Michigan Avenue Magazine

Restaurant Week Pick: Aria

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500

The always earnest and sometimes quirky Top Chef contestant Beverly Kim is the culinary architect behind Aria’s Restaurant Week menu ($22, lunch; $33, dinner). Diners can look forward to a well-edited menu packed with a diverse array of Asian flavors. Frontrunners include Mongolian lamb rib, Korean beef short rib bibimbap, prawn Singapore noodles, and pineapple Thai chili granite. 200 N. Columbus Dr. 312-444-9494

Elegant Floral Arrangement Advice

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

An arrangement by Ramsey

In honor of the upcoming Chicago Flower and Garden Show (March 10–18), entertaining expert and floral designer Ramsey Jay Prince is sharing his top five tips for DIY floral arranging.

1. Don’t be afraid to go monochromatic.
For a simple yet dramatic arrangement, fill a tall glass vase with white tulips spilling out in all directions and finish with a large tropical green leaf. It's very easy and it makes a huge impact.

2. Use your resources.
Don’t be tied to vases traditionally used for flowers. Try dropping a plastic Tupperware container filled with floral foam into an old wooden box, or even use a vintage coffee can or Mason jar filled with wild flowers.

3. Use foliage as a framework.
Fill an empty vase with green leaves until you have the desired shape for your arrangement. Next, add your focus flowers. With the greenery already in place, the flowers will stay put perfectly.

4. Remember that less is more.
Large tropical leaves and flowers create a dramatic look—even in small amounts. Start with one to two oversize leaves and three to five tropical stems such as ginger, birds of paradise or heliconia. Balance focus flowers by using one of each short medium, and tall, placing the tallest in the center and the others on the sides.

5. Balance quality and quantity.
You can never have too many flowers for an arrangement, but you can really tell if you don’t have enough. With most floral designs fuller looks better, so don't skimp. If you buy from your neighborhood florist or the farmer's market, you will get nice, fresh blooms that last a long time.

Giuliana and Bill Rancic Open RPM Italian

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:06:00 -0500

Giuliana, behind the bar at RPM

Chicago celebrity power couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic introduced RPM Italian to the River North this past Saturday night with a grand opening cocktail party. Ten thousand square-feet and supremely elegant, the modern Italian restaurant was a collaboration between Bill, Melman brothers R.J. and Jerrod, and chef Doug Psaltis. (The restaurant’s name is a combination of the initials of each partner’s last name.) Personal touches from the Rancics come by way of a few of Giuliana’s Italian mother’s recipes and uniforms designed by Giuliana herself. Reservations are now being accepted for February 26 and beyond. 52 W. Illinois St.; 312-222-1888

Restaurant Week Pick: NoMI Kitchen

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:15:00 -0500

Sean Pharr

Before NoMI Kitchen chef de cuisine Sean Pharr picked up a whisk, he was busy pursuing music at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. When a roommate began teaching Pharr about cooking, he shifted his goals and began working at restaurants, such as TRU, and traveled to Italy to hone his craft. Here, Pharr gives us a glimpse into his everyday routine, what he’ll be cooking this spring, and his all-time favorite ingredients to work with.

Explain the place of chef de cuisine in the kitchen hierarchy?
SEAN PHARR: Chef de cuisine is the second-in-command of a large-scale kitchen. I’m in charge of all the food creation and the menus and running the kitchen. I go to [executive chef Ryan LaRoche] for approval of certain items. It’s a great system where I get to do my own thing, but at the same time I have somebody to mentor me.

What can we expect to eat at NoMI this spring?
SP: In the spring I start looking to essentially what is green: fennel head ferns, peas, ramps, and all those things that exemplify life and the beginning of a new culinary year. I try to bring back simplistic [foods] that really rely on the freshness of the flavors, as opposed to having to manipulate and cook them too much.

What are your favorite ingredients to work with?
SP: In the spring it is definitely ramps; that is what I get very, very excited about. I also really like any kind of meats you can do braises with—boar and the simple cuts of meat, like the shoulder.

NoMI Kitchen Restaurant Week Lunch Menu
ONE SELECTION PER COURSE ($22)

First Course

Forest mushroom soup
Farmhouse bowl salad

Second Course

Artisan grilled cheese with snow white cheddar, truffle butter, and house-made barbecue chips
Linguini with olive butter, arugula, and roasted cherry tomatoes

Third Course

Featured ice creams
A box of cakes and cookies from pastry chef Meg Galus

NoMI Kitchen, 800 N. Michigan Ave., 312-239-4030

Style Watch: 3 Local Designers to Know

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:06:00 -0500

Ali Lerner

Name: Ali Lerner
Known for: Handcrafted jewelry set off by Swarovski crystals and semi-precious gems.

Spring Style: From pretty pastels and sorbet colors to floral prints, spring 2012 is all about showcasing your femininity.

Inspiration: The newest runway fashions and hottest Pantone colors always help inspire my latest designs.

Personal Style: Sophisticated-chic with a splash of whimsy and sparkle.

Available at aliprecious.com

A spring/summer Eidia Lush design

Name: Nicole Tongson
Known for: Couture custom shoe designs under her label, Eidia Lush.

Inspiration: Rare antique finds and vintage photographs. I love mixing old romantic textures and shapes with patterns and designs that feel more modern and edgy.

Palette: We use a lot of natural colors with burnt undertones for fall and winter, while strategically mixing in bright contrasting colors for spring and summer.

Spring Style: Chunky high heels and bright platform wedges. We [take] some of the shoes we love from fall, like the bootie, but make it open-toe and create elegant cut-outs to make it super sexy for springtime.

Available at select retailers nationwide this June; eidialush.com

A Maria Harper gown

Name: Maria Harper
Known for: A clean, wearable aesthete. However, she also designed Cee-Lo Green’s 2011 Grammy Awards performance costume—a.k.a “the chicken costume.”

Spring Style: [I want to] provide women with classic, simple yet sexy silhouettes. I am stepping out of the ‘trendy’ box and providing women with pieces that can't easily be found today.

Design Philosophy: Classic, solid silhouettes that make women recognize and remember how truly beautiful they are.

Style Tip: Accessories! Fedoras, scarves, oversize rings, edgy earrings. Accessories can change a look effortlessly and make your wardrobe endless.

Available online at mariaharper.com

BHLDN: Chicago’s Newest Bridal Atelier

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:23:00 -0500

BHLDN

Last year, the forces behind Anthropologie put a twist on tradition with the debut of BHLDN (or “beholden”), a collection of vintage-style bridal wear, accessories, and wedding décor. Now, on the heels of its first anniversary, BHLDN is opening its second brick and mortar location in Chicago. (The first BHLDN store opened last year, in Houston.) In addition to stocking heirloom-quality gowns, the Chicago store is appointed with 15-foot ceilings, Parisian mirrors, and glamorous dressing rooms, with iPod docks.8 E. Walton St., 312-573-2573

Restaurant Week Pick: Sepia

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:33:00 -0500

Sepia

Cloaked in a tasteful veneer of Art Nouveau and rustic American design, Sepia offers guests a refined yet adventurous contemporary dining experience. The thoughtful lunch and dinner courses put out by executive chef Andrew Zimmerman and pastry chef Cindy Schuman for Chicago Restaurant Week ($33, lunch; $44, dinner) include pan-roasted sea trout, succulent fig-stuffed pork tenderloin, rich pumpkin sformato (or Italian custard), and decadent chocolate mousse. 123 N. Jefferson St. 312-441-1920

Agent Provocateur Goes for a Swim

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:51:00 -0500

One can always expect to find something cheeky and flirtatious at Agent Provocateur. With an overt wink and nod to the ’70s, the boutique British lingerie brand’s latest line of swimsuits is no exception. Incorporating hot disco pink and red, the Mazzy swimsuit ($450) and bikini ($390) are a mod take on the bondage-chic lingerie and knickers that Agent is famed for. 47 E. Oak St.

Top Gyms That Marry Fitness and Fun

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Pilates is just one of the options available at the Elysian Spa and Health Club

The Aloft Loft
Offering a workout unlike any other, The Aloft Loft boasts that even beginners will spend more time in the air than on the ground: wrapped in silks and rope (Aerial Silks and Rope), balancing on a trapeze (Trapeze One), or otherwise practicing Aerial Conditioning. Afraid of heights? Try a free “taster class” or go to observe first. 2041 W. Carroll Ave., #306, 773-782-6662

Barre Bee Fit
This ladies-only River North studio challenges students to “live by the barre code,” via five ballet bar-based workout offerings. The ever-changing choreography keeps muscles on their toes, but the regimen is always the same: targeting small muscle groups essential to improving the feminine physique. 435 N. LaSalle Blvd., 312-595-1600; 1962 N. Clybourn St., 773-348-2881; barrebeefit.com

East Bank Club
Since 1980, EBC has become a fitness phenom, hosting such high-profile clientele as Oprah Winfrey. Housed in its 450,000 square feet are a half-dozen dining options, salon, dry cleaner, and children’s activity center. Try a rope interval training group class with master trainer Glen Freedman, a two-time boxing champ who has been with EBC since 1995. 500 N. Kingsbury St., 312-527-5800, ext. 206; eastbankclub.com

Elysian Spa & Health Club
Much like the rest of the Elysian, the fitness center and spa radiate the calm of a Grecian sanctuary. That doesn’t mean Dori Goldstein, head Gyrotonic specialist, will go easy on you. Gyrotonic combines elements of yoga, Tai Chi, dance, gymnastics, and swimming for a therapeutic conditioning workout. Elysian, 11 E. Walton St., 312-646-1400

Equinox
From collaborating with the Joffrey Ballet for dance-inspired workouts to incorporating the newest equipment into specialized classes, Equinox sets the gold standard for fitness. This January, it launched MetCon3, a high-intensity metabolic conditioning workout that taxes the body’s three energy systems to maximize fat burning, helping to whip Chicago into post-holiday shape. 900 N. Michigan Ave., 312-254-2500; equinox.com

Flirty Girl Fitness
Inspired by strip fitness routine demonstrated on The Oprah Winfrey Show years ago, owners Kerry and Krista Knee offer fun, sexy workouts—think burlesque and pole dancing—to Chicagoans. Traditional workouts such as yogasculpt, Zumba, and cardio dance are also available, and FGF is opening a second studio in Lincoln Park this year. 1325 W. Randolph St., 312-666- 2266; chicago.flirtygirlfitness.com

Flywheel Sports
Incorporating weight training into everything we love about spin, Flywheel is an energetic workout that’s taken Chicago by storm since it opened less than a year ago. Cofounder Jay Galluzzo helped develop an innovative, technology-laden studio that tracks progress and weighs results against other riders in the class. 710 N. State St., 312-624-8485; chicago.flywheelsports.com

Spa at Trump Health Club
Need to stay inspired through the winter? Get pumped about the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago’s upcoming outdoor fitness programs, which launched in 2010 and utilize its 1.2-acre Riverwalk at Trump International, a park with unbeatable views of the city. There’s a state-of-the-art fitness center inside the hotel, too, but nothing beats outdoor morning yoga. Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, 401 N. Wabash Ave., 312-588-8020

Urban Fit Clubs
Instead of one steady gym membership, UFC allows members to utilize 25 area boutique gyms and specialty fitness studios, getting them the best workout in terms of variety. The self-proclaimed “better-sweat network” includes such gyms as Chicago River North Pilates, Shred415, Pow! Mixed Martial Arts Chicago, and more.

Vintage Gem: Lulu Frost’s 100 Years Collection

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:28:00 -0500

For her 100 Years collection, jewelry designer Lulu Frost created century-spanning pieces that are as timeless as the reworked vintage jewels they encase. This necklace ($1,925) incorporates Victorian tortoise shell and glass pearls from an antique comb, green jasper cabochons, a 1920s-era dress clip, and dual 20th century faux pearl brooches.

The Ultimate Spring Suit

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:56:00 -0500

This spring, bespoke suit shop Sebastien Grey is introducing a completely handmade suit with 25 unique details for a truly refined look. By not fusing the suit materials to a less luxe filler layer, the new suit has a softer, suppler, lighter-weight feel that’s worth every minute of the four-week average production time. 70 W. Madison St., 312-346-620

Rush University Medical's Renaissance Man

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500


	Looking down from the fourth-floor Shirley and Richard Jaffee Family Garden

	The children’s area of the Smith Family Lounge

It’s a pass-out-the-cigars moment: Dr. Larry Goodman is so animated about Rush University Medical Center’s new hospital on Chicago’s West Side that he’s like a new father welcoming his first child into the world. Only this baby is a 14-floor, 830,000-square-foot medical facility—with an eight-year gestation period—set to solidify RUMC among the top hospitals in the country.

Goodman’s fatherly sentiment is accurate. He began his career at RUMC 30 years ago as an internal medicine resident. Now, he is not only president and CEO, but a practicing physician, teacher, researcher, and administrator, and a leader in the efforts to turn the hospital into a cutting-edge institution. (US News & World Report’s 2011 showcase of America’s best hospitals ranked Rush among the top 50 in the nation in 10 out of 16 categories.) Of the new facility, he says, “Everything was meticulously planned and designed to optimize the patient experience.”

The all-encompassing revamp includes the new hospital, an orthopedics building, a power plant, and renovations to the rest of the center’s existing buildings, save for the oldest, which will be made into green space. The makeover encompasses eco-friendly elements such as “green” rooftops and systems designed to conserve energy and water, reduce waste, and use sustainable building materials (80 percent of the steel that was utilized in construction is recycled). And in a time when bioterrorism is no longer a far-fetched concept, the hospital offers an advanced emergency response center (the only such facility in the country so equipped) designed to meet the needs of the Chicago area in the event of such a disaster.

Goodman carved a unique path through the Rush ranks. After his residency, he completed a fellowship in infectious disease, and was given an administrative role as assistant dean, then associate dean. After Rush developed a partnership with Cook County Hospital in 1996, Goodman became the medical director of the public institution, which typically cares for low-income patients. “[The partnership] allows students to understand better the safety net of healthcare in Chicago,” he says. “And that stays with them. It was there that I saw firsthand the differences in medical care.” He took over as the dean of the medical school in 2000, and finally, took the helm as president and CEO in 2002. “It’s tremendous to be able to be part of all of these different aspects of medicine,” says Goodman.

To create the new hospital—which sits above the Eisenhower Expressway—Goodman and the Rush team visited other new facilities across the country, including Johns Hopkins Hospital and UCLA Medical Center, to learn how each pushed the technological envelope; infectious disease experts were consulted to outline building methods that minimize the spread of infection; and the architects utilized the feedback of the hospital’s physicians and nursing staff to create an architectural design that meets the needs of both patients and caregivers.

It’s a fitting approach for a man who still finds his most rewarding moments in one-on-one patient care, which is what drew him to medicine in the first place. “People are so honest and open with their physicians,” he says. “It’s a privilege to get to know these individuals in such a special way.”

Breakout Brothers: Nick and Matt Eversman

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Nick and Matt Eversman at their favorite Chicago spot, Farmhouse Chicago

Chicago history is full of famous siblings: Bill and Richard M. Daley, John and Joan Cusack, and John and Jim Belushi, to name but a few. Today, a new pair of names can be added to that list: Nick and Matt Eversman.

Nick, 25, is making his name in Hollywood, garnering acclaim for his role in the ABC midseason drama Missing, which debuts in March, in which he plays Ashley Judd’s son who disappears while studying abroad.

Matt, 27, meanwhile, is working on his home turf—he’s the chef/owner of the forthcoming West Loop restaurant OON Chicago, which will open in February at 802 West Randolph. OON, which stands for “Out of Nowhere,” features Southeast Asian food with contemporary American influences. “We’re borrowing from all different cultures—Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malaysian, Burmese, and Cambodian,” Matt says.

He took a circuitous route to his career as a chef. At 18, he enrolled at Iowa State University to study aerospace engineering, but moved back to Chicago when he was 23 to attend culinary school, his true calling. “Every job I’ve ever had since I was 16 was in food,” Matt says. “I’ve [worked everywhere from] Dairy Queen to Charlie Trotter’s.” But it was his big break as the executive chef at Saigon Sisters that earned him a nod from Time Out Chicago as Breakout Chef of the Year in April 2011.

For the Eversman brothers, who grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois, success has run on a parallel course. “We’ve both been fortunate to have these great milestones in our lives be so in sync,” Nick says. In 2008, the same week Nick got his first big movie role in Innocent, Matt landed a job at Charlie Trotter’s. Their next shared milestone came last year, when Nick was starring in the HBO film Cinema Verite; the movie premiere was the same night that Matt won TOC’s coveted award. “The first thing I did was call my mom and dad, who were in LA for the premiere. They answered the phone right as they were stepping out of the limousine onto the red carpet,” Matt says, laughing.

In May, Nick found out he landed the role in Missing and flew out to film the show the very next day—the same day Matt was approached by his now partners about opening his own restaurant. “I was having lunch with our mom the day Nick was flying out, and she was going on and on about how amazing this is for Nick and how he’s doing so great. And she says, ‘Matt, I honestly don’t think I can take another thing.’ And I go, Well, Mom, that’s a great segue…”

Local Designers Wow at New York Fashion Week

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:38:00 -0500

Creatures of the Wind fall preview presentation

Chicago-based designers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters, of the label Creatures of the Wind, showed their fall preview collection last week at New York Fashion Week. (In attendance was none other than Vogue's Anna Wintour.) The 2011 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runners-up showed an assortment of unexpected color and textile combinations that included red vinyl, floral brocade, and orange-checkered prints. Simple silhouettes and mismatched separates created a fantastical ambiance inside Chelsea’s Desmond Tutu Center. Gabier and Peters’ eccentric aesthete is intriguing and quirky yet completely wearable, and it calls to New York’s attention the growing Midwest fashion scene. Well done, guys.

A Sip and Shuck Oyster Night at The Bedford

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:48:00 -0500

If you didn’t get your fill of aphrodisiacs on Valentine’s Day, look forward to The Bedford’s oyster event (February 28, $30), where executive chef Mark Steuer and mixologist Peter Gugni will offer oyster and Champagne pairings, as well as helpful tips. Learn how to open oysters like an expert, how to spot the nuances in different types of oysters, and which Champagnes go best with each type. 1612 W. Division St., 773-235-8800

MCA Salutes the 1980s

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:41:00 -0500

The Veneer of Order, 1985, by Lari Pittman from The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica

The 1980s mostly recall images of big hair, heavy metal music and acid-washed jeans, but the decade also saw significant political and societal changes that, of course, manifested into art. This week, the Museum of Contemporary Art unveils its latest exhibit, “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s,” which celebrates more than 130 works created in response to the major issues of the ’80s, including feminism, the AIDS crisis, cynicism, and political unrest. Through May. 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Elise Bergman Takes New York Fashion Week

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:10:00 -0500

In 2006, local designer Elise Bergman set up headquarters for her eponymous label in her tiny studio apartment. Today, she’s presenting at New York Fashion Week as one of four U.S. designers chosen by Simon Doonan for the Diet Pepsi Style Studio show. We caught up with Bergman while she was putting the finishing touches on her three looks for the show.

When you are designing, what type of woman do you have in mind?
ELISE BERGMAN: A confident, independent, creative woman who has a good sense of personal style. I design pieces that will work into a woman’s wardrobe whether she’s a little bit edgy or just wants a classic, timeless piece.

How did you represent Chicago in your pieces for the show in New York?
EB: I was conscious of what Chicago stands for and how we’re perceived as a city elsewhere. Some of the key attractions are the architecture, restaurants, and our great music industry—so I was thinking about creative professionals. Thinking of architecture, I like to bring that structural element to [my designs]. I also grew up in and love Chicago. Based on that, I’m designing from a Chicagoan’s perspective.

Fashion Week can get very avant-garde. How do you keep your designs practical for the everyday woman?
EB: I thought about layering and components that you can take on and off to make the look work. If you’re leaving to go to Michigan Avenue in the morning—and you probably have an event after work and a walk back to the train—you have a couple of layers that can build on each other and make the look work all day.

Glamorous Gothic Accessories

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:43:00 -0500

With touches of cashmere, chiffon, gold, and black crystal, we're completely onboard with the new gothic chic. Channel your inner femme fatale with these moody accessories.

Annabel ring, Lakspur & Hawk ($1,150). Barneys New York, 15 E. Oak St.; barneys.com

Beaded knuckle–clasp clutch, Alexander McQueen ($2,295). Neiman Marcus, 737 N. Michigan Ave.; neimanmarcus.com

Esam bejeweled heel satin pump, Jimmy Choo ($1,695). Neiman Marcus, 737 N. Michigan Ave.; neimanmarcus.com