Grandma

What is a bar-gument, you say? For as long as there have been watering holes, there have been disagreements. Some people prefer martinis with gin, some with vodka. Bar-guments is here to settle some longstanding bar conflicts once and for all. THIS WEEK: Is sherry cool to drink or something only Grandma orders?   Cool I gotta stick up for my misunderstood pal, sherry. I, too, used to think it was some overly sweet stuff that old people ordered at stuffy restaurants.

Most people have come down with beer brain at least once in their lives. It's that phase of a night out - usually after 1 a.m., just as the party's begun to die down - when you and your friends start brainstorming ambitious plans for the future. It's nothing like "We Bought a Zoo. " Our plans are more like something out of "Bar Rescue. " In fact, the Spike TV show has made our beer brain even worse these days. For those of you who are cool enough to not know what it is, "Bar Rescue" is a show in which a bar expert visits a failing establishment and turns it around.

Most people have come down with beer brain at least once in their lives. It's that phase of a night out - usually after 1 a.m., just as the party's begun to die down - when you and your friends start brainstorming ambitious plans for the future. It's nothing like "We Bought a Zoo. " Our plans are more like something out of "Bar Rescue. " In fact, the Spike TV show has made our beer brain even worse these days. For those of you who are cool enough to not know what it is, "Bar Rescue" is a show in which a bar expert visits a failing establishment and turns it around.

*** (out of four) Jane (Dree Hemingway) is a young L.A.-via-Florida girl who's as obnoxiously aloof as she is stick-thin. Sadie (Besedka Johnson) is an elderly widow who acts as if it's a huge hassle to give Jane tap water - sans ice - after Jane drives Sadie home from the store. There's no reason to think these two could be friends. Yet director/co-writer Sean Baker makes the Independent Spirit Award-winning “Starlet” work better than it should, despite building on contrivances and too-blatantly rigging emotional turning points.

*** (out of four) Jane (Dree Hemingway) is a young L.A.-via-Florida girl who's as obnoxiously aloof as she is stick-thin. Sadie (Besedka Johnson) is an elderly widow who acts as if it's a huge hassle to give Jane tap water - sans ice - after Jane drives Sadie home from the store. There's no reason to think these two could be friends. Yet director/co-writer Sean Baker makes the Independent Spirit Award-winning “Starlet” work better than it should, despite building on contrivances and too-blatantly rigging emotional turning points.

Beach trips and picnics are summer fun staples, but there's nothing like lazing away an afternoon at brunch. Forgo your regular haunt and consider checking out the new brunch service at these eight restaurants. As an added bonus, five have outdoor seating so you can soak up some rays with your sunnyside-up eggs. Brunch review: Hash House A Go Go 1212 N. State Parkway 312-202-0994 Rating:  !! 1/2 (out of 4) Take it or leave it *Outdoor seating available Some people have brunch to nurse a hangover.

UPDATE: Listen to Keef's collaboration with Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and Jadakiss on the "I Don't Like" remix here. Over the last four months, 16-year-old Chief Keef has come from almost complete obscurity as a kid on house arrest to being one of Chicago's most buzzed-about artists. Last week, Kanye West announced a remix of Chief Keef's song “I Don't Like” with rappers Pusha T, Big Sean, and Jadakiss, helping to expand Keef's national profile. On Thursday, Chief Keef flew to New York to meet with labels and press...

Having a problem getting into the holiday spirit this year? Have no dear, there you can livestream Christmas cats now. According to Business Insider, you can livestream these festive felines for the next three days on ChristmasCats.tv. The kittens are decked out in holiday garb in a room with a grandma and an elf keeping them company. The site also allows you to meet the 13 cats featured in the livestream, complete with photos and bios. ChristmasCats.tv is a result of a partnership between Sony Legacy recording and North Shore...

  True story: I never stopped calling Sean Combs "Puff Daddy. " Through his name changes from P. Diddy to just Diddy to whatever came after that (I honestly stopped paying attention after awhile), he's always been plain ol' Puff Daddy to me. Now, he apparently has seen the light and is going back to basics. In the video for his new song "Big Homie" (previewed above), Combs has decided to reclaim his moniker just in time for his new album "MMM," which should be released later this year.

Salatino's 626 S. Racine Ave. 312-226-9300 Rating: !!! (out of 4) Off to a good start The scene: A laid-back twist on its more-upscale predecessor Aldino's, Salatino's friendly servers don T-shirts, the walls are lined with framed black-and-white photos of Italian weddings and kitchen scenes, and the heavenly scent of red sauce wafts through the air like Grandma's spaghetti-and-gravy sunday supper. The food: Hearty pasta and Italian classics that really taste homemade.

Beach trips and picnics are summer fun staples, but there's nothing like lazing away an afternoon at brunch. Forgo your regular haunt and consider checking out the new brunch service at these eight restaurants. As an added bonus, five have outdoor seating so you can soak up some rays with your sunnyside-up eggs. Brunch review: Hash House A Go Go 1212 N. State Parkway 312-202-0994 Rating:  !! 1/2 (out of 4) Take it or leave it *Outdoor seating available Some people have brunch to nurse a hangover.

UPDATE: Listen to Keef's collaboration with Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and Jadakiss on the "I Don't Like" remix here. Over the last four months, 16-year-old Chief Keef has come from almost complete obscurity as a kid on house arrest to being one of Chicago's most buzzed-about artists. Last week, Kanye West announced a remix of Chief Keef's song “I Don't Like” with rappers Pusha T, Big Sean, and Jadakiss, helping to expand Keef's national profile. On Thursday, Chief Keef flew to New York to meet with labels and press...

What is a bar-gument, you say? For as long as there have been watering holes, there have been disagreements. Some people prefer martinis with gin, some with vodka. Bar-guments is here to settle some longstanding bar conflicts once and for all. THIS WEEK: Is sherry cool to drink or something only Grandma orders?   Cool I gotta stick up for my misunderstood pal, sherry. I, too, used to think it was some overly sweet stuff that old people ordered at stuffy restaurants.

In 50 years, when my generation is old and gray, we won't have stories to tell the young folks. We'll have videos. I visit my grandma regularly in Humboldt Park. We sit at the kitchen table, and I spend a couple of hours listening to her stories over black coffee and sweet bread. She tells me about being a little girl in the Honduran countryside, teaching in the capital city, coming to Chicago, my mom's first American Christmas. All the while, I'm thinking, "Man, I wish they had cellphone video and YouTube back then.

What is a bar-gument, you say? For as long as there have been watering holes, there have been disagreements. Some people prefer martinis with gin, some with vodka. Bar-guments is here to settle some longstanding bar conflicts once and for all. This week: Should you expect a buyback from a bartender after a few rounds? Yep Yes, but let me clarify what I mean by "expect. " Anybody who goes into a bar and throws around cash with the expectation that the bartender has never seen paper money...