GOONS: Rip it up!

It made my morning to see a BMX GOON hauling ass at the corner of Milwaukee and Grand on the way to work. Another commuter had pulled over to take the same picture with a better camera(if you're reading this, send a link!). There artist responsible for these wheat pasted characters is prolific and can be seen all over Chicago. The city likes to buff them off walls, but I say keep riding! They will never catch you.

Big Star opens today.

Photo: Ellen Malloy, via Grub Street Chicago.

The whiskey and taco stand piloted by Paul Kahan(Blackbird, Publican) opens today in the spot historically occupied by the Pontiac Grill. I posted about it a few months ago(did you try the DIY taco and bourbon parings?) and was excited to read the Grub Street post announcing the grand opening slated for 1am today(that's now!) 4 pm today. Paul Kahan says it'll take a "few days/weeks" for the walk-up window to be available, so plan on waiting in line for your treats.

Who wants to organize a bicycle field trip?

Weeked Round-up: For your strength.

Level of opacity = level of deliciousness. Photo: JOEM500

This weekend is about fortifying yourself with indomitable passion for life. Seriously, the irony crap is DEAD. This is for real.

Saturday

El Circo Cheapo Cabaret are back from terrorizing the West Coast. The ladies from Aloft are always amazing. Check out their show tonight!

I look forward to the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer more than any beer fest, ever. Read here about last year.

The Half Acre Chilli Cookoff will prepare your body for a winter of intestinal abuse while raising money for a worthy cause.


Some of the hellcats from Aloft. Photo: AJL

Sunday

New Belgium Experimental Dinner @ Lush Wine. The menu includes pork and sours(one of the most under-rated styles of beer).

Last but not least: Cyclocross in Northbrook!

CROSS from Paul Michna on Vimeo.

The Chicago Sadie Hawkins Ride is next weekend.

You have ten days to find a date. photo: _lyle_

Reasons you should attend the Sadie Hawkins Style Ride on November 14th:

• Slow, terrible racers can still to win something. (No style? Sorry!)
  
• Hot women on bikes is a cornerstone of this ride.
  
• Get your swerve on: it starts at a bar, ends at a bar, is sponsored by a beer company and includes an after-party.
  
• There are a zillion sponsors and hundreds of spacebucks worth of prizes.
• It the most ridonkulous combination of bikes and fashion since aerospokes.

Register here.

You should drink this: Autumn cocktails at the Whistler.

photo: helloleticia

We went to The Whistler last night to see Japanese psych-rockers Marble Sheep. For fans of fine drinks and interesting music, the Whistler has nailed it. There's no other place in Chicago where gourmet mixology teams up with avant-garde sound at such a high level.

The seasonal menu is one of the Whistler's best features. They rotate drinks every few months to make sure you'll be in the mood(or at least temperature) for what they're serving.

We tried about two thirds of the Autumn cocktail list last night. It's been available for about three weeks and will remain into December. My favorite drink was the Voyager, which is like a classic daiquiri but heavy on the rum and sweetened with liqueurs. Putting this drink on a fall menu feels a lot like planning a Caribbean vacation for February: a brilliant idea.

The Voyager

2 oz five year old Demerara Rum
.5 oz Benedictine
.5 oz Velvet Falernum
.5 oz lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Look at this rad bike trick.

Photo: terry usa

This is Travis. He rides a bike with a roll-bar welded to the frame which allows it to do a complete flip when he hits the brake. We hung out at the Wicker Park crotch (Milwaukee/North/Damen) on Halloween night and watched him HUSTLE the mobs of drunk, costumed hipsters. You can see from the video below how he performs in traffic. Bystanders freaked out every time he would do a flip or double flip. He made a stack of loot in the half hour we where there.

Double flip in Wicker Park[YouTube].

Kuma's Holy Mountain: Sleep, the burger.

Baroness vs. Burger by JOEM500

Kuma's Corner has brought back last November's 'Burger of the Month': the turkey, fried stuffing and cranberry sauce juggernaut called Sleep. Named for the seminal stoner doom band, the Sleep burger could also be descriptive of its carbohydrate and tryptophan payload.

Flickr user AlisonJoy sent the epic video at the top of this post. Last year we posted a righteous photo of the Sleep burger by JOEM500.

Sleep - Dragonaught