make Gov. Pritzker vulnerable to a current or potential new GOP GOV opponent winning in 2022: Cable/Webon July 27, 2021 at 12:43 am Read More »

Chicago casino too risky for some industry playersDavid Roederon July 26, 2021 at 11:21 pm

Casino operators, accustomed to having an edge, are having trouble finding one in Chicago’s request for proposals to build a first-class gambling complex that would prop up its police and fire pension funds.

Four large gambling companies expressed an interest in Chicago’s plans late last year. But two have since folded their hands. A third interested party, Chicago’s Rush Street Gaming, owner of the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, said through a spokesman it is still deciding how to respond to the “unique opportunity.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration could hear from other bidders, including real estate developers. But industry experts say Chicago’s ambitious call for perhaps a $1 billion investment–including a 500-room 5-star hotel and an entertainment venue–is drawing skeptical analyses. Some contend there’s little potential here to expand traditional gaming and that the risk is too great to meet the city’s aspirations for something close to a resort.

“The casinos in the state have been in nothing but a downward spiral for a decade, except for Rivers,” said Alan Woinski, president of Gaming USA, a consulting firm and newsletter publisher. “There’s no reason to believe that if you add a casino downtown that you’ll do anything but cannibalize the others, including Rivers. It’s kind of a zero-sum game and everybody loses.”

City officials did not answer requests for comment Monday.

Critics also see obstacles such as a tax rate many view as prohibitive. A recent proposal to bring sports betting to Chicago stadiums also could amount to competition that scares off a mega-casino.

Woinski said sportsbooks aren’t big moneymakers for casinos, but they draw crowds. If the action happens elsewhere, “that’s one less reason for people to physically go to the casino,” he said.

Other cities, Woinski said, have had mixed results with casinos, especially if there are other entertainment options.

City Hall has set an Aug. 23 deadline for responses to its casino call. The responses are supposed to include proposed sites. Lightfoot has declined to express a site preference, but the parameters the city set out would point to something downtown, convenient to locals and visitors. The city wants a site that maximizes tax revenue, which it has earmarked for pensions.

Another “core goal” respondents must meet is offering a development “of superb quality and architecturally significant design,” according to the city’s request for proposals published in April.

It’s all too much for Bill Hornbuckle, CEO of MGM Resorts International. After the city issued its full request, Hornbuckle told stock analysts that “Chicago is just complicated. The history there in Chicago, the tax and the notion of integrated resort at scale don’t necessarily marry up. And while I think they’ve had some improvement, we’re not overly keen or focused at this point in time there.”

MGM voiced interest in a Chicago site last year when it responded to a city survey about casino issues. A spokeswoman for Wynn Resorts, another firm initially interested in Chicago, said it has “decided not to participate in the request for proposals.”

The remaining gaming giant that expressed interest a year ago, Hard Rock International, could not be reached.

Some analysts believe Rush Street will propose a casino for the development site downtown known as The 78. It covers 62 vacant acres southwest of Roosevelt Road and Clark Street. Rush Street has formed a partnership with Related Midwest, the developer of The 78.

The property provides ample room for a casino and ancillary uses the city wants, and development could occur in phases. But any casino site could provoke opposition over traffic and other zoning concerns.

A downtown casino would face a 40% tax rate, said a report Union Gaming Analytics prepared for state officials. The state legislature cut that amount from 72% in a prior casino law after Union Gaming found the tax load too onerous.

City officials contend there is room here to “grow the pie,” or increase the size of the gaming market. In 2019, Union Gaming found that per-capita spending on gaming in the Chicago area was half that of other metropolitan regions.

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Chicago casino too risky for some industry playersDavid Roederon July 26, 2021 at 11:21 pm Read More »

Bears net a 5th-rounder from Texans for Anthony Miller and a 7thPatrick Finleyon July 26, 2021 at 10:47 pm

The Bears’ return for receiver Anthony Miller was predictably paltry.

The trade, agreed to on Saturday, became official Monday. The Bears will send Miller and their 2022 seventh-round pick to the Texans for their 2022 fifth-round pick.

In the last year of his rookie deal, the slot receiver will report to training camp in Houston with, as the saying goes, a second chance to make a first impression.

The Bears grew frustrated with Miller’s inconsistency and lack of focus in the three seasons since general manager Ryan Pace traded up to draft him in the second round. Miller punching Saints pest C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the playoff game was the last straw — Bears receivers had been warned earlier in the week not to engage with the same cornerback who had suckered Javon Wims into throwing a punch in their midseason meeting.

Dazz Newsome, which is on the PUP list, and Damiere Byrd are expected to get Miller’s snaps.

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Bears net a 5th-rounder from Texans for Anthony Miller and a 7thPatrick Finleyon July 26, 2021 at 10:47 pm Read More »