Category Archives: river north

dose market serves up food and fashion in chicago

Posted on February 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

If your Sunday routine includes sipping and shopping it’s likely you’ve heard of Dose Market. The monthly food and fashion market has been buzzed about since last summer and returns in its first 2012 iteration this Sunday.

Billed as “Chicago’s most dynamic gathering of innovative fashion, artisan food and high design¹,” Dose assembles local artisans in the grand atrium of the River East Arts Center.
 

I attended the October Dose and was delighted with the vendor offering. It’s clear that each vendor is carefully selected for their unique, local, and well-made wares giving the event a curatorial air. Being used to mega-fairs and markets with many more booths, I made several quick laps before slowing down to visit each vendor. Although each Dose is busy, the intimate atmosphere and small selection encourages you to sample each stand, chatting with the “Dosers” and unraveling the story behind their brand, storefront, and wares. I discovered that Alaskan Salmon’s proprietor spends many months up north personally fishing for his offering, got home herb advice from the ladies at Sprout Home, and found Laura Lombardi to be as lovely in person as her jewelry line that I continuously crave.
 

Since there is an admission charge for each Dose Market ($8 pre-order, $10 at the door) you should be prepared to make a day of it. Come hungry, come ready to shop, and come with cash. I had planned on just browsing, but since the market is small you feel compelled to buy something to make it worth the trip. That being said, many of the chic eats and outfits offered are quite pricey, so don’t expect to see a bargain booth. Also, as with most markets, not everyone at Dose accepts credit so a cash stash will streamline your experience. The only sourness in the Dose is that I was unable to find the booze booth, and arriving mid-way through the event I found several vendors had already shipped out.

  

Dose Market is a great Sunday destination for exploring Chicago vendors and sampling with your ladies. Fashion bloggers and arty elitists are abundant (someone please tell me where they find their adorably-dressed boyfriends), so prep your outfits accordingly. While there are returning guests, each month’s vendor lineup is different so the serving is always fresh. Ultimately, I can’t quite afford to indulge every month but look forward to a seasonal Dose.

Dose Market at the River East Arts Center 
435 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611

1. “Market Info.” Dose Market.

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Posted in arts, chicago, eating, events, exploring, river north, shopping

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vintage chicago street scenes: celebrating a city in motion

Posted on November 9, 2011 | 2 Comments

  

“Where anything might happen – and usually does,” the narrator of this 1930′s newsreel describes Chicago, “a city of superlatives.” The forces of energy and movement, this sense of anticipation are what attracts so many people to city living. Whether or not you’re a nerd for history, any viewer enjoys seeing their city on the screen. It’s fascinating to compare the world you know to a past, fictionalized, or futuristic version.

 This clip allows us to tour places we now take for granted through the lens of the extraordinary superlatives they were at the time. The skyline seems strangely stark behind the Wrigley Building and Water Tower. Rail yards line Michigan Avenue in what has only recently become Millennium Park. The Haymarket Police Statue is on public display in a park sometime between attempted bombing attacks. We dash from the Union Stockyards to the buildings of the 1893 and 1933 World’s Fairs, admire gypsy women at a market on Maxwell Street, and then bask in the State Street’s bright lights.

[via Lee Bey]

Thomas Edison shot Chicago’s second movie ever in 1897 at the corner of State and Madison (a police parade film preceded it by a year). Yet on a corner that is still one of Chicago’s busiest, we see no stolid sepia-faced citizens posing stiffly. Streetcars and horses pass through a sea of bowler and boater-capped heads, while picketers brandish indistinguishable signs in the thirty-second clip. The city is a measure in motion.

With shape-shifting neighborhoods and movements that come and go, our contemporary street corner will morph someday as well, sooner than we know. Compare Edison’s intersection with the State and Madison intersection of 2009.

Cities changes every day, it’s why we’re drawn to them. Step out on the
sidewalk, inhale the energy, and examine what’s in motion around you. After
all, anything can happen.

For Further Exploration
street scene: vintage outdoor ads in chicago

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Posted in chicago, exploring, film, link love, magnificent mile, river north, south loop, street scene, the loop

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80 Sips Challenge Chicago

Posted on February 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

“Oh I see the light, or maybe it’s that bottle of wine.”
- Motel Motel

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a wine tasting challenge (really the kind I most excel at) presented by Bottlenotes and Cheeky Chicago.  Two friends and I attended the 80 Sips Chicago Challenge kickoff party at Hub51, enjoying Hub’s tasty appetizers as well as two selections from Domaine Carneros.  Domaine’s winemaker, TJ Evans was on hand to highlight the featured selections of the evening, the 2006 Sparkling Brut Cuvee and the 2008 Pinot Noir.  We liked the Brut, but the Pinot Noir was especially sippable, ending in Domaine Carneros’ signature tobacco notes.

Several chilly days later, Annie, Martha, and I meet to continue the challenge at Maude’s Liquor Bar, which has been all abuzz in Chicago of late.  The Windy City breeze smacks a little harder as we discover Maude’s is closed Mondays.  On to Gilt Bar!  It seems we are the only three in the city wanting to start the week off on the right wine note, as Gilt is also closed to the dismay of our palettes and numbing limbs.  Back to Hub51 for us!  While we don’t attempt a visit to Naha, I’m compelled to include that I’ve had probably favorite meals in the city there.

Thankfully, Hub’s doors are open and the wine is flowing…all this winter walking has us quite parched.  We nibble on sushi and salads while indulging in all six wines listed on the special 80 Sips Challenge menu.

Each wine is delicious and a distinctive representation of its varietal.  I am hard pressed to choose favorites, although the Domaine Pinot feels like an old friend having tasted it the previous week and the Brancott Sauv Blanc is an elegant example of my go-to white.  I am generally a fan of anything Montelena, and while I am wishing for their Chardonnay, the Riesling does not disappoint.

Here are my notes for the evening:

La Rocca Pinot Grigio 2009 – A clean and striking balance between salty mineral and juicy pear.

Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc – 2009: Smooth Sauvignon Blanc with an apple influence, plenty of acidity, and a toasted, smoky finish.

Chateau Montalena Riesling – 2009: Leave it to Chateau Montelena to convert a non-Riesling fan in one glass. Crisp and not overly sweet, this Riesling delights with grapefruit notes.

Patch Block Cabernet Sauvignon: This rich Cab Sauv warmed me up on a cold Chicago night with its smooth and easy spice and chocolate notes.

Greg Norman Estates Shiraz – 2007: Robust Shiraz with an aroma and flavor that’s a meaty, smoky accent to dark jammy fruits.

Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir – 2008: Smooth and substantive with smoky berry notes. I’ve been on a Pinot spree since tasting this at the Challenge Kickoff at Hub51!

If arriving ready to taste does not sound like a real challenge, know that we successfully maneuver a tasting twist, relying only on our enology knowledge. Annie and I share surprise and excitement over the unusual flavors of the Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc…until we realize that the waitress has swapped our glasses.  Whether or not this is part of the official challenge, we feel validated as challenge finishers and only slightly tipsy.

Wine challenges might be our new thing, so bring it on Chicago!  If you’ve got the wine, we’ve got the time.

Read Annie’s musings on the 80 Sips Chicago Challenge kickoff and challenge.

For Further Exploration:
30 Creative and Unusual Wine Label Designs
The Daily Sip [by Bottlenotes]

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Posted in chicago, drinking, impressions, river north

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80 Sips Challenge Chicago Kickoff

Posted on January 17, 2011 | 2 Comments


This may come as a shock but I love wine. I would hardly describe my taste as discerning, and while I did take a viticulture and enology course in college the main lesson retained is, “Wine is good (and good for you).”

Last summer, I attended an event by Bottlenotes at the Museum of Contemporary Art called Around the World in 80 Sips. The sold-out event was brimming with interesting wines from across the globe, including innovations such as wine in a juice-box. There were hits and misses (such as wine in a juice box) and it was a great chance to belly up to the tables of the stuff I can’t actually afford. It was deliciously fun and I can’t wait for the event’s return on May 20, 2011.

In the meantime, Bottlenotes is serving up a challenge to Chicago oenophiles. The 80 Sips Challenge tasks Chicagoans with visiting at least one of four participating restaurants and tasting six wines. Once you taste one wine from each featured winery and region, leave a tasting note on each via their new iPhone app (Bottlenotes Mobile). If, like me, you’re still waiting for the iPhone to join your Verizon family plan you can register on the Bottlenotes website to leave your tasting notes.

The 80 Sips Challenge kickoff party will take place Tuesday, January 18 at Hub51 from 6pm to 7:30pm. Toast the challenge with featured pinot noir and brut cuvee, Hub51 appetizers, and a discussion from special guest TJ Evans, winemaker of Domaine Carneros.

Lest we forget this is a challenge and not a pretext for Bacchanalia, there are prizes. All participants who complete the challenge receive a $25 Bottlenotes gift certificate and the chance to win a $100 gift certificate to each participating restaurant.

Clinking glasses, new wines, and great restaurants? I humbly accept the challenge.

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Posted in drinking, river north

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