Events Search
Latin Romance on Valentine's Day
Through 2/14Valentine's Day
A Latin American restaurant features a special three-course menu for two. Chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne are included with the meal. $60
Mexicans, Jews, and Muppets
Through 2/4: Fri-Sat 8 PM, also 2/11, 8 PMImprov/Sketch
A topical sketch show by Butch LaRue. $15
Broads on Boards
4/9: Thu 8 PM
847-251-7424Theater & Performance
Lauren Dowden and Amanda Blake Davis star in this Annoyance Theatre production. $15
Get Physical
Thu 2/9, 9:30 PMOther Stuff
The theme of this month's Get Physical dance party by DJs the Fabulous Ladies of Fitness is "love is a battlefield." They'll be spinning "songs of tragedy, love lost, and triumph over heartbreak." —Joey Jachowski and Julia Thiel
"Death as an Occasion for Wonder: Nonmorbid Occasions for Talking About Morality"
Thu., Feb. 9, 6 p.m. 312-742-8497Lectures
Conversation with University of Chicago divinity school professor emeritus Martin E. Marty and Interfaith Youth Core founder Eboo Patel. In conjunction with the exhibit "Morbid Curiosity." Reservations recommended.
Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen
Thu., Feb. 9, 6 p.m. 312-255-3700Literary Events
Historian Ratner-Rosenhagen discusses American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas.
Scale the Summit, Elitist, Centaurus, Burn the Remains
Thu., Feb. 9, 6 p.m.Rock, Pop, Etc
Scale the Summit got it right when they decided to forgo vocals. Lots of instrumental metal or postrock bands eventually experiment with singing, but I don't even want to imagine this Houston prog outfit with a front man—I just know it'd add nothing but overblown pomp to their already heady songs, like the vocals in old-school Dream Theater and, dare I say it, Coheed & Cambria. Last year's The Collective (Prosthetic) is half metal and half atmospheric prog, full of seven- and eight-string guitar lines and seriously skilled six-string bass moves (though you'll have to deal with some slapping). Of course, you'd better know what you're doing when you start fiddling around with mutant, extra-level Guitar World instruments, and Scale the Summit definitely do. The album's standout cut, "Gallows," starts off with double-kick-drum head-banging heaviness, then morphs into a lovely, epic jam that could soundtrack any one of the scenes from The Neverending Story where Atreyu is riding high on Falcor's back. Who needs vocals when you've got that? —Kevin Warwick Elitist, Centaurus, and Burn the Remains open.
$12, $10 in advance
Joyce Selander
Thu., Feb. 9, 6 p.m.Literary Events
Selander signs her memoir, Joyce, Queen of the Mountain: Female Courage and Hand-To-Hand Combat in the World'S Largest Money Pit.
The World Beyond the Headlines
Thu., Feb. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. 773-702-7721Lectures
Talk by journalist Hal Weitzman (Latin Lessons: How South America Stopped Listening to the United States and Started Prospering).
Martha Bayne
Thu., Feb. 9, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Not to be confused with the first Soup & Bread Cookbook—even though it shares its name, author, illustrator, and even a few recipes (most are new)—Martha Bayne's new book is a reflection on the cultural importance of soup as much as a cookbook. Each section begins with an essay: soup as a political statement, for example, or as performance art, or, of course, as a way to build community. Soup & Bread, the ongoing event at the Hideout that brought forth the recipes collected in this book (and the previous cookbook), is a particularly good illustration of soup as a means of bringing people together. Bayne (a former Reader editor) started the event in January of 2009 to alleviate the boredom of her lonely Wednesday-evening bartending shift, recruiting several volunteers each week to cook soup and giving the profits (from donations by attendees) to a rotating roster of nonprofits like food pantries and hunger relief agencies. To say that it caught on would be an understatement: nearly every time I've gone, the back room of the Hideout has been packed with people jostling good-naturedly for soup prepared by both professional chefs and dedicated amateurs, trying to avoid stepping on the children scurrying underfoot. The book reflects the almost palpable enthusiasm for soup that can be felt at the events, from Bayne's informative essays to Paul Dolan's charming illustrations to the recipes themselves, which preserve the writers' individual voices. From the instructions for Tuscan bread soup: "Stir. A lot. The bread will burn on the bottom if you're not careful and your soup will be bitter and the children will cry and it'll be terrible. So stir." —Julia Thiel
Jennifer Olvera
Thu., Feb. 9, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Olvera presents Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events.
"Religion, Democracy, and Civic Engagement"
Thu., Feb. 9, 7 p.m. 630- 617-3390Lectures
Talk by political scientist Robert D. Putnam (American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us).
190 Prospect Ave.
Other Suburbs West
630-617-3135