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How to Spend $2,000 at Stadium Goodson December 22, 2020 at 4:33 pm

Among sneakerheads, shoes are traded like stocks, and few kicks have more value than limited-edition deadstock. Which is why entering the new Stadium Goods flagship — the online marketplace’s second brick-and-mortar boutique, after the crazy popular one in New York City — feels like walking into a grown-up candy shop (albeit an expensive one). The 6,000-square-foot space is filled with never-worn hard-to-find Air Jordan colorways and rare Off-White drops, all carefully placed on floor-to-ceiling shelving like pieces of art.

Why set up shop here? “Chicago is a sneaker town through and through,” says co-CEO John McPheters. “Two native Chicagoans — Kanye West and Virgil Abloh — are arguably the most influential sneaker designers of the past five years, and Joe Freshgoods designed one of the hottest sneakers of 2020.”

Fans willing to wait for the perfect Adidas Y-3 Reberus (from $410) or Raf Simons RS Ozweegos (from $309) — not to mention singular Travis Scott Nike Air Force 1s ($639) or Supreme motorcycle helmets ($1,595) — can stop by frequently to check out the ever-changing array of street-style fashions and sneakers, which typically number around 1,000. Short on cash? Take your pristine Dunks and Yeezys to the intake center in Bucktown (1719 N. Damen Ave.), where you can get an estimate for consignment. 60 E. Walton St., Gold Coast

Stadium Goods cotton hoodie
$80
Stadium Goods cotton hoodie
Photos: Courtesy of Stadium Goods
Air Jordan 4 Retro “Fire Red 2020”
$309 and up
Air Jordan 4 Retro “Fire Red 2020”
Stadium Goods basketball shorts
$89
Stadium Goods basketball shorts
Off-White x Air Jordan 4 Retro “Sail”
$1420 and up
Off-White x Air Jordan 4 Retro “Sail”
Travis Scott cotton tee
$60
Travis Scott cotton tee

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How to Spend $2,000 at Stadium Goodson December 22, 2020 at 4:33 pm Read More »

Recipe: Dinah Grossman’s Saag Paneer Pot Pieon December 22, 2020 at 6:00 pm

Saag Paneer Pot Pie
Photos: Jeff Marini

If pot pie is the cozy sweater of meals, then the version at Spinning J in Humboldt Park delivers comfort with style. Chef Dinah Grossman fills a buttery pie crust with saag paneer, the classic Indian mixture of spinach, spices, and cubes of paneer, a mild, creamy Indian-style cheese that miraculously holds its shape and texture when baked. You can find it fresh or frozen at Metro Spice Mart or Cermak Fresh Market.

Makes:One 9-inch pie
Active time:1 hour
Total time:3 hours

1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
2 Medium onions, chopped
1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more as needed
½ tsp. Black pepper
1½ Tbsp. Minced ginger
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
1½ tsp. Curry powder
1 tsp. Garam masala
½ tsp. Cumin
½ tsp. Turmeric
½ cup Heavy cream
5 cups Frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
3½ cups Cubed paneer
2 9-inch pie crusts, fresh or thawed, rolled out flat
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Water, plus more as needed
  Mango chutney, for serving
Caramelizing onions

Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium; stir in ginger, garlic, and spices and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add cream and spinach and cook until spinach is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Blending mixture

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Blend mixture in a food processor until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and paneer; taste and add more salt if desired. Set aside. Press 1 pie crust into a 9-inch pie tin, add filling, and brush edges of dough with water.

Crimping the dough

Drape the second crust on top, turning overhanging dough underneath itself to seal. Crimp edges with fingers or a fork, make 3 vents on top with a paring knife, and chill pie in the freezer for 15 minutes. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt.

Remove pie from freezer, brush with egg wash, and bake until deep golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with mango chutney.

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Recipe: Dinah Grossman’s Saag Paneer Pot Pieon December 22, 2020 at 6:00 pm Read More »

Theo Germaineon December 22, 2020 at 10:27 pm

Theo Germaine
Photo: Lisa Predko

If you don’t recognize Germaine as the love interest of Chicago’s Abby McEnany on Showtime’s acclaimed Work in Progress, you may have seen the nonbinary Hyde Park actor as a campaign manager on the Netflix comedy The Politician. And if you’re a theatergoer, you surely know them from roles at Steppenwolf and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Here’s how the 27-year-old stays well, despite long hours on set and frequent trips to New York for filming.

Flight school

“When I was a young kid, I wanted to run away with the circus. There weren’t many opportunities to learn in my small town of Murphysboro. So I did power tumbling and taught myself stilt walking. In college in Champaign, I used my one day off of school and work to drive up to Chicago to take trapeze and silks classes at Aloft Circus Arts. I considered dropping out of college to train full time, but I stayed and studied acting. In plays, I would do the physical stuff — if they needed somebody to climb or to flip, I was the go-to.”

Woke fitness

“I still go to Aloft. With aerial circus, you get a body awareness that’s unique. It’s my favorite form of fitness, an art, and I feel passionate about trying to make it even more inclusive. People, especially women, say, ‘Oh, I don’t have the upper body strength.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s talk about how sexism has informed your perception of strength.’ ”

Training routine

“While filming the second season of The Politician, I’ve been going to Circus Warehouse in New York, both group classes and private lessons. I also lift weights — big-muscle exercises like squats and dead lifts, and auxiliary exercises to train smaller muscles. I don’t really care what I look like; I just like being strong. I also love biking and Rollerblading, and I started taking ballet last year. I’m like a large dog in a small apartment — if I’m not active, I start to lose my mind.”

Food philosophy

“I think diet culture is really toxic, harmful, fatphobic, and ableist. I don’t think about food as good or bad. Instead, I eat intuitively. I make sure I’m eating enough vegetables and getting enough protein to support how much physical activity I’m doing. I eat Greek yogurt, kimchi, and other things with probiotics because I have intestinal sensitivities. And I try to eat frequently so my blood sugar stays level. Sometimes I’ll eat fruit, but sometimes I just want a bag of Cheetos.”

DIY dermatology

“Drinking a lot of water keeps my skin healthy. I also take a combination of vitamin C, zinc, lysine, and magnesium that’s good for collagen production, and a biotin supplement for hair and nails. If my face is feeling super gross, like if I had to wear makeup on set, I’ll wash with micellar water, then exfoliate gently before using a toner, an essence, a serum, then an eye cream and moisturizer.”

Self–pep talk

“I’ve had issues with impostor syndrome. I’m a weird kid from a small town who’s having a lot of amazing opportunities. There are a lot of people who would not want to see somebody like me on TV and probably some people who don’t believe that somebody like me is a valid human. But then I remember that’s people having wrong, outdated ideas. Usually what I do now is say to myself: ‘Let’s look at the bigger picture. You’re doing great. You’re doing your best.’ ”

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The Comfort of Curryon December 22, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Vegan curry from Momotaro
Vegan curry from Momotaro Photos: Jeff Marini

Your winter eating plan, step 1: Order some Japanese katsu kare (cutlet curry). Step 2: Lean the crispy cutlet against the white rice like Deborah Kerr on Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity, then slosh the thick, dark curry sauce around them like waves of flavor. Step 3: Enjoy. Kare raisu (curry rice), a staple of quick-service lunch counters throughout Japan, is pure comfort food. It’s also the hottest carryout dish from chefs making a pandemic pivot.

These chefs aren’t using the blocks of additive-laden curry roux found in supermarkets. Instead, they’re making flavor-packed sauces with caramelized onions for body, apples for sweetness, fresh spices, and a few secret ingredients. Foremost among these curryheads is Shin Thompson, the Michelin-starred chef behind the Furious Spoon ramen chain. His curry-focused virtual restaurant, Bokuchan’s (3517 N. Spaulding Ave., Avondale), is designed with the weeaboo (Japanophile) in mind. Place your order, then wait for a bag that looks like a special delivery from an anime studio, packed with containers slapped with the logo of a kid eating curry. Each order comes with shredded cabbage, pickled cukes, and beni shoga (red pickled ginger). The katsu kare (from $14.50) is good, but the best is the beef stew curry ($15.50), with beef drippings giving the sauce extra depth and richness.

Tonkatsu kare from Bokuchan’s
Tonkatsu kare from Bokuchan’s

Having frequented many curry rice counters during my years teaching in Japan, I got nostalgic feels from the dark, gloppy katsu curry ($11.95) at Ramen House Shinchan (701 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills; 1939 S. Plum Grove Rd., Palatine). It starts with turmeric-heavy Japanese curry powder, goes to a spicy place, and finishes with a hint of sweetness. It also comes with proper fukujinzuke (sweet-sour curry pickles). At Momotaro (820 W. Lake St., West Loop), Gene Kato makes a roux with Japanese curry powder and the right admixture of onion, shiitake, and apple to hit the center of the sweet-savory nexus. Get the version featuring a pair of chicken cutlets ($24) — holy Pokémon, are they crunchy and perfect.

There is yet more curry. Bo Fowler makes a maitake katsu ($28) at Bixi (2515 N. Milwaukee Ave., Logan Square), Brett Suzuki serves vegetable curry ($12) in a bento box at Arigato Market (1407 W. Grand Ave., West Town), and Julia Momose of Kumiko (630 W. Lake St., West Loop) offers a buttery katsu version ($21) served alongside mugicha, a roasted barley tea she drank with curry rice as a kid (she loves the dish so much, her New Wave cocktail is inspired by it).

We may not be eating in restaurants this winter, so thank the spirits and forest sprites for carryout curry.

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The Comfort of Curryon December 22, 2020 at 9:48 pm Read More »

First 2021 Weekend in Chicago Beeron December 31, 2020 at 6:12 am

The Beeronaut

First 2021 Weekend in Chicago Beer

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First 2021 Weekend in Chicago Beeron December 31, 2020 at 6:12 am Read More »

2 children among 4 hurt in Englewood fireon December 31, 2020 at 3:47 am

Four people, including two children, were hospitalized after a fire broke out in Englewood Wednesday on the South Side.

Firefighters responded to the blaze about 8:40 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Perry Avenue, Chicago fire officials said.

Two children were taken to Comer Children’s Hospital in good condition, officials said. Two adults were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair-to-serious condition.

Animal Care and Control was called for three pets who died in the fire, officials said.

The blaze was extinguished by 9:30 p.m., officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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2 children among 4 hurt in Englewood fireon December 31, 2020 at 3:47 am Read More »

On fame, privacy, and Jonathan Toews’ healthon December 31, 2020 at 2:03 am

Margaret Serious

On fame, privacy, and Jonathan Toews’ health

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On fame, privacy, and Jonathan Toews’ healthon December 31, 2020 at 2:03 am Read More »

Dave Chappelle plans to convert Ohio fire station into comedy clubon December 31, 2020 at 12:05 am

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio– Comedian Dave Chappelle is set to buy a former fire station with plans to turn it into a comedy club not far from his home.

The Miami Twp. Fire Station in Yellow Springs, near Dayton, will be sold to the 47-year-old actor’s company and turned into a club that will seat 140 people, the Dayton Daily News reported.

A member of the development corporation board who headed up the subcommittee on selling the fire station said the group wanted someone who would breathe life into the station.

“We think this will bring a new class of jobs to town,” Corrie Van Ausdal said. “We also considered that (Chappelle) is a minority business owner, he has a history of employing minorities and he is a person who has a clear commitment to amplifying voices of color.”

The closing date for the sale is set for early 2021, said Lisa Abel, president of the Yellow Springs Development Corp. who is carrying out the sale.

Chappelle’s ties to Ohio go back to his father, who graduated from Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, and later was a professor there. Chappelle lives with his family outside the village and also owns homes in nearby Xenia.

In June, Chappelle held a private, outdoor stand-up and social commentary performance to a socially distant and masked audience in Yellow Springs. It was released on Netflix and titled “8:46,” in reference to the amount of time that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, a Black man, before Floyd died.

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Dave Chappelle plans to convert Ohio fire station into comedy clubon December 31, 2020 at 12:05 am Read More »

Pope Francis proclaims 2021 the Year of St. Josephon December 30, 2020 at 8:57 pm

Being Catholic…Really by Pam Spano

Pope Francis proclaims 2021 the Year of St. Joseph

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Pope Francis proclaims 2021 the Year of St. Josephon December 30, 2020 at 8:57 pm Read More »

Kokomo Arnold helped shape giants of the bluesSteve Krakowon December 30, 2020 at 5:15 pm


Kokomo Arnold’s recording career lasted less than a decade, but he changed the world by influencing the likes of Robert Johnson and Elmore James.

Since 2004 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place.…Read More

Kokomo Arnold helped shape giants of the bluesSteve Krakowon December 30, 2020 at 5:15 pm Read More »