Happy Thursday, Chicago.
There’s a lot of history in the food and arts news this week.
First up, food critic Louisa Chu delves into the history behind the jibarito, a Chicago invention with shatteringly crisp plantains housing anything from octopus — an increasingly popular dish around these parts — to adobo-seasoned steak. And, she writes, one restaurant does it better than anyone else.
Meanwhile, if you’ve ever taken a scenic walk through Graceland Cemetery, you’ve surely spied a famous name or two. Now, author and former cemetery tour guide Adam Selzer has a new book revealing hundreds of stories — and more than a few secrets — of the historical figures resting on the sprawling grounds.
There’s a new concert venue in a historic salt shed sporting an iconic umbrella-touting girl; and a chat with a political consultant for some of Chicago’s most historic politicians. And while it can be fascinating to take a look back, I’m also excited for some events just ahead, from Windy City Smokeout this weekend to an art exhibit in Humboldt Park that will donate all proceeds toward helping a cherished Puerto Rican museum rebuild.
See you next week.
— Ariel Cheung, food and travel editor
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Review: At Jibaritos y Mas, a gilding of garlic and bistec for an iconic Chicago sandwich
Jibaritos must be the most unpredictable of our iconic Chicago-style foods, writes Tribune critic Louisa Chu. The best of them feature garlic-smeared plantains that crackle and crunch with each bite, with the shattering texture of chicharron.
And the best of the best can be found at Jibaritos y Mas, Chu says. Read her full review here.
Bar Siena, a favorite in Chicago’s West Loop, opens at Skokie’s Old Orchard Shopping Center
There is nothing like the Salt Shed in Chicago.
The former Morton Salt complex in West Town is being transformed into a performance venue and had its first outdoor concerts this week — and there’s plenty more to come.
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Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger has been spotting the trendy cephalopod at a shocking number of new restaurants, from Alpana, Alla Vita and Nisos Mediterranean to Lyra, Peanut Park Trattoria and Rose Mary.
What do chefs have to say about the increasingly ubiquitous dish? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
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It’s got barbecue from both Chicago and around the country. It’s got A-list country stars, from Willie Nelson to Miranda Lambert.
And it’s happening this weekend. Here’s the full lineup and everything else you need to know about Windy City Smokeout 2022.
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Since this summer’s latest big action film is kind of a drag, a smaller-scale comedy offering a fair number of laughs and sending the audience out with an intergenerational karaoke rendition of “I Gotta Feeling” hits the spot — even with its misses, writes Tribune critic Michael Phillips. Read his review here.
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Two months after a tepid consumer response to pricey NFT versions of Goose Island’s renowned boozy beers aged in whiskey barrels, Chicago’s oldest brewery has announced the good old-fashioned liquid versions of this year’s Bourbon County brews, which includes the return of two old favorites and beers meant to emulate Fig Newtons and biscotti.
Tribune beer writer Josh Noel has an early look at the Black Friday release.
In Puerto Rico, the Museo de Arte de Ponce’s building has provided an even greater lifeline for Puerto Ricans than the art within it. Over the years, it has served as a refuge in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, earthquakes and COVID-19.
But it has suffered extensive damage from the series of natural disasters, and had to close indefinitely during the pandemic. Here in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is looking to send aid in the form of proceeds from its “Nostalgia for My Island” exhibit, which features never-before-seen-in-the-States artworks from the Museo de Arte.
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In a small, thoughtful way, David Axelrod’s podcast, “The Axe Files,” which airs its 500th episode this month, has been building a sometimes nuanced, occasionally touching ongoing oral history of these political times, as viewed from both right and left.
The Tribune’s Chris Borrelli sits down with the longtime Chicago political consultant — and former Tribune City Hall reporter — to talk about Axelrod’s approach to interviews with the likes of Kellyanne Conway and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, working with former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and his predictions on what’s to come in the November election.
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The dead keep telling tales, and the new book ‘Graceland Cemetery’ is alive with hundreds of them
Graceland Cemetery is one of Chicago’s great curiosities, a place that has become less cemetery and something more like an open-air history lesson.
And there continue to be secrets to unfold, year after year. The latest revealing comes from author Adam Selzer and his latest book, “Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets.” Read more about how the book came to be here.
In 1994, the movie “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” walked so that one day, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” could sashay.
But when it comes to the stage version of the movie, currently at the Mercury Theater in the Lakeview neighborhood, Tribune critic Chris Jones says there’s one major problem: There’s just too much talent on stage for a canned background track.
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