As we enter into the new normal with the coronavirus pandemic reshaping our lives, forcing us to cancel plans and stay at home, A Bite of Chicago, will not be posting our regular Thursday restaurant reviews and specials.

We will be posting restaurant news, information and updates when pertinent. And maybe, depending on how long this goes on, some light-hearted food-related stories.

Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with or any questions you have. 

Today we are giving you a overview of rules, regulations and specials.

Restaurant and Bar Regulations
Through March 30^th

• The consumption of food or beverage is not permitted inside a restaurant or bar
• Congregation of any kind is not permitted inside or outside a restaurant or bar

Customers may enter restaurants to order food and immediately leave upon receiving the food. BACP has put together an FAQ document with answers to the many questions facing business owners and consumers. The following establishments are included in the mandated restaurant and bar closure order:

• Concession stands at movie theaters, bowling alleys and other entertainment venues
• Cafes, coffee bars, ice cream counters and other concession areas within grocery stores
• Coffee shops and cafes
  Drive-thru, delivery and carry out or curbside pick-up may continue, with the restaurant owner responsible to ensure social distancing policies are in place and followed.

All year-round sidewalk cafes, covered or not, should also be closed as part of this order. Food Trucks, bakeries and grocery stores can continue operations, provided that there is no on-site consumption. Concessions at O’Hare and Midway Airports are exempt from the new restrictions in order to ensure food availability for travelers. However, the Chicago Department of Aviation is taking social distancing steps to keep the traveling public and airport employees safe.

Curbside Pick-up

Here is a link to businesses that are offering food delivery and curbside pick-up: https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-food-delivery-curbside-pick-up-coronavirus-20200316-yd47bn4fjrchxfzcs7s4cdxouu-story.html

Ten Restaurant Specials

If you can, support your local restaurants by buying gift cards, getting takeout or delivery and offering a kind word. Many restaurants are going out of the way to serve the public with family dinners, special prices and even grocery delivery. Here’s just a few (check with individual restaurants for more):

Coda Di Volpe

Offering curbside pickup from 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM, call (773) 687-8568.

Gemini

Offering curbside pickup from 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM daily, call (773) 525-2522.

The Smith

Offering pick up and delivery from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through DoorDash, UberEats and Grubhub. Pick-up orders can also be made by calling the restaurant directly at 312.312.5100. In addition to a-la-carte items, The Smith will offer a Family Meal option that feeds 2-3 people and includes a choice of salad, two sides, a main course and chocolate chip cookies for $35. 

• DoorDash: https://www.doordash.com/business/the-smith-12562/menu/
  Uber Eats:  https://www.ubereats.com/chicago/food-delivery/the-smith-river-north/ciFKkiLrT1CQEDLJkLgoIg
  Grubhub: https://www.grubhub.com/restaurant/the-smith-400-n-clark-st-chicago/1983861

Now through the end of the month, The Smith is also offering a discounted “Thank You” gift card promotion. The following gift card amounts are available for a discounted price:

• $100 gift card for $90
  $500 gift card for $400
  $1,000 gift card for $650
  $5,000 gift card for $2,500

Walton Street Kitchen + Bar

Offering curbside pickup or delivery available from 4:30-8:30 PM daily. Call (773) 570-3525.
Delivery on Caviar here

It started with the posting of schedules on Sunday. Parents were posting down to the minute regimes for the task of homeschooling their kids on Monday. Some parents went so far as to color coordinate their agendas. Some schedules were laminated. Other parents would comment, “Awesome.” “Can I borrow this?” “Can I share it?” Others would post a picture of their down to the minute schedule in the comments.

I mean sure, in my head I had a schedule planned; some notion of how we were going to get through 4 weeks of being at home. I typed it out in the notes app of my phone. I did not however translate my ideas on to paper with graphs and lines rendered in blood, sweat and tears then post it for others to marvel and envy. It briefly inspired me then quickly sparked dread that without such a schedule I’d be doomed. Forever doomed.

I was so grateful when some of these same parents posted midday how quickly their schedules were jettisoned for good old survival mode. They posted about tantrums and resistance counterbalanced with chocolate purchased for bribery. People described what their kids were doing but instead of using “kids” they swapped it out for “co-workers”. A Facebook game was born. Parents were connecting through humor; making the best of imperfection.

Honesty emerged and I was feeling much less pressure to be perfect or present some idyllic version of homeschooling ala Little House on the Prairie. (The Ingalls didn’t homeschool by the way. Why are they one of the first references folx have been using?)

Some parents were still posting about their idyllic homeschool adventures. Pictures of what seemed to be flawless days in spotless houses were posted with cynicism-free updates and vestiges of hope. Good for them.

I’d much rather see the mess. I’d rather commiserate about how the “best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

Share great ideas? Yes. Be proud of what you’ve come up with to pass the time? Yupers. Document this time for posterity? Absolutely.

If it’s all gone perfectly? Keep it to yourself.

This is a time for humility. This is a time to use Facebook to connect; not alienate. Life is in the gritty details not the broad strokes. Share the sugar and the salt.

Remember not everything is at it seems.

Let’s be honest and get through this together.

What’s been your biggest “fail” so far? Share in the comments below.

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I woke up to such sad news today. My beloved Playboy magazine may well have published its last print issue due to complications from Covid-19. When I shot my cover pictorial in the last Equality issue on October 22, everyone at the mag seemed so upbeat and positive about the future of Playboy and then, in the blink of an eye–everything changed (for everyone).

Here’s an open letter from the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Ben Kohn:

An Open Letter To Our Team And Partners

March 18, 2020

Dear Team and Partners,

I’m writing to share my deepest wishes for the health and safety of our global community at this time. I also want to take this opportunity to provide an update on the strength of our business and some of the steps we are taking to ensure our continued growth in 2020 and into the decade ahead.

Playboy is many things to many people. A magazine to many, a lifestyle to many more, an apparel brand, a membership club and even, according to some, “a corruptor of our youth.” But throughout the past sixty-six years, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to free expression and breaking taboos, leaning into discomfort, helping audiences express and understand their sexuality, and advocating for the pursuit of pleasure for all.

We are proud to be one of the world’s most recognizable brands–97% of our planet’s population knows what our infamously cheeky, bowtie-wearing Rabbit Head represents. No matter who you speak to, it is a brand that evokes reaction and stimulates conversation. In today’s world, this is immensely powerful. Powerful because in a time when we are divided, conversation is what we need the most. Powerful because it helps burst filter bubbles, cross party lines and engage outside of the silos that increasingly contain us.

Our audience recognizes this power, too. They acknowledge it when they choose to display our logo, wear a Playboy-branded shirt, put on that piece of Rabbit Head jewelry, tear open a Playboy condom or spray that puff of Playboy perfume. They’re inviting you to notice them, to question them, to engage with them and to challenge them. They’re making a personal statement about sex-positivity, free expression and pleasure for all.

We understand our role–and our responsibility–in this interaction. Creating quality, boundary-pushing editorial that advocates for what is right and that leads by example will always be core to our mission. We will never stop seeking to help our audience understand their own sexuality and that of others. Our content, products, partners and experiences are how we drive important conversations, shine a light on inequality, censorship and prejudice, and break down the barriers to pleasure and sexual freedom that so many still face.

Right now, the Playboy brand is more successful than ever before. Our audience is massive. We drive over $3 billion in annual consumer spend worldwide. We reach hundreds of millions of eyeballs every year, across all genders. This past year, our focus has been on meeting audiences where they are. We gained over 4 million new Instagram followers and saw over 50% growth in engagement on our social channels in the past 6 months, grew our digital video subscriptions by almost 30% year-over-year and acquired a direct-to-consumer commerce operation that serves almost 1M active customers every month. At The Playhouse events last spring, we transformed our magazine into a multisensory experience that turned our articles into two-way dialogues with our audience, with panels on cannabis advocacy, female sexuality in the arts and the future of masculinity, among other topics. We held our first sessions of The Playboy Interview Live, and most recently, we brought the famed Playboy Advisor column to life in a social-first digital series providing millions of viewers with the sex-ed we wish we’d had.

We are also immensely proud of our revamped quarterly magazine that is inarguably one of the most beautifully designed print offerings on the market today. But it’s no surprise that media consumption habits have been changing for some time–and while the stories we produce and the artwork we showcase is enjoyed by millions of people on digital platforms, our content in its printed form reaches the hands of only a fraction of our fans.

Last week, as the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic to content production and the supply chain became clearer and clearer, we were forced to accelerate a conversation we’ve been having internally: the question of how to transform our U.S. print product to better suit what consumers want today, and how to utilize our industry-leading content production capabilities to engage in a cultural conversation each and every day, rather than just every three months. With all of this in mind, we have decided that our Spring 2020 Issue, which arrives on U.S. newsstands and as a digital download this week, will be our final printed publication for the year in the U.S. We will move to a digital-first publishing schedule for all of our content including the Playboy Interview, 20Q, the Playboy Advisor and of course our Playmate pictorials. In 2021, alongside our digital content offerings and new consumer product launches, we will bring back fresh and innovative printed offerings in a variety of new forms–through special editions, partnerships with the most provocative creators, timely collections and much more. Print is how we began and print will always be a part of who we are.

Over the past 66 years, we’ve become far more than a magazine. And sometimes you have to let go of the past to make room for the future. So we’re turning our attention to achieving our mission in the most effective and impactful way we can: to help create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure.

We look forward to continuing to work together with all of you to keep our business strong and growing.

Stay safe,

Ben Kohn

CEO, Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Playboy has been my family for the last 40 years and I have no plans to let them go now. Even if it’s only on a digital platform, my Bunny ears will be attuned to its always timely, diverse and informative articles and photos. Keep it up Playboy and I’ll catch you on the digital ride soon!

Love,

“Candid” Candace Jordan–Your Number One Fan

I rarely read anything on Facebook or scroll down far enough to see how people react to my pearls of wisdom.

It is only when alerted that I hear names like Ronnie, Mike, Benedetto, Jim or Gary, but I am insulated from their curious insults by the words of Jesus; Cast not pearls before swine.

So, swine, why are you angry with me?  I’m not the one who lied and said the coronavirus was No big deal. I’m not the one who said it was under control.

I’m not the one who wanted to keep the Grand Princess cruise ship quarantined at sea to prevent her 21 cases of coronavirus from inflating the number of cases here in America.  I’m not the one who said that I like my numbers where they are.

As if 21 more cases of coronavirus would even make a difference (we’re at about 9,000 right now, a number that may soon be dwarfed as testing becomes more available).

To read about a self-obsessed, moron of a president ignoring, downplaying and lying about a coming pandemic, giving it cover to spread among our population, click HERE.

Donald John Trump buried his fat, orange head in the sand while yet another enemy invaded our shores, this one crippling our health care system and our economy.

Let’s get something straight, Messrs Schramm, Zerfoss, et al; I’m no Monday morning quarterback.  I’m not looking in my rear view mirror or making judgments in hindsight.

I’ve been warning of the destructive capability of an ignorant, pathologically lying narcissist for almost FIVE YEARS (four years, ten months and a few days).

Donald John Trump cares about one thing and one thing only; Donald John Trump.

We’ve known about the threat of this coronavirus since the beginning of December.  Not only did Donald John Trump fail to do anything about it, but he took measures to make sure that no one in his administration spoke up.

We’ve seen how the Trump administration and Trump justice department treat whistleblowers.  Who is even left to speak up?

President Barack Obama established a pandemic response team and a global network of scientists and health care professionals to be vigilant for threats to America and the world.

Trump, in his non-stop effort to erase the legacy of America’s only non-white president obliterated all that, rendering the United States blind and behind the curve of any meaningful response.

Trump was warned about all of this, even before he took office.  In what alternate universe is this man on YOUR side?

Now Trump says that he always knew that coronavirus was going to be a pandemic.  That’s obviously a LIE, but it would be worse if it was true.

Why, if he knew it was a pandemic would he spend precious months pretending that it wasn’t even happening?  It was just a couple of weeks ago that he told us that the numbers were going DOWN.

Fox “News” flew cover for his ignorance and lies, only now admitting that they may have downplayed the threat to a fault.

Even while they were advising their own employees to observe the hand-washing and social-distancing protocols being promoted by the “fake” media.

You guys want to hate the messenger, go ahead.  I understand that when there is no defense for the indefensible, you have to attack someone.

We’ve seen that play out ad nauseum in the age of Trump.

What about this, what about that?  Do you think you could’ve done better? How about Hillary, how about Obama, how about Biden?

Well, how about them? How about Calvin Coolidge?

None of those people are president right now and the person who is represents a threat to our very existence.

Contrary to what you’ve been hearing from Sean Hannity, Democrats don’t want to destroy America.  We just see government as a vehicle to improve lives, just as it’s helping out right now.

You want to fix America, take Michael Jackson’s advice.  Start with The Man in the Mirror.

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SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 2

Today it is raining. Not as much fun.

Yesterday was beautiful and sunny. Still, I love rain and it is of course necessary for the grass, bushes and trees to grow. Winter seems to be over. I always think it is nature’s way of taking a shower.

Observations: So today is my second day, counting, of finding myself in self-isolation. I was not as quick to crawl out of bed on this rainy day so I have been slower out of the gate, but have managed to get on with it.

I drove with my dog to the bank (she waited in the car), just to go to the ATM. There were quite a few fewer cars on the road compared to a normal day. No school buses of course. There was a bottle of hand sanitizer next to the ATM, which I used. Later, I thought I would pick up a few groceries, mainly vegetables and fruit. Most of my shopping I had already completed, and I noticed far fewer customers today in the grocery store. Maybe most people have stocked up. Maybe people are adjusting to this self-isolation. One thing I noticed for myself, is that I have simultaneously begun to eat more fruits and vegetables. For my health I am supposed to. They are also cheaper than many frozen and other prepared or canned foods.

Not sure why this is happening; perhaps my brain is trying to make the most of this unusual situation. So many things are closed. I am retired, mostly. I have a part-time job on the weekends in a grocery store. But the restaurants and coffeeshops are closed. What about barbershops and hair salons, wellness spas and massage? So many people who depend on these things for a livelihood.

Changes in my daily life: I cancelled a visit to my son and his family, near Urbana-Champaign. I am over 70 and in a high risk group, but what if I would be a carrier, mildly sick or asymptomatic? I would not want to bring it downstate to the family. I am a hospice volunteer,  visiting patients in the last stages of life. But many of them are in nursing homes, which have restricted visitors.  I belong to the Theosophical Society. Most have likely not heard of it. It is not a religion and not anti-religion, but an international organization which emphasizes studying philosophy, religion and science, and encourages loving kindness. This is not supposed to be an advertising for them. But there is Yoga Tuesday nights and Wednesday nights discussion and meditation, plus other classes, meditation, and others. Well, of course they are also in suspended mode. So Wednesday nights I would have coffee with a friend then go for the discussion group. So…so maybe I will have coffee for myself and call friends. And write. Of course I write (duh… I continue trying to blog). Actually in the back of my mind I have wished for a break in my schedule so I would or could write more. For an old retired guy I am busy with volunteering at various things. I write sporadically. Well, please do NOT blame the epidemic on me, but now I have more time!

Today, I walked, drove, and did a healing meditation for some friends and the world. I do not fantasize that I have the power to heal the world, or my friends. As I said, I have enough work to do managing my own spirit, but meditating is similar to or maybe the same as, prayer. There are many ways people pray and meditate. I do not smoke incense and try to levitate. Mainly because I do not wish to bump my head on the ceiling. But meditating makes me feel better and more focused. I really need focus. And I especially feel better when I meditate for the health and wellness of others.

I am trying to write about this consistently. I feel well and although I realize that my spirit will someday separate from my body, I hope it doesn’t happen soon. But we don’t know do we? An epidemic changes many plans and likely also the way we do many things in life. Some of this can be good. While shopping I have noticed many people wishing other strangers to “stay healthy; be well.” I wish that for all of us.

March 18, 2020

SELF-ISOLATION, DAY 3

It is raining again! Yippee!

See how easy it is to maintain a good mood? Well, I do work at it. I meditated, drove with my dog around in the rain, came back home. Oh, saw something new. Stopped at a chain pharmacy for some cold medicine just in case. They have blue tape on the floor, about 6 feet apart, where they ask customers to stand while waiting for the cashier. This is NOT guaranteed to stop the spread of COVID-19, but it is an attempt to maintain some social distancing while people do something they need to, ie pharmacy shopping. It could be used in grocery stores. If the epidemic gets much worse the government may have to step in to enforce some kind of distancing while allowing the population to shop for necessities.

We Americans are used to our many freedoms. But the country has been through many hard times, and select population groups, like Florida, New Orleans, and others, have experienced natural disasters which the majority of us have not suffered. We can do this. WE CAN DO THIS. We need to all pull together. China evidently is doing better after extreme social distancing/isolation measures. By the way, to repeat, the COVID-19 virus is the name being used by all public health folks. Corona virus is ok too. For those with no microbiology background, Corona virus is the name of the larger virus group, which includes other types of epidemics like SARS, and even many so-called common cold viruses. Like Rinaldi is my family name, and it includes lots of near and distant relatives. So, let us all call it COVID-19 or Corona and not after some country. I recently read about the so-called Spanish Flu virus of 1918-19. One or two Rinaldi’s died during that epidemic. Anyway, was not caused by the Spanish. It began in Europe during WW1. It devastated many civilian populations as well as many military personnel. The war was still being fought so allied war correspondents were not allowed to report on it in order to not detract from the war effort. The Spanish were not held to these standards, so, they reported that a major flu epidemic was raging. Therefore it came to be called Spanish Flu. And when our troops returned home, we were not ready for it and it spread like wildfire. We are medically better prepared now although that is not to diminish the severity of our situation.

Speaking of not diminishing the severity, I need to apologize to the wife of a very good friend of mine. My buddy and I drink coffee every month with another friend. Well, that will be suspended also I guess. His wife is a very nice and intelligent woman and last week maybe, she remarked on FB that things were getting more serious in the western suburbs, with the virus. I replied that according to the Center for Disease Control, CDC, the fatality rate is lower than say, for the H1N1. Well, I believe I seemed to diminish the severity and gravity of our present epidemic/pandemic. I was wrong in diminishing it. Still not sure about the fatality rate, but I am not the CDC. My basic feeling is that we should not panic, so that is the feeling lurking beneath what I write.

Speaking of writing this thing, blog or blurb. OMG my writing is getting longer and longer. I spend time and mental energy deciding what to write. I write kind of like I think, which is a little disorganized and chaotic at times. It is a kind of fine line. I find humor in many things, like the toilet paper deal. Btw, a friend of mine bought too much toilet paper a month or two ago, before it was an issue, and gave me a bunch. Like several rolls so I am ok, thanks for asking. I did stock up on peanut butter, I have 4 jars. God forbid I run out. So, this is what I mean; I think in a humorous way even though I fully realize that some friends and relatives are in the high risk group. I am as well, nearing my 73^rd birthday. I do not feel risky. I quit risky behavior years ago. Grew out of it or got tired. My son made me quit smoking years ago. Be grateful to any children you have, or other’s children as they come up with great ideas and we want our society to continue on so they can take over and do a better job than we sometimes do.

All right, call each other, check on friends and relatives as well as possible. Last night I did ZOOM videoconferencing with a community group to which I belong, DuPage United. Great group of people. Anyway it took me half an hour to figure out how to turn on the video on my PC but I managed. So, many ways we can continue our togetherness. It is a bad situation, but, not hopeless. Like many disasters in the past, this will go by, but we DO need to cooperate and try to keep our distance. I am a little concerned about the weekend work. I work the Friday evening in a large grocery store and all day Saturday and Sunday. I have not heard of any changes in the schedule. It can be crowded. But the job needs to be done and if I call in sick, I do not get paid. And someone else has more work to do. I think adjustments could be made and I will suggest it. But likely, no one will listen to me. I will not make any further comments on how business works.

So, I need to cook. I will try to continue this on a daily basis. I hope I do not hear groans, but no one has to read it. It is just me, one guy in Illinois commenting on how this pandemic looks from my perspective. I will try to stay healthy and not become a statistic. I wish the same for us all, especially for my relatives and friends, who I love.

Stay safe and well out there. Stay together and believe in the higher powers.

March 19, 2020

Trump Continues Calling the Coronavirus “Chinese” Despite Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes  [democracy now]

Whom does Trump blame for the Covid-19?

For the enemy within that he says is unseen?

For the lack of the test kits, the respirators

The shortage of beds  and of ventilators?

It’s ‘The Chinese virus’ He dubs it this name.

And that excludes him from whomever’s to blame.

I know I’m a bit delayed in posting last week’s Consumer Guide Carstuff Podcast, but today was record-the-podcast day at WCPT 820, so I wanted to make sure I got this one out ASAP.

The big news last week was the postponement of the New York Auto Show, which was supposed to happen at the beginning of April, but will now take place after the newly minted June Detroit auto ahow. Things are certainly still fluid with this situation, and we discussed even more cancellations today.

The car we check out: The BMW M850i.

But the bulk of our show focused on the Teen Driver Safety program offered by the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill. Our guest was Tony Kester, chief instructor and managing director of driving programs for the Autobahn. What this program gives you over something like, say, driver’s ed, is real-world experience dealing with emergency situations. I’ve attended the program myself, and it’s a pretty cool deal. For the adults out there, they also offer performance driving courses.

While I will continue to post the podcast to my blog each week, you can subscribe to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast on any podcast subscription service or visit the Buzzsprout link. New episodes are usually posted on Friday, and then the show itself airs on WCPT 820 AM on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m.

Be sure to let us know if you have questions or if there are any topics you’d like us to cover on future podcasts.

You can follow us on social at:

• Jill: @jillciminillo (instagram/twitter)
• Tom: @car_guy_tom (twitter)
• Damon: @DBell72333786 (twitter)
• Consumer Guide Automotive: @cgautomotive (twitter/facebook)
• Consumer Guide Car Stuff on facebook

It’s Thursday of the week before this week as I am posting. With the COVID-19 virus causing restaurants to close to sit-down service, a lot of events have been postponed or cancelled. I left a few of the postponements up for big events, like the Two Brothers’ anniversary party.

I have found over the previous weekend that some brewers have gone on with new beer releases, if they are able to do canned beers or crowlers for walk-in or curbside pickup. So I will update as I find these.

As always, please call your favorite establishment to see what their latest situation is. And be sure to tip generously.

Monday, March 23

Tuesday, March 24

Wednesday, March 25

Thursday, March 26