Eat. Watch. Do. — Opening day, Malört cocktails, plus Valhalla review
It’s Thursday, Chicago.
Did you see that glimmer of sun out there? There’s hope yet that spring has finally arrived and we can put that snow and frigid air behind us.
And nothing reminds sports fans of that more than baseball — the Cubs’ home opener is today, and the White Sox will return to Chicago on Monday to face off against the San Francisco Giants. We’ve got an updated list of all the bars in Wrigleyville, if you’re heading there this weekend, plus everything you should know if you’re heading to the Friendly Confines this season.
If that’s not really your thing, never fear: There are exciting new restaurants, streaming action thrillers, world-premiering operas and plenty of other happenings in Chicagoland to keep you occupied. And if you’re starting to feel restless as winter fades away, consider an excursion to another great Midwest metropolis (and my hometown!): Detroit.
See you next week.
— Lauryn Azu, deputy senior editor
‘The Night Agent’ review: An action-thriller that’s less ‘Jack Ryan,’ more ‘Three Days of the Condor’
Netflix’s new series “The Night Agent” takes a fresher approach at the action-thriller genre. But “the series is less ‘Jack Ryan,’ both in tone and interests, than ‘Three Days of the Condor,’ the 1975 political thriller starring Robert Redford,” critic Nina Metz writes. Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland and Luciane Buchanan as Rose Larkin star, alongside Robert Patrick, D.B. Woodside and recent Oscar-nominee Hong Chau. Read more here.
Taylor’s Tacos finally gets a home on Taylor Street, plus 5 more new restaurants in Chicago
Taylor and Maya Mason have been making tacos at Taylor’s Tacos for years, working out of The Hatchery on the West Side. Now they are opening a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Little Italy next week. Read about that one and five more new restaurant in Chicago and the suburbs here.
Review: Lyric Opera’s rich Chicago mashup ‘Proximity’ takes on gun violence, loneliness and climate change. It’s a lot.
The opera “Promixity” made its world premiere at Lyric Opera House on Friday. It combines a trio of one-act operas from three separate composer-and-librettist teams. The dominant one-act play “The Walkers” explores librettist Anna Deveare Smith’s interviews with members of Chicago CRED, a nonprofit that works to reduce the city’s gun violence. Read critic Michael Phillips’ review here.
Review: Valhalla is Stephen Gillanders’ biggest statement yet
Fine-dining restaurant Valhalla is carved into the mezzanine at Time Out Market food hall. But chef Stephen Gillanders embraced the setup, even if it means his patrons may listen to “The Humpty Dance” as they drink a $35 frozen martini with caviar.
“Fair warning: Do not visit if you demand a serene evening in a room of neutral colors and hushed conversations,” critic Nick Kindelsperger writes. But he also can’t think of a meal he enjoyed more recently. Read more here.
Baseball is back and Chicago’s Ira Berkow gives us dozens of tales about ‘Baseball’s Best Ever’
“America’s game” is back Thursday when the Cubs host the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field and the White Sox visit the Houston Astros. The Tribune’s Rick Kogan sits down with writer Ira Berkow to talk about the sport’s greatest tales, as he’s the author of the recently published “Baseball’s Best Ever: A Half Century of Covering Hall of Famers.” Read more about baseball’s legends and the writers who chronicle them here.
Column: The movies’ greatest action scenes, from the silent era to ‘John Wick 4′
Action movies have been a staple of cinema for over a century, and critic Michael Phillips explores the most iconic scenes with Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri. Read their transcribed discussion here.
What’s in a name? The stories behind 7 Chicago restaurants named for women
To wrap up Women’s History Month, writer Nicole Schnitzler looked into the stories of women namesakes behind some of Chicago’s favorite restaurants. The mothers, grandmothers and other relations hold a special place in the hearts of the chefs and restaurateurs — read up on their back stories here.
Broadway star Norm Lewis says you have to find a sense of hope in ‘A Soldier’s Play’
“A Soldier’s Play” opens with the murder of Sgt. Vernon C. Waters, a Black noncommissioned officer on an Army base in Louisiana. Norm Lewis plays Capt. Richard Davenport, a lawyer who now serves in the military police and is assigned to investigate the homicide.
“The story itself is told through Black eyes,” Lewis told the Tribune. “I think that that’s one reason why it’s so important to get this message out.” Read more about why here.
7 Malört cocktails that prove Chicago’s notoriously bitter liqueur can actually taste good
Over the past year or so, cocktails imbued with the bitter booze have been gracing Chicago bar menus with increasing frequency. What you might not believe, writes Tribune food editor Ariel Cheung, is that they’re actually good.
Motor City weekender: 67 things to do around Detroit, from an island jaunt to a Ramadan food fest
Rev up your engines and head east to the Motor City this spring. The “Renaissance City” awaits you with dozens of sights, eats and activities to satisfy the whole family — from classic coney dogs to crossing the U.S.-Canadian border underwater. Read on here.
