Restaurant Review: Chicago Restaurant Week is Back, January 20-February 5

/in , /by
Photo of Haooy people at celebration holding glowing sparklers

Chicago Restaurant Week turns Sweet Sixteen in 2023. This year, the annual event, featuring restaurants from Rogers Park to the South Side,  will run from Friday, January 20 to Sunday, February 5, bringing together more than 300 of the city’s top restaurants, representing, as Choose Chicago describes it, “a near-endless array of cuisines.” They also mention that there are 13 new Chicago restaurants to check out this year! 

One of the great parts of Restaurant Week are the prices: multi-course meals are $25 for brunch or lunch, and $42 and/or $59 for dinner (excluding beverages, tax, and gratuity), at some of Chicago ‘s finest restaurants including: 

For example, Lakeview’s  Ceres Table,  3124 N. Broadway, features regional, Italian-inspired seasonal plates that pay homage to traditional Italian cuisine, while forging meaningful connections with Midwestern farmers with seasonal, local, and sustainable ingredients.

Or, in Streeterville, explore the world of tasty plant-based creations at Althea, located in Saks Fifth Ave, 700 N. Michigan Avenue, under the direction of renowned celebrity chef and plant-based pioneer, Matthew Kenney, Althea offers organic, globally-inspired and thoughtfully-sourced ingredients.

New this year is the Gold Coast’s Alpana, 831 N. State Street, the creation of restauranteur/tv show host/master sommelier Alpana Singh. Her four-course bistro menu for Restaurant Week includes such a wine-inspired cuisine as your choice of plum salad, feta, green beans, and crushed marcona almonds, or a crispy polenta & mushrooms, black truffle parmesan fonduta.

Another favorite is Wicker Park’s Café Robey, 1600 N. Milwaukee Avenue, helmed by Chef Michael Elliott. They’re planning a Modern American fare menu– all against the backdrop of Wicker Park and Bucktown’s bustling six-corners intersection at Milwaukee and North Avenues.

Come to Little Italy/University Village for French cuisine? Oui! Chez Joel Bistro Francais,1119 W. Taylor Street, has Chef Joël Kazouini, who offers his “straightforward, expertly prepared” Southern French cuisine for $42 during Restaurant Week.

Greek is the word at Avli,whose locations in Lincoln Park, Lakeshore East, etc., work in the space of  “tradition meets new contemporary elegance and guests experience our core philosophies of Philoxenia (hospitality), Kefi (joy), and Meraki (passion).”

With 300 restaurants to choose from, there will be something for everyone in the family to sample, in every part of the city! 

Reservations are highly encouraged, and you can reserve now for all participating restaurants. For reservations, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Chicago Home and Lifestyles – Fitness goals in 2023

/in , /by
Photo of senior athletes synchronous exercising on step platforms at gym

Many of us have a goal this year to get more fit. If you go by fitness centers in January, the parking lots are full, but February…not so much. We need to find a way to increase physical activity in a way that will become a habit and be enjoyable!

Number one: don’t be glued to that number on the scale. Do not weigh yourself every day. As you get more fit, muscle may develop and it weighs more than fat. Pay more attention to how your clothes fit. That is a better clue as to how you’re doing!

It matters more to do something rather than what you planned to do. Advice will come from all sides. “Swimming is best. Get a Peloton. You must run to get fit!” They mean well, but you must find what is best for you, something that you will do and keep doing and have fun. The CDC recommends 150 minutes per week in some moderate-intensity aerobic activity. This can be as much as brisk walking or biking. Then add twice weekly muscle strengthening sessions. Light weights or resistance bands can work here. Try to increase your reps and times for better fitness. 

There is a relatively new approach to fitness called HIIT. It involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of low intensity exercise or rest. It works, but be aware that if you choose a high intensity exercise like sprinting you might overwork. Try more body weight exercise like squats and step ups to avoid exhaustion and injury. 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off for each, followed by a 2-minute rest, 5-10 rounds. In a 2011 study just three 20 minute HIIT workouts per week improved metabolism, body composition, and cardio fitness. 

Above all, listen to your body. As we age, we walk a fine line between pushing enough and pushing too far. You might want to replace running with rucking (walking with a weighted pack). It could also be beneficial to hook up with a personal trainer to gauge a safe workout for you. It’s worth the money for a few sessions to see what you can do safely. Make sure to get out and do something for a fitter 2023!

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

4 Simple Practices to Improve Your Personal Finances

/in , /by
Image of a woman using a calculator to figure out personal finances

The downward spiral of debt is a dangerous one, especially when that debt is attached to extremely high interest rates, typical of credit card debt. With rates as high as 36%, it can be very challenging to climb back out for air. But all is not lost. You can still take action right now to not only get rid of your debt, but start padding your savings account too.

Give these 4 practices a go to get you back on the road to financial health for the long haul.

Commit to Using Cash Only for a While

If you’ve had a torrid affair with plastic (aka your credit card), you may have gotten yourself into trouble every now and then. Financial gurus often suggest that people with dangerously high levels of debt should cut up every credit card owned, and use cash only for expenditures until the debt has been successfully managed.

If you are having a tough time saving because every penny you make is going to towards paying off your ridiculously high credit card debt, perhaps it’s time to start adopting a cash-only lifestyle, at least for a little while until you get a hold of your finances. Just keep one old credit card account open, but don’t charge it. While this may sound like a crazy, impossible task, you’ll soon learn how to live within your means.

Put 1% of Every Paycheck Into Your Savings Account

One percent might not sound like a lot, but it’s something, and it’s a good starting point upon which you can build. Putting a certain percentage of your income away into a savings account will help get you into the habit of saving on a regular basis. No matter how small your bank account is, and regardless of how little you’re putting away every month, the point is you’re still saving.

As you begin to gradually pay off debt and slowly grow your savings, you can take the money you’ve accumulated and start putting more of it towards debt. You’d be surprised at what this forward momentum can do for your saving habits. Before you know it, you’ll be much closer towards paying off your debt.

Check Your Balances on a Daily Basis

Sound like too much? Well, just taking a couple of minutes each day to check your account balances can help keep you in-the-know about your finances and spending habits. While daily account checking might sound a tad obsessive, it can really help keep you honest with yourself about where exactly your money is going. It’ll also help lower the odds of spending impulsively. By having an accurate dollar amount floating around in your head, you’ll be better able to make sound spending decisions.

Reward Yourself on PayDay

Much like treating yourself to a donut every once in a while when on a diet, rewarding yourself with a spending treat is also helpful when you’ve stuck to your budget so diligently until payday. Just make sure that this reward is an affordable luxury, and not an exorbitant splurge that you’ll deeply regret. It could be a manicure, a half hour massage, or a new pair of shoes. Over time, you’ll start looking forward to these rewards, helping you stick to your budget without tapping into your savings.

Sticking to these practices, and others like them, on a consistent basis can help turn your finances around for good. After a few weeks or months, they’ll actually come naturally to you without having to force yourself into saving.

THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO – Focusing on Yet Another Chicago Winter!

/in , /by
Illustration of a happy child is carrying 2023 on a sled

Welcome to 2023!  Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s time to focus on getting through yet another one of Chicago’s winters.  As you may or may not know, this weekend happens to be the last weekend for some holiday events which can be reviewed again at my This Weekend in Chicago Blogs from December.  However, here are a few other events that may entertain you this weekend as well!

Skate under the Chicago skyline and within eyeshot of the Chicago Christmas Tree (coming down this Monday) at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink located in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) in The Loop.  The rink is open every day through March 5th (weather permitting) with free admission, but online ticket registration is required.  Plus, free skating lessons for both beginner- and intermediate-level skills are offered from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. on most Saturdays and Sundays with free skate rentals!  As for regular skating sessions, the skate rental is $16.

Take a whirl around the twirling, whimsical Ice-Skating Ribbon located at Maggie Daley Park (337 E. Randolph St.) in the heart of downtown Chicago through March 5th (weather permitting).  Skaters can wind around a winding ice-covered path that’s twice the length of a lap around a traditional rink for a more exciting time!  Skating sessions are $5 with your own skates from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. through this Sunday with skate rentals at $20 online and $22 for walk-ups.  After Sunday, skate rental fees are $16 with registration and $18 for walk-ups; however, advance ticket registration is highly encouraged since only a limited number of tickets are available for each session.  Don’t miss this ultimate winter season experience!

Need to add some color to our dreary days?  Then check out the following colorful events:

Wrapping up on Saturday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) is the Sugar Plum Winter Flower Show at the Lincoln Park Conservatory (2391 N. Stockton Dr.) in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  The show consists of pink poinsettias and scenes from The Nutcracker Ballet along with Jubilee Poinsettias and Purple Heart Spiderwort creating a lavender dream world filled with dancers and nutcrackers.  Plus, admission is free with a reservation!

Ending its run this Sunday (10 a.m.-8 p.m.) is the Winter Flower Show: Snow Day! at the Garfield Park Conservatory (300 N. Central Park Ave.) in the Garfield Park neighborhood.  This exhibit celebrates childhood joy when the fluffy stuff (snow) piles up for an opportunity to make a snowman, build a fort, and just have some fun in nature!  This wintry snow day features scented geraniums, pansies, sweet alyssum, poinsettias and more, creating an illusion of a snow-covered garden with a variety of textures and hues of white, silver, and pink!!

Held for the first time in Chicago since 2015, The Great American Dog Show will be held this Saturday and Sunday (8 a.m.-6 p.m.) at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center (1551 Thoreau Dr. N) in Schaumburg.  Dog lovers from all over Chicagoland can enjoy meeting over 200 AKC dog breeds who will be competing for top prizes as well as visiting with top dog experts from around the country.  Catch amazing demonstrations of agility, scent work, flyball, trick dogs, and more across 12 large, indoor, carpeted rings.  There’s even a Dog Grooming Competition and a Vendor Village with specialty dog vendors offering unique products and gifts for your dogs and home!  Plus, there’s plenty of fun, interactive activities for the kids as they learn more about dogs, training, caring for them, and more!!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Neighborhood News: Come in from the cold for free Field Museum Days in January

/in , /by
Photo of Chicago, IL, USA - July 8, 2018: The famous Field Museum

While January temperatures are fluctuating between arctic and winter-temperate, it’s time to explore ‘indoor Chicago,’ starting with the ‘grandaddy’ of all natural history museums- The Field Museum of Natural History,  1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, on Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus. Chicago Bears fans will also note it as one of the closest parking spots to Solder Field. 

It started at the Columbian Exposition… 

Located in the South Loop, the museum is renowned worldwide for SUE, the towering, carefully recrafted T-Rex who greets two million visitors annually. However, the Field Museum started as a structure with artifacts displayed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. As the museum website says, the Exposition “delighted visitors with 65,000 exhibits filled with natural wonders and cultural artifacts, many of which later found a permanent home in Chicago at the newly created Field Columbian Museum (located in Jackson Park).” 

Soon after, Chicago businessman Edward E. Ayer, who would later become the museum’s first president, called deoartment store executive Marshall Field to solicit his support, and after some consideration, Field offered $1 million. Field’s contribution—plus contributions from other wealthy donors- helped purchase the first collections of what would become the Columbian Museum of Chicago, which included a natural history collection, the entire Tiffany & Co. gem display, a collection of pre-Columbian gold ornaments, musical instruments from Samoa and Java, and a large collection of Native American objects.

The fledgling museum also hired architect Daniel Burnham to design the museum’s edifice, and archaeologists, scientists and researchers, who traveled the world to bring back treasures and artifacts, which currently number nearly 40 million. 

Today… Learn about the world, past, present and more… 

Today, you can visit Ancient Egypt, or the world of Genghis Khan, or take the kids on an ‘Underground Adventure’…all in one day. 

As a bonus, The Chicago Traveler calls the museum’s bathrooms “The best in the country.“ I’ll give them that! It’s right across from the in-museum McDonald’s, located on the lower level.. Best (and cheapest) souvenir for the kids: a Mold-O-Rama figure, made before their very eyes! 

Free Days for Illinois residents in January 

Starting Tuesday, January 10, the Field Museum is kicking off Free Admission Days for Illinois residents. All general admission exhibits are included. The museum also helpfully suggests that you use these days to check out special ticketed exhibitions or a 3D movie with a discounted Discovery or All-Access Pass. 

An important note: Tickets for Free Days are only available to Illinois residents on-site. They cannot be reserved in advance. The Museum advises potential guests to “Ask a Visitor Services staff member for the special offer, and show your Illinois proof of residency.” Additionally, in accordance with the City of Chicago’s updated guidelines, the Field Museum no longer requires proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or masks for museum visitors. However, they say, “We strongly encourage all of our guests to wear masks while in the building.”

For more information about the Field Museum of Natural History, click here. 

Happy 2023 to all! 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Restaurant Review: Celebrate 2023 all over again at the West Loop’s Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio

/in , /by
National Spaghetti Day illustration

Happy New Year from Dean’s Team Chicago! If you thought the holiday celebrations were over after January 1…think again.  Wednesday, January 4, is National Spaghetti Day!

Paying tribute to one of the best Italian restaurants in the city 

While there are many exceptional Italian restaurants here, you can look to any list of top Italian restaurants in Chicago, and the West Loop’s Monteverde is consistently in the Top 10, if not ranked #1.  

What’s their secret? According to their website,  the heart of the restaurant is the Pastificio (pasta factory) where James Beard Award winner (Best Chef Great Lakes) Chef Sarah Grueneberg’s team creates fresh, hand-made pastas throughout the day, offering a variety of shapes, sizes and textures. If Gruenberg’s name sounds familiar, you may have seen her beating the daylights out of her competition on cooking shows like Top Chef and Beat Bobby Flay. She placed second on Top Chef, and actually beat Food Network icon Flay on his first show. 

“Flour is power at Monteverde”

Opened in late 2015, Monteverde was once so popular that reservations needed to be booked 57 months in advance, according to The Infatuation. That’s nearly six years!

(Note: Currently, the restaurant is on Winter Break through January 10th)

While you might not have to wait quite as long now, and there’s a special list to get you in when reservations are cancelled, reviewers have been nearly unanimous in saying “It was worth the wait!”

Start with STUZ ZICHINI (snacks) such as Emilia’s Spuntino, withParm, hand- rolled grissini, and balsamic “from our batteria.“ Or, for something completely different, a Mozzarella Shooter, consisting of tomato dashi, giardiniera, and shallots. Or, an Artichoke & Sunchoke Crostino, with house-made ricotta, shallot, fontina fonduta, and savini truffle. 

Move on to PIATTINI (shared plates) with a highly recommended Burrata E Ham with rosemary tigelle, prosciutto di san daniele, and a peach apple fig mostarda. Lighter appetites will enjoy Oma’s Green Mountain Salad, pairing little gem lettuce with avocado and crunchy vegetables. For sweet and savory, their Tuscan Kale & Apple Salad is made of endive, charred onion tahini vin, sheep’s milk feta,  spiced seeds, and toasted breadcrumbs.

PASTA TIPICA choices include a White Truffle Tajarin, with hand-cut angel hair pasta, parm fonduta, and a fresh shaved white truffle. Chitarra Alla Norcina combines black truffle sausage ragù with porcini mushroom, black garlic and parm. Or, try Gnocchetti Con Pesto, with house-made ricotta, basil, tuscan pine nut, and Sardinian pecorino. 

However, their SPAGHETTI AL POMODORO, with roasted tomato, basil, and oven-dried cherry tomatohas a special cause: “$2 of every spaghetti al pomodoro sold will support TPAN, an organization serving individuals of all identities living with and vulnerable to HIV.” 

Leave room for their delectable desserts, which include a Double Chocolate Gianduja Tart, with dark chocolate sorbet, toasted marshmallow fluff, orange marmalata, and piedmontese hazelnut. Or, try Monteverde’s Baked Apple Sundae, with cinnamon and vanilla ice creams, toasted marshmallow fluff,  rye blondies, balsamela, and brown butter walnut.

Google reviewers are ecstatic about the food and service:

 “Food is excellent! The burrata and the arancini are a must. The house made pastas have the perfect flavor and texture. Perfect place for sharing a meal. Drinks and wine program complemented the meal very well. Great atmosphere and a place that really pays attention to the details.”

“Fantastic dining experience. Great food with full of surprises. The fried squash blossom was amazing. The veggie in the Regu was a highlight. The meatballs was so tasty. The pastas were just authentic and on point.

The long waited reservation did not disappoint us.”

Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio is located at 1020 W. Madison Street. They are open Tuesdays-Thursdays for dinner, 5pm-9:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays for lunch, 11:30am-2pm and dinner from 4:30pm-10:30pm. For reservations, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Chicago Home and Lifestyles –  Clothes dryer fires

/in , /by
Photo of hand removing dirty lint screen of dryer while doing laundry

I stay up to date with the goings-on in my neighborhood, and last week I was sad to learn that a nearby neighbor lost his home due to a fire that started in his clothes dryer! Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the home was completely lost.  Dryer fires are the most preventable type of fire, but are also the most prevalent this time of year. Here’s why:

Dryers work by forcing hot air through a drum to dry the clothes. It is possible to have as much as a gallon of water in a full load of wet clothes. Lint, consisting of small fibers from the clothes, is created as the clothes tumble in the drum. Much of the lint will be trapped by the lint screen but some is also carried further into the system by the moist air. Lint is highly combustible and leads to reduced airflow, making it a fire hazard. Other blockages can occur as well, such as birds or small animal nests and damage to the vent itself. Reduced airflow of any kind can be a serious hazard. 

So, what can we do to prevent these fires? 

Always clean the removable lint screen after every load. Buy a dryer vent brush, found at your local hardware store. They are long and flexible to reach in and pull-out lint. Every few months remove the cover from the dryer to expose the drum, and vacuum out any visible lint and debris.

 Always use the correct type of vent. Dryer vents should be made of metal and smooth on the inside. They should vent directly to the outside, not the attic, eaves, soffits or crawl spaces. Flexible vents are not recommended even if they are made from foil (which is not much better than plastic). These vents are not sturdy, they can twist and bend giving hot air a place to condense and attract lint. Plastic vents can pull up a fire in the dryer to engulf the entire house! Many homes do still have these flexible vents as they are inexpensive and easy to install. If you have one of these, I recommend you check and clean it every three months. 

Don’t dry materials not recommended, like foam backed rugs and athletic shoes. Notice when clothes seem to take longer than usual to dry, it could mean there is a blockage.

 Do not operate your dryer at night while sleeping. No appliance should be used at night, especially one that generates heat. While dryer fire fatalities are low, most happen when we are asleep!

No matter what kind we have, we all should check and clean our dryer and vent often, and do whatever else we can to prevent a fire.

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago

New Year’s Resolutions for Home Buyers and Sellers

/in , /by

The start of the new year is the time when many people make resolutions to themselves to improve their lives in some form or fashion. Losing weight, finding a better job, or traveling tend to be among the more popular New Year resolutions, but if buying or selling your home is on the agenda for 2023, there are other specific resolutions that should be on your list, and that you should stick to.

Here are some new year resolutions that you should be making to help you achieve your home buying or selling goals this year.

BUYERS

Start Saving

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. There’s no time like the present to start saving for a new home, and the more money you can muster up, the smaller the loan you’ll need to take out. If you can gather at least a 20% down payment, you won’t have to worry about paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) that lenders charge to protect themselves in case you ever default on your mortgage.

If you can’t gather up that much money towards a down payment, don’t fret. You can still put down as little as 5% for a conventional mortgage, and even as little as 3.5% for an FHA-backed home loan.

Either way, you still need to save. If you have difficulty being self-disciplined with your spending and saving habits, consider automating your bank accounts so that you put aside a certain amount of your income into a separate savings account every month. If you don’t see the money while it’s being automatically deposited, you won’t be as tempted to spend it.

Budget

You should have an idea of how much house you can afford to buy, as well as all the extra expenses that come along with purchasing a home. Set up a budget that outlines in detail what your income is, and compare that amount with your current debts.

Make an effort to shrink your budget a little bit to help you make more room for saving up for your future home and reduce your debt amounts. Try to come up with a budget that takes into account the fact that your mortgage will take up a larger amount of your paycheck in order for you to start getting accustomed to spending less money on unnecessary things.

Improve Your Credit

A key factor that your lender will consider before approving you for a mortgage is the state of your credit. If your credit score is low, you stand a good chance of getting denied. Even if you are approved, you will likely be faced with a higher interest rate on your mortgage, which will cause your home loan to be more expensive over the long run.

Get a copy of your credit report to make sure there aren’t any errors on it that could be bringing your score down. If you find any, report them to the credit bureau so that the issue can be investigated.

If your credit score is very good (at least 700 or above), you’re in a good position. If it’s lower than that, you need to take steps to improve it. Start paying your bills on time and in full each month, and keep up on your credit card, student, and auto loans. Don’t use any more than 30% of your available credit, and make sure not to make any large purchases on credit, which can have a negative impact on your credit score.

All your lender wants to see is that you are responsible with your credit.

Get PreApproved For a Mortgage

Having a mortgage pre-approval will not only allow you to identify how much you can realistically afford before you start house hunting, it will also tell sellers that you are less of a risk compared to another buyer without a pre-approval.

Having said that, make sure you start gathering up all of your financial documents to provide to your lender so that the pre-approval process can get underway. This includes your tax returns, bank statements, and letter of employment, among others. You will also need to fill out and submit a mortgage application. It should be noted that a pre-approval is not necessarily a guarantee that you will be approved for an eventual mortgage, but it certainly gets you one step closer.

SELLERS

Get Your Home Ready For the Market

Have a good look around your home. Does it look cluttered? Could your walls use a paint job? Are your shelves covered in family photos? Now is the time to clean up, make any repairs, or even redecorate to properly stage your home for the market.

Generally speaking, your real estate agent and professional home stager will likely recommend decluttering, depersonalizing, and neutralizing the decor of your home in order for it to be more appealing to a larger pool of buyers. The earlier you start this potentially big project, the more time you’ll have to make sure your home is ready to be viewed by prospective buyers.

Work Out the Time Between Selling Your Home and Buying a New One

This can be tricky, but it’s important to be able to calculate the rough timeline between selling your current home and buying your new one. You don’t want to be stuck with two mortgages because the closing dates between the two transactions overlap. Likewise, you don’t want to be rushed out of your home with no place to go because the closing dates are spread too far apart.

Determine whether or not you can afford to close on a new home before your current one sells. It can be somewhat stressful to sell your home and buy another one at the same time. Look at what your potential housing options are, and go over your finances in detail in order to plan out the most ideal timeline for both selling and buying.

Hire an Experienced Real Estate Professional

Having an experienced and knowledgeable real estate professional in your corner really should be top priority. These experts can help guide you in the right direction and assist you in making the right moves and decisions in proper succession in order to ensure the buying and selling process is a streamlined one. Choosing the right real estate agent can also help make sure that you stick to your real estate New Year’s resolutions!

THIS WEEKEND IN CHICAGO – Out with the Old and In with the New!

/in , /by
2023 Happy New Year graphic

Time to Welcome in 2023 with Chicago’s best New Year’s Eve events and parties.  There’s no shortage of options to choose from to have a good time this last weekend of 2022!  As they say, Out with the Old and In with the New – Bring It On!!

Chicago’s most iconic landmark rings in another new year in grand fashion with New Year on the Pier at Navy Pier’s Aon Grand Ballroom (600 E. Grand Ave.) in the Streeterville neighborhood this Saturday (8 p.m.-1 a.m.).  Guests will enjoy an inclusive drink package, catering, live entertainment on the big stage, DJs, dancing on Chicago’s largest dance floor, party favors, and more!  Plus, Navy Pier’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks show will light up the sky over Lake Michigan at the stroke of midnight!!

Planning on getting all gussied up in formal wear to ring out the old and ring in the new.  There’s no better place than atop the world’s largest rooftop bar during their Glitz and Glam New Year’s Eve Soirée at Offshore (1000 E. Grand Ave.) in the Streeterville neighborhood this Saturday (9 p.m.-1 a.m.).  This all-inclusive event includes a 4-hour premium open bar, heavy passed appetizers, a DJ, a midnight ball drop on TV screens, a champagne toast, views of Chicago’s skyline, and the spectacular Navy Pier fireworks show at midnight!

How about spending New Year’s Eve in the Sky at one of Chicago’s tallest buildings, the 360 Chicago Observation Deck (875 N. Michigan Ave.) in The Loop this Saturday (9 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).  Enjoy this one-of-a-kind New Year’s Eve celebration on the 94th Floor featuring unlimited rides on TILT, a live DJ, a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, a full cash/credit bar with specialty cocktails, and more!  Plus, you’ll have an amazing view of the various New Year’s Eve fireworks bursting in the sky around you!!

Say goodbye to 2022 with delicious eats, an all-inclusive drink package, three floors of entertainment, and live DJs at Time Out Market’s New Year’s Eve Kicks & Confetti Ball located at 916 West Fulton Market in the West Loop this Saturday (8 p.m.-1 a.m.).  Guests will also experience state of the art sound and lighting, a live LED wall countdown, party favors, and more!  Don’t forget to grab a glass of champagne before midnight when a confetti storm will welcome in 2023 in style!!

The Graystone Tavern (3441 N. Sheffield Ave.) in the Wrigleyville neighborhood will host Chicago’s only 8 Crazy Nights Hanukkah-themed Pop-up Bar New Year’s Eve Bash this Saturday (8 p.m.-2 a.m.).  This all-inclusive night includes a latke bar buffet, a custom challah grilled cheese station, a premium open bar, any drinks from the Holiday drink menu, and a champagne toast at midnight!  Plus, the bar will be decked out with over 14,000 blue-and-white lights, dreidel ornaments, a lighted menorah, and a Hanukkah sweater wall!!

If none of the events above suit your taste for welcoming in 2023, check out these New Year’s Eve Parties in Chicago and its various surrounding neighborhoods!

May the New Year Bring Us Peace & Joy!  Celebrate Safely!!

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Neighborhood News: A step back in time at River North’s Green Door Tavern

/in , /by
Illustration of an Irish pub

The 150-year old green edifice resembles the gateway to the Emerald City of Oz, but the Green Door Tavern, 678 N. Orleans Street, proudly proclaims on its website that “100 YEARS OF TROUBLE (THE GOOD KIND) have taken place here.

We believe it! 

The Green Door Tavern started life in 1872, according to its website, following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  James McCole, an engineer, built this two-story, balloon frame wooden structure with a detached cottage in the rear. 

McCole rented the front of the building to Mr. Lawrence P. Ek, who ran it as a grocery store with living quarters in the rear cottage.

Following the fire, Chicago passed a fire code ordinance prohibiting construction of wooden commercial buildings in the Central Business District. The structure, according to the  Chicago Bar Project.com, was the last wood frame building allowed this close to the Loop after the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance banning this type of construction. No information seems available on why it was allowed to stand, as structures of stone and steel were built around the location. 

The building remained a grocery, apparently, until 1921, when new owner Vito Giacomo (also known as Giacomoni). He converted it to a dining establishment, called the Huron-Orleans Restaurant.  His sons Jack and Nello ran it as a speakeasy during Prohibition.

Why is it named The Green Door? 

Legend has it that if the door of a restaurant was painted green during Prohibition (1920-33), it indicated the presence of a speakeasy in that establishment.

Mob connections and Prohibition 

You can’t talk about speakeasies without discussing Chicago’s notorious mob past. For the Green Door, according to a Thrillist article, that meant Al Capone rival Dean (Dion) O’Banion provided the alcohol to the Green Door,  with the upstairs run as an Italian restaurant by Giacomoni as a front for the speakeasy downstairs. There’s still a massive bookshelf that can be moved to reveal a hole in the wall that was once used to sneak in bootlegged kegs. 

Once Prohibition ended, the restaurant settled into its life as a restaurant/bar. But as families moved to the suburbs, the area became known as a “deserted and rough area of the city,“ according to Hudson Properties’ History of River North. 

However, things began to change in the seventies. As The Hudson notes, “Attracted by low real estate prices and large spaces, artists and creatives began reclaiming the area. Old buildings were repurposed into galleries, studios, offices, apartments, shops, and restaurants. The name ‘River North’ was coined by Chicago real estate developer Albert Friedman to help revive the area and shed its reputation as a once abandoned district.” 

The brothers remained owners till 1984, when George Parenti bought it in the burgeoning renewal of the area. Broadcasting legend Harry Caray was a frequent visitor, and one of his Budweiser commercials was even filmed here. 

Today

The Green Door Tavern is one of the few places that maintains its original speakeasy and keeps it fairly authentic, with burlesque shows and a secret entrance. Many of the bar fixtures installed in the 20’s still exist in the present bar and restaurant. The tavern, according to Domu.com has changed very little through the years, is peppered with antique signs, posters, photographs, and other nostalgia. The soap box car hanging from the ceiling was once used in a race in which Illinois native and former United States President Ronald Reagan once participated.

They’re having a great New Year’s Eve party on Saturday, December 31, urging everyone to “leave your prohibitions at the door.” For more information, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago