struction delay will add to the cost.What he’s waiting on now is a secondpromised infusion of government cash.Besides the $3.9 million that enabledthe purchase, he says the governor toldhim a year ago that the state would chipin $8 million more, a promise that wasreiterated by Chris Meister of theDepartment of Commerce andEconomic Opportunity, and which gavehis board the confidence to begin con-struction last July. (Andrew Ross,spokesperson for DCEO, says this claimis “absolutely not true.”) But the moneynever materialized, and in January hesays he got word that the bounty hadshrunk to $6 million, half of whichwould come in the form of a loan. Thenin late April, just days before Pepper’sshutdown deadline of May 1, DuMontgot written notice from the state of con-ditions he says were new to him but hadto be met. According to DuMont, the

the governor’s office of managementand budget, says “there are still a num-ber of terms that need to be met—thesame terms that any development ofthis nature would have to abide by.We’re huge supporters of this project,but we’re talking about $6 million intaxpayer funds. We need to ensure thatwe’re conducting all our due diligence.”

Apple Tree UprootedCan Apple Tree Theatre survive a dou-ble transplant? The 23-year-old institu-tion, which also runs classes and a chil-dren’s theater program on an annualbudget of about $1 million, says TheWinning Streak, which opens June 21and runs through July 16, will be its lastproduction in the space above aHighland Park strip mall that’s been itshome for the last 18 years. That’s nosurprise: Apple Tree’s lease expires atthe end of July, and founder EileenBoevers has long been talking about amove. But as recently as last weekend,no one with the theater could say whereit was going. Official word has theboard considering an interim space fornext season, with the city committed tokeeping the theater in Highland Parkfor the long run. Board president BobWieseneck says the board is “workingwith the city on what the future holdsfor us. We’re not planning to close.”

The Keillor-AltmanConnectionLocal guy Tony Judge first metGarrison Keillor when both were start-ing out in radio. Judge, now a “consult-ant and water carrier” for Prairie HomeProductions, and a producer on thePrairie Home Companion movie, sayshe was the link between Keillor andRobert Altman, hooking them upthrough a friend of a friend who hap-pened to be Altman’s attorney. He alsohelped raise the film’s “tiny” $7 millionbudget, mostly from Minnesotans driv-en by civic pride. Judge was jittery asan icehouse in a thaw about this week’sopening in 700 theaters. Not to worry:the DVD should go like powder-milkbiscuits with Keillor’s fans. v

The Business

“This has been the most agoniz-ing chapter of my entire life,”says Museum of Broadcast

Communications founder and presi-dent Bruce DuMont. The museum iscurrently operating out of a temporaryoffice with a view of the stalled con-struction site where its new permanenthome was supposed to open this year.A former parking garage at the cornerof State and Kinzie, the building hasalready gone through the first leg of a$21 million makeover that wouldtransform it into a glassy, four-storytourist attraction. The contractor,Pepper Construction, completed a newroof for the 70,000-square-foot struc-ture but then halted work just over amonth ago, saying it couldn’t do any-thing else until it’s paid the $3 millionowed on the job so far. That’s just theamount DuMont is waiting to receivefrom the state. “I’m twisting in thewind,” he says. “I feel like a piñata.”

The odd thing is, if anyone isequipped to navigate the local politicaland bureaucratic terrain, it’s DuMont.He’s worked in public affairs broadcast-ing here since the 1960s, producing talkshows for the likes of Jim Conway,Howard Miller, Lee Phillip, and JohnCallaway. His own local show, InsidePolitics, which started on WBEZ in1980, morphed into a nationally syndi-cated weekly radio program, Beyond theBeltway, broadcast locally on WLS AM.(A TV version of the show airs on WYCCand Comcast Channel 3.) Until with-drawing last fall, he also hosted a long-running statewide public televisionseries, Illinois Lawmakers, which cov-ered the same folks ultimately responsi-ble for MBC’s gifts from the state.

The new facility—which will featureworking television and radio studios, adigital archive of broadcast content, a“media cafe” where those archives can beaccessed, and a ballroom that’ll seat 400for dinner—will be a huge leap for MBC,which DuMont started in a space inRiver City in 1987 and moved into theCultural Center in ’92. In 2002 it was thecity’s 14th-most-popular tourist attrac-tion, logging 225,000 visitors, butDuMont says the Cultural Center wasn’tinterested in renewing its long-term

lease. At the same time MBC received anincentive to decamp: a letter from thestate announcing the $36 million IllinoisPublic Museums Capital GrantsProgram. A month later MBC held aboard meeting on a bus, contractor andarchitect in tow, to survey possible loca-tions—the parking garage was the laststop. The building was purchased for$4.6 million, $3.9 million of which wasprovided by the state. (About half of thatwas approved by Governor Ryan in thelast days of his administration; the restwas promised by then senate presidentPate Phillip, but the Blagojevich admin-istration held it up until December of thefollowing year in a general freeze. Thesale closed in March 2003 with the helpof a bridge loan from LaSalle Bank.)

The total budget for the project,including land, construction, exhibits,and the first year of operation, has hit$31 million, and DuMont says the con-

state had noticed a $3.8 million gapbetween the museum’s funding and itsprojected expenses and wanted to knowexactly who would be covering theshortfall. “They never said before thatyou have to have every penny in placebefore they’d release any money,” he says.

DuMont says it was impossible topin that down fast enough to preventthe shutdown, but he thinks he’s got itcovered now (though he declined to saywhere the money would come from).The opening for the building, once slat-ed for 2005, is now targeted for nextyear. “If we can get this genie back in thebottle, we hope to have it up in March,”he says. “[But] the state has got to deliv-er on what they promised. If they don’t,we have more significant problems thanjust restarting construction. We’ll haveto think about what our ongoing rolewill be if this project is stopped.”

Becky Carroll, a spokesperson for

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No Longer a Parking Garage, Not Yet a MuseumThe Museum of Broadcast Communications is in limbo. Founder Bruce DuMont blames the state.

Bruce DuMont and the museum site, at State and Kinzie

By Deanna Isaacs

thebusiness@chicagoreader.com

2 CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO

CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO 3

Head SouthHot spots from Bridgeport to Beverly

Army & Lou’s422 E. 75th | 773-483-3100

$SOUTHERN/SOUL FOOD | BREAKFAST, LUNCH,DINNER: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY

One of Harold Washington’s favorites, Army &Lou’s has been dishing up well-executedsouthern and soul food for more than 60years. For starters there’s Louisiana gumbowith hunks of okra, andouille, and a hefty doseof filé powder (otherwise known as sassafras);in the bread basket are yeasty homemade bis-cuits, fresh, flaky, and warm. Steak, chicken,and chops come smothered with gravy andserved with corn bread: quintessential com-fort food. The fried chicken has light, virtuallyunseasoned breading and is deliciously crispy;pieces are so meaty that half a chicken makesa very filling entree. It’s worth ordering a fewextra sides, though: greens are tender but notovercooked; plump, moist sweet potatoescarry a hint of clove; and pickled beets andonions provide a tart contrast (there are alsochitterlings, butter-boiled pig intestines bestwith plenty of hot sauce). Sweet potato pieand peach cobbler are made, our waitresstold us, by a “little old lady from the neighbor-hood”—which is pretty much how they taste. David Hammond

Cafe Trinidad557 E. 75th | 773-846-8081

$$CARIBBEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | BYO

This superfriendly family-run enterprise traf-fics in the flavors of Trinidad, which havebeen influenced over the centuries by African,East Indian, Creole, Syrian, Lebanese,Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese cooks.“Brown down” stews—begun with acaramelized sugar base—and rich, spicy cur-ries dress slow-cooked meats like jerk chick-en, goat, beef, and oxtails and are accompa-nied by rice and pigeon peas. Alternatively,most of these can be ordered wrapped in afresh fried roti, a circle of soft flatbread thatcan withstand a considerable portion bulkedup with a mild potato-and-chickpea curry.Fat, snappy shrimp popped under the tooth,and curry crab and dumplings were similarlyfresh. These all came with a choice of fillingsides—sweet potatoes, callaloo, red beansand rice, collards, macaroni pie, plantains.The bright, sparkling space adorned withTrinidadian flags and lively with island tuneshas a lot of nice house-made touches like thesweet and deadly Scotch-bonnet hot sauceand drinks like mauby, an unforgiving, bitter,and debatably restorative cold infusion madefrom the steeped bark of the carob tree. I had

more appreciation for the sweet, bracing, anduncontroversially refreshing ginger beer, orsorrel, a fruity purple punch brewed from thehibiscus blossom. Mike Sula

La Casa de Samuel2834 W. Cermak | 773-376-7474

$$MEXICAN/SOUTHWESTERN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH,DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY &SATURDAY TILL 2, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11

La Casa de Samuel offers exotica youwon’t find at many other restaurants.

We started with a bowl of tiny eels—looking a lot like white mung beanswith eyes—and enjoyed a platter offrog legs, the meat firm and juicy. Theabsolute knockout dish was cecina devenado, slabs of salted and dried veni-son that are rehydrated and griddled;its deep, dark flavor will please thosewho like beef as well as those who pre-fer their food on the wild side. Onevery table is a very good handmadered salsa, served in a huge stone mol-cajete. We had a chicken breast with ablisteringly spicy brick red India sauce

that was excellent with the tortillas,also handmade. The extensive menuoffers goat, boar, and alligator (andsometimes iguana on the “secretmenu”), so we took the plunge withthe rattlesnake, which was . . . odd,gnarly and jerkylike. For dessert, mydining companion made the rightchoice: our waiter had only to hear thewords banana flambe and he was off,preparing his citrus zest, pan, andliquor bottles; the result, served with a spumoni-type ice cream, was fabu-lous. David Hammond

Cobblestones Bar and Grill514 W. Pershing | 773-624-3630

$$AMERICAN, CAJUN, ITALIAN | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: TUESDAY-FRIDAY

Fifteen years ago, fresh out of the CulinaryInstitute of America, south-side nativeLaurette Vaccaro-Holley returned to herroots, opening this hybrid of bistro andcorner tap just a few blocks south of SoxPark. The menu’s a significant step up fromstandard bar food: New Orleans-style bar-becue shrimp were six succulent crus-

RestaurantsListings are excerpted from the Reader Restaurant Finder, an onlinedatabase of more than 3,000 Chicago-area restaurants. Restaurantsare rated by more than 2,200 Reader Restaurant Raters, who feedus information and comments on their dining experiences. Webratings are updated daily; print listings reflect the most currentinformation available at publication time. Reviews are written by

Reader staff and contributors and (where noted) individual Raters.Though reviewers try to reflect the Restaurant Raters’ input,reviews should be considered one person’s opinion; the collectiveRaters’ opinions are best expressed in the numbers. The completelistings and information on how to become a Reader RestaurantRater are available at www.chicagoreader.com/restaurantfinder.

a new honey-chipotle version. But Pine has stream-lined his offerings a bit. “The whole concept is asmaller menu and more specials,” he says.

Pine’s specials have always been a draw, so popu-lar that the daily voice-mail message he records list-ing them have made him something of a celebrity.People tell him that when they call from work theyput the message on speakerphone so the entire officecan hear. “It’s got the craziest following,” he says. “I’mnot a stud guy or anything, but I’ll go in these offices[to make a delivery] and the women will be like, ‘It’sthe guy from the voice mail!’” His fiancee, another fanof the voice mails, contacted him on Match.com whenshe recognized him in his bio as the guy from therestaurant. (Daily specials for each month are alsolisted on the restaurant’s Web site, chuckscafe.com.)

Pine’s offerings range from Chicken Curry a laPaul Prudhomme and smoked duck etouffee withandouille to cochinita pibil (achiote-seasonedsmoked pork) and turkey with mole manchamantales(a red fruit mole). He’s also known for his monthlongextravaganzas celebrating Mardi Gras and Cinco deMayo. Sophisticated Mexican regional cuisine mightseem surprising at a place that also serves fried moz-

zarella sticks. But most family restaurants don’t havea chef who cooked under Rick Bayless.

In the early 90s, fresh from the culinary programat Joliet Junior College, Pine was eating at FronteraGrill and asked the waiter if they were hiring. “Well,there’s Rick. Go talk to him,” was the answer. Baylessended up hiring Pine for his first cooking job, asappetizer chef at Topolobampo, where he spent aboutthree years before moving on to a six-month stint atthe now shuttered Red Rock Grill. In 1998 he openedChuck’s just a few miles south of Midway in Burbank,where he’s lived all his life. He still caters Bayless’sannual staff party.

“The main thing I learned from Rick was properseasoning,” Pine says. “You shouldn’t have to add anysalt and pepper to anything when I’m done cooking it.”

Since the reopening Pine has started offeringweekend breakfasts as well—the restaurant nowopens at 6 AM on Saturdays and Sundays. True toform, alongside the standard omelets, pancakes, andbiscuits and gravy, there are Cajun eggs Benedict(made with andouille), chilaquiles in a roasted toma-to-chipotle chile sauce, and pain perdu, French toastNew Orleans style. —Anne Ford

Starting Over

Full-slab rib dinner and owner Chuck Pine at Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe

When he reopened Chuck’s Southern ComfortsCafe last month, Chuck Pine tried to do it qui-etly. Smoke and water damage from a fire in

September had forced him to close the Burbank restau-rant for eight long months, and fans of his eclectic but

unaffected cuisine—a mix of south-ern, Cajun, and Mexican disheswith followers from all over thecity—had been clamoring for hisreturn. “Pace yourself,” he warnedhis regulars. “Don’t come in the firstday, or we’re gonna get killed.” Itdidn’t help. “It was a train wreck,”he says. “The phone was off the

hook. The kitchen couldn’t keep up.” For three days hehad to stop accepting phone orders altogether.

It’s still busy, but the eight-year-old restaurant hassettled into its groove since then. Many of the place’sattributes remain unchanged: the casual booths, thepig tchotchkes, the couple hundred hot sauces forsale. Most of the old favorites—beef brisket, gumbo,churrasco, and Pine’s famous Cajun green beans—arestill around. So is the slow-smoked hickory barbecueand house barbecue sauce, available in mild, hot, and

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Chuck’sSouthernComfortsCafe5579 W. 79th,Burbank708-229-8700

A Cult Fave Reopens in the Southwest Burbs

4 CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO

taceans in a spicy beurre blanc, andVaccaro-Holley makes a mean muffuletta(“Big enough for two,” the menu says, andthat’s no lie). There are daily specials and arange of salads and sandwiches, but rough-ly half the regular menu is devoted to mix-and-match pastas and sauces (there’s aspecial menu featuring mostly sandwicheson some game days, when Cobblestoneshas extended weekend hours). My spaghet-ti alla arrabiata was perfectly al dente, thepiquant sauce delectably garlicky, and myfriend was pleased with his steak Vaccaro,tender slices of rib eye with green peppersand caramelized onions served over pennein a light, savory red sauce. Service can begruff in the south-side manner, but thatjust means they think you can take it,right? Kate Schmidt

Dat Donut8251 S. Cottage Grove | 773-723-1002

$AMERICAN, BREAKFAST | BREAKFAST, LUNCH,DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: 24 HOURSSUNDAY-FRIDAY | CASH ONLY

Darryl Townson, owner of Chatham’sten-year-old refuge for the rare andendangered handmade doughnut, is hip

to the transparent approach to produc-tion that makes a stop at Krispy Kremeseem like an exciting field trip. ButTownson’s doughnuts reach a level ofexcellence far exceeding the klonenutschurned out by the korporation’sassembly lines. Housed in the samebuilding as a Leon’s Bar-B-Q, DatDonut’s bakers knead, roll, and cutmasses of dough with grace and non-chalance, at all hours, behind a broadglass window. Townson boasts about 45varieties—mostly based on differentfrostings, though many are only season-ally available. The standard glazed is ascarfable pillow with just a shine ofsugar that feels about as heavy as acloud (though it’s available in super-size). The buttermilk cake doughnut hasan almost imperceptible crunch thatgives way to a moist interior. Frostingsrun the gamut from fruity pastels tochocolaty browns, peanut, and coconut,though in most cases they don’t obscurethe subtleties of the fine pastry.Nonstop production of “a couple-hun-dred dozen daily” ensures a freshdoughnut anytime, but by day two left-overs require just a quick blast in themicrowave to refresh. Mike Sula

Ed’s Potsticker House3139 S. Halsted | 312-326-6898

$CHINESE, ASIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |BYO

To gain access to Ed’s amazing repertoireof delicious northern Chinese specialtiesstart by asking for the leather-boundChinese menu with English translations,then ask about the specials, and if some-thing appeals to you don’t let anyone talkyou out of it. You could spend weeks hap-pily exploring: house pot stickers are longcigars of crispy, porky goodness, and thecomplex lamb, stir-fried with dried chiles,is carried from the kitchen with great reg-ularity. Beef stew with noodle is a massive,very soupy bowl of tender beef chunkswith a nice touch of spice. “Fish-fragrant”eggplant has nothing to do with fish—it’sreally just a version of eggplant with garlic

sauce that renders the fruit light andpuffy, with a delicate, crispy outer crust.Don’t overlook the cold appetizers: a bowlof tofu with bits of preserved egg is a nicelesson in subtle textural contrasts, and thesliced pork leg with soy sauce is cut thinlyin cross section so you can see the varyingtextures of the different muscles, rimmedby a layer of caramelized fat. Even cosmet-ically challenged selections tend to be ter-rific: lily flowers and bean thread noodle issort of a grayish lump of noodles studdedwith wilted yellow flowers, but the paleyellow buds have a satisfying snap, likelightly sauteed mushrooms. Mike Sula

Franco’s Ristorante300 W. 31st | 312-225-9566

$$ITALIAN | LUNCH: TUESDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER:TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY

This neighborhood spot within shout-ing distance of Sox Park serves someinteresting renditions of old stan-dards. Minestrone was pumped upwith bacon and sausage, and mush-room soup was flavored with fennel.Baked clams had good garlicky flavorunder all that breading; tasty grilledoctopus was fresh and served onmesclun. Gnocchi were some of thefinest I’ve had in memory: extraordi-narily light, not a bit gluey, andserved in a marinara that sparkledwith freshly snipped basil. Penne,softly turned in a sauce of spicy, mus-tardy pesto with capers and chunks ofprosciutto, was almost as hard to pullaway from. Parmesan-latticed slicesof lightly herbed veal were sprinkledwith the ubiquitous fresh basil andlaid over a moist pillow of rapini. Theherb-roasted pork chop, served withvelvety roasted potatoes, was alsonicely done if slightly dry—that’s theproblem with an inch-and-a-half-thickslab of meat. On the dessert menuthere’s tiramisu along with a numberof ice creams, though after a mealthis rich not many would be in a posi-tion to indulge. David Hammond

Restaurants

Food (F), service (S), and ambience (A) are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 representingbest. The dinner-menu price of a typical entree is indicated by dollar signs on thefollowing scale: $=less than $10, $$=$10-$15, $$$=$15-$20, $$$$=$20-$30,$$$$$ =more than $30. Raters also grade the overall dining experience; these scoresare averaged and rs are awarded as follows: rrr=top 10 percent, rrr=top 20percent, rrr=top 30 percent of all rated restaurants in database.

CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO 5

6 CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO

Joy Yee’s Noodle Shop2159 S. China Place | 312-328-0001

F 7.5 | S 6.3 | A 6.3 | $ (12 REPORTS)ASIAN, NOODLES | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Joy Yee’s offers accessible and well-pre-pared fare from China, Japan, Thailand,Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia—and it offersa lot; the numbered menu goes up toalmost 1,000. In recognition of the com-pendious listings we started with a 1,000-year-old egg that had been coated in ashand tea and buried for about 100 days. Theresult is a remarkably rich purple egg with

an intriguing gelatinous texture.Lemongrass beef, though not bad, was notvery good either, but we had a very fresh,very flavorful order of Szechuan greenbeans and garlic with little clumps of saltyfish. Also wonderfully fresh were the ingre-dients in our chicken udon: meat and veg-etables alike had just-from-the-markettooth. There are a number of baked ricedishes served in woodlike canisters, one ofseveral gimmicky serving vessels includinghalf pineapples and stone urns. We had theseafood baked rice, which was OK, though Iwill never accept that krab is seafood. Todrink there are Taiwanese bubble teas as

well as tapiocas and jelly freezes—or youmight consider bringing along a gewurz-traminer or Riesling. David Hammond

Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven554 W. Pershing | 773-924-5771

$AMERICAN, BURGERS, BREAKFAST | BREAKFAST,LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: 24HOURS EVERY DAY | CASH ONLY

Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven is a 24-7 “citythat works” diner in a light-industrial area afew blocks south of the Cell. Early morningyou’ll find steel-toe-shod working stiffs fuel-

ing up on good-size portions of crispy hashbrowns, nicely spiced sausage, three eggsover, and toast. Those needing a little extraopt for hot-off-the-griddle pancakes orcreamy grits with dollops of butter winkingup at you in defiance of future cholesterolchecks. Burgers rule at lunch, and these arejuicy, rich, flavorful patties, roughly formedand sizzled on the grill. But it’s nighttime—more specifically, the hours after the barsclose—that’s given Kevin’s its citywide repas the ne plus ultra of greasy spoons. Thesotted and soused come from far and widefor coffee, chili burgers with mounds offries, or steak and eggs served with Kevin’s

house-label steak sauce; late one evening Iheard a guy say blearily, “Gimme one ofeverything on the breakfast menu.” Thelate-night security guard sits at the counteras unobtrusively as a man tough as nailsand armed can. Gary Wiviott

Koda10352 S. Western | 773-445-5632

$$$FRENCH | DINNER: TUESDAY-SUNDAY | CLOSEDMONDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Sitting down at Koda, Beverly’s new(and only) French bistro, we were imme-

Restaurants

diately engaged by diners effusingabout how happy they were that folksfrom “far away” had made the trip. It’sone worth taking—the chef is AaronBrowning, late of Everest and BrasserieJo. French onion soup was excellent,dark and rich; luscious escargots ingreen garlic butter were plump and fla-vorful. Seductive salads include one ofshaved fennel and cucumber and a deli-cious melange of red and golden beetswith blue cheese. The kitchen knowshow to handle veggies, and our side ofratatouille was well executed, with firmchunks of eggplant and squash thatretained their individual character. Notevery bistro item is traditionally pre-pared: the onion tart was not exactlyAlsatian, more like a crisp pizza, butwith succulent pancetta and sweatedsweet onions, scrumptious. A “progres-sive” wine list (sequenced from mild tofull-bodied) features a few good glass-es: a 2004 Fouassier Sancerre with asoft smack of honeyed fruit and a 2003California merlot that works well withmeat dishes. Steak frites featured fresh-cut fries and a good piece of beef, andthe lamb chops were magnificent, notthe generic variety that sometimes sur-faces at even decent places. For dessertwe went with a shortbread cookiestuffed with berries (fabulous) and achocolate tart with hazelnut truffle andcoconut sorbet (also fabulous). Bewarned: Koda currently doesn’t takereservations, and what with the neigh-borhood heat weekend waits can hit 60minutes plus. David Hammond

Lagniappe—A Creole Cajun Joynt1525 W. 79th | 773-994-6375

$$CAJUN | LUNCH, DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY |CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY | CASH ONLY | BYO

This Creole-Cajun place in Auburn-Gresham started out as a catering andcarryout joint only, but it now seatsabout 20 for dishes such as chicken orshrimp creole, an etouffee of the day,jambalaya, and (on Fridays only)shrimp, oyster, or catfish po’boys. Redbeans and rice are available with orwithout a hunk of andouille, brought upfrom Louisiana; side dishes range fromdirty rice (made what owner MaryMadison calls the authentic way, withchicken spleen) to “candy sweets,” can-died sweet potatoes. Madison offers afew more generally southern dishes aswell—fried green tomatoes, chickenwings and waffles, and pulled porksandwiches. Banana pudding is themost popular dessert, but there’s alsosweet potato pie, peach cobbler, and“cake in a jar” (which is pretty muchwhat it sounds like). Service is slow butcourteous. Anne Ford

Lem’s311 E. 75th | 773-994-2428

$AMERICAN, BARBECUE/RIBS | DINNER:SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY |CLOSED TUESDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY &SATURDAY TILL 4; SUNDAY, MONDAY,WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY TILL 2 | CASH ONLY

A civic treasure among the city’s hon-est smoke shacks, Lem’s has longupheld the standard against which allChicago barbecue should be meas-ured. The rib tips, with a higher ratioof meat to gristle than you’ll find atmost joints, and the center-cut andsmall-end slabs are finished relativelyfast over a relatively hot fire, buckingslow-smoke convention. They’re deli-ciously tender and caramelized, linedwith the telltale pink smoke ring.When they run out, long lines form.Excellence is extended to the incompa-rable, complex sauce and coarsely tex-tured hot links, which are too fre-quently served as mealy sacks of saw-dust elsewhere. While the mysteriousshuttering of the Lem’s on State Streeta couple summers ago saddened disci-ples, the mother ship, with its unmistak-able neon beacon, endures. Mike Sula

Miss Lee’s Good Food203-05 E. 55th | 773-752-5253

$AMERICAN, SOUTHERN/SOUL FOOD | LUNCH,DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY |CLOSED MONDAY | CASH ONLY

A 31-year veteran of the late, greatGladys’ Luncheonette, Miss Lee is theFlorence Nightingale of home-stylegranny food without a bit of fancinessor fuss. But if cooking like hers werereally that simple, everybody would bedoing it. She’s justifiably proud of herdesserts: her bread pudding and fruitcobblers are La Brea Tar Pits of sweet-ness—covered with a delicate layer ofsugary, caramelized crust but soft andheavy underneath. She rotates a dailymenu of nine high-density, low-gravitycomforters like baked turkey anddressing, stewed chicken and noodles,smothered pork chops, oxtails andboiled potatoes, and roast beef anddressing. Each comes packed with apair of corn muffins and two sides (thecreamy black-eyed peas and spicy col-lard greens are capital). And the a lacarte options are great too: there’smac ’n’ cheese and a spicy rubbed birdof her own invention that she calls“herbal chicken” (add 50¢ for whitemeat). It’s a good thing food like thistravels, because Miss Lee’s is carryoutonly. All the better—it’s the type of eat-ing that goes down best with a sofanearby. Mike Sula

CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO 7

8 CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO

The Parrot Cage7059 S. South Shore | 773-602-5333

$$$AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL |DINNER: WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY; SUNDAYBRUNCH | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY | BYO

Student trainees make me a little uneasy, butI was pleasantly surprised by the Parrot Cage,the teaching restaurant affiliated withWashburne Culinary Institute. Housed in theSouth Shore Cultural Center, the restaurantoffers a superb view of the lake, and themorning I went, sunlight flooded the room,giving it an al fresco feel. Sunday brunch isoffered just once a month for now (the nextone’s June 11), but it’s a notable spread, with

dishes like omelets, country ham with apri-cot-mustard glaze, baked salmon, fried chick-en, pasta salad, and pastries. At dinner on aSaturday night the green walls and smoothjazz had a calming effect. I started with a fla-vorful butternut squash soup; my friend, astickler, enjoyed his fritto misto of friedtilapia, shrimp, and calamari. His duck, abreast alongside a leg of confit, arrived crispyoutside and tender within, with pomegranatesauce and a panzanella salad; I had a simplebut satisfying dish of swordfish and capers inbrown butter sauce, served with potato pureeand sauteed spinach. For dessert there wasmoist, warm pear-cranberry bread puddingtopped with a rosemary custard sauce andwhipped cream, and a warm chocolate cake

with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis.Service was friendly and prompt but neverintrusive. In fact, we couldn’t tell whichstaffers were students. Michael Marsh

The Rib Joint432 E. 87th | 773-651-4108

$AMERICAN, BARBECUE/RIBS | LUNCH: MONDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE:FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 2:45, TUESDAY-THURSDAYTILL 1:45, SUNDAY & MONDAY TILL 11:45

Lem’s reigns only 12 blocks to the north, sothis Chatham smoke shack is often unjustlyoverlooked. Center-cut and small-end ribsare lean and meaty marvels of anatomicaldesign. Conversely, the tips are fatty (not acriticism) and don’t frequently maintaintheir structural integrity. The meat in gen-eral evidences a deep pink smoke ring andhas a slightly bacony flavor that wouldn’tbe bad with some eggs and toast. Don’t bediscouraged by the orangey and somewhatglutinous sauce—it’s not oversweet, and ifordered hot it really packs heat. For thosewho require a healthy balance with theirbarbecue, the Rib Joint is conveniently situ-ated a short distance from Dat Donut,shackled as it is to the inferior and mystify-ingly lauded Leon’s Bar-B-Q. Mike Sula

Southside Shrimp House335 W. 31st | 312-567-0000

$AMERICAN, SEAFOOD | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY,TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPENLATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT | CASHONLY

This Bridgeport shrimp shack meticulouslyweighs and deep-fries crustaceans in a thinbreading that does nothing to obscure their

sweet freshness. Its practice of offering achoice of breadings—regular and the vaunt-ed “southside” (i.e., seasoned) style—does-n’t seem to matter much; they’re equallygood and what you taste most is theshrimp, anyway. Frog legs, hefty and juicy,can stand up to the bubbling baths, but theintriguing-in-principle deep-fried lobsterdeserves a little more love, a little less heat.Lake and ocean perch, walleye, cod, catfish,scallops, oysters, and excellent, pillowyhush puppies are all given the hot oil treat-ment. You can call in your order if it’s big,or if you’re in a hurry. Mike Sula

Three Happiness209 W. Cermak | 312-842-1964

$ASIAN, CHINESE | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER:SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: 24 HOURS EVERY DAY

Crunch into shell-on salt-and-pepper shrimp—juicy and fragrant with five-spice mix—or drystir-fried blue crab, perfumed with ginger andscallion, and you realize that “Little” ThreeHappiness has a more expert hand withseafood than many far more upscale restau-rants. Crisp panfried noodles, rice or wheat,groan under a shrimp-boat’s catch of freshseafood or a combination of barbecued porkand five-spice-accented roast duck. Crispy-skinned chicken is a revelation: moist, tendermeat and succulent crisp skin served withlemon wedge, Szechuan pepper-salt mix, anda topknot of cilantro. Stir-fried watercress,pea shoots with garlic, and lettuce with oystersauce are sure to please, but for a change ofpace water spinach with fermented tofu (ongchoi with fu yee) is a winner. Raymond andBetty Yau, who’ve owned “Little” ThreeHappiness since 1995, are currently in theprocess of giving the place a much neededface-lift. As long as the clams in black-bean

sauce stay the same, this guy will remainhappy. Gary Wiviott

Tropic Island Jerk ChickenRestaurant1922 E. 79th | 773-978-5375

$CARIBBEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY

Hacked to order, Tropic Island’s yard birdsare generously steeped in the manifoldspices that typify the island style, theirflesh moist and soft, tinged with the rosyblush of a good smoke. They’re served onrice and peas, with sidekicks of plantainsand mushy cabbage; these bland starchesact as a kind of protective barrier againstthe tiny tubs of dark, nuclear sauce youmight apply to the bird if you’ve somethingto prove. The standard repertoire of homeyand often bony Jamaican eats are in effect:oxtails, brown stew chicken, yard salad,beef patties, callaloo, and something calledreggae stir-fry corn. But the pinnacle oflong-cooked fatty comfort is the goat,which requires a small amount of dentalwork to appreciate. Mike Sula

Yassa African CarribeanRestaurant716 E. 79th | 773-488-5599

$$AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVENDAYS | OPEN LATE: EVERY NIGHT TILL 11 | CASHONLY

Yassa is run by a family from Senegal, a for-mer French colony whose cuisine, apartfrom fresh-baked pain francaise, bears littleresemblance to anything European. Westarted with thiebu djen, a fish stewed intomato with onion, cabbage, and jollof rice;the last is typically “broken” by soaking andpounding with the hands or the butt end ofa bottle. Yassa is grilled marinated chickencovered with a sauce of mustard, onion, car-rot, and palm oil and served on a bed ofrice. Senegalese couscous is made from mil-let, which gives it a deep flavor that standsup to lamb and vegetables in a thick andcreamy peanut sauce. Fish, grilled wholeover charcoal, had a golden red, deliciouslychewy crust and white, firm flesh; debe,grilled lamb chops, were also very flavorful.Be sure to try one of the marvelous home-made African beverages: gingembre is freshginger root, pounded and sugared in Yassa’skitchen, bouye is the creamy sweet juice ofbaobab fruit, and bissap is a gorgeous richred liquor made from the hibiscus flower.There’s also jerk and other Caribbeanfavorites on the menu. David Hammond

Restaurants

CHICAGO READER | JUNE 9, 2006 | SECTION TWO 9

RNAdorable The fairy-tale-king-dom musicals directed by Ernst

Lubitsch during the Depression are suppos-edly inimitable, but this 1933 powder puffis a reasonable and entertaining facsimile.It’s based on a 1931 German comedy partlywritten by Billy Wilder, whose masqueradetheme is already firmly in place. A princessposing as a manicurist (Janet Gaynor) fallsfor an army captain posing as a deli-catessen worker (Henry Garat), and there’sa lot of ambiguity about who’s in charge.William Dieterle directed with a sufficientlylight touch, and C. Aubrey Smith (Love MeTonight) plays the flustered prime minister.87 min. (JR) a Gene Siskel Film Center.Archival print.

RAkeelah and the Bee Coming on theheels of Spellbound and Bee Season,

this small gem about a South Central LAgirl with a gift for spelling restores lusterto the family genre. Keke Palmer gives abreakout performance as the title charac-ter, whose prodigious talent is nearly deep-sixed by her lack of self-esteem and herharried, widowed mom (Angela Bassett),who dismisses spelling bees as anextracurricular activity they can’t afford.Laurence Fishburne plays Akeelah’s coach,an academic burnout with a tragic past,and though his theatricality can be dis-tracting, he drives home the story’s moralabout ambition and self-reliance. Writer-director Doug Atchison exalts teamworkand community to the point of corn—Caprain the hood—but the movie’s uplift is unde-niable. With Curtis Armstrong, J.R.Villarreal, and Sean Michael Afable. PG, 112min. (AG) a Chatham 14, Lake, Lawndale,Logan, 600 N. Michigan, 62nd & Western.

RArmy of Shadows Jean-PierreMelville’s 1969 thriller about the

French Resistance, finally receiving its firstU.S. release, is a great film but also one ofthe most upsetting films I know. Melvillebased his story on a novel by Joseph Kessel(Belle de Jour) that was published duringthe occupation and is reportedly far moreoptimistic; in the movie a resistance leader(Lino Ventura) gradually discovers that heand his comrades must betray their ownhumanity for the sake of their struggle,though in the end their efforts are mainlyfutile. As Dave Kehr wrote, “Melville is bestknown for his philosophical pastiches ofAmerican gangster films (Le Samourai, LeDoulos), and some of their distinctiverhythms—aching stillness relieved by sharp

flurries of action—survive here.” WithSimone Signoret (in one of her best per-formances), Paul Meurisse, Jean-PierreCassel, and Serge Reggiani. In French withsubtitles. 145 min. (JR) a Music Box.

RArt School Confidential The teamresponsible for Ghost World—director

Terry Zwigoff, screenwriter/comic bookartist Daniel Clowes, and John Malkovich’sproduction company—reunites for this bit-ter satirical comedy. An ambitious and vir-ginal young artist (Max Minghella) arrivesat art school in search of sex and fame, butthe careerism he encounters causes him todespair and betray his talent, especiallywhen the model he loves (Sophia Myles)goes after one of his classmates. It’s a fas-cinating and provocative muddle: socialsatire, self-hatred, misanthropy, andmisogyny become hard to disentangle as asubplot involving a serial killer comes tothe fore. With Malkovich, Matt Keeslar, JimBroadbent, Steve Buscemi, and AnjelicaHuston. R, 102 min. (JR) a Century 12 andCineArts 6, Esquire, Pipers Alley.

Bad Religion: Live at the Palladium Thepunk band performs in Los Angeles in2005. a Tue 6/13, 7 PM, Delilah’s, 2771 N.Lincoln, 773-472-2771. TV monitor. F

The Benchwarmers Three grown-up nerds(Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Hederof Napoleon Dynamite) banish their child-hood demons by forming a three-man base-ball squad and competing with kid teams ina tournament bankrolled by a nerdy million-aire (Jon Lovitz). No laughs here, just thedull ache of seeing Heder slotted into a stan-dard piece of Hollywood twaddle. DennisDugan directed for Adam Sandler’s HappyMadison Productions; with Craig Kilborn,Tim Meadows, and Reggie Jackson. PG-13,80 min. (JJ) a Brew & View at the Vic.

The Break-Up Vince Vaughn (who collabo-rated on the story) plays a Chicago tourguide who’s into sports; Jennifer Aniston’scharacter works in an art gallery. Theunlikely couple meet at Wrigley Field; bythe time the opening credits are overthey’re sharing a condo but she’s ready tocall it quits. This strange comedy is nothingbut curveballs after that; like directorPeyton Reed’s previous Down With Love, ithas to do with real estate and the way welive. It’s full of pain and quirky charactersstanding at oblique angles to one another,and while it doesn’t add up it held methroughout. With Jon Favreau, Joey LaurenAdams, Judy Davis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ann-Margret, John Michael Higgins, and JasonBateman. PG-13, 105 min. (JR) a Century 12and CineArts 6, Chatham 14, Crown Village18, Davis, Esquire, Ford City, Gardens 7-13,Lake, Lincoln Village, Norridge, Pickwick,River East 21, Village North.

Broke Four friends plan a road trip toCanada in this low-budget teen comedy byChicagoan Bill Whirity. a Beverly ArtsCenter. F

Broken Arrow James Stewart turns in hisusual fine performance in this otherwiseuninteresting 1950 western, which is main-

ly remembered for launching a wave ofrevisionism in the genre: the Indians (asplayed, of course, by whites) are the goodguys. Debra Paget is the squaw sacrificedfor racial harmony; Jeff Chandler is a Boy’sLife Cochise. Directed by Delmer Daves. 93min. (DK) a LaSalle Bank Cinema. Also onthe program: Notch Number One (1924), ashort by Ben Wilson.

NCars The press notes for this Pixaranimation describe it as a “very

personal story” for director and carenthusiast John Lasseter, though its sure-fire appeal to NASCAR families and itsepic merchandising potential couldn’thave hurt. Owen Wilson supplies the

voice of an arrogant race car that getsstranded in a desert town on its way to awest-coast championship and learns toenjoy life in the slow lane. The moviegenerates a few laughs through its type-casting—Paul Newman is a grouchy oldHudson Hornet, George Carlin a hippie-dippy VW bus, Cheech Marin a cus-tomized Impala lowrider, Larry the CableGuy a rusty tow truck—but at 116 minutes,it’s a test not of speed but endurance. G.(JJ) a Century 12 and CineArts 6,Chatham 14, Crown Village 18, Davis, FordCity, Gardens 1-6, Gardens 7-13, Lawndale,Lincoln Village, Norridge, NorthRiverside, Pickwick, River East 21, 62nd &Western, Village, Village North.

Common Law Wife Eric Sayers directedthis 1963 exploitation flick about a com-mon-law marriage and the husband’s med-dling niece. 81 min. a Sat 6/10, 6 PM,Delilah’s, 2771 N. Lincoln, 773-472-2771. TVmonitor. F

The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown’s mega-sell-ing novel might have made a great ten-hour miniseries: its elaborate riddles andclues could have been properly teased, thecliff-hangers savored, and the sudsy rela-tionships given an appropriately vulgartreatment. Alas, this Ron Howard adapta-tion is like a speed-dating session, coveringtwo millennia of religious and art history. Asymbologist (Tom Hanks, stiff) and a cryp-

Film listings are compiled from information available Monday.Occasionally bookings change after our deadline; we suggest youcall ahead for confirmation. Most films are screened in 35-millime-ter and most videos are projected. Where possible, exceptions arenoted below. Submissions to the film listings are always welcome,

but must include a phone number for publication. Commentary byJonathan Rosenbaum (JR), Lisa Alspector (LA), Fred Camper (FC),Don Druker (DD), Pat Graham (PG), Andrea Gronvall (AG), J.R.Jones (JJ), Joshua Katzman (JK), Dave Kehr (DK), Peter Keough(PK), Hank Sartin (HSa), Henry Sheehan (HS), and Ted Shen (TS).

A long neglected romantic who argued that love is a surren-der of pride, director Frank Borzage was never more pas-sionate than in this 1946 color melodrama, shown in a

beautifully restored archival print. An imperious concert pianisttravels the world with his pupil, ignoring her love for him; she’sleft behind an achingly nice farm boy. The two pianists are mys-tically linked, playing the same concerto in different locales, and

multiple angles within scenes dematerialize bodies and objects,making them appear to float in an immeasurable space. Music(dubbed by Arthur Rubinstein) is the ether that encompassesall. The film is screening as part of a Film Center series onBorzage and simpatico leading lady Janet Gaynor, who’s not inthis picture. 117 min. a Sat 6/10, 4:45 PM, and Wed 6/14, 6PM, Gene Siskel Film Center. —Fred Camper

Critic’s Choice

I’ve Always Loved You