For the sake of tradition, you made New Year’s resolutions this year. But let’s be honest, you know you’re going to abandon shipanyway sometime in February. Might as well cut your losses and make a break for it now. Here’s how.
You resolved to: Drink less
Break it: You must have been hung over when you made this pledge. If you’re going to break it — and come on, you know you are — then really, really break it. Pay $15 up front for the Wednesday night package (5-11 p.m.) at Stanley’s Kitchen and Tap (1970 N. Lincoln Ave. 312-642-0007) and keep drinking till your liver’s content. Includes Bud Light, house wine, pizza and pasta. Find more drink-package deals at Crossroads Public House, Bohica Bar and Grill, Merkle’s and more on metromix.com.
You resolved to: Eat better
Break it: Head straight for the new Block 37 shopping complex in the Loop and look for the grandfatherly mascot with the white beard. He’s the man with the cream puffs. Beard Papa’s (108 N. State St. Pedway level. 312-960-9000), a Japanese franchise specializing in sugary treats, sells the filled puffs in three forms: original ($2); eclair, dipped in Callebaut chocolate ($2.50); and cookie crunch, with a sugar cookie baked into the dough ($2.50). Get ’em filled with chocolate custard, vanilla custard, strawberries and cream, or Haagen-Dazs ice cream. A single vanilla puff packs 13 grams of fat and 220 calories, but we defy you to have just one — and conveniently, you get a $2 discount when you buy a box of six and a $5 discount per dozen.
You resolved to: Exercise more
Break it: Drive (don’t walk; parking’s free!) and plop your totally-comfortable-with-its-size booty into a seat at the South Loop’s new Showplace Icon Theatre (150 W. Roosevelt Rd. showplaceicon.com). Take in a movie while devouring bacon popcorn ($5), courtesy of Jerry Kleiner’s Lobby Lounge and also served at 33 Club (as pictured right). Get it with real butter for an extra 50 cents. Only downside to this plan: The two calories you burn lifting your hand to your mouth. Note: For now, if you want to bring the popcorn into a movie you must sit in the VIP section, which costs $5 more per ticket and is offered in just two of the venue’s 16 auditoriums.
You resolved to: Quit smoking
Break it: 2010 is totally the year you are quitting smoking … except when you’re drinking, right? Shirking this resolution is most convenient at South Loop club Shrine (2109 S. Wabash Ave. 312-753-5700), where you can slip into the outdoor area in back of the club to light up — sans hand stamps and messing with the door dude.
You resolved to: Save money
Break it: Money’s for spending, so spend it big on a decadent meal at chichi new Gold Coast dinner destination Ria (11 E. Walton St. 312-880-4400), tucked inside the swank Elysian Hotel. Your best bet? The Peking duck for two ($40 per person). It’s a honey-vinegar-brushed whole duck that’s cooked to order then presented tableside before being deconstructed into two courses: thinly sliced breast served alongside pomegranates, prunes and turnips, and shredded leg with seared foie gras, pomegranate emulsion and a ginger chip. Dessert? Why not — four options are available for $12 each. You may want to splurge on a new outfit for the occasion. Something one size up from your usual — you’ll need the extra room.
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metromix@tribune.com
