Hidden Gems

 

ShopWalk Tour
Time to take a walk on the style side. “That’s my favorite color of the season,” Danielle Lutz said, pointing to the magenta mid-thigh dress. “Good find. You have to try it on,” she said to one of six women craning about the garment to determine whether it was worth the wearing.

Few who hear Lutz laugh and gab while she mentors her shopping companions would guess that they have only just met and that this constitutes Lutz’s full-time job. Clad in a little black zipper dress and three-inch pumps, Lutz has led guided tours of Chicago’s haute chic boutiques since 2007.

Chicago ShopWalk gives hobby-shoppers a chance to revel in Lutz’s personal and professional experience earned traveling the country for mall developers.

On this evening, she is conducting a tour ($41-70 per person) down Southport Avenue, where even the most casual styles radiate sophistication in deep, rich colors.

Shopwalkers enjoy personal styling tips, a 10-percent discount at participating stores, private spa services and complimentary champagne, wine and cheese.

Shoppers also snag freebies like reusable cloth totes or hair and beauty samples from local salons as they dart in and out of stores like Perchance (3512 N. Southport), known for clean, classic retro looks, or Tula (3738 N. Southport), where decadence rules and no expense is spared.

Jake (3740 N. Southport) engulfs customers in silk tunics and preppy, yacht club-inspired menswear, while Krista K’s (3458 N. Southport) denim selection helps many end their quests for the perfect pair of jeans.

Recurring trends include fine-leather jackets, organic-cotton tops and the ubiquitous Nicole Richie-style silk print evening dress by the likes of Tibi and Mint, accessorized by chunky, translucent jewels or sterling silver and a metallic patent-leather handbag.

Other tours canvass the Bucktown and Old Town neighborhoods or direct bridal parties through lingerie shops. The “Made in Chicago” tour delves into private studios of hometown designers, while the “Hunter-Gatherer” tour follows a custom-made itinerary to fulfill individual shopping objectives.

Visit www.chicagoshopwalk.com for more information or take a self-guided tour to Ciao Bella (3829 N. Southport), whose wider selection, lower prices and men’s collection make it the perfect place for boutique-scene beginners.

Buy an outfit for which you have no shoes, then head down the street to City Soles (3432 N. Southport) to find them. The CS staff swears by the comfort of their collection, from stilettos that would make the most seasoned heelstress think twice to the FitFlop that works calves as you walk on its curved rubber sole.

— Kristina Zaremba

 

Korean Barbecue at San Soo Gap San
I realize it seems a bit peculiar to fire up a charcoal grill indoors. It’s the kind of thing your father would have scolded you for as a kid. But at San Soo Gap San (5247 N. Western Ave.) in Lincoln Square, it’s what you do. Or better yet, what they do for you.

I recently visited San Soo with a group of about 12 and had a great time. We let our resident Korean-speaking expert, Robbine, order for us, and in a matter of minutes, there were dozens of small bowls of food in front of us. And then came the epic delivery of the meat — a heaping plate of sweet soy and ginger-marinated garlic beef and spicy pork for us to cook over the flaming charcoal grill in the middle of our table.

With a proper ventilation system, the smoke isn’t much of an issue unless a breeze blows through, but it’s a wise idea to leave whatever clothes you don’t want smelling like smoke in the car.

The massive Korean spread can get a little pricey, but keep in mind that we went all out. For more food than we could finish, plus several drinks and tip, it came out to around $45 per person. Thing is, you can spend that amount at a swank sushi spot or steakhouse and come away with your stomach still growling. Not here.

And the fun of cooking the food as a group, to your liking, and trying a plethora of new tastes like seafood pancakes, fried dumplings, kimchee and glass noodles, is an added bonus. There is also a busy sushi bar if the barbecue idea is not your thing.

Call (773) 334-1589 for reservations for larger groups, as it’s not a particularly large restaurant and can get busy for dinner. And remember to take off your shoes before sitting down, and leave the nice jacket in the car.

— Trent Modglin

 

Citizen Bar’s Outdoor Cooking Class Series
Learn to grill your favorite summer foods!

Saturday, June 14 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

$45 per person.

As part of their summer cooking class series, Citizen presents this second installment with chef Eric Smith. Learn to make some of the foods your grill loves the most in this summer-themed outdoor class.

The price of the class includes beer, lychee margaritas and samples of menu items under the sunshine on Citizen’s 5,500-square foot outdoor space (weather permitting).

The class menu includes: mesquite grilled beef tenderloin, portobello and roasted vegetable pasta salad with sun dried tomato pesto, twice baked sweet potatoes and lychee margaritas.

Reservations are to be made through Citizen.

www.citizenbar.com
364 W Erie St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 640-1156