Time Out Chicago news

Chefs—they’re just like us. When the temperature drops and snow begins piling up outside, even the city’s most accomplished cooks cruise apps like Grubhub and Caviar to get their favorite foods ferried straight to their door. We asked Chicago’s top chefs to divulge their delivery cravings. Just remember to tip your driver! Brian Fisher, Entente: “The Carne en su Jugo from Coyotes Restaurant is the perfect soup for fall and winter... and spring and summer. It’s rich, meaty and seasoned perfectly. The lengua [tongue] tacos are my favorite in Chicago.” Zoe Schor, Split-Rail: “If I’m lucky enough to have a quiet evening in, I’m often hanging with my parents. They live very close to the best Chinese restaurant on the North Side, Chengdu Impression. We always get the pan-fried dumplings, scallion pancakes and dry chili chicken. The chicken is so dope." Brian Jupiter, Frontier and Ina Mae Tavern: “We always order Wabi Sabi. My daughter, Adriana, really loves the Cha Shu bowl and requests it all the time. My wife and I always order the tonkotsu ramen—it’s really good. It’s all really good.” Carlos Cruz, The Promontory: "Football and wings are a great combination, but football and BBQ pork fried rice from Cheng Chopsticks is a perfect marriage! That’s typically how I like to spend my Sundays off while watching the Chicago Bears.”  Sarah Grueneberg, Monteverde: “Recently, we’ve been digging MCCB. I always order a wonton soup, a favorite of mine since I was a little kid. Other mu

The Party Planning Committee at Replay Lincoln Park is reviving its wildly popular The Office-themed pop-up bar for the holiday season. Drawing inspiration from the TV show's Christmas episodes, Replay will host festive parties and events throughout December, including Classy Christmas and Moroccan Christmas. (We can only hope there's an Andy lookalike playing a sitar for entertainment.) Programming will kick off on Friday, November 30 at 7pm. Stop in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to check out Café Disco, themed after Michael Scott's infamous espresso-fueled dance party, where DJs will spin hip-swaying tracks starting at 9pm. Guests won't have to worry about buying tickets or paying cover: The monthlong event is free to attend and open to adults of legal drinking age. The pop-up ends with “The Ultimatum” New Year’s Eve Celebration on December 31. It's the run's only ticketed event, and early-bird passes will be available soon starting at $50. (You'll have to watch episode 13 of season 7 if you want to see how that one works out.) Take a look at the full schedule below and keep an eye on Replay's Facebook page for additional details and new events.  December 6–12: Classy Christmas December 7: Ugly Sweater Christmas Party  December 13–19: Moroccan Christmas December 20–27: Dwight Christmas December 31: “The Ultimatum” New Year’s Eve Celebration Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.

Holiday shopping just got a delicious upgrade. Earlier today, Brendan Sodikoff's food hall at 900 North Michigan Shops opened its doors, introducing shoppers to 16 food "vaults" curated by Hogsalt. The renovated 22,000-square-foot space is located on the mall's fifth and sixth floors and includes fan favorites like Small Cheval, Green Street Smoked Meats and 3 Greens Market. Sodikoff is also using the food hall to debut new concepts like Motor City Pizza, Boardwalk Seafood Co., Al Pastor Taco No. 2 and Chicago Char Dogs. Diners will be able to customize and order their meals using high-tech kiosks located near the entrance of the food hall on the fifth floor. There's seating on both floors, but the Bar & Study on the sixth floor offers a secluded, lounge-like experience for those who have time to sit down and relax after a lap around Bloomingdale's.  San Francisco-based design firm AvroKO is responsible for the hall's sleek, modern look, which is inspired by a deconstructed arcade. Expect brass finishes, barrel-vaulted ceilings, leather couches and ottomans, stunning floor-to-ceiling windows and sprawling stone communal tables. Stalls on the fifth floor are open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm and on Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The Bar & Study on the sixth floor is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and on Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Take a look inside the stunning new food hall below.  900 North Michigan Shops 900 North Michigan Shops   900 Nor

It doesn't matter if you've been naughty or nice this year: Chicago's top holiday pop-up bars aren't here to judge. New to this year's lineup is Santa Baby, an experiential takeover from Smartmouth Designs, a Chicago-based company that has built installations at EDM-centric music festivals such as Electric Forest. The concept will take over Deuce's and the Diamond Club in the heart of Wrigleyville from November 21 through January 6.  Santa Baby offers several different bars and experiences within the space, including Alpine Village, Brat Haus Beer Hall, Santa's Workshop, Rudolph's Elf Dive Bar and Winter Wonderland—all of which are decked out in colorful Christmas decor. Of course, it wouldn't be a pop-up bar without themed cocktails, and Santa Baby has plenty of options to keep revelers feeling merry. Share a decanter of Jingle Juice—rum, Grand Marnier, amaretto, orange and pineapple juices, sprite, citrus and cranberry—or do a shot of Gingerbread Man, a tummy-warming mixture of Fireball, Irish cream and butterscotch schnapps. On the food front, expect a menu of holly, jolly treats, like turkey burger sliders topped with cranberry mustard, arugula, stuffing, crispy green beans and truffle aioli. The Atomic Yule Logs are likely the dish that will take over your Instagram feed: Three giant cheese sticks are crusted in Flamin' Hot Cheetos and Sriracha dust. If you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, order the Lumps of Coal, rice krispies coated in chocolate cookie dust. 

The holiday season is officially underway now that Christkindlmarket has commenced. The outdoor German market has once again set up shop in Daley Plaza in the Loop, bringing with it a seemingly endless supply of Glühwein, schnitzel and festive cheer. We took a lap around Christkindlmarket on opening day to scope out all of the best things to eat, drink and buy. Take a look at what caught our attention along the way and be sure to check out this top winter attraction before it packs up after its final day on December 24. Psst: Consult this handy-dandy Christkindlmarket vendor map for exactly where to find each goody listed. RECOMMENDED: Our complete guide to Christkindlmarket   Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas 1. Glühwein ($8 with mug, $7 refill) from Beer & Wine Vendors (booths #1, #55 and #28) No trip to Christkindlmarket is complete without a mug of warm Glühwein, a traditional mulled wine that tastes like holiday spirit and baking spices. This year, guests will sip the boozy beverage from adorable heart-shaped vessels that are adorned with the Chicago skyline.   Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas 2. Pierogi ornament ($10.95) from from Wildlife Ornaments (booth #18) There are plenty of ornaments to choose from at Christkindlmarket, but we were immediately drawn to this shimmery gold pierogi, which is perfect for dumpling fans and Chicago foodies alike.   Photograph: Jaclyn Rivas 3. Masala curry fries ($5) from Chiya Chai (booth #14) New to this year's vend

Time Out Worldwide recently released a list of the 50 best things to do in the world right now, filled with essential experiences to have in cities around the globe. Scroll through the inventory and you'll discover a Tokyo museum dedicated to the kaleidoscopic works of Infinity Mirror Room artist Yayoi Kusama, the otherworldly landscapes of the Atacama Desert in Chile, geothermally heated pools in Iceland and Norway's fastest zipline. After reading the entire list, you may be tempted to hop on a plane to Jamaica to explore the birthplace of jerk chicken in Boston Bay. But if a last-minute trip isn't in the cards, you won't have to go far to experience the 20th entry on the list: Smart Bar's weekly Queen! party, a premiere spot to dance to house music in the city where the genre was born. Queen! takes over Smart Bar every Sunday night, beginning at 10pm and continuing until 4am on Monday morning. Once you pay your $10 cover charge and descend into the basement, you'll be treated to sets from resident DJs Derrick Carter, Michael Serafini and Garrett David as well as appearances from guest selectors and legendary house music producers. On Sunday, November 18, Queen! celebrates the birthday of local drag performer Imp Queen, while the November 25 edition of the party hosts a set from French deep house DJ Brawther. Looking for even more amazing things to do in Chicago? We've got a list for that, too. Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner, which means that you might encounter a train or bus decked out with twinkling lights during your commute in the coming weeks. This morning, the Chicago Transit Authority announced the schedules for its Holiday Train and Holiday Bus, revealing when you can expect to see Santa making some pre-Christmas Eve journeys through the city. RECOMMENDED: Our complete guide to Christmas in Chicago The CTA Holiday Train will begin running on Friday, November 23, with trips scheduled on every CTA line. As usual, the six-car train features an open-air platform that holds Santa and his reindeer, along with LED signs, colorful interior decorations and more lights than ever before. The Holiday Train typically runs from 1 to 8pm on weekends and from 3 to 7pm on weekdays, but you can consult the CTA website for a more detailed schedule. Just like last year, the Holiday Train will be followed by the Elves' Workshop Train every Saturday through December 15. The train is another set of six cars decorated with lights, providing more room for passengers on busy weekends when everyone wants to hop aboard the most festive mode of public transportation. If you prefer to ride the bus, you'll be happy to learn that the CTA Holiday Bus will return to 13 routes throughout the city this year. The bus is wrapped to resemble a reindeer, with a glowing red nose, a pair of antlers mounted on top of the bus and strings of lights lining the windo

By the time February rolls around each year, we're usually daydreaming of the warm days of July when Pitchfork Music Festival takes over Union Park for a weekend of cutting-edge indie rock, hip-hop and electronica. This February, the online publication is introducing a new indoor event in Chicago that should make the wait for the Pitchfork lineup announcement a bit more tolerable. This morning, the Art Institute of Chicago and Pitchfork revealed more details about a collaborative event called Midwinter, a three-day celebration of music and art that will take over the galleries and performance venues of the world famous museum. Hosted February 15–17, the event will feature performances by more than 30 acts, musician-designed sound installations and premieres of original tunes that draw inspiration from the museum's collection. The Midwinter lineup should look familiar if you've attended previous iterations of Pitchfork Music Festival, with a bill featuring acts like saxophonist Kamasi Washington, English shoegazers Slowdive, glitchy electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never and experimental rockers Deerhunter. The weekend will also highlight some special performances, including local post-rock group Tortoise celebrating the 21st anniversary of TNT and avant-garde composer William Basinski playing The Disintegration Loops with the help of the Chicago Philharmonic. Madison McFerrin, Mary Lattimore, Daniel Bachman, Haley Fohr of Circuit des Yeux and Marisa Anderson will perform

There's no denying that Chicago is a great place to be single, but we could all use a break from the dating-app grind. Enter Dating IRL, an original Time Out Chicago feature that sets up two eligible singles on a blind date at a Chicago hot spot. After a night out, the daters report back with honest feedback on first impressions, chemistry and awkward moments. This time, we matched Jessica and Julius and sent them to Good Measure for dinner and drinks. Let's see how it went.  RECOMMENDED: Do you want to be set up on a blind date? Apply today. THE DATERS JESSICA, 32 Publicist, model/actress and culture geek JULIUS, 28 Adventurer, photographer and avid reader FIRST IMPRESSION JESSICA “Julius came into the room wearing a smile that put my nerves at ease. He was warm, energetic and funny. He was really present during the conversation.” JULIUS “Jessica had a bright smile and good energy. Moreover, she’s funny. She’d been to the bar before, so she gave me the rundown and told me about the fun cocktails.” Photograph: Jordan Avery CHEMISTRY JESSICA “I was surprised by how well it was going, and that probably made me ‘tune in’ to him even more. There weren’t any dull moments.” JULIUS “We had more platonic chemistry, but chemistry all the same, which is more exciting because I think Jessica will be an awesome friend.” AWKWARD MOMENT JESSICA “I had to figure out a way to curb my alcohol intake because I had a flight at 7am the next day. But every

Earlier this year, beloved skeleton SUE the T. rex was removed from its perch in the Field Museum's Stanley Field Hall, making way for Máximo, the 70-ton, 122-foot-long titanosaur that now looms over the institution's lobby. Thankfully, SUE isn't leaving the Field Museum—the dino is simply being relocated to the Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet, where the skeleton will be housed in a "private suite" that allows visitors to learn more about a time when SUE had some skin on her bones. SUE's new home will open to the public on Friday, December 21 in a 5,100-square-foot space that's packed with interactive elements that survey all of the information that scientists have learned about the T. rex over the past few decades. The display includes new animations that depict what SUE may have looked like, the ways in which they likely interacted with other dinosaurs and the landscape that they inhabited. If SUE looks a bit different, there's a good reason: a new set of bones called gastralia, which helped the giant creature breath, has been added to the skeleton's abdomen. According to the Field Museum's curator of dinosaurs Pete Makovicky, scientists weren't exactly sure where the gastralia bones fit into skeleton when SUE arrived at the museum, so they were omitted from the display. "Thanks to the research we’ve been doing on SUE for the last 20 years, we now know what they were for and where they should go,” Maokvicky said in a release. Want to know what SUE thinks of their new ho