Hidden Gems

 

The Stretch Run
As just a restaurant, I think I could become a regular at The Stretch Run Bar and Grill (544 N. LaSalle). As a sports bar, I’m quite confident of the same thing. Then you add in the fact you can place some horseracing wagers while catching the game or enjoying a fine meal, and you suddenly have an abundance of reasons to take hold of this shiny new establishment.

Yes, as I recently devoured a rack of tasty ribs, sipped a Newcastle and kept one eye on the Sox and another on the NBA playoffs, how could I ever be expected to try to pick a trifecta in the seventh race at a horse track in another part of the country? Somehow, at The Stretch Run, they make it easy for you to manage it all.

I don’t have the exact figures to back it up, but I’d be willing to put The Stretch Run up against any other bar in the city in regard to the number of flat screens per seating capacity. Try 217 television screens, ranging from 32 inches to 10 feet. Clusters of TVs are everywhere you look in the spacious three-leveled restaurant/OTB, and individual screens accompany a lot of tables. The first floor offers plenty of tables and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking LaSalle Street. A lengthy bar dominates the second level with seating to both sides, and upstairs, well, it just makes you feel like you’re in a Vegas sportsbook. This is where the serious handicappers come to play, and party rooms are a popular asset for enjoying anything from the Kentucky Derby to March Madness or a fantasy football draft.

Specials abound depending on the night, and they even offer “Lost” viewing parties and lessons on how to bet the ponies so you don’t feel left out when someone asks who you like to show in the third.
— Trent Modglin

Field Museum’s ‘Melting Ice’ exhibit
Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History is the only museum in the United States hosting an exhibition entitled “Melting Ice/A Hot Topic: Envisioning Change” (April 18 through Sept. 1). The thought-provoking exhibition includes 26 pieces: photographs, oil paintings, sculpture and video installations, all of which focus on climate change.

The spotlight is on melting ice caps and the effect this melting has on all living creatures. It is organized by the Natural World Museum in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme. Melting Ice kicked off its tour in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Center during UN World Environment Day 2007, and then traveled to the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. In February 2008, the exhibition was launched in Monaco during the 10th Special Session of UNEP’s Global Ministerial Environment Forum. The 23 participating artists are global as well, as they represent 10 different nations.

“We want to use all mediums to reach people, and art is a powerful medium. Art is magical; it can take a story halfway around the world and bring it to you,” stated Elisabeth Guilbaud-Cox, deputy director of the United Nations Environment Programme regional office for North America. The exhibit seeks to unite people across the globe by bridging Earth Day on April 22 and World Environment Day on June 5.

Recently, the growing momentum of the eco-movement has often been compared to the civil rights initiative of the 1960s. The exhibit contains a quote from the icon of that movement, Dr. Martin Luther King. “All of life is interrelated … whatever affects one directly, affects us all indirectly.” An apt quote when considering the global drinking water shortages that the scientific community is both observing and warning us about. Currently, the increasing rate at which glaciers melt has resulted in water shortages for more than 300 million people in 26 different countries. If current global warming trends continue, we will see two-thirds of the world’s population suffering from water shortages in less than 50 years. This is exactly why some of the installations illustrate how drinking water will be a resource valued in the future on the same level that oil is today.

The emotions expressed in these works of art are intended to motivate future action to avoid disaster. “First we must envision change; then we can bring change,” said Mia Hanak, founding executive director of the Natural World Museum. The Field Museum currently is addressing climate change through a number of exhibitions and programs. “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters” (May 23 through Jan. 4, 2009), reveals how nature’s forces shape our planet and our weather, and “Cool Globes: A Hot Topic” (spring-summer 2008) examines how, by making small changes, individuals can stem the tide of climate change.
— Paul M. Banks

Stone Wall Grill
The dining staple for any Chicago neighborhood is the corner grill or hot dog joint. While Lincoln Park has long been home to the Weiner Circle and other greasy late-night food haunts, a new player has arrived on the scene.

Unlike the dives that routinely fall into the grill category, the Stone Wall Grill provides diners with fresh, top-quality food at reasonable prices. Father-and-son team, Scott and Sean Finnerman, have created a pleasant dining experience in an inviting interior that turns the notion of a grill upside down.

The menu is filled with tasty delights such as the 1/3-pound sirloin burger, classic BLT club and the famous “meltdown.”

“We try and have the food sell itself,” said Sean Finnerman, as he leaned against the restaurant’s granite counter top.

The key to Stone Wall’s menu is the freshness of all the ingredients. The meat is never frozen, while the vegetables and cheeses taste like they came straight from the farm that morning.

The reason the grill only uses the freshest ingredients is pretty simple, according to Finnerman: It tastes a lot better.

Finnerman isn’t lying. In fact, when it comes to the famous chicken meltdown, he couldn’t be more honest. The hulking sandwich is available in cajun, Italian or BBQ style for a reasonable $5.45. The boneless chicken breast is as fresh as they come, free of fat and tendons. Provolone or mozzarella cheese with green pepper and onion are added to the strips of chicken breast on the grill. The ingredients are cooked together, so the cheese melts into every crevice. The meltdown is scooped of the grill and served in a soft Italian loaf. Add an order of unbelievable fries and a drink for $2.50.

Stone Wall also features the best steak and cheese sandwich in Chicago. The marbleized rib eye steak is cooked to perfection with your choice of cheese, green pepper and onion for $5.45.

Plenty of restaurants come and go in Chicago, but the Stone Wall Grill is here to stay. Their high-quality, fantastic tasting and reasonably priced food will make it a Lincoln Park staple for a long time to come. Stone Wall Grill is located at 2273 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Park. The restaurant is routinely open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. every day, with late night hours to start soon.
— Michael Wigman

Berry Chill
It’s about that time of year again, where Chicagoans leave their jackets behind at last and go looking, longingly, for those great summertime desserts. In mid-April, I walked into a new dessert spot on State Street in the River North neighborhood and discovered some lucky folks had gotten a headstart on the seasonal trend. Berry Chill, on a reasonably sunny but hardly balmy afternoon, was packed. The line, moving quickly, was out the door. The tables outside filled. I had to see what the fuss was about.

Michael Farah, the owner of Berry Chill (635 N. State Street), opened in March with plans for at least five more locations in the very near future. He has seen his creation take off in short order. The coveted prize is a healthy brand of frozen yogurt made with real lemons to give it a unique, tart taste and a little bite despite a low sugar content. Other than a cup of yogurt with your choice of 40 toppings like fresh-cut strawberries, pineapple and Brazilian papaya or Cocoa Krispies, Oreos and local bakery options like pie crust or assorted candy, you can also be tempted by a BC blender (smoothie-type drink) or a BC blast (chunky blizzard-type creation).

Adding two downtown locations, as well as new homes in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods is in the works before the end of the year. And until then, fear not, as delivery service is available.
— Trent Modglin

 

Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals
Join us for the eighth annual Gimme Shelter! Walk for the Animals

When: June 1, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Where: Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt, in Chicago.

What: Brunch, raffle and entertainment: Tarot card readers, dog tricks and treats and animal communication for people and their pets.

Cost: $15 in advance; $20 on the day of the walk.

All proceeds benefit the rabbits, cats and dogs of the shelter.

To sign up, please visit the website at www.reddoorshelter.org

Red Door Shelter is a no-kill shelter for cats, rabbits and dogs.