With the hovering, all-encompassing 360-degree stage setup, otherwise known as "the Claw," U2 came to Chicago's Soldier Field Saturday night to kick off the North American leg of their current world tour -- the first time since 1997 they're performing in outdoor stadiums.

As with everything U2 does, this show...

When many people think of Italian wine they think of Chianti Classico, but truth is, there are about 1,500 grape varieties in Italy--more than any other wine growing area in the world. Some, like Sangiovese (the grape grown in Chianti, which is a region and not a grape), Nebbiolo or...

Riesling is possibly the most misunderstood grape varietal in the wine world, especially when it comes to American palates. Ask your average wine drinker in the U.S. what they think of Riesling and they'll undoubtedly say it's sweet. In many instances they're right. But Riesling runs the gamut from super-sweet...

There are certain things the members of Phish do really well. They can play guitars while bouncing on trampolines. They write quirky lyrics that could easily find themselves on a kids' music album. And one can even play a vacuum.

But what...

If you think pink wine is for frail old ladies who don't know anything but (gag) White Zin, it's time to think again. Rosé has stealthily made a comeback over the last few years and has found a respectable place once again with the wine world's biggest critics.

For...

They say you can never go back. That you should let the past be the past. But sometimes the past becomes the present, making things a little more fresh, yet at the same time still retro.

The past caught up to us the...

Last week a small group of us went to Glenn's Diner on Montrose. Since the menu is fairly eclectic between the diner fare (including amazing Shrimp BLT po'boys) and the dozen or so fresh fish and seafood items flown in daily, pairing was going to be a little tricky....

A few weeks ago, with everyone's panties in a bunch about St. Patrick's Day and everything being turned green, I was inspired to start thinking about green wine. No, not like green beer, but wine that's produced organically, biodynamically or with organic grapes. So I happened over to Sam's Wines...

I love experimenting with food -- tasting things I have never had, pairing food with different wine and finding new favorites that I never thought I would like.

Last week I received samples of a great line of ravioli from Nuovo Pasta, which normally supplies just restaurants, but the public...

Great Deals Abound at Chicago's Restaurants

How many times have you gone out to dinner, looked at the wine list and scoffed at the price of some of the bottles? Deep down you knew you wanted to try one but just couldn't bring yourself to shell out the money.

A...

If you like movies and music and are looking to fill your weekend, look no further.

The inaugural Chicago Movies and Music Festival -- CIMMFest -- kicks off this Thursday and looks like it's going to be a jam-packed weekend for...

Some nice blends ... and a great Pinot

Ok, so I know I said when I introduced this column that I wouldn't take up space talking about climate and terroir and other elements that go into how the grapes grow, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I stumbled upon a great bottle...

Champagne is for Lovers -- and Everyone Else

They say Valentine's Day is for lovers. It's a romantic day where people feel the need to express their love for each other. Me? I'm cynical and really don't care when I can say "I love you" any day of the year....

Cool whites for hot dishes

I ate some spicy dishes lately and was excited to bust open some white wine that would help counter the spice in the food. That's the beautiful thing about wine -- it really goes so well with what you eat, but you have to be...

Lately it takes a lot for me to really get into a band. There's a lot of music to sift through and most of what's out there really isn't worth a second play. When Annuals' second album, Such Fun, first came to my attention last fall, I had an...

Is it racist for a white person to compare an everyday black person to someone famous?

Last weekend I went to the House of Blues to see an incredible, energetic sold-out Kings of Leon charity show put on by Platform One Entertainment and the Lisa Klitzky Foundation that benefited...

A Wine Column For Regular People

Who wants wine? The better question: who doesn't want wine? With the number of wine shops that have opened in the city in the last few years, we have endless options for great grapes from around the world. So why not patronize them and...

"I know you're angry. I'm angry!" Standing atop a structure in the center of San Francisco's Castro District in 1977, Harvey Milk addressed a growing crowd of mostly gay men. The group gathered in the neighborhood to protest the repealing of a law in Dade County, Florida that made it...

More than 30 years have passed since the eye-opening documentary Grey Gardens illuminated the sordid lives of former New York socialites Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Little Edie. What made the story so fascinating was that these women, once the toast of East Hampton, were the aunt and...

While same-sex couples in Connecticut started lining up to get married this week, gay couples in California wondered what will happen if the courts uphold Proposition 8, which was passed by a close margin during the Nov. 4 general election. Unless you've been living in a dark room with just...