The Chicago Traveler

This weekend marks the 43rd Annual Chicago International Film Festival, featuring screenings of more than 100 feature films, 30 shorts, 10 documentaries, and a handful of anime films from around the world. Founded in 1965, this is North America’s oldest competitive international film festival. This world-renowned annual event discovers and presents new filmmakers to Chicago, acknowledging and awarding them for their craft.
The IFF continues to discover new talent and create opportunities for talented artists. The festival has introduced the world to directors like John Carpenter, Victor Nunez, Martin Scorsese, Susan Seidelman, and Gregory Nava. This year’s recommendations (c/o the Chicago …read more

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Hey dude. For some totally rad dishes served along with some bodacious décor, you’ve gotta check out this wicked place called Sola.
Alright, so my surfer lingo could use some work. What can I say, I’m from the Midwest. Nonetheless, Sola’s flavorful menu is heavily influenced by the Pacific, which is no big surprise considering chef and owner Carol Wallack grew up surfing and has a second home in Hawaii. Even the restaurant itself is decorated with hues of amber, beige, and orange… making the occasionally long wait for a table feel like a day at the beach.
Hawaiian, Asian, and Californian …read more

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The Weed Street district may be best known for a lively nightlife, but Tokyo 21 has added fine food to the mix. The owners of Chicago’s renowned Kamehachi chain created this contemporary Japanese spot, which feels like an authentic Asian lounge. Neon lights, great music, video screens: all of these are typical ingredients of an upscale techno-colored club in Tokyo.
Serving sushi until 1:00 a.m. on weekends, the restaurant draws both a dinner clientele and Weed Street’s late-night crowd. Not surprisingly, considering the Kamehachi connection, the sushi bar serves up a major part of the menu. One eye-catching specialty is called …read more

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