Daywatch: Cast a vote for your favorite restaurants
Good morning, Chicago.
The nominations have been tallied, and it’s time to start casting those votes — for the mayoral runoff, sure, but just as importantly: The 2023 Readers’ Choice Food Awards.
Over the past week, more than 900 nominations came pouring in for our 12 categories, from Best New Restaurant to your favorite Chicago-style barbecue, nonalcoholic drinks, suburban restaurant and more.
Now we’ve narrowed it down to five finalists in each category — along with 10 for Best New Restaurant — and voting begins today and runs through March 31. Readers can vote daily for their favorites, and then check back April 26 to see who wins it all.
If you missed it earlier this month, check out our Critics’ Choice Awards, featuring our picks for the best in Chicago dining in 2023, from pizza to pho. Want to see which of your favorite spots have won in the past? We’ve got a searchable map with every winner since 2011.
Best of luck to our worthwhile finalists, and may the most delicious morsels win.
— Ariel Cheung, food and travel editor
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Subscribe to more newsletters | COVID-19 tracker | Compare home values by ZIP code | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Dan Proft corrects $3 million typo on campaign finance report
After the state Democratic Party filed a complaint against him for failing to disclose more than $1 million in receipts to the political action committee he runs, right-wing radio talk show host and GOP political operative Dan Proft is blaming the discrepancy on a $3 million typo.
Proft on Wednesday filed a new campaign finance report for the independent expenditure PAC that he runs called People Who Play By The Rules.
Chicago birders rejoice as Arctic gull makes rare visit to local beaches
The bird that drew crowds of up to 200 people Saturday, and reappeared to the delight of onlookers at nearby Steelworkers Park on Tuesday and Wednesday, is indeed the long-awaited Ross’s gull, according to John Bates, curator of birds at Chicago’s Field Museum.
“Most of the time they’re only above the Arctic Circle, and occasionally they wander down into the lower 48, but they often don’t stay around very long. So the idea that this bird allowed itself to be seen by so many people was really fun,” Bates said.
Big banks create $30 billion rescue package for First Republic
Eleven of the biggest banks in the country announced a $30 billion rescue package for First Republic Bank, in an effort to prevent the California-based bank from becoming the third bank to fail in less than a week.
Column: Illinois suffers another early NCAA Tournament exit, losing to Arkansas 73-63. ‘We had opportunities.’
Illinois came into the NCAA Tournament with nothing to lose, so Thursday’s first-round exit at the hands of Arkansas wasn’t as difficult to digest as their most recent tournament losses.
The No. 9 seed Illini lost 73-63, displaying the same shooting deficiencies and ballhandling woes we’ve seen from them much of the season.
Column: What clues does ‘Mozart Immersive’ give about the future of entertainment?
“Mozart Immersive” depicts the composer as a boy genius marionette, struggling to break free from the expectations of court life, his father Leopold’s shadow and his own mortality. Strains of his “Don Giovanni,” “The Magic Flute” and other greatest-hits glories fill the room. As a special guest star, Mikhail Baryshnikov makes a wordless cameo as the brooding Leopold, seen walking, as if in a digital trance, surrounded by candles.
Charming? Memorable? Well … it’s assuredly something to look at while listening to bits of “The Marriage of Figaro” and other gems in recorded renditions performed by a 45-piece orchestra conducted by Constantine Orbelian, writes Michael Phillips.
