The Lexus IS enters the 2020 model year virtually unchanged, which has plusses and minuses. Some of the technology I don’t like (#trackpad) hasn’t filtered in yet, but some necessary items (IMHO) like Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are absent.

I like how it looks and drives, but the technology is what will make anyone who’s looking at this vehicle love it or hate it. 

The Hits

I’ve always liked the small size of the Lexus IS, and even though it was last completely redesigned for the 2014 model year, this littlest sedan for Lexus still looks like it belongs in the Lexus lineup with its pinched-nose grille and hard lines.

The interior is more classic than edgy, so it too seems more modern than it is. The seats are comfortable, and I had an excellent driving position. I felt like the cockpit was made just for me — which actually could be a problem for someone bigger and taller than I am. Which is pretty much everyone.

My husband and I were both thankful for the dual-zone climate control as well as the heated-and-cooled seats. I set my heat to 78 and turned on the heated seats; he set the A/C to 68 and turned on the cooled seats. I often call these features marriage savers because they allow us to coexist in the same car without killing each other. 

The 2020 Lexus IS has a timeless interior design that has aged well. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

Because the IS is on the smaller side of the spectrum, it is nimble and fun to drive. The test vehicle had the mid-level power option, equipped with the V-6. But as an IS 300 model, it was detuned over what the IS 350 with the same engine gets. 

While I’m sure I would certainly enjoy the IS 350 more, I liked the power equation in the IS 300 just fine. It’s right-sized for this vehicle and combined with the overall maneuverability of the IS, the test car was relatively fun to drive. It’s stable at highway speeds and can dip in and out of traffic with finesse.

The Misses

The Lexus IS is in serious need of an update. Not in terms of design exactly. But definitely, in terms of technology. I like this car so much, but not having Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is starting to be a dealbreaker in today’s world. 

I’m sure there will be some luddites out there who don’t need it or want it, but for the younger set, it’s a must have. Especially since the navigation system in the IS is a bit clunky.

And some of that clunkiness has to do with the available “Remote Touch,” which is a mouse-like joystick that controls the infotainment system. That’s right, this is not a touch screen system. But the mouse is better than what replaced it: the trackpad. 

While the Lexus Safety System is standard on the IS, it’s the 1.0 version, and 2.0 has been rolling out on new and refreshed vehicles. I’ll never turn down standard automatic emergency braking, but because this doesn’t have Lexus’ latest safety suite, the IS fell of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick list. So, if safety is a priority, you’ll probably want to look at its slightly bigger brother the ES, which is a Top Safety Pick+.

The Trims

The trim lineup has two engines, but unlike previous generations the engine displacement does not line up with the trim designation. I find this weird, especially since both the IS 300 AWD and IS 350 have the same engine, whereas the IS 300 RWD and IS 300 AWD do not. 

• IS 300 RWD: $39,585
• IS 300 F Sport RWD: $42,780
• IS 300 AWD: $42,035
• IS 300 F Sport AWD: $44,980
• IS 350 RWD: $43,205
• IS 350 RWD F Sport: $46,400
• IS 350 AWD: $45,370
• IS 350 AWD F Sport: $47,735

The 2020 Lexus IS has the signature pinched-nose grille. (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

The Chicago Factor

The Lexus IS is a luxury vehicle, so it ain’t cheap. If you live in the city proper and park on the street, maybe you’ll want to look at the Toyota Corolla instead. But if you have a garage and are looking at luxury, the IS has a lot going for it in terms of parkability and fun-to-drive dynamics. 

Not to mention the fact that you can get standard safety features and AWD for about $42K. When you’re talking luxury, that’s a pretty good deal. Add that to a fairly high reliability rating, and the IS would make a decent Chicago vehicle — if you can deal with the technology shortfalls.

2020 Lexus IS 300 AWD (Photo by Jill Ciminillo)

Grabbing another local brew to talk up while we’re hunkered down at home. I admit I have been picking the less-expensive beers from the shelves. I still have other things making more of a demand on my beer money. So they can’t all barrel-aged “whalez.” But I hope they’ll still be worthwhile.

This is from Mikerphone Brewing, the brewer in Elk Grove Village which often gives its beers musical nomenclature. Their popular imperial stout is made with coffee, so it’s named “Smells Like Bean Spirit.” What I have in hand would be called an “Imperial” blueberry Berliner Weisse. The base version is called Blue Hast Mich, suggesting the song “Du Haßt,” by German metal group Rammstein. That was a 3.5% abv sour beer. But I found the Double Blue Hast Mich, amped to 5.25%. So it’s a wheat beer with acidulated malt for a sour taste, plus fruit, and a little more alcohol.

It pours pretty fizzy, and a solid purple color. My allergy-ridden sinuses aren’t letting me get much of a smell, but it’s a faint fruit tart, all I can find so far. The beer is sour once I get it in my mouth. The blueberries set it off pretty well. But the end result comes off a bit like a homebrewed fruit beer, where the fruit sat a bit too long. If you like sours, though, this will be enjoyed.

Would have been a good match with the pizza I made from a well-fed dough this morning:

Let me be clear, there is never a time to shame other parents. It’s always wrong. However, now, it seems as if parent shaming is at an all-time high not only from non-parents who don’t get it anyway typically, but also from other parents who should really know better.

We are living amid a global pandemic and adulting, parenting and, trying to live with as much normalcy as possible. Whether you typically work-away-from home, at home, stay at home managing the household or whatever else, your life has been adjusted in some way.

You have parents now trying to work from home while elearning, parents who were forced to close their businesses and stay at home while trying to keep it all together and keep their children learning at the same time, parents who were managing the household and able to get in a little me-time while their families were away at school/work who now have to manage all of this without me-time while elearning, parents who are considered essential and working away from home and are concerned about putting their loved ones at risk and the list goes on and on.

Nothing about these times we are living in is normal, not a thing. Instead of judging a parent on how serious or not serious, they’re taking elearning, or whether they have the ability or, mental capacity to do exciting things with their kids, we should be offering solutions, virtual support, or positive vibes anyone who is overwhelmed with life right now.
Compassion goes a long way at times when it’s needed most. I’m not suggesting we turn a blind eye to any situations that put children in harm’s way, however, something as simple as offering support or kind, reassuring words to a parent who is having a harder time than others can make a huge difference.

We are really all in this together!

Six-or is it seven?-weeks into the Shelter At Home quarantine, life has settled into a mind numbing routine for some and a frightening reality for others. There is no news that isn’t about the Coronavirus itself or the effect it’s had on every aspect of life as we knew it.

People who never-or hardly ever- cook have learned how to turn on the stove and get dinner on the table. Chefs and restaurateurs have adapted, and without doubt, there are some interesting options for carry-out.

***

Brasserie Jo

Chef Jean Joho’s Brasserie Jo is back, albeit not as a brick and mortar restaurant, but as a limited time, carryout only concept. Menus will change every two weeks with a limited number available per day.

Guests can choose between a menu for two ($32.95 plus tax) or four ($65.90 plus tax). Orders must be placed by 1 pm. Pick-up is daily from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at 620 North State Street.

The opening menu, which will be available now through May 9, includes Coq au Vin, Alsace Knepfla, and Chocolate Mousse. Three French wines, all hand selected by Chef Jean Joho, are also available, along with an Alsatian beer.

Lettuce Entertain You’s Brasserie Jo, arguably the city’s first authentic French brasserie, was a James Beard Award Winning Restaurant. It opened in 1995 in River North and closed fifteen years later in 2010. Chef Joho and Lettuce Entertain You continue their partnership at Everest, a four-star French restaurant specializing in French cuisine from the Alsace region, Chef Joho’s birthplace.

FYI: The restaurant’s Mother’s Day menu includes Brasserie Jo’s signature shrimp bag with lobster cognac sauce.

Orders for Brasserie Jo are available online via Tock: https://www.exploretock.com/brasseriejo/

***

Prairie Grass Cafe

At Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, partners Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris continue to fine tune their curbside carry-out menu, in addition to offering a hotline (847.920.8437) every day from 2-4 pm to answer questions from home cooks.

“We get callers from all over the country,” Stegner says. “Given that many of the questions focus on basics, it’s clear that a lot of people are cooking more than they ever have before.”

Stegner, an ongoing participant in the Green City Market and a leader in the emphasis on local and sustainable ingredients, is also providing customers with the option of pre-ordering fresh fish for delivery on Mondays. Produce from Three Sister’s Garden is also available. Check for specifics on the restaurant’s website, which also includes specials for the upcoming week.

One of them, a “Kids’ Kitchen Crew Activity Kit” that has to be ordered 24 hours in advance, is complete with all of the ingredients for both a pizza and chocolate chip cookies. The doughs for both the pizza crust and the cookies are mixed and ready to use.

FYI: The Mother’s Day menu includes stuffed carrot cake French toast

Prairie Grass Cafe, 601 Skokie Blvd. Northbrook 847.205.4433

***

Piccolo Sogno

After being closed for forty-plus days, Piccolo Sogno is, once again, open for business, albeit only for carryout. Partner Tony Priolo says the first week or so will be a “trial run.”

“We’re dealing with a set of circumstances that we’ve never experienced before,” he observes. “But it’s something we have to do. Ciro and I have been paying our staff their full salary all along, and we need to generate some income.”

Looking ahead, boxes- one for meat, another for vegetarians etc.- are already in the planning stages. Piccolo Sogno’s current carryout menu is available on the restaurant’s website.

FYI: Check back next week for Piccolo Sogno’s Mother’s Day menu.

Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted,  312.421.0077  Curbside Pick-up and delivery daily from 4-8 pm. The restaurant’s parking lot will be open.

Sparkling Wine Beverages from Round Barn Winery. Brewery.Distillery

Sampling new products is one of my job’s perks. Some are good, some aren’t. Happily, the new, low alcohol Raspberry Lemonade sparkling wine from Round Barn Winery in Baroda, Michigan merits two thumbs up.

I remember sampling boxed wine for the first time on a train from Milan to Barcelona more than twenty years ago. It was an acceptable table wine that paired nicely with entrees, the details of which I’ve forgotten. Canned wines, on the other hand, are a more recent addition to the beverage landscape.

In addition to their fruit forward wines, the Round Barn Winery in Baroda, Michigan produces hard ciders and microbrews, along with a newish line of canned

the newest addition to Round Barn Winery’s lineup of  sparkling wine beverages

“sparkling wine beverages.” The newest addition, “Raspberry Lemonade,” joins a lineup that already includes Red Sangria, Crantini, Peach Bellini, and Cherry Spritzer. Available in 12-ounce cans (two servings per container), the wine beverages are 5% alcohol by volume. 

Round Barn Winery. Distillery. Brewery, Baroda, Michigan  269.422.1617

***

Our beloved independent music venues bring their own personalities to the Chicago music scene like a bunch of cousins who know how to party. When they get together, they share the aux cord cooperatively, celebrating eclectic, yet superb, music tastes across the board. They nurture us and we wouldn’t be the same without any of them, each one bringing special quirks, smells and memories to the table that can’t possibly be replaced.

We don’t know when this is going to be “over.” But we do know that COVID19 has devastated our local music venues and their employees, a common story during the Coronavirus pandemic for a big city used to thriving on the energy of its people. From March 15 through April 30, here are some staggering figures on how the shutdown has affected just 16 of the 25 CIVL members:

Those part-time wages are our favorite bartenders. Those full-time wages are supposed to go to quality sound technicians who actually heed musicians’ notes, and lighting experts who know their club’s sight-lines no matter the crowd size. These numbers represent impacted lives. Beyond the energy and spirit we all crave from going to shows, these numbers represent the very bones of the Chicago live music institutions we hold dearest, and they cannot stand up without us. And while we don’t know what our futures hold, we know we don’t want to live in a world without Tonic Room or Empty Bottle.

To help ensure that reality, local independent venues have teamed up to create CIVL, or the Chicago Independent Venue League. The CIVL group has been instrumental in forming a national coalition comprised of over 1000 members in all 50 states called The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), of which they are founding members. Together, CIVL and NIVA are coming together to not only ask for community support, but to ask for additional support and consideration for small businesses from the government.

Tweet

• Advertisement:

• Advertisement:

• 
  

  Welcome to ChicagoNow.

  Meet
  our bloggers,
  
  post comments, or
  
  pitch your blog idea.

  Sign in
  Pitch your idea
  Play games

• Facebook

• Subscribe by Email

Completely spam free, opt out any time.

Recent posts

• CIVL Service: Saving Our Independent Music Venues »

  Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee on Lists That Actually Matter
  Posted Thursday at 11:57 pm

• Free to Experience with Jennifer Hartswick »

  Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee on Lists That Actually Matter
  Posted March 11, 2020 at 4:13 pm

• Ween at Riot Fest: Better Than That Band Over There »

  Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee on Lists That Actually Matter
  Posted September 27, 2019 at 3:05 pm

• Get the Net! Riot Fest App Now Available »

  Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee on Lists That Actually Matter
  Posted September 3, 2019 at 4:03 pm

• 2019 Riot Fest Schedule Announced »

  Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee on Lists That Actually Matter
  Posted August 30, 2019 at 9:11 am

Monthly Archives

• April 2020
• March 2020
• September 2019
• August 2019
• July 2019
• June 2019
• March 2019
• February 2019
• October 2018
• March 2018
• November 2017
• October 2017
• September 2017
• August 2017
• June 2017
• May 2017
• April 2017
• February 2017
• January 2017
• December 2016
• November 2016
• September 2016
• August 2016
• July 2016
• May 2016
• April 2016
• March 2016
• November 2015
• October 2015
• September 2015
• August 2015
• July 2015
• June 2015
• January 2015
• December 2014
• November 2014
• October 2014
• September 2014
• August 2014
• July 2014
• June 2014
• May 2014
• April 2014
• February 2014
• January 2014
• December 2013
• November 2013
• October 2013
• September 2013
• August 2013
• July 2013
• June 2013
• May 2013
• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012
• November 2012
• October 2012
• September 2012
• August 2012
• July 2012
• June 2012
• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• October 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010

Facebook

Recent Comments

• 

  Dirk Rogers

  March 3, 2020 at 12:00 am

  In reply to JustMeToo:

  You just opened a can of worms! That is so stupid male/ female who cares it’s a phrase!
  Read the story | Reply to this comment
• 

  Wendy Collier

  February 24, 2020 at 12:00 am

  In reply to Johnny Ubiquitum:

  I can’t stand, I’m sorry I slept off. Where did this originate from? Slept off what?
  Read the story | Reply to this comment
• 

  Wendy Collier

  February 24, 2020 at 12:00 am

  In reply to ReadJack:

  Irregardeless drives me nuts. I can’t figure out how it became acceptable. I feel that way about a lot of…
  Read the story | Reply to this comment
• 

  Wendy Collier

  February 24, 2020 at 12:00 am

  In reply to Wendy Collier:

  I do say I almost pissed myself but I use it mockingly.
  Read the story | Reply to this comment
• 

  Wendy Collier

  February 24, 2020 at 12:00 am

  In reply to Stephanie O’Daniel:

  That is refreshing to know I’m not the only one to have issues with they way others incorrectly pronounce words.…
  Read the story | Reply to this comment

Latest on ChicagoNow

• CIVL Service: Saving Our Independent Music Venues

  from Lists That Actually Matter by Kelley Lauginiger // @Peapodmcgee
  posted Thursday at 11:57 pm

• Local Beer Review: Mikerphone Double Blue Hast Mich

  from The Beeronaut by Mark McDermott
  posted Thursday at 11:40 pm

• Now is NOT the time for parent shaming…

  from Go 2 Mommy by Go 2 Mommy
  posted Thursday at 7:10 pm

• The Way It Is

  from A Bite of Chicago by Barbara Revsine
  posted Thursday at 5:22 pm

• PHOTOS: Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson through the years

  from ChicagoNow Staff Blog by ChicagoNow Staff
  posted Thursday at 4:49 pm

Posts from related blogs

• 

  Margaret Serious

  Most recent post: William Safire defending the word ‘hopefully’ and doing it hopefully

• 

  The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

  Most recent post: My article in The Federalist

• 

  The Patriotic Dissenter

  Most recent post: Digital Divide, Inequalities Could Be Exacerbated By Economic Shutdown

More from News: Opinion

Read these ChicagoNow blogs

• 

  Cubs Den

  Chicago Cubs news and comprehensive blog, featuring old school baseball writing combined with the latest statistical trends
  • A Post With No Name
• 

  Pets in need of homes

  Pets available for adoption in the Chicago area
  • Mookie — Petraits Rescue
• 

  Hammervision

  It’s like the couch potato version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
  • Movie Review: Extraction

Read these ChicagoNow Bloggers

• 

  Bacon

  from Some Chicago Improvisor:
  The Quarantine Tonight Show
• 

  Paul M. Banks

  from The Patriotic Dissenter:
  Digital Divide, Inequalities Could Be Exacerbated By Economic Shutdown
• 

  Newsboy

  from Newsboy: John Ruane’s Paper Route:
  An ethical decision awaits us

Advertisement:

I got an email saying “CMJ Returns!” At first, I was excited! College Music Journal was a staple of my youth. A magazine you received, by mail, every month, that included a CD, packed with new music. I read every article, whether I liked the band or not, and I listened through every CD, to every single song. Whether metal, pop, rap or rock, I took it all in because I trusted CMJ’s tastes. They were the true purveyor of college music, of cool music.

But now I’m wondering, “Is it too late?” In a world where we get our new music delivered digitally every week, instead of monthly by snail mail, can CMJ still be a source of new music? Can CMJ still be relevant?

Who’s curating the music? Will it be diluted? Will they have an app or a weekly playlist on Spotify? Is it just digital radio? I have so many questions, and hopefully, this fall when it’s slated to return, all will be answered?

CMJ is now part of Amazing Radio, a British radio station that has introduced people to new music and broken cutting edge acts since 2009, much like the CMJ of yore. I’m listening now to the test station and I’ve liked everything I’ve heard so far.

Amazing Radio is calling this merger the “perfect fit,” and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I have missed flipping through the magazine while setting the disc in the tray, and pressing play. Those were the days.

The days of finding new acts like The Longpigs, Murs, Sage Francis, or Sheila Divine. Acts I continued to see in concert and to lay down my cold, hard cash for. Can CMJ carve a niche in the rapidly changing musical landscape again? I hope so for the sake of future generations. 

I still have the magazines and the coinciding, numbered CDs. I’ll be clutching them in my coffin.

Welcome back CMJ!

Subscribe to my blog.

Filed under:
All About Music

Tags:
Amazing Radio, CMJ, College Music Journal, Digital Subscribers, Magazines, Monthly, New Music Monthly, Weekly

Tweet

• Advertisement:

• Advertisement:

• 
  

  Welcome to ChicagoNow.

  Meet
  our bloggers,
  
  post comments, or
  
  pitch your blog idea.

  Sign in
  Pitch your idea
  Play games

• Adam Franklin

• Facebook

• Tweets by @radstarr

• Recent posts

  • CMJ Returns! But, Is It Too Late? »

    radstarr on Cut Out Kid
    Posted today at 6:45 am

  • Amy’s Candy Bar Delivers Sour Bliss To Chicagoans »

    radstarr on Cut Out Kid
    Posted Wednesday at 8:10 am

  • Release Radar 4/24/20: Car Seat Headrest vs The Killers »

    radstarr on Cut Out Kid
    Posted April 24, 2020 at 11:00 am

  • WTF Writes “Fly Like An Eagle?” Steve Miller, That’s Who! »

    radstarr on Cut Out Kid
    Posted April 23, 2020 at 7:26 am

  • Release Radar 4/17/20: The Streets vs Frank Ocean »

    radstarr on Cut Out Kid
    Posted April 17, 2020 at 12:54 pm

• Blogroll

  Cut Out Kid’s favorite blogs
  • CMJ Top 200
  • Drowned In Sound
  • Fresh Beer Only
  • Gapers Block
  • Guys Drinking Beer
  • James Wayman Music
  • Junket Band
  • Moving In Stereo
  • The Beer Student
  • The Jam Room
  • The Line of Best Fit
  • The Quietus
  • Ticket Collector

• Subscribe by Email

Completely spam free, opt out any time.

radstarr music

Categories

• Uncategorized (348)
• All About Music (298)
• Album Reviews (219)
• Concert Reviews (100)
• Cut Outs (48)
• From The Vault (7)
• Interviews (2)

Latest on ChicagoNow

• William Safire defending the word ‘hopefully’ and doing it hopefully

  from Margaret Serious by Margaret H. Laing
  posted today at 12:43 pm

• PHOTOS: Art Institute lions, Daley Center Picasso coronavirus face coverings

  from ChicagoNow Staff Blog by ChicagoNow Staff
  posted today at 12:16 pm

• How To Meal Plan While Sheltering At Home

  from Organizing With Erin by erintheorganizer
  posted today at 11:30 am

• April was Parkinson’s Disease awareness month

  from I’ve Got The Hippy Shakes by Howard Moore
  posted today at 10:50 am

• My article in The Federalist

  from The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor by Dennis Byrne
  posted today at 9:59 am

Posts from related blogs

• 

  The Art of New Media

  Most recent post: Motown Fans Worldwide Can Enjoy New & Entertaining Virtual Content During ‘Shelter In Place’ [VIDEO]

• 

  Acoustic Music in Chicago

  Most recent post: This is Going to be Short and Sweet

• 

  Eye Tunes

  Most recent post: Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders Live in Chicago, IL on March 07, 2020

More from Entertainment: Music

Read these ChicagoNow blogs

• 

  Cubs Den

  Chicago Cubs news and comprehensive blog, featuring old school baseball writing combined with the latest statistical trends
  • A Post With No Name
• 

  Pets in need of homes

  Pets available for adoption in the Chicago area
  • Mookie — Petraits Rescue
• 

  Hammervision

  It’s like the couch potato version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
  • Movie Review: Extraction

Read these ChicagoNow Bloggers

• 

  Bacon

  from Some Chicago Improvisor:
  The Quarantine Tonight Show
• 

  Paul M. Banks

  from The Patriotic Dissenter:
  Digital Divide, Inequalities Could Be Exacerbated By Economic Shutdown
• 

  Newsboy

  from Newsboy: John Ruane’s Paper Route:
  An ethical decision awaits us

Advertisement: