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Magnolia Café is a romantic hidden gem that has blossomed into Chicago’s best place for creative comfort food. Kas Medhat, the owner, had a vision to start a neighborhood restaurant, somewhere that was reasonably priced with high-quality food. The menu changes with the seasons and is what he calls “American homestyle.” The open floor plan, […]
Just below the Clark Street bridge in River North, you’ll find a cool riverside restaurant, Flatwater. (”Flatwater” refers to certain wake-free sections of the Chicago River, where drivers are asked to cool their boats’ engines in order to preserve the calm.) A street-level elevator in a former bridge house descends to the dimly lit lounge […]
If you’ve never had Senegalese cuisine before, you’re in for a treat. Senegalese food has been described as a mix between West African, which features a lot of seafood and grains, and Central African, marked by lamb and heavy sauces. Yassa’s menu offers choices like black pepper, cumin, and clove-crusted lamb chops; chicken yassa—lemon, onion, […]
The bar known as evilOlive looks great, both backward and forward. That’s because evilOlive is a palindrome, meaning it reads the same no matter which direction you read it. The name was inspired by the fact that the building’s street number (1551) is also a palindrome.
Less formal than other martini bars, patrons are relaxed and […]
If you’re looking for a spot with fabulous food, a sensational space, and amazing atmosphere, you’re going to want to visit Carnivale. It is one of Chicago’s liveliest restaurants with a nightclub feel to it. The building is a huge space (35,000 square feet), but it’s broken up into smaller dining-area nooks and crannies. The […]
Sensual Steps is a Chicago boutique that opened just a couple years ago. This store promotes a unique line of contemporary women’s shoes and accessories. But Nicole Jones just wasn’t getting the business she had hoped for in her South Side Sensual Steps Shoe Salon. (Whew, say that five times fast!) So, she decided to […]
Kids deserve great parties. So if you’re looking for something beyond the cheesy magician for hire, Chicago has plenty to offer.
Liz Isaacs and Juliet Greene created Kiddy Cuisine to help promote children’s healthy cooking and eating. Cooking can be an excellent way for kids to find confidence and self-esteem. The two chefs take advantage of […]
Developed about 2,000 years ago, “Nuat phaen boran” (the art of Thai yoga massage) is an ancient and sacred system of healing. Performed on a mat in comfortable clothes, this form of therapy is essentially assisted yoga. You recline as the practitioner places you in yoga poses. The massage giver leans on your body using […]
There are a couple of new additions to our b5media Travel & Culture family.
Paul Springer writes StarkedSF, a very straightforward, no-punches-pulled look at the events, politics, and culture of the San Francisco area.
At Sirened, Alex Kallimanis reveals the misdeeds of the political and corporate world.
A big welcome to both. Be sure to check them out, […]
It’s almost summer, and soon we’ll all be chillin’ poolside. One pool you can check out right now is actually indoors at Truman College. The Pegasus Players have revived the musical “The Frogs” by composer Stephen Sondheim and writer Burt Shevelove which takes place on and in the swimming pool.
“The Frogs” first premiered in 1974 […]
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