Happy Wednesday, Chicago.
And happy official start of summer! (I hope your air conditioners are in good shape and won’t break down, as mine did over the weekend.)
If you’re looking to stay indoors to beat the heat, there are tons of great things to watch, like Pixar’s new “Lightyear” movie, “cullud wattah” at Victory Gardens Theater and “Life After” at Goodman Theatre.
Or head out to one of the many new restaurants and bars that have opened in the city, like Judson & Moore Distillery for a whiskey flight or Chinatown’s Nine Bar for a craft cocktail.
If you’re up to braving the high temps, we’ve also got a list of the summer’s upcoming fireworks shows, just in time for the Fourth of July.
See you next week.
— Kayla Samoy, deputy senior editor
After more than two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago’s Steep Theatre is back in a new location. Tribune theater critic Chris Jones’ review has the details on how this venerable company put on “Paris” by Eboni Booth in a raw space.
After having an amazing dinner at Principote Mykonos on the Greek island of Mykonos, Parker Hospitality CEO and founder Brad Parker loved the food so much, he convinced chef Avgeria Stapaki to move all the way to Chicago.
Now the ambitious new restaurant, Nisos Mediterranean, is set to open July 8. Read the full story here.
Fireworks for the Fourth of July: All the Chicago and suburban fireworks shows for 2022
It’s that time of year again when fireworks are popping off all over the Chicago area. From weekly events all summer-long at Navy Pier to Fourth of July celebrations across the suburbs, we’ve put together a list of this year’s upcoming fireworks displays.
It might take nearly an hour’s wait to get into Sugar Moon, an experimental baking studio in Logan Square only open Friday through Sunday. But for Tribune critic Louisa Chu, it was worth the wait.
“What I discovered were some of the best bites I’ve had this year were made at Sugar Moon,” she writes. Read the full review here.
‘Lightyear’ review: Pixar’s quick-witted ‘Toy Story’ prequel shows how young Buzz found his destiny
Tribune critic Michael Phillips writes that this summer’s hit movies have a clear trend: “Send retro flyboys up in the air and teach ’em a lesson about what truly matters in life on the ground.”
First, there was “Top Gun: Maverick,” and now we’ve got Disney and Pixar’s swift and often wonderful “Lightyear,” which gives us the origin story of beloved Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear. Read the full review here.
You might have experienced Nine Bar while it was a pop-up, but the craft cocktail bar has found its forever home in a dramatic new space hidden in Chicago’s Chinatown. Fans of the bar’s McKatsu sandwich will be excited to see its return, along with a menu packed with delicious bites and tempting tipples.
It’s among the most exciting new restaurants in town, and food critic Louisa Chu has the details on those openings, as well as some closings.
This show, directed in Chicago by Lilli-Anne Brown, is not a traditional docudrama, writes Tribune critic Chris Jones. Instead, it examines the Flint water crisis through the lens of a five-person household. Read the full review here.
Husband and wife team Collin Moore and Elise Bergman faced many obstacles during the decade they spent planning to open Judson & Moore Distillery. But they were finally able to open in Avondale this month, with whiskey flights, a cocktail list and Saturday tours. Read the full story here.
‘Life After’ at Goodman Theatre is one of several new summer musicals on their way to Chicago
“Life After,” one of at least four new musicals coming to the city this summer, is about a 16-year-old girl coping with the death of her father. The show features a book, music and lyrics by Britta Johnson, who described it as somewhere between “Fun Home” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” Read the full story here.
Writers Theatre’s 2022-23 season includes ‘Once’ and ‘Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol’
Chicago cheesemonger crowned champion: ‘When it comes to cheese, I blossom’
Cara Condon, who works at Logan Square’s Beautiful Rind cheese shop, won the 2022 Cheesemonger Invitational. The biannual competition saw some of the world’s best cheesemongers compete in tasks testing their technical skill, cheese knowledge and salesmanship. Read the full story here.
