Happy Thursday, Chicago.
When I’ve got a question about Chicago — past and present — there are two people I turn to: Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather.
These two journalism pros have been at the Chicago Tribune for almost a decade, but their institutional knowledge of the city stretches back much, much further. Few have delved as deeply into this 174-year-old newspaper’s archives, and their ability to showcase our history in ways that resonate just as powerfully today has always impressed me.
If you’re a history buff, too, I highly recommend signing up for their new Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, where they’ll be sharing highlights from the archives each week. This week, it’s the real-life women who inspired the movie and Broadway show “Chicago,” and a 1963 shot of a future presidential candidate being arrested.
In slightly more recent news, we’ve got a review of Holu steakhouse in East Pilsen, a hilarious interview with actor Ike Barinholtz, and a beer writer’s lessons from Dry January — and the nonalcoholic beers he’ll be keeping in his 2022 rotation.
See you next week.
— Ariel Cheung, Food & Travel editor
As he took his first bite of a 45-day dry-aged rib-eye at Holu, Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger found himself marveling over the “seemingly infinite complexity.”
The rest of the meal played out accordingly — follow along in Kindelsperger’s latest review.
The star power behind this new Hulu biopic TV series is winsome, writes Tribune critic Nina Metz, who finds Sebastian Stan and Lily James’ performances in “Pam & Tommy” “a terrific balancing act.”
But even as the show seeks vindication for Pamela Anderson, who bore the brunt of many a tabloid wisecrack, it rings hollow for one major reason, Metz says.
Few dishes spread as rapidly in Chicago as quesabirria tacos, a specialty born in Tijuana, Mexico, did in 2020.
But Tijuana has more to teach us about tacos than just that beefy, cheesy delight, writes the Tribune’s Nick Kindelsperger, who checks out newly opened Tacos El Rey near 95th Street and South Ewing Avenue in his never-ending quest for the city’s best tacos.
The most entertaining thing I’ve read in weeks is Tribune critic Nina Metz’s one-on-one with Ike Barinholtz, the Chicago native starring in Apple TV+ comedic whodunit “The Afterparty.”
In sidesplitting fashion, Barinholtz goes from observational asides — “I don’t know what it is about my personality but when I get hurt, people laugh a lot” — to recounting a mortifying mishap involving a sunburn, cold yogurt and a wrong turn to the bathroom.
Make that two new breweries for Hop Butcher for the World.
Months after announcing it would buy Half Acre’s original brewery on Chicago’s North Side, the craft brewery with an ardent fan base has bought an even larger production facility in south suburban Bedford Park.
Tribune beer reporter Josh Noel has the scoop — both on Hop Butcher’s plans and where 5 Rabbit will move following the sale.
Got Valentine’s Day plans yet? While restaurant reservations are booking up fast, there’s still time to order one heck of a box of chocolates.
Perhaps consider Sugoi Sweets, the Naperville-based brain child of pastry chef Elle Lei, whose experiences at Leña Brava and sampling Japanese sweets in Kyoto shaped her own virtual sweet shop.
Just two days of Dry January made Tribune beer writer Josh Noel realize something important: what he likes most about beer are qualities like aroma, flavor and nuance. “Alcohol just happens to help deliver those things,” Noel writes in his Dry January recap. “But alcohol itself? I didn’t miss it much at all.”
In fact, Noel expects he’ll keep drinking nonalcoholic beers on the odd weeknight — specifically, his six favorites from the monthlong ritual.
Head to The Music Box in the Lakeview neighborhood starting Friday to catch what Tribune film critic Michael Phillips considers an early 2022 front-runner.
“Compartment No. 6″ is “tough-minded and tenderhearted in equal measure,” Phillips writes. Read the full review here.
Jukebox musicals about megastars always are controlled either by the artist or an estate, Tribune theater critic Chris Jones notes in his review of the new Broadway show “MJ: The Musical.”
That means the show, which focuses on the creative process ahead of the early ’90s “Dangerous” world tour, makes no meaningful mention of the allegations of child abuse that followed the pop star in life and posthumously.
Jones examines whether the brilliant choreography and superb star Myles Frost can make up for the omission in his latest write-up.
August Wilson was America’s William Shakespeare, writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, and “Gem of the Ocean” was his version of “Macbeth.”
If that’s not enough to convince you to head straight for the Loop, check out our full review, in which Jones applauds compelling performances in a gripping supernatural exploration of the Black experience in America.
Eat. Watch. Do. — Holu review, Ike Barinholtz's worst moment - Chicago Tribune
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