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BEST PIZZA: RENALDI’S  With little fanfare, this neighborhood pizzeria on Broadway near Diversey produces a divine thin crust pizza with the creamiest mozzarella this side of Napoli.  There are many other worthy contenders, but until I taste them all, I’m sticking with Renaldi’s.
BEST COFFEE: PEET’S  From a simple coffee house in Berkeley, CA (my alma mater) about 40 years ago,  this small chain has spread its flavorful beans across the country.  I love a coffee bean that has been roasted within a few seconds of its life and nobody does it better than Peet’s.   I admit some cafes (Intelligentsia) have better ambience, but screw ambience, I am there to drink strong coffee not have a Zen moment.  Peet’s is on North Ave & Sheffield.
BEST CORNED BEEF SANDWICH: MANNY’S COFFEE SHOP  You probably ask yourself, “who would go to a coffee shop for corned beef?” and that is a valid question.  But Manny’s is a coffee shop in name only, it is really an emporium of delicious food like Grandma used to make, depending of course on whom your Grandma was.  As long as you are tasting their corned beef, get a potato pancake and a dish of kishke and gravy–if you don’t know what that is, better not to ask.
BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT: LAO SZE CHUAN  This place is always busy.  Located in that Chinatown mall on Archer Ave, the atmosphere is extremely friendly, and the menu is longer than George Bush’s list of blunders.  The food is first rate.  I should point out that my favorite Chinese dish is actually the Walnut Shrimp from another Chinatown restaurant, Evergreen.  It’s not on the menu, so you need to request it–they will immediately think you are a regular or have a cousin in Hong Kong.
BEST HOTEL BAR: BERNARD’S BAR AT THE ELYSIAN HOTEL  I am far from an expert on this subject, but I was there recently and it’s dark, quiet, romantic, and they serve liquor–everything a bar should be.  This elegant hotel is on Walton near State, and this bar is a great place to chill if you’re in the Gold Coast / N. Michigan Ave area and want to get away from the pickpockets and cell phone snatchers for a little while.
BEST COMEDY GROUP: IMPROV SHAKESPEARE & COOK COUNTY SOCIAL CLUB  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie.  Both these groups are borderline comic geniuses and their shows are different but equally funny.  They perform at iO Theater on Clark by Wrigley Field.  If I told you how and why they are so funny, it would spoil the joke–just go see them.
BEST PLACE TO SEE A MOVIE: GRANT PARK   Okay, it’s not even a movie theater, but during the summer they show old films outdoors for 20,000 people picnic-style, and it’s an incredible scene surrounded by the flickering lights of the Chicago skyline.  It’s one of the joys of summer in Chicago, and I hope recent budget cuts don’t slash this unique activity–do you hear that, Rahm?

BEST SECRET PASSAGEWAY: THE CHICAGO PEDWAY  Underneath the bustling streets of Chicago’s Loop is a little-known network of tunnels connecting dozens of commercial and government buildings, and various subway stations.  In the winter it’s a warm haven from the inclement weather, and in the hotter months, it’s a cool respite from the sweltering streets.   In the Pedway, one finds shops, cafes, public art, live music, but rarely a crowd.  Pedway maps are available and advisable, as some people have been known to wander beneath the city streets for weeks in search of a way out.

FAVORITE OLD BUILDING: THE ROOKERY  Burnham, Root, and Frank Lloyd Wright collaborated on a building that after 120 years still has that WOW factor every time you walk in the skylit lobby with the floating staircase.  At the corner of LaSalle and Adams, this office building is an homage to transcendent architecture, something sorely lacking in so much modern design.

FAVORITE NEW BUILDING: 333 WACKER  An elegantly curved building perfectly suited to its location at the bend of the Chicago River.  This building gives me hope for modern architecture, something I never feel when looking at one of Mies van der Rohe’s “less is more” minimalist structures.  Check it out at sunset from the Franklin St Bridge or the Merchandise Mart.

BEST DIVE UNDER MICHIGAN AVENUE: BILLY GOAT TAVERN  I suspect this is the ONLY bar/restaurant under Michigan Avenue, so there isn’t a lot of competition in this category.  The legendary hamburgers are only so-so, but this place is truly a Chicago legend.  Made famous in an old John Belushi sketch on Saturday Night Live, it has been a favorite watering hole for Chicago journalists for decades, and now a Mecca for people seeking a one-of-a-kind Chicago experience.

All photos by Alan Klehr

My cousin owns a car repair facility in the SW suburbs and I was out there the other day doing photography for his web site.  As I was packing up my equipment it dawned on me that there were some photo opportunities that I had overlooked.  The mundane tools which actually make this facility tick seemed to offer  so much more in terms of photographic possibilities than the other subjects I had photographed.  I took a leisurely walk around the garage and was overwhelmed by the simple beauty amid the toolboxes and grease.  For me, this was a lesson in seeing the obvious.

All photos by Alan Klehr…my web site

Over the past few decades, Chicago has become a food Mecca.  No, not just for deep dish pizza, juicy prime steaks, and hot dogs (no ketchup!!!), but for some of the most inventive and earth-shaking cuisine this side of the Left Bank.  When did this local preoccupation with gourmet food begin?  That would be difficult to say, but Charlie Trotter and his Lincoln Park eatery helped to put Chicago foodies on the map more than 20 years ago.  Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Jean Joho of Everest, and Rick Tramonto of TRU all have done their part to raise the culinary bar.  Today there are new luminaries on the haute cuisine horizon, among them Michelin-starred Grant Achatz with his soon-to-be-opened Next, and Homaro Cantu of Moto.  And one must not forget “Top Chef” winner Stephanie Izard and her tremendously popular Girl and the Goat restaurant on West Randolph Street.  Included here is a small sampling of my food, drink and chef photography–I love shooting food, as Federal Law demands that the food not be served to the public, so it’s mandatory that the photographer eats it without delay.

All photographs by Alan Klehr

For those who rarely venture into the Loop during the holiday season, these photos are for you.  Since 1997, the city has been sponsoring Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza.  This outdoor market which features German crafts, jewelry, clothing, toys and lots of food attracts over a half million people from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.  Inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Chicago version stays true to its European roots.  In fact, most of the vendors actually travel from Germany to work the booths, or at least are German-speaking.  Appropriate winter food is also available, including wurst, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, lots of pastries, and German beer and traditional “Glühwein”, a hot spiced wine that is served around the holidays.  The market closes tomorrow, but these photos might arouse your curiosity enough to visit next winter.

Photos by Alan Klehr / Photos-Chicago

It’s going to snow tomorrow.  Nothing unusual about that…it’s winter, it’s Chicago…but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.  Do not go gently into that cold season.  I thought I’d post some photos of Chicago in a warmer frame of mind just to brace me against the north wind. Layers. Lots of layers. These words will stay with me until late April when I will be more concerned with staying dry rather than keeping my body core temperature above 80 degrees.  For more photos of Chicago in all seasons, visit Photos-Chicago.

Mention Victorian architecture and one inevitably imagines the ornate “painted ladies” of San Francisco, or the countless grand homes and inns of Cape May, NJ–visions of multi-colored fantastical homes with grand porches and soaring turrets come to mind.  But the term really includes at least a half dozen different architectural styles from the late 19th century: Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Beaux Arts, etc.  After the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago went on a building boom and thousands of houses, apartments and commercial buildings were constructed.  In spite of several bouts of urban renewal, a large percentage of these structures remain today and give Chicago a strong connection with its architectural past.  One can encounter blocks and blocks of Victorian-era homes in several areas–Lincoln Park, Old Town, Wicker Park, Hyde Park–but they are really scattered throughout the city.  These photos represent just a fraction of what an avid Victorian sleuth may find on their search for architectural treasures.  Photos by Alan Klehr