The weekend: your run for the roses.
Before venturing through the Merchandise Mart's sprawling halls in search of your next acquisition at tonight's art preview, stop by the bar—gratis beer awaits, as does a green-glass sculpture consisting entirely of Grolsch bottles. (Might be just the thing to tie your kitchen together.)
Logan Square's folksy Mexican favorite, Fonda Del Mar, debuts a sexy spin-off in North Center tonight. It offers plenty of the seafood you've come to love (ceviches, seared ahi, tilapia in tomato chipotle), but for this first weekend only, the margaritas are on you: it's BYOB until next week.
Naked Girls Reading is, amazingly, exactly what it sounds like: attractive girls reading selections on a theme, all while naked. This month the girls are tackling rock/rap lyrics and musings on musicians. To go with the theme, Eddie Roeser from Urge Overkill will be there, and they're busting out Guitar Hero afterward. It's also BYOB…just in case you still weren't sure whether it topped Oprah's Book Club.
This white-tablecloth Lakeview bistro ventures into uncharted territory with its new dish, the city's most extreme meatball. The softball-sized monster, called a Grande Polpetta, weighs in at a full pound and is served over handcrafted spaghetti and topped with whipped ricotta. We don't recommend more than two.
If it's a Derby Day mint julep you're after, you've got options. But for the best horseracing action outside Churchill Downs, a trip to Arlington Park is in order: Saturday they'll have a live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby (the largest Derby gathering in Chicago), live bands, $5 Derby Pies and plenty of chances to play one of your famous hunches. Never been wrong yet…
