Theme

EAT New Spring Menu Mercat a la Planxa 638 S. Michigan Ave. 312-765-0524 Lighter fare is the theme of eight new seasonal, shareable Spanish plates including escalivada d'alberginia (eggplant fritters, piquillo pepper, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and lavender honey; $14) and baix amb pesol y escabeche (striped bass, quinoa, spring peas and kumquat-chorizo marinade; $16). 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m. 50th Anniversary Jeri's Grill 4357 N. Western Ave. 773-604-8775 Swing by the 24-hour neighborhood diner - which has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all...

Andy Gould, one of the owners of Scofflaw, definitely has a sense of humor. A redacted press release posted on Scofflaw's blog Wednesday was a playful way to announce a new Logan Square bar that the team has in the works. But because details are scarce, it led to some speculation, including a rumor that the bar would be "hillbilly-" or "country-Western-" themed. "I can go on the record and say that we are not [building] a hillbilly line-dancing bar," Gould said. "Though I think it's kind of hilarious and kind of enjoy it. I don't know if [they]

This year's Northalsted Parade will be apocalyptic this year, with a Mayan calendar theme sure to inspire some long overdone cries of YOLO throughout the parade. It will also feature a new route. The 16th annual parade will begin at 7 p.m. at Waveland and Halsted, coasting south on Halsted to Belmont. The costume contest's signups occur from 4 to 6 p.m. at Circuit, and participants must be signed up in order to participate in the 7 p.m. contest. Judging this year's competition will be Macray Huff and Katrell Mendenhall from the Style Network's "Chicagolicious.

EAT New Spring Menu Mercat a la Planxa 638 S. Michigan Ave. 312-765-0524 Lighter fare is the theme of eight new seasonal, shareable Spanish plates including escalivada d'alberginia (eggplant fritters, piquillo pepper, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and lavender honey; $14) and baix amb pesol y escabeche (striped bass, quinoa, spring peas and kumquat-chorizo marinade; $16). 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 to 10 p.m. 50th Anniversary Jeri's Grill 4357 N. Western Ave. 773-604-8775 Swing by the 24-hour neighborhood diner - which has been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all...

Chicago native Carmen Marron was working as a guidance counselor in Phoenix when she decided to make a film addressing the experience of Latino teenagers. "Go For It," the dance drama that she wrote, directed and produced herself, was released earlier this year by Pantelion Films, a division of Lionsgate. It comes out on DVD Sept. 27. We caught up with Marron by phone from her home in L.A. to talk about her film projects and the state of Latino film. Why did you feel that it was important to set "Go For It" in Chicago?

The Chicago culinary scene is bigger in Texas. At least five Chicago cheftestants have been awarded the coveted “Top Chef: Texas” jacket in the latest season of the show, which premiered Wednesday night. The final slate of 16 cheftestants, which may include a sixth Chicago chef, likely will be revealed next week. In Wednesday's episode, some of the chefs worked with pig and rabbit to create their dishes. Yawn. It seems “Top Chef” has fallen into the “Project Runway” trap of repeating lame ideas for challenges.

"South Park" returns tonight with the mid-Season 16 premiere in which creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker take on the concussion epidemic in football. I doubt the comic duo had time to sneak in a reference to Monday's bad reffing in the Packers-Seahawks game, but you never know. (And wouldn't that be awesome?) In "Sarcastaball," parent Randy Marsh implements changes to the South Park Elementary rule book. His new version of the game becomes the most popular sport in the U.S. The preview hints that maybe Randy suffers his own version of a...

Unless you've spent the year immersed in nothing but "Real Housewives" - and if you have, thanks for tearing yourself away long enough to read this - you've probably heard the news that 2012 is the Mayans' predicted Year of the Apocalypse. And really, what better place to begin the countdown than Wednesday's 16th annual Northalsted Halloween Parade, which always features to-die-for costumes for both dead and undead humans and pets? Better yet, this year's parade also features a new theme of Apocalypse 2012, a new start time...

It's not exactly the Yellow Brick Road, but a proverbial hop, skip and a jump up the Kennedy Expressway from the wizard of Oz's birthplace lies the origin of a new kind of Oz creation. More than a century after L. Frank Baum penned "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in his Humboldt Park home, a Chicago-based high-tech start-up called Spooky Cool Labs has created a licensed city-building Facebook game, called "The Wizard of Oz," based on the adventures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the rest of Baum's weird, wonderful...

Andy Gould, one of the owners of Scofflaw, definitely has a sense of humor. A redacted press release posted on Scofflaw's blog Wednesday was a playful way to announce a new Logan Square bar that the team has in the works. But because details are scarce, it led to some speculation, including a rumor that the bar would be "hillbilly-" or "country-Western-" themed. "I can go on the record and say that we are not [building] a hillbilly line-dancing bar," Gould said. "Though I think it's kind of hilarious and kind of enjoy it. I don't know if...

After five years of providing Lincoln Park with sand, indoor bags games and a venue in which to chug an entire fishbowl of brightly colored booze, Uncle Fatty's Rum Resort will close its doors May 4. Co-owner Brian Galati today announced that he and his partners will expand next-door Headquarters Beercade , which they also run, into the space currently occupied by Uncle Fatty's. "It was near and dear to our hearts," Galati said. "[Uncle Fatty's] was a concept everybody counted out in the beginning and here we are five years later.

It's not exactly the Yellow Brick Road, but a proverbial hop, skip and a jump up the Kennedy Expressway from the wizard of Oz's birthplace lies the origin of a new kind of Oz creation. More than a century after L. Frank Baum penned "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in his Humboldt Park home, a Chicago-based high-tech start-up called Spooky Cool Labs has created a licensed city-building Facebook game, called "The Wizard of Oz," based on the adventures of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the rest of Baum's...

While we're getting all pumped up about the winter return of shows like "Girls" and "Downton Abbey" and emotionally prepping for the end of "30 Rock," we almost forgot about another delicious subset of TV: reality. Our friends over in the "real" world have been cooking up some exceptionally ... interesting ... ideas to get us through the bleak months to come. Follow our scale, from least to most ridiculous, to decide what you'll be watching next. damoran@tribune.com | @redeyedana "The Face" Oxygen The concept: "America's Next Top Model" judge...

Unless you've spent the year immersed in nothing but "Real Housewives" - and if you have, thanks for tearing yourself away long enough to read this - you've probably heard the news that 2012 is the Mayans' predicted Year of the Apocalypse. And really, what better place to begin the countdown than Wednesday's 16th annual Northalsted Halloween Parade, which always features to-die-for costumes for both dead and undead humans and pets? Better yet, this year's parade also features a new theme of Apocalypse 2012, a new start time and a new route.

This year's Northalsted Parade will be apocalyptic this year, with a Mayan calendar theme sure to inspire some long overdone cries of YOLO throughout the parade. It will also feature a new route. The 16th annual parade will begin at 7 p.m. at Waveland and Halsted, coasting south on Halsted to Belmont. The costume contest's signups occur from 4 to 6 p.m. at Circuit, and participants must be signed up in order to participate in the 7 p.m. contest. Judging this year's competition will be Macray Huff and Katrell Mendenhall from the Style Network's "Chicagolicious.

It looks like the folks at Gorilla Tango Theater are at it again! After scoring hits with " A Nude Hope: A Star Wars Burlesque ," " Temple of Boobs:A Indiana Jones Burlesque ", as well as " Hooter Rangers: A Spicy Morphin Burlesque ", it looks like they will be giving us a take on one of the oldest science-fiction series in television history. That's right, prepare yourself for a Doctor Who themed burlesque show! I just learned about it last night and received the following press release on the open casting call...

Review: Argent 660 N. State St. 312-202-6050 Rating:  !! (out of four) Give it some time Is it just me, or have Chicago chefs caught the nostalgia bug lately? Grant Achatz took us back to Paris in 1906 when he opened Next last spring. Then, Au Cheval modernized the classic American diner for the new millennium, and Big Jones revamped its menu to focus on Southern dishes from specific eras. This summer, River North's Argent doles out your next culinary history lesson with a menu inspired by Chicago in the late 1800s, when the city rose from the ashes of the Great Fire to host the World's...

The Drinkingbird 2201 N. Clybourn Ave. 773-472-9920 Rating: 3 (out of four) Off to a good start When I first heard that The Drinkingbird was opening in Lincoln Park with a throwback, '60s cocktail lounge vibe (kitsch and highball glasses included), I was nervous. All too often, new bars hope to draw in crowds by offering complicated drinks that the staff isn't trained to handle, pairing them with close-but-not-quite upgraded bar bites. Lucky for me (and you)

"South Park" returns tonight with the mid-Season 16 premiere in which creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker take on the concussion epidemic in football. I doubt the comic duo had time to sneak in a reference to Monday's bad reffing in the Packers-Seahawks game, but you never know. (And wouldn't that be awesome?) In "Sarcastaball," parent Randy Marsh implements changes to the South Park Elementary rule book. His new version of the game becomes the most popular sport in the U.S. The preview hints that maybe Randy suffers his own version of a concussion first.

He's the baddest dude in the galaxy. The most feared bounty hunter in the Outer Rim. When the Hutts need someone caught and brought before them, he's the man they call. His name? Boba Fett , one of the most legendary and iconic characters in the Star Wars Universe. So of course, it was only a matter of time before the geeky gals of Gorilla Tango Burlesque (GTB) decided that the guy who flew the Slave One with a Han Solo in Carbonite popsicle in its hold would join the cast of their newest show...as a woman.