It’s Thursday, Chicago.
With the end of summer approaching and the promise of cooler fall weather right around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of 20 outdoor things to do to soak up the last bits of summer, from riding on a fireboat to finding some hidden gems around the city.
One of the biggest stories in TV this week is HBO’s return to Westeros with “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon.” It’s got power plays, violence, dragons and incest, but can it live up to the original show’s success?
Meanwhile, there are some great new places to grab some food or a drink. Monster Ramen has opened up in Logan Square and has one of Chicago’s best bowls of ramen, according to Tribune critic Nick Kindelsperger, while Take Flight Spirits is a distillery pub opening up in Skokie.
See you next week.
— Kayla Samoy, deputy senior editor
Chicago Jazz Fest: Our 22 picks for 2022. Fancy a history lesson with that horn solo?
The Chicago Jazz Festival is almost here and music critic Hannah Edgar has selected a variety of notable events from both the main stage series and neighborhood concerts. Highlights include saxophonist Miguel Zenón, guitarist Mike Allemana and vocalist Dee Alexander. Read the rest of their top picks here.
Monday Night Foodball is a pop-up restaurant at the Kedzie Inn that features a rotating mix of classically trained chefs, caterers, self-taught cooks, home cooks and culinary school grads.
The menus have included cuisines from around the world as well as dishes unique to Chicago and the people making them. Read the full story here.
Written and directed by Rueben D. Echoles, this production focuses on Langston Hughes’ early life and the part he played in the Harlem Renaissance.
Freelance critic Emily McClanathan writes the show is most effective when the “actors perform poetry by Hughes with little adornment, channeling the power and beauty of his words in ways that add emotional weight to the plot.” Read her full review here.
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Review: Monster Ramen debuts with one of Chicago’s best bowls of ramen
Katie Dong, a self-proclaimed “noodle nerd,” has opened a new shop in Logan Square called Monster Ramen. The restaurant is one of the few ramen places in Chicago that makes its noodles from scratch in full view of its guests.
Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger writes the gyukotsu-style ramen “deserves to be included in any list of the best bowls of ramen in Chicago.” Read his full review here.
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After a largely disappointing ending to the hit series “Game of Thrones,” HBO is back in George R.R. Martin’s world with “House of the Dragon,” a prequel series that takes place a few hundred years before the main show and focuses on House Targaryen.
While some might be excited to get back to Westeros, Tribune critic Nina Metz is not that impressed. Here’s why.
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A brewpub, but make it liquor: Take Flight Spirits lifts off in Skokie
This month, downtown Skokie will see the opening of a distillery pub called Take Flight Spirits, which will feature spirits including rum, gin and whiskey.
The distillery is owned and operated by the married team of Carrie and Andrew Cole, who say they want to focus on interacting with people and creating a guest experience, rather than bottling their product for store shelves. Read the full story here.
The first day of autumn is Sept. 22, but there’s still plenty of time left to enjoy summer. From catching an open-air concert on Northerly Island or walking in a hidden city garden, the critics, writers and some frequent contributors to A+E have come up with a list of what we’d like to get outside and do before summer ends. Read the full list here.
Wine, doughnuts, pasties: Midwest food trails offer delicious escapes
For travelers who love to indulge in food and drinks, Midwest food trails can be a great way to try out a region’s specialty foods (and, in some cases, drinks) well off the beaten path.
One such guide is the Pasty Trail, an online resource that makes it easy to find a great pasty in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read the full story here.
Inaugural Sacred Rose kicks off Friday with Phil Lesh and Jeff Tweedy: What to know before you go
Summer may be winding down but there are still music festivals to enjoy. Sacred Rose opens Friday in southwest suburban Bridgeview. Fest founder Michael Berg describes it as “for the hippie-leaning fans” or “if a Grateful Dead show and Pitchfork had a baby.”
The headliners on the first night set the tone for the weekend: Phil Lesh, formerly of the Grateful Dead, will be joined by Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline of Wilco. Read the full guide here.
From lake to plate: Catching whitefish for Door County’s traditional fish boils
The Henriksen Fisheries crew catches Lake Michigan whitefish that is delivered the same day to restaurants around Door County.
Some of the fish will get put into a huge kettle over an open fire for a traditional Door County whitefish boil, a culinary tradition that started over 100 years ago as a cheap, quick and easy means to feed local fishers and lumberjacks. Read the full story here.
Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.