Temperatures are rising, vibes are high, and ‘Mask Off’ by Future is next in every humans queue. You know what that means? Brunch season in Chicago is a full go. Brunch itself is the best meal of the day. Nothing hits quite like brunch, and for the best brunch in Chicago, you’ve come to the right place. Beginning May 1st, both Gemini and Old Pueblo Cantina are launching the ultimate brunch menus. Available on both Saturdays and Sundays, guests can indulge in signature brunch offerings. This weekend only, guests who make a reservation from 9-10 am will receive a complimentary cinnamon roll.
Here’s just a bit of the details on both Chicago culinary classics and what they’ve got in store for patrons this spring.
Image Credit: Gemini
Brunch at Gemini will begin at 9:00am on both Saturdays and Sundays with a ridiculous $25 bottomless brunch deal that would make even the stingiest of Chicagoan blush. Guests can choose from Bellini’s, Mimosas, Pauly G’s Bloody Mary’s, Margaritas, Virginia’s Garden featuring Botanist Gin, lime and cucumber, or the Squirtsy Draft which features rocktown grapefruit vodka, grapefruit, and lime. Also available for bottomless will be house red, rose, champagne, and a house white wine.
Gemini is located at 2075 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 in Lincoln Park. For more information on Gemini’s menu and to make a reservation head to their website at. http://www.geminichicago.com/.
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Image Credit: Old Puebla Cantina
Everyone who has ever dreamed of a homey neighborhood cantina with great food and great drinks is dreaming about Old Pueblo Cantina. Old Pueblo Cantina’s lunch offerings begin at 11:30am on Saturday and Sunday. The current menu will be available all day and also feature brunch specials so this offering has a little bit of everything.
At the laidback cantina on a charming tree-lined street, the flour tortillas are made in-house, mesquite wood fuels the open-flame grill, guacamole is made to order, and the seasonal fruit-forward margaritas are available by the glass and the pitcher. It’s a taste of home right in the DePaul neighborhood. Old Puebla Cantina is at 1200 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614.
ChicagoBears (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Thursday night, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace made his best attempt at making up for a mistake he made four years ago.
Moving up from pick no. 20 to no. 11 and selecting Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was exactly what this team needed. It’s exactly what this fan base needed. This is what the city of Chicago needed.
The Bears now become a team to watch out for, just as soon as Fields gets the nod as Chicago’s starter. For now, Pace confirmed Andy Dalton would be their starting quarterback. However, even he knows that those are just the right words to say in the moment. Out of respect for Dalton, Pace has to say that.
It will not be long before Fields is lighting up training camp and forcing Matt Nagy’s hand. There is no chance Dalton beats Fields out for this job. It’s not happening; especially if the Bears give him even more young pieces to work with.
Justin Fields can still use as much help on offense as the Chicago Bears can give him.
Fields has a nice arsenal of weapons in Chicago already, with wide receivers Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney accompanied by breakout running back David Montgomery. Those are just the three big ones, but Fields will also have Tarik Cohen, Damien Williams, Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham.
The table is set for Fields to have speedy development, but the Bears could still use a couple more guys around their young quarterback. There are two specific positions the Bears need to address in order for Fields to have as much success as possible, and as quickly as possible.
As the Bears enter Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, they possess picks in both the second and third round. In the second round, they own pick no. 52. In the third round, Chicago will pick at no. 83. The following two players should be Chicago’s ideal targets, should both be on the board when the Bears are picking.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes throws a pass during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 29-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears made a very bold move in trading up from pick 20th to number 11th to select arguably the second-best quarterback in this draft in Ohio State’s Justin Fields.
The Bears came into this draft with several needs, but none stronger than the QB position. They knew that they could not sell this fan base on Andy Dalton as QB1 with Nick Foles backing him up. The selection of Fields could possibly give hope for 2021, but more importantly, give hope for the future.
There is a possibility that Fields start sometime in 2021. However, the Bears would be wise to play this one carefully this time around by letting Fields sit and learn behind Dalton and possibly Foles (if he is still on the roster). The Bears, despite what some fans believe, have a playoff-ready roster. Is Dalton a QB that you can win because of? Of course not, but he is a QB with tons of starting experience throughout his career (That includes playoff games).
Dalton is a very capable starter, who Fields can learn from. Add in Foles, another veteran QB he can soak knowledge from. General Manager Ryan Pace was not lying when he made the comment that this would be a good QB room for a young QB to walk into.
This pick is not about 2021. Especially with the Green Bay Packers having an expiration date on their championship window. The Minnesota Vikings nor the Detroit Lions having a young QB in place to run the division.
The Packers for quite sometime have run the division mainly because of their success nailing the quarterback position. Brett Favre terrorized the NFC North 16 years with the Packers. Once the Bears thought they had relief with Favre being acquired by the Jets, Aaron Rodgers step in. Not only did the Packers not miss a beat, they got better at the position.
Fields have all the talent in the world to have that type of effect on a division. However, fans need to be patient and not put pressure on the team to not rush his development. If he is ready put him in, but if it is clear that he still needs to sit and learn behind Dalton, fans can not be mad at that.
This move is more about the future. The Bears have an opportunity to run the division if they properly develop Fields and build around him. He has the star-level ability that fans have not seen in this town since Jay Cutler’s acquisition. If the Bears handle this one right it will certainly pay off in the long run.
SPRINGFIELD — A bill distributing $1.4 billion of federal relief to those in need of COVID-19 emergency housing assistance was sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk on Thursday over Republican objections that the measure does not target those who are in real need of help.
“This bill essentially is trying to keep people in the state of Illinois in their homes,” said state Sen. Omar Aquino, the bill’s sponsor. “It tries to prioritize and surgically utilize the one-time money that we’re getting from the federal government to assist those people that truly need it the most.”
The bill “prioritizes disproportionately affected areas” based on “positive COVID-19 cases” or by “a history of homelessness,” according to the Near Northwest Side Democrat.
But state Sen. Jason Barickman said the money does not go to those who need it the most because it prioritizes “not based on their individual circumstances but based on the ZIP code in which they live.”
8 a.m. Fans allowed at Bulls, Blackhawks games as Chicago continues to ease restrictions
With two million vaccine doses administered and health metrics improving, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is reopening Chicago a little bit more — this time to let restaurants and theaters serve more patrons and allow fans inside the United Center for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The new Phase Four rules, effective immediately, allow the Bulls and Blackhawks to close their seasons before roughly 5,250 fans per game — 25% of the United Center’s capacity.
The Blackhawks play at home Thursday and Saturday against the Florida Panthers, then finish their regular-season home schedule with two games in May. The Bulls have a home game Friday, the first of six regular-season games left.
That 25% rule also applies to Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field and Soldier Field, an increase from the current 20%. The 25% also includes churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship.
Restaurants and bars can increase indoor capacity to 50% or 100 people, whichever is less. The cap had been 50% or 50 people.
Meetings, conferences and conventions held at large indoor venues like McCormick Place now can operate at 25% capacity or 250 people, whichever is less.
Festivals and, what the city calls “general admission outdoor spectator events” get the green light to welcome 15 people for every 1,000 square feet.
The same rules apply to flea markets, which can operate at 25% capacity.
7:15 a.m. Shot, please! Preckwinkle pushes vaccinations for restaurant workers as indoor capacity expands
Public health officials in Cook County are serving up COVID-19 vaccines to bar and restaurant workers as the suburbs follow in lockstep with Chicago’s latest round of eased coronavirus restrictions.
Mondays in May will be designated “restaurant days” at the county’s six suburban mass vaccination sites, Cook County Board Presidents Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday.
Anyone can sign up for an appointment or walk up to the six sites in Tinley Park, Matteson, River Grove, South Holland, Des Plaines or Forest Park. But officials want to vaccinate as many of the “essential heroes” in the hospitality industry as possible with indoor capacity expanding to the lesser of 50% or 100 people per room.
“Restaurant staff people worked tirelessly, even as they were asked to pivot to new roles to meet new demands, even as hours were cut, doors were closed, and their own life livelihoods were in jeopardy,” Preckwinkle said. “Now we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and people are returning toward cafes and restaurants for a sense of normal normalcy and camaraderie that we all have craved.”
An estimated 20% of restaurants statewide won’t survive the pandemic, according to Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia, shuttering about 5,000 businesses and leaving more than 100,000 out of work.
A total of 3,394 new cases of COVID-19 and 38 additional deaths were reported by Illinois health officials Thursday.
The latest cases were among 89,057 specimens tested over the last 24 hours, bringing the state’s positivity rate to 4%, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
A total of 107,689 vaccine doses were administered in the state Thursday, health officials said. An average of 97,434 vaccine doses have been administered per day over the last week.
Since the pandemic began, over 1.3 million people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19 and 21,927 have died, officials said.
BEIJING — Gathered in a practice room, five generously proportioned young men in baggy black sweaters are patting their bellies and waggling their arms. Bearded with double chins, they shout “Hoo-Ha!” in time to upbeat African drums.
The choreography is for the new song “Good Belly,” by Produce Pandas. DING, Cass, Husky, Otter and Mr. 17 weigh an average of 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and proudly call themselves “the first plus-sized boy band in China.”
That’s a radical departure from the industry standard seen in South Korean super groups such as BTS, whose lanky young members are sometimes referred to in China as “little fresh meat.”
Yet, it seems to be working for Produce Pandas, who rose to fame after making it about halfway through “Youth with You,” an idol talent competition hosted by iQiyi, one of the largest video platforms in China.
On the show, mentors and audience voters pick nine finalists, either individuals or group members, to come together to form a new band.
“The five of us may not have the standard look and shape of a boy band but we hope to use the term ‘plus-sized band’ to break the aesthetic stereotypes,” Cass said in an interview.
The five, two of whom formerly sang in bars, are also unusual for their relatively advanced ages in an industry that worships youth and stamina. Most of their fellow contestants on “Youth with You” began South Korean-style training while in their teens.
While Produce Pandas excited audiences and sparked discussion about how a pop idol should look, some taunting also appeared online.
Users of China’s Weibo microblog seized on the Chinese word for panda, a homonym of which appears in the Chinese name for the Japanese horror movie “Ring,” suggesting that watching them dance was similarly frightening.
Mr. 17, the band’s main dancer, was the oldest contestant in the competition at age 31. He had been discovered on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, where he posted clips of himself dancing in pajamas or while holding a bowl of rice.
He nicknamed himself “17” after his favorite age. The former petroleum company worker said he doesn’t feel old, but admits that after rehearsals, “I felt my energy was emptied.”
The five were solicited from over 300 hopefuls by Beijing-based DMDF Entertainment, which wanted to build a band that would be rotund and approachable as well as inspiring.
Husky, who worked in IT, thought he would fit in perfectly because he has been chubby since primary school and has failed repeatedly to lose weight.
“I often work out one day then take a rest for the next three days, so the result is clear that I gained some weight instead,” he said. The point is “stay in shape (and) not to lose weight, but to lose fat.”
Echoing Husky, Cass said the upside to being on such a team is that they don’t need to abstain when it comes to food.
“We don’t mind eating like a horse. I feel sorry for the ‘little fresh meat’ bands whose members must follow a diet to stay slim. I feel great whenever they look on enviously as we dig in!”
Team leader DING quit plus-sized modeling when he heard about auditioning for an “XXL” boy band, saying, “I feel this is probably the closest I can get to being on a magazine cover.”
The five are now working on a new album, with songs including “Pursue Your Dreams.”
“Saddle up on the horse and pursue your dreams. Don’t idle your time away,” the lyrics go.
Vocalist Otter, who has idolized the South Korean boy band Super Junior since he was 7, never thought he could be in a band that lives and performs together, and more importantly, encourages ordinary folk.
“I hope people will feel encouraged when watching our performance,” he said. They can think, “If Produce Pandas can make a breakthrough and perform on a bigger stage, then ‘why can’t I?'”
Vaughn Pemberton was a wrecking ball from the very beginning of his high school football career. The power and violence were always in his game.
That wasn’t enough. Being the big, strong running back landed him nothing but an offer from Northern Michigan, a Division 2 school.
“I was pissed about it,” Pemberton said. “I knew I had outplayed a lot of kids with Division I offers. I was just so mad.”
Pemberton works out with his Loyola teammate Josh Kreutz, the son of former Chicago Bear Olin Kreutz. It turns out a little bit of brutal honesty from someone he respected made an impact.
“Mr. Kreutz basically told me it was my fault that I didn’t have a D1 offer,” Pemberton said. “He said I had to work harder.”
The knock on Pemberton was his speed. So he fixed that. The 6-0, 210-pound senior terrorized the best defenses in the area this season. Pemberton climbed from the fourth string running back at Loyola his junior year to the Sun-Times Player of the Year as a senior.
Pemberton ran for 916 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in six games to help lead the Ramblers to an undefeated season and a wire-to-wire run as the top-ranked team in the Super 25.
“It almost made me feel like a bad coach to just keep giving him the ball and having him run over everybody,” Loyola coach John Holecek said. “[Pemberton] looks like an NFL player out there with his size and his big muscular back and the great stiff arm. And he has the vision to bounce things outside that you don’t think he should be able to.”
Pemberton’s increased speed made all the difference. Holecek didn’t remember a single defender catching Pemberton from behind this season.
“There was one time it happened,” Pemberton said. “Against Mount Carmel. I remember because I was so mad about it.”
Successful high school players are often written off as winners of the genetic lottery. But without an exceptional work ethic ability alone never produces a Player of the Year. Pemberton had to show that work ethic twice. He improved his speed after last season and spent most of his sophomore year rehabbing a broken leg.
Loyola’s Vaughn Pemberton (21) celebrates his touchdown against Mount Carmel with teammate Perrion McClinton (1).Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times
The injury had Pemberton considering giving up sports completely.
“I’ve never told him this, but I’m not sure what would have happened without [older brother Quinn Pemberton, who played basketball at Loyola and is now at Boston College],” Pemberton said. “I was worried I wouldn’t come back as the same athlete. But he’d been through dislocating his knee like three times and told me I’d be fine if I worked hard. And during that rehab I kept thinking about how hard I’d seen him work to get back.”
Pemberton has signed with Ball State. It’s the only D1 offer he received. Now the question is, will Power Five schools come calling for the area’s best player? Pemberton doesn’t care if they do.
“[Ball State] is like the perfect situation for me,” Pemberon said. “They really wanted me from the get go. So even if another school tries talking to me, I’m not decommitting.”
Pemberton has been playing football since he was five, but even midway through high school he thought his future was in basketball. He was a big-time scorer on the sophomore team at Loyola. But just a year later his future had clearly switched to football.
“Maybe his top speed isn’t as elite as some other guys,” Holecek said. “But when you add on his size and power and ability to the speed he has. That’s some upside.”
2020-21 Sun-Times All-Area Football Team
OFFENSE
OL Pat Coogan, Marist, Sr. (Notre Dame)
OL Enrique Cruz, Willowbrook, Sr. (Syracuse)
OL Otto Hess, Oswego, Sr. (Boston College)
OL Cameron James, Simeon, Sr. (Minnesota)
OL Jack Walsh, Fremd, Sr. (Wyoming)
QB Justin Lynch, Mount Carmel, Sr. (Temple)
RB Jordan Anderson, Joliet Catholic, Jr. (Illinois)
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent over a year staring at the same four walls. It’s kind of a bummer of a time to be living in the open-plan era—you can’t even go to the dining room or the den, just from the bedroom to the big space with all the stuff and back.
Well, below are some places to imagine yourself in, and maybe give yourself some ambitious ideas. Whether you like the outdoors, playing piano, or living like an English gentleman or a sultan, the Chicagoland area can fulfill aesthetic desires that run beyond bungalows or influencer-friendly new construction.
I found this home on Wednesday, its first day on Zillow; when I went to write this on Thursday, it was under contract. Sorry! But you might have some luck. Anyway, you can see why it didn’t last very long. $429,000 is a good price for three beds, two baths, and 2,500 square feet. It’s a great price when you consider the living room, with its 360-degree fireplace and 270-degree windows. And that’s not all: the second-best fireplace in this house, the mod teardrop one in the cozy, wood-paneled den, is cooler than the fireplaces in 99% of the homes in the area.
For a different kind of cozy, try this country estate designed by Harrie T. Lindberg. Architecture Digest has a nice appreciation of his work, which mixed up the Continental influences desired by the society set while extracting something American, and resulting in houses that read “less as impressive statements of status and more for comfortable living.” There’s still quite a bit of status embedded in its 7,000 square feet across four beds and nine baths—check out the mural in the sitting room—but the scale on the inside and out is more subtle than a lot of homes of its size and price range. Also: huge fireplace.
Alternately, you may want something more along the lines of an impressive statement of status—like, say, a vizier—and boy do I have the house for you. Built in 1982, it somehow feels of its era (especially the big built-in for the CRT TV) but also from the future. It’s for a very particular taste, but it would be a shame if it got too renovated; its audaciousness and absolute commitment to the bit give it a charm that houses of its size, price, and era don’t usually have. Even the TV feels just right. Pick up a Betamax if you go in on this.
Built in 2007, this six-bed, seven-bath house feels like a supersized midcentury ranch, maybe two supersized midcentury ranches stacked on top of each other, and it hides its large size—over 6,600 square feet—very well, if you’re into that. At the same time, it shows off its centerpiece, the two-story living room with the kind of proportions and light you get from a 21st-century sleek glass box. The rest of the house is a bit of a mishmash between the two styles; if you can’t decide between the two popular high-end styles, you might love it. I’m a fan of the steam shower with a dizzying tile pattern that’s the size of a den.
Its curbside appeal says “tiny biotech firm,” but inside it’s fab—instead of a conversation pit, it has a conversation stage… with a piano… shaped like a piano… beneath a piano-shaped layered ceiling. If you host a talk show, you can now work from home. There’s a small, hotel-sized indoor pool with a swim machine, and downstairs you’ll find a “sports arena”: a 40×20 oval space with torso-high walls and astroturf. There’s also another 4,000 square feet of unfinished storage space, for… you already have a stage and a sports arena and a pool, so… model trains? At over 10,000 square feet for the price, that’s a solid bargain, so dream big.
Thinking of taking a weekend trip to Rockford? There are so many things to do and see in this little city on the Rock River, and with the weather getting warmer, it’s the perfect time to explore new places. Check out these 7 amazing Rockford gems:
Spend some time outdoors, and take a tour of these beautifully-maintained Japanese gardens. Under the direction of designer Hoichi Kurisu, every aspect of the grounds is carefully considered and placed.
This Frank Lloyd Wright design was commissioned in the 1940s by World War II veteran Kenneth Laurent and his wife, Phyllis. It is the only one of Wright’s designs “created specifically for a client with a specific disability.” Both public and private tours are available by reservation.
Burpee recently reopened at limited capacity, and has plenty to offer. Check out Jane, “the world’s most complete and best preserved juvenile T. rex,” or learn about the long-ago residents of Illinois’ Ordovician Sea.
The local brewery also has a full food menu and regularly hosts live music. Grab a burger, a Screw City Light, and stop by Monday nights from June to September to catch some tunes.
With 44 individual preserves, this network of trails, woods, and prairies is a great way to explore the Rockford area and experience some natural beauty. You can go hiking, biking, or even do some canoeing and fishing here.
Explore Rockford through its public art— specifically, the pieces included in its Sculpture Walk. Use the Sculpture Walk map to guide you to each piece, and learn more about each artist and their work as you walk through the city.
If you’re a fan of Cheap Trick, you know the band has deep ties to the city of Rockford. Using the Trickford Fan Trail brochure, you can visit all the spots that are important to Cheap Trick’s local history.
After an offseason full of trade rumors and speculation, the Chicago Bears finally found a guy that just could be a franchise quarterback. The front office took another chance and traded up in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears need this trade to work out so much better than the 2017 deal.
Even though it’s may seem like a familiar story, I genuinely believe this trade will end up a lot different than the one in 2017.
When news of the trade broke, everyone knew it had to be a quarterback. When it was confirmed to be Ohio State’s Justin Fields, the reaction from fans was pure excitement. Analysts were surprised by what the Giants were able to get but also praised the Bears for getting their guy.
The Bears traded their 20th overall pick this year and a first-round pick in 2022 to the New York Giants for the 11th pick. In addition, the Bears gave up their fifth-round pick this year and a 2022 fourth-round pick.
It’s a steep price to pay but it puts a whole new outlook on this season. Fields is a quarterback with proven arm talent and is instantly the best quarterback Bears coach Matt Nagy has had in his tenure in Chicago. It may take time for Fields to learn to read NFL defenses but his athleticism and talent can carry him a long, long way.
The Bears front office already tried this in 2017 when they traded up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky second overall. The Bears gave up two third-round picks and a fourth as well in that trade and it was widely considered a fleecing by the 49ers.
General Manager Ryan Pace doesn’t have trust from a lot of Bears fans after that debacle but let me lay out why I think this will end up better than last time. If it doesn’t, take some solace in the fact that everyone will likely be fired.
The morning after seeing the Chicago Bears move up and select Justin Fields is an odd one, because fans may still not believe it.
Did Ryan Pace really do that? Did the Bears actually make one of the best moves they have ever made, in the history of the NFL Draft?
Fans should be elated over the fact that Chicago has their franchise quarterback locked down, and he’s far and away a much better prospect than any guy the Bears have ever drafted. Fields is a big game quarterback who gives the Bears a dual threat under center, and this offense is going to look a whole lot different in a short amount of time.
Funny enough, we heard Pace say late Thursday night that Andy Dalton is still the team’s starter — which feels far too familiar. Back when the team traded up for Mitchell Trubisky in 2017, Pace still called Mike Glennon the starter.
Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears in no time, but there’s still work to be done.
Pace isn’t fooling anybody. Fields will be the guy sooner or later, and fans are hoping for the former.
Before Fields suits up for the Bears, or even before the team makes a selection on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft, Chicago still has a few moves they can make. Now that they have their quarterback situation locked down, Pace can focus elsewhere.
In trading for Fields, Pace gave up another pick in this year’s draft. So, after the night is over, they won’t pick for a couple more rounds. You have to figure Pace will continue to be active going into Day 2 and beyond.
The roster still has spots that can be tweaked as well, even beyond simply drafting a player to fill a need. The Bears could make one or two more trades that make some sense for the team’s future, starting with addressing the elephant in the room at quarterback.
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Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
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