Music Box Christmas Show
If you’ve never been to the Music Box Theatre on Southport, you’re missing out on one of Chicago’s legitimate treasures. Built back in 1929 and home to a lot of independent and foreign films, it has a rich history as a city landmark.

I’ve heard good things about the midnight showings and movie marathons they host, such as the horror movie marathon around Halloween. Coming up on Dec. 20-24 is the 23rd annual Music Box Christmas Show. You can see two classics on the big screen back-to-back — “White Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” with good ol’ Jimmy Stewart. It costs $10 for a single feature and $15 for a double.

And just so you’re not caught off guard without the holiday spirit, I’ll let you know there’s a Christmas sing-along before each movie. No kidding.

Advance tickets are available through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or 312-902-1500) and at the theater box office at 3733 N. Southport. Log on to www.musicboxtheatre.com for more info.

Taste of Hawaii at the Aloha Grill
So you’re sick of the fact the local Thai, Chinese and pizza delivery people know you by name. You’re looking for a little something different for take-out or for a quick-stop dinner. Well, at 2534 N. Clark in Lincoln Park is a new restaurant called Aloha Grill, specializing in Hawaiian barbecue, that you should definitely check out.

Ivan Lee manages the small but immaculate and brightly lit restaurant, and his father, who moved back to the Midwest after two stays in Hawaii, is the owner and main cook.

“It’s something different,” Ivan says. “We’re the only people who do what we do around here, and we take pride in having that niche.”

Authentic Hawaiian dishes like chicken katsu, BBQ beef, fried mahi mahi, short ribs and loco moco (consisting of two homemade hamburger patties, two eggs and brown gravy) fill a menu with plenty of variety to give you a taste of the islands. Lee says that spam musubi is a particular favorite as well. It’s made up of a thick, dense pad or warm rice topped with fresh-made topping and wrapped around spam in a belt of dried Japanese seaweed.

Plate meals include two scoops of white rice and one scoop of macaroni salad, served up in ice cream scoopers, much the way they have been off the meal trucks for plantation workers in Hawaii for generations.

“Food is a true melting pot of a lot of different cultures, and Hawaiian food is no different,” says Lee. “We think that we really represent the people of Hawaii. But we don’t have pineapple in case that’s what you’re expecting.”

Maybe no pineapple, but great barbecue and food combinations that deserve a look on a night you’re looking to venture out for something unique.
— Trent Modglin

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