A woman died after Dolton police shot into her car as she dragged one officer and struck another at a restaurant drive-thru early Tuesday, badly injuring both officers, officials said.

Dolton police were called around 1 a.m. Tuesday to Baba’s Famous Steak & Lemonade restaurant at Oak and Sibley Boulevard for a woman with a gun who was upset, Dolton spokesman Sean Howard told reporters.

Officers ordered the woman and a man inside the car to get out, Howard said. The man complied but the woman refused.

As one of the officers tried to remove her from the car, the woman sped off and dragged the officer, Howard said. Another officer then fired three times into the car, Howard said.

The woman ran over that officer and crashed into a squad car, Howard said. She continued to drive one block and crashed into an unoccupied bicycle shop, he said.

The woman died at the scene, Howard said. It’s unclear if she died from gunshot wounds or from the crash. Her name hasn’t been released.

The two officers were taken to a hospital and were in serious condition, he said.

“This was unfortunate,” Howard said. He said witnesses were cooperating with police.

Illinois State Police were investigating the officers’ use of force, Howard said.

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One pandemic silver lining: Restaurants started selling high-quality ingredients — meats, pastas, tinned seafood — directly to customers to juice revenue and appeal to home gourmets. Two of the best have become permanent fixtures. The retail display at El Che looks like one of those cases in an old-timey diner that sold Chiclets and cigarettes. Except here it’s John Manion’s world of Argentine steak cookery. Look! Here are bone-cut short ribs and footlong tomahawk chops. Here is Manion’s “beef whip” (a.k.a. seasoned tallow) to slather on the meat as it grills, and chimichurri to dollop on after it hits your plate. Why stop there? Upgrade your game with a Town Cutler cleaver. Buy the guide Manion wrote with local writer Maggie Hennessy on how to pit-cook beef at home. Pick up some wine, and you’ll feel like a backyard gaucho in no time. If your tastes run more to flora, then check out Daisies Market. Frillman Farms produce is the star, but don’t overlook the fresh pastas this restaurant is known for and a nicely curated selection of dry goods. El Che, 845 W. Washington Blvd., West Loop; Daisies, 2523 N. Milwaukee Ave., Logan Square

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Comedian Angie McMahon started this virtual game show last May, determined to throw the best house party. The premise: Writers create the setups, comedians compete to deliver the funniest punch lines — with occasional pop-ins from celebrity guests like Jay Mohr — and the audience rediscovers joy. (Sommer Austin’s suggestion for a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor? De-yummm the Police.) Soon Wisecrackin’ could get a bigger platform: McMahon and her team are in the middle of producing a TV pilot with comedy impresario Barry Katz. wisecrackin.com

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An oversize vellum menu has its charms, but it can be hard to read in dim light, and we’ve seen more than one go up in flames when held too close to a candle. So we’re happy to read QR menus on our phones, a contactless innovation that began early in the pandemic and has stuck around. Added bonus: We can check the Cubs score, and no one is the wiser.

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After a year of living on the pandemmy diet (slurping Revolution beer while binge-watching Shameless in the dark), it’s time to head out to SoulCycle in Westfield Old Orchard to explore the music of Harry Styles while cycling up a massive hill! The outdoor classes, rolled out when communal heavy breathing in a confined space seemed like a ticket to COVIDville, are held in the breeze — ahhhhh — and the music is cranked. High-energy instructors help boost your metabolism and confidence with reminders like “Your legacy lives in what you do now!” (Try not to think too hard about how your legacy lives if what you’re doing now is trying not to die on a stationary bike in a mall.) From $20. 4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie

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Choreographer Stephanie Martinez has shaped performances for some of the country’s best ballet companies, including the Joffrey, the Kansas City Ballet, and New York City’s Ballet Hispánico, but when the pandemic hit, the work dried up. Still, Martinez didn’t stop moving. She formed the new outfit Para.Mar in June 2020 and recruited local and national dance stars like Philadelphia-based Ching Ching Wong and former Hubbard Street dancer Alicia Delgadillo for the group’s first concert in October. To create an outdoor venue from nothing, she literally rolled out the red carpet — a garnet-colored Berber — over a parking lot at 3319 North Elston Avenue. Para.Mar may not dance on asphalt forever, but this stellar troupe is here to stay.

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1. Fraisier Cake Bites “The fraisier is a classic, luscious French dessert. I make a super-light buttercream mousseline with pastry cream and crème chantilly, which I pipe into all the nooks and crannies over a mountain of strawberries.”

2. Traditional Tea Sandwich “We spread whipped caviar cream cheese onto buttered brioche and garnish it with breakfast radishes and chives. You don’t even see the caviar until you bite into it, but it adds a mild salty flavor.”

3. Smoked Salmon Panisse “People think that tea always has to have sandwiches, but not every dish needs bread. Here, the panisse is draped with smoked salmon and a dab of dill crème fraîche.”

4. Kostali Popovers “Popovers are timeless, and the light crunch on the shell is a fun bite to start. They’re served with a fruit jam that’s blended with butter — peach ginger rum jam, blueberry mint, or rosé Champagne strawberry preserve.”

5. Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate Tart “The bittersweet Guittard chocolate in this tart just melts in your mouth. The gold leaf adds exuberance, like in the Gilded Age.”

6. Tahini Shortbread Cookies With Dark Chocolate and Sesame Seeds “These are loosely based on my mother’s famous Armenian tahini rolls. Tahini has a distinct nutty chickpea aroma and is more savory and crumbly than traditional shortbread.”

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The 92-year-old movie house on Southport Avenue has long been celebrated for its two completely different screening rooms: a palatial, 700-seat main theater under an artificial night sky and a 13-foot-high box that can accommodate a few dozen. COVID unexpectedly unearthed a third: a fenced-in concrete lot out back where you can take in Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Carrie under an actual night sky. The “garden” is open for the spring and summer only, but blessedly it’s not consigned to a single pandemic season. 3733 N. Southport Ave., Lake View

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Kate Reavey’s Chicago Vintage Weddings may have had a slow season, but the event planner wasn’t about to sit COVID out. Instead, she leased a Bucktown storefront for a pop-up, loaded it with all the flatware and tablescape finds she keeps in storage for her glorious nuptial vignettes, and gave the people what they wanted: a high-style home-decor shop with a distinctly Parisian POV. Weddings are back on, but so are dinner parties, so snag her retro crystal, silver, and china — now available online — while it lasts. shopcapucine.com

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What started out as a play area for the Schaumburg host’s children, then became a sleeper hit of an Airbnb in 2012, emerged during the COVID era as a bona fide blockbuster. The one-room 170-square-footer (plus a tepee) sleeps four and starts at $235 a night.

1. Take in the woodsy view from the deck — sized to fit you, a companion, and a toilet in a tent — but don’t be alarmed if you sway. “If it’s really windy, you can really feel it,” says the host. “Most people really like it.”

2. Fire up the tiny fireplace and settle in for a movie night, and the Keurig and toaster will have you covered in the morning. There’s a full-size bed on the first level and twin beds in the loft; for an extra $100, a couple of kids can spend the night in a tepee just below.

3. Chill by the koi pond, and feel the “magic” — the most commonly used word in reviews. “The landscaping and the lights give the illusion of being in an exotic location,” the host says. “Even though it’s in my backyard in Schaumburg.”

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