Videos

The 10 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago Right NowLynette Smithon September 16, 2021 at 4:46 pm

Photograph: Sandy Noto

1 Esmé

What:Jenner Tomaska (Next) and his wife, Katrina Bravo, forge new ground with this art-focused spot that includes both a tasting menu and a casual bar.
Why:Head in for 16 courses on the tasting menu, such as salmon with ranch whey, plus artist dinners and a wine list loaded with bottles from women and BIPOC producers.
Where:2200 N. Clark St., Lincoln Park Website

Photograph: Courtesy of Hinoki Sushiko

2 Hinoki Sushiko

What:Kyoten’s Otto Phan unleashes a new venture that’s half omakase, half izakaya.
Why:What suits your mood — ocean trout nigiri or chicken karaage with truffle Dijonnaise?
Where:1465 W. Willow St., West Town Website

Photograph: Azuree Wiitala

3 George’s Deep Dish

What:George Bumbaris enters the deep-dish game with cheese-edged sourdough pies.
Why:You can never have too much deep dish (especially one with spinach-artichoke dip).
Where:6221 N. Clark St., Edgewater Website

Photograph: Kathleen Robinson

4 Chikatana

What:Mexican meets Midwestern at this spot from Guillermo Reyes (Mi Tocaya Antojeria).
Why:Order seasonally changing dishes, like cauliflower chorizo tacos.
Where:850 W. Fulton Market, West Loop Website

Photograph: Amber Millan

5 The Authentic Tamale Guy

What:Claudio Velez is back slinging late-night tamales; find him at Bangers & Lace.
Why:The question shouldn’t be “Why?” but rather “How many?”
Where:1670 W. Division St., Wicker Park Website

Photograph: Hilary Higgins

6 Ken Kee Restaurant

What:A reboot of the Chinatown icon from Strings Ramen’s Kenny Yang
Why:He added lots of neon and build-your-own noodle bowls with toppings like quail eggs and veggie dumplings.
Where:2129 S. China Pl. Website

Photograph: Mariana Marinho

7 Vaca’s Creamery

What:A vegan ice cream shop that highlights socially responsible purveyors
Why:Get your oat milk soft serve drizzled with dulce de leche or turned into a s’mores sundae.
Where:1436 W. Blackhawk St., Noble Square Website

Photograph: Courtesy of The Duplex

8 The Duplex

What:LeQoinne Rice’s restaurant and bar features a rotating selection of concepts.
Why:First up: fried chicken sandos from the Kluckerz and birria tacos from Lime and Radish.
Where:3137 W. Logan Blvd., Logan Square Website

Photograph: Nick Lipton

9 Little Wild

What:The Ace Hotel’s bumping new rooftop bar, complete with frozen painkillers and local beers
Why:Expect DJs, a monthly queer party, and chorizo nachos.
Where: 311 N. Morgan St., West Loop Website

Photograph: Octavio Romo

10 Aloha Wagon

What:Say aloha to a new location for the Hawaiian favorite.
Why:Loco moco and Spam musubi deliver just the kind of tropical vibe the season requires.
Where:2023 S. Western Ave., Heart of Chicago Website

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The 10 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago Right NowLynette Smithon September 16, 2021 at 4:46 pm Read More »

Breaking down Week 4’s top high school football gamesMike Clarkon September 16, 2021 at 3:03 pm

No. 1 Loyola at No. 3 Brother Rice, 6 p.m. Friday

The state’s best conference, the CCL/ESCC Blue, kicks off league play with two games featuring four of the area’s top six teams. This one matches Loyola (3-0), fresh off statement wins over downstate power Rochester and St. Rita, and Brother Rice (3-0), aiming to make departing coach Brian Badke’s final season one to remember. Loyola quarterback Jake Stearney showed last week why coach John Holecek has been touting his college potential. With St. Rita committed to stopping the run, Stearney threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-7 win. Quarterback Jack Lausch, who will be a preferred walk-on in baseball and football at Notre Dame, and running back Aaron Vaughn are playmakers for Rice.

No. 6 Mount Carmel at No. 4 Marist, 6 p.m. Friday

This is the other CCL/ESCC showdown of 3-0 teams. The Caravan were something of an unknown quantity coming into the season after graduating an exceptionally talented senior class, including current Temple starting quarterback Justin Lynch. But an opening win over St. Rita served notice that Mount Carmel remains an elite program thanks to the emergence of quarterbacks Blainey Dowling and Damarion Arrington among others. Coastal Carolina recruit Dontrell Jackson Jr. is one of the state’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks with 319 passing yards and five TDs to go along with 267 rushing yards and two TDs. Running back Jaylen Johnson is another playmaker with 175 rushing yards and five scores.

Providence at No. 5 Joliet Catholic, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Both of these Will County rivals have big playoff dreams — Providence (2-1, 0-0 CCL/ESCC Orange) is ranked No. 2 in 5A by the Associated Press, while Joliet Catholic (3-0, 0-0) is No. 1 in 4A. Providence’s only loss was to No. 14 Wheaton North, and the Celtics handed Fenwick its first loss last week. Joliet Catholic’s closest game so far was a 30-20 win over St. Louis power Cardinal Ritter in which the Hilltoppers opened a 23-0 lead. Malachi Hood, headed to Illinois as a linebacker, has been a productive two-way player for JCA.

No. 24 St. Charles North at No. 14 Wheaton North, 7:30 p,m. Friday

It’s a little early to say any game is a must-win, but neither the North Stars (2-1, 0-1 DuKane) nor the Falcons (2-1, 0-1) want to go to 0-2 in a league that has four teams in the Super 25. Both are coming off narrow losses: St. Charles North, 12-10 vs. WW South on a field goal with 4.5 seconds left, and Wheaton North, 23-20 in overtime at Batavia. Two-way standout Drew Surges had a TD and an interception for St. Charles North last week. Holy Cross-bound quarterback Mark Forcucci leads a balanced Wheaton North offense.

No. 20 Lockport at No. 19 H-F, 6 p.m. Friday

Both teams are 3-0 heading into their Southwest Suburban Blue opener and neither has been tested. They’ve outscored their opponents by margins of 132-7 (Lockport) and 112-8 (H-F). It’s been a while since Lockport’s loyal fan base, one of the area’s best, had much to cheer about. But former Lincoln-Way North coach George Czart has turned around a program that has only one playoff appearance since 2011, going 11-7 in two-plus seasons. H-F went to the 8A quarterfinals or beyond six times in 10 seasons under Craig Buzea and aims to remain a playoff power under his successor, Terrell Alexander.

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Breaking down Week 4’s top high school football gamesMike Clarkon September 16, 2021 at 3:03 pm Read More »

Open House ChicagoLynette Smithon September 16, 2021 at 2:21 pm

The Basics

Are you the type to peep inside neighbors’ windows as you walk by, just, well, because? Then you’ll love busybodying during Open House Chicago. Each October, more than a hundred of the city’s most beautiful and intriguing spaces open their doors to the public, entirely for free. Presented by the Chicago Architecture Center, the weekend-long event features sites in nearly every neighborhood.

Due to pandemic restrictions, no buildings were open to the public during Open House Chicago 2020. The event went on anyway: The CAC developed an app which guided users through neighborhoods and themed trails throughout the city, highlighting notable buildings along the way.

Open House Chicago 2021 will be a hybrid event with interior tours, as well as self-guided trails on the OHC2021 app. Stops on the self-guided tours are still mostly exteriors, but the app (available for download in the Google Play and Apple app stores) is packed with historical and architectural insights. We’ve selected a mix of skyscrapers, theaters, and ritzy hotels — all completely new to OHC this year — that, for one precious weekend, you’re absolutely encouraged to snoop through.

Can’t-Miss Sites

Bank of America Tower Chicago is addicted to building skyscrapers — check out one of our latest, the Bank of America Tower, a 56-story modernist structure erected just last year. Nestled on the riverfront, it’s the tallest office building constructed here since Two Prudential Plaza in 1990. 110 N. Wacker Dr.

Quinn Chapel Home to Chicago’s oldest Black congregation, this Bronzeville A.M.E. church has stood in its current location since 1891. For generations, Quinn Chapel has been a center for social and political activism — both W.E.B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here. 2401 S. Wabash Ave.

Sable Hotel at Navy Pier What’s that, you say? You couldn’t be paid to go to Navy Pier? Once you check out the breathtaking views of the skyline and the lake at this luxury hotel, which opened in March, you might just start pinching your pennies for a staycation here. 900 E. Grand Ave.

Illinois Holocaust Museum Don’t sleep on free admission to museums participating in OHC, including this one. Check out its current exhibition, Shanghai: Safe Haven During the Holocaust, featuring photographs of European Jews who found refuge from the Nazis in China. 9603 Woods Dr., Skokie

From left: Helmut Jahn + Life + Architecture and Uptown Theatre

Must-Do Self-Guided Trails

Great Chicago Fire Trail October 8 marks 150 years since Mrs. O’Leary’s barn caught fire, the first of 17,450 buildings to burn over the next two days. Sites include the Roger Quinn Fire Academy (on the site of the O’Leary home), St. Ignatius College Prep, fire relief cottages in Old Town, and the Water Tower on Michigan Avenue.

Obama Trail Astrally project yourself into the shoes of the young, future presidential couple on this tour of Kenwood and Hyde Park. You’ll check out (the exterior of) the Obamas’ Georgian manse, the University of Chicago Law School, and the former first couple’s favorite local businesses, including 57th Street Books and Valois Restaurant.

Helmut Jahn Downtown Trail Explore the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s modernist protégé, killed in a bicycle accident just this spring. Stop at the Thompson Center, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the Chicago Architecture Center itself, for the exhibition Helmut Jahn + Life + Architecture.

Uptown Entertainment District Trail Broadway and Lawrence boasts some of Chicago’s most venerable, ornate performance venues. Take the Red Line back to the Jazz Age, and peep the Green Mill, Aragon Ballroom, and Uptown Theatre.

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Open House ChicagoLynette Smithon September 16, 2021 at 2:21 pm Read More »

Pair charged with killing man in front of his West Pullman home after throwing brick through windowDavid Struetton September 16, 2021 at 1:34 pm

Two men have been charged with fatally shooting a man in front of his West Pullman home on the Far South Side in early August.

Nathaniel Butler Jr., 20, and Maurice Butler, 23, were identified as participating in the Aug. 1 murder of Jerome Jenkins, according to Chicago police.

Jenkins, 35, was shot in the 12100 block of South LaSalle Street after he went outside to investigate a brick thrown through his window, police said. Gunfire erupted and he was struck several times in his chest.

He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead.

Nathaniel Butler Jr. was arrested Tuesday in County Club Hills, while Maurice Butler was arrested the same day in the 8000 block of South Escanaba Avenue in South Chicago, police said.

They are due in court later Thursday to face counts of first-degree murder.

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Pair charged with killing man in front of his West Pullman home after throwing brick through windowDavid Struetton September 16, 2021 at 1:34 pm Read More »

Chicago Bears: Justin Fields saga likely to get Matt Nagy firedRyan Heckmanon September 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm

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Chicago Bears: Justin Fields saga likely to get Matt Nagy firedRyan Heckmanon September 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm Read More »

3 killed, 14 shot Wednesday in Chicago, including 16-year-old boySun-Times Wireon September 16, 2021 at 11:53 am

Three people were killed and 14 others wounded Wednesday in citywide gun violence.

Two men killed each other Wednesday afternoon near a business in West Humboldt Park, one of them shot and the other stabbed, according to police.

A man, 38, shot the other man, 44, near a business in the 1100 block of North Pulaski Road just before 2 p.m., Chicago police said. The older man then stabbed the other man in the back, police said.

The 38-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The older man was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died.

A third man was fatally shot Wednesday night near the back of a home in Woodlawn on the South Side.

The man, 24, was in the 6600 block of South Kenwood when someone shot him in the arm, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

In nonfatal attacks, three people were wounded, one critically, after gunmen opened fire after pulling up to a business Wednesday night in Englewood on the South Side.

The attack happened in the 7000 block of South Halsted Street about 6:20 p.m., police said.

A 51-year-old man was struck in the chest and arm and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said.

A 37-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the knee and went to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition. The third victim — a female whose age was unknown — was struck in the leg and abdomen. She was taken to Holy Cross Hospital also in good condition, police said.

Late Wednesday night, a 16-year-old boy was wounded in a drive-by shooting Wednesday night in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

The teen was sitting in a parked car about 10:40 p.m. in the 2600 block of West Pope John Paul II Drive when someone in a red car fired shots, police said. He suffered a graze wound to the head and was shot in the arm. He was transported in fair condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

At least 10 others were hurt in shootings across Chicago.

Eight people were shot, one fatally, Tuesday in Chicago.

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3 killed, 14 shot Wednesday in Chicago, including 16-year-old boySun-Times Wireon September 16, 2021 at 11:53 am Read More »

Chicago Bears: 3 solutions to solve the Eddie Jackson problemRyan Heckmanon September 16, 2021 at 11:00 am

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Chicago Bears: 3 solutions to solve the Eddie Jackson problemRyan Heckmanon September 16, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

16-year-old boy wounded in Brighton Park drive-by shootingSun-Times Wireon September 16, 2021 at 6:34 am

A 16-year-old boy was wounded in a drive-by shooting Wednesday night in Brighton Park on the Southwest Side.

The teen boy was sitting in a parked vehicle about 10:40 p.m. in the 2600 block of West Pope John Paul II Drive when someone inside a red car fired shots, Chicago police said.

He suffered a graze wound to the head and was shot in the arm, police said. He was transported in fair condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.

Area One detectives are investigating.

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16-year-old boy wounded in Brighton Park drive-by shootingSun-Times Wireon September 16, 2021 at 6:34 am Read More »

Things to do in Chicago for movie fansMary Houlihan – For the Sun-Timeson September 16, 2021 at 4:07 am

Welcome to our roundup of movie screenings and events in Chicago. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on shows and activities.

Facets

Deragh Campbell in “Anne at 13,000 Ft.”The Cinema Guild

When: Ongoing

Where: 1517 W. Fullerton

What: Facets returns to indoor screenings with the Chicago premiere of Canadian director Kazik Radwanski’s “Anne at 13,000 Ft.” (Sept. 17-26, $12). Deragh Campbell stars as a young woman struggling to preserve her identity as her seemingly grounded life gives way to increased anxiety and recklessness. During the extended down time, the Facets team has also been busy creating and polishing a series of new initiatives ranging from a program to help Chicago filmmakers premiere their films and a late-night series featuring screen gems and more to an enhanced Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (Nov. 5-14) and a new in-house cafe and studio space for workshops and receptions.

More information: For updated information regarding Facets’ COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask policies, visit facets.org.

Queer documentary festival

“Dykes, Camera, Action!”Provided

When: Sept. 19-27

Where: Online

What: PrideArts hosts a trio of documentary films about different aspects of queer life in America. “Dykes, Camera, Action!” is a history of Lesbian cinema from the women who made it happen, “P.S. Burn This Letter, Please” profiles drag queens from the 1950s when public cross dressing was illegal and “Proper Pronouns” looks at some of the transgender Americans serving as ordained Church ministers. Tickets: $12.

More information: pridearts.com

Marlene Dietrich

Jean Arthur (from left), John Lund and Marlene Dietrich in “A Foreign Affair.”Paramount Pictures

When: Sept. 5-Oct. 3

Where: 3733 N. Southport

What: The Music Box Theatre honors the great German American actress Marlene Dietrich with a matinee series featuring her work with directors Fritz Lang (“Rancho Notorious”), George Marshall (“Destry Rides Again”), Billy Wilder (“A Foreign Affair”) and longtime collaborator Josef von Sternberg (“Morocco” and “Shanghai Express”). Tickets: $9.

More information: For vaccination and/or mask policy information, visit musicboxtheatre.com.

Garden Movies

Music Box Theatre’s Garden Movies features films screened in the theatre’s expanded courtyard under the stars.Music Box Theatre

When: All summer long

Where: 3733 N. Southport

What: The Music Box Theatre is screening films in its expanded courtyard under the stars. Tickets: $9.

More information: musicboxtheatre.com

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Things to do in Chicago for movie fansMary Houlihan – For the Sun-Timeson September 16, 2021 at 4:07 am Read More »

Fire’s road woes continue with ninth road loss of seasonAssociated Presson September 16, 2021 at 4:19 am

WASHINGTON — Ola Kamara scored three goals in the first half to take the lead for the Golden Boot award and D.C. United beat the Fire 3-0 on Wednesday night at Audi Field.

D.C. United (10-10-4, 34 points) has won six of its last seven home matches. The Fire (6-13-5) lost for the ninth time on the road this season and have an MLS-low four away points.

Kamara leads MLS with 16 goals, two ahead of Seattle’s Raul Ruidiaz.

Kamara scored on penalty kicks in ninth and 35th minutes, with stutter-step run-up’s on both. Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth dove the wrong way on the first, and had a delayed reaction on the second.

Kamara completed the hat trick in the 44th. Paul Arriola sent a shot off the post that Julian Gressel gathered at the far post and sent back across for Kamara’s header.

The Fire (6-13-5, 23 points) had 13 shots but only one on goal. D.C. had seven shots, three on goal.

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Fire’s road woes continue with ninth road loss of seasonAssociated Presson September 16, 2021 at 4:19 am Read More »