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Tie One On: Distillers Night

“But the good news is, the whiskey works.”
—Bill Murrary in Lost in Translation

There’s no shortage of ways to tie one on in Chicago. This is the city of 4 AM bars and liquor stores with drink menus. And lately, I’ve taken to sipping on some small batch hooch made by local liquor distillers—it is perhaps my favorite way to to live the dream of the 1890s in Chicago. READ MORE

Celebrating Super Bowl XLVI

Finally, Super Bowl XLVI is this weekend. Just in case your plans fell through, or you’re still not sure where you’re going, here are some of our picks around the city, as well as some very helpful establishments offering to-go options. READ MORE

Modern Man Fashion Show

Once again, Haberdash will be joining some of Chicago’s most stylish men at The Underground for this year’s Modern Man Fashion Show. This year’s models include Andrew Barber, Andrew Henderson, Curtis House, Doug (Stylz) Bobrowski, Edward Glassman, Ernest Wilkins, Jason Berngard, Jeremy Scheuch, Justin Roman, Kevin Aeh, Phil Tadros, Scott Horwitch, Shannon Sangster, and Tim Toomey. READ MORE

Raise a Glass

While it may not look like winter (yeah, we’re bummed we didn’t have a white Christmas, too), it’s still the holidays and what better reason to celebrate. Wherever your plans may take you for New Year’s Eve, you don’t need to use that night as an excuse to enjoy one of life’s greatest indulgences: Champagne. There are loads of spots around Chicago to raise a glass, but here are a few of our favorites that offer a robust selection of the bubbly stuff. READ MORE

Top Chefs Open New Spots


Over the last few years, a number of Chicago’s top chefs—from Graham Elliot to Rick Bayless—have opened less-expensive spots with upscale cuisine and continue to draw in the crowds. And the trend isn’t ending anytime soon. In the last few weeks, three new places have emerged: Bar Toma, Slurping Turtle and Yusho. READ MORE

Phil’s Final Music Picks of 2011

If you are unfamiliar with Adrian Younge, you may want to get yourself acquainted with his works. In ‘98 he was coming into his own as a prominent hip-hop producer, but the desire to take his art further and explore his influences of Italian soundtracks meant teaching himself various instruments. The result was a a limited pressing of his Venice Dawn project, a plunge into depths of sound textures and atmospheres of the Italian soundtrack genre with a soulful/almost psychedelic twist. (more…)

Get Your Holi-Dose at Dose Market

Dose Market is a once monthly gathering at the River East Arts Center, where any and all are invited to get a taste of the city’s finest offerings in food, furniture, and fashion. It first landed in Chicago this June, and has captivated the city’s tastemakers, one dosage at a time. READ MORE

Phil’s Throwback Music Picks for November

Seeing as how during the holidays there is a string of subpar releases in the music industry, I think it’s only fitting to do some throwback posting of some of my favorite tunes. (more…)

Give ‘Em the Bird


Did you forget Thanksgiving is next week and you’re supposed to bring food to feed the family? The last thing you really want to do is defrost and prepare your own turkey and stuffing… who has time for that anyway? Fortunately for you a number of local restaurants have that covered and can make it look like you did all the work. READ MORE

Shop and Snack

Haberdash and the new EDC project are located in the heart of River North and, after you have worked up an appetite from shopping, you should take advantage of some of the tasty finds within walking distance to the stores’ front door. Just a few feet away, grab a sandwich or some housemade soft serve at Grahamwich, the approachable, lesser-expensive spot from celeb chef Graham Elliot.

Want something a little, um, meatier? M Burger‘s second location is just across the street from the shop and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better, gourmet quick-serve burger anywhere. READ MORE

The Evolution of RJD2 & The Perfect 3AM Album

Icebird | The Abandoned Lullaby

Since the release of his last album, The Colossus, it would seem that RJD2 has been slowly making the transition from beat maker to musician—an extremely tricky evolution. The hip hop community hates losing their new school pioneers to the limelight of mainstream. So, what to do? Take on a new moniker and explore possibilities—which is just what RJD2 has done with the help of Philadelphia singer Aaron Livingston (who also appeared on The Colossus). He has taken his signature sound of
drum-chopped, sample-flipped beats and grown them into full-on
songs under the name of Icebird.

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The Pump Room Returns

Back in the day, there was hardly a celebrity who would pass through town and not join Irv & Essie Kupcinet at Booth One at the Pump Room. The stately room was the place to see and be seen in Chicago for decades, and everyone from Frank Sinatra to Queen Elizabeth visited. Over the years, the Pump Room lost its luster, but now it’s back, thanks to a little magic (and a lot of money) from famed hotelier Ian Schrager.

The Pump Room in the 1940s | Photo Credit

The Studio 54 creator bought the waning Ambassador East Hotel and gave it a multimillion-dollar makeover, resulting in the ultra-hip PUBLIC hotel. And the restaurant? The Pump Room is back, but save the phone and the iconic black-and-white photos of the former famous visitors, the room is hardly the same. In a nutshell, this isn’t your father’s (or, for some, grandfather’s) Pump Room. READ MORE

Phil’s Fall Music Prescription

With the fall season approaching, the one thought that universally comes to mind is “What am I going to wear?” Very rarely does anyone think, “What am I going to listen to?” But, just as purchasing a few new shirts and sweaters can change the way you feel about yourself – so can a few new tunes for the upcoming season. Here are a couple worth checking out for the month of September…

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