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CHICAGO PICKS™ |
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life + style to you
in the Windy City
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March 7th, 2008
We thank our lucky stars for our friends. Time and time again, it's the little get-togethers or phone calls that take the edge off a particularly rough week. Like this last zinger, we kinda went out like a lion and came in like a lamb. Yep, it was that wretched flu that’s rockin' everyone around town.
Yet one of our friends called and offered a chicken-noodle soup delivery. Another sent a cheery email. Our bestie burned us the new Nada Surf. Our brothers called and made us laugh. And our honey single-handedly upped Sprite's stock. Being sick is certainly a whole lot better when you have a support network! And it sure doesn't hurt to have a whole crew of Chicago Picks friends and readers, too! Thanks for reading and chiming in. We just love your inside info and intuitive coolness! |
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Chicago Picks: |
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March Is For Shoes
The month of March gives us Chicagoans lots o' opportunities to eat, drink, and ogle. Casimir Pulaski cooks up the pierogies, St. Patrick pours the green beer, and the re-opened ballparks dish out tasty eye candy in the form of tight-fitting baseball pants.
Ushering in our most favorite vice of all is the first day of spring and the return of open-toe shoes. Just in time, the recently opened Shoe Addixion serves as the perfect haven for fiends to score their fix of warm-weather footwear. The Lincoln Park boutique boasts an avant-garde attitude reflected in its carefully-chosen contemporary styles and the Warhol artwork adorning the walls. What more can a fashion-forward addict ask for than a 70-degree day and a date with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Jeffrey Campbell or Steve Madden? Spring brings the heat and our new hookup supplies designers to match every girl's taste and pocketbook.
While we can only hope our baseball hunks channel the luck of the Irish and Pulaski's saving hand, Shoe Addixion is certain to promise a winning season!
Shoe Addixion
651 W. Armitage
Chicago, IL 60614
773.691.7100 |
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Oui, Oui!
When we visited France, we strapped on our 30-pound backpack and went looking for the cheapest food cart in the French Quarter. Now that we're a littler older, wiser, and richer (well, one entry level job richer) we would love to say oui! to French cuisine finer than the Nutella crepes on which we subsisted while there.
Until we make it back across the pond, though, we have Café Matou, a hidden French gem in a quiet section of Bucktown. Café Matou serves authentic French fare with a warm, knowledgeable wait staff and zero pretension. The focus is on comfort (enjoy the casually placed local art on exposed brick walls), and perfectly complemented food-and-sauce pairings. (The chef was formerly a saucier; Ratatouille, anyone?).
The menu changes daily but the quality never wavers. We couldn’t get enough of the hedgehog-mushroom hors d'oeuvres, and the avocado-lime salad we paired with our shrimp entrée was perfectly seasoned. Café Matou is our new go-to choice for a five-star meal … well below the five-star price point. S’il vous plait!
Café Matou
1846 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
773.384.8911
www.cafematou.com |
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Enthralling the Goddess Within
More and more, we've been having those really lucid self-aware moments in which we realize that our college days are forever gone. Wine is no longer of the boxed variety. Bridal showers are a recurring brunch topic, as are babies (babies!!!), and kitchenware is at the top of our wish list. If only the tequila guzzlin' 21-year-old in us could see us now…
We're not quite sure when our inner-domestic goddess came to town, but she's here and she likes it. Much to our delight, French retailer Geneviève Lethu has also blown into the Windy City. For 35 years, the housewares bigwig has supplied brightly colored tabletop goods to some 130 shops worldwide. With the Magnificent Mile as their very first U.S. destination, Chicagoans get first dibs on boldly-patterned dinnerware and contemporary kitchen decor.
Letting go is never easy, but Geneviève Lethu gives us every reason to say au revoir to mismatched hand-me-downs from college. Perhaps we’ll even toss our homemade beer bong and shot glass selection too ... well, nah … but we will keep updating our kitschy kitchen with Genevieve Lethu's new collections (one every season!)
Geneviève Lethu
900 N Michigan Ave., 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611
312.423.9948
www.genevieve-lethu.com |
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Chick Picks: |
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Green Is Here To Stay
The phrase "going green" is so buzzworthy. We read about greening our homes. We talk about global warming. But to be honest, we are about as knowledgeably green as our 14-year-old lab, Pippy Sue. Not for long, though!
Now that we have daily bite-sized tips for light green living from idealbite.com, we are giving Ed Begley, Jr. a run for his recycling bin! It even comes in a personalized Chicago format. The writing is candid, realistic, and so fresh and so clean. It's helpful and easy, too, so sign up!
www.idealbite.com |
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Smart Women Finish First
It sounds a little weird to admit this, but we check out what other girls are wearing. Don't get us wrong, but we love checking out hot fashion on smartly dressed women. A well-put together woman projects class, confidence and strength. And ya know what? Some of that can be bought.
Beginning with the right accessories, like those by local Chicagoan jewelry designer Sarah Radford's line of Chic Gems. Gorgeous stones, classic designs.
www.chicgemsetc.com |
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Jewelry For Your Jeans
We love vintage finds. And homemade finds. And one-of-a-kind finds! So of course we love love love Judy Buckle's collection of unique belt buckles. They're sparkly, Swarovski-encrusted, and totally fabulous!
We've always admired our best friend's ability to rock a big gold buckle and black v-neck tee, and now we think it's time we tried to pull off that look ourselves. Plus … we heard that certain stylish celebs are rockin’ Judy Buckles … and we’re nothing if not trendspotters!
www.judybuckles.com |
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Hip Happenings: |
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Through a Glass Darkly
We love learning about the various subcultures and worlds within Chicago. Local veteran artist Chuck Walker’s current exhibit “Through a Glass Darkly” gives us glimpses into his urban subjects’ lives and minds, but preserves their mystery, too. Walker’s masterful sketches and figure paintings draw you in to his subjects while also shrouding them in intrigue and depth.
What: “Through a Glass Darkly” art exhibit
When: Runs thru April 6
Where: Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave.
Call: 773.324.5520
Visit: www.hydeparkart.org
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The Grape Escape
When we love a place, we're very passionate about it. We text our friends things like, "OMG you guys will love it here!" or "We have to come here for my half-birthday!" Right now, we're like a schoolgirl in love with Just Grapes. We’re absolutely swooning about their grape-tasting series—check it out!
What: Grape-Tasting Series at Just Grapes, beginning with Pinot Noir
When: March 10-August
Where: 560 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 100
Call: 312.627.WINE
Visit: www.justgrapes.net |
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GNO
If you know that "GNO" is a Hannah Montana song, we are definitely on the same level. That cutie pie teenybopper knows the importance of a good girl's night out, and she hasn't even graduated high school! Shecky’s ups the age limit (over 21) and adds samples, freebies, drinks, and shopping to the mix. Much better than tweenybopping any day.
What: Shecky's Girl's Night Out
When: March 12 & March 13
Where: Union Station, 210 S. Canal St.
Call: 212.242.2566
Visit: www.sheckys.com |
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Keep on spreading the good word, readers! Our legion of lovely ladies is growing by the day, as our writers hit the streets by night to get the scoop on the word in the Second City. Pass us along! |
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