—Hemingway’s Garden of Eden (on DVD) : This erotic movie (from Lionsgate) successfully captures the era of ’20s Europe as husband Jack Huston and wife Mena Suvari travel across Europe—and bump into the seductive Caterina Murino. What ensue are power struggles and a journey involving sexual identity. I have to admit that I became absorbed, trying to determine to ending.
—The pad woon sen with shrimp at Chen’s: I have tasted this dish at many different Thai restaurant but the pad woon sen at the Lake View restaurant (www.chenschicago.com/home.asp) was almost intoxicatingly delicious. Moreover, there is not just two shrimp (as in some places) —the dish was bursting with them.
—Eli Stone (on DVD) : It’s a shame this ambitious show only lasted two seasons on ABC. The episodes follow the titular lawyer (played by Jonny Lee Miller) whose life is going swimmingly—until he has a vision of George Michael singing “Faith” on top of Stone’s coffee table. What follow are other hallucinations that relate to a brain aneurysm. (In another nod to Michael, episodes are named after several of his songs, including “Father Figure” and “One More Try.”) LGBT-related cases include situations involving a gay chimpanzee and a transgender priest.
—The Kobe chopped brisket sandwich at Chicago q: This Gold Coast BBQ restaurant (www.ChicagoQRestaurant.com) does a lot of things right, but this sandwich—stacked with tender meat and accompanied by three different sauces—might be its crowning achievement.
—The 2011/2012 edition of the Spartacus International Gay Guide: This book, at more than 1,100 pages, is bigger and more informative than ever, as it lists bars, apartments, stores, hotels and more in countries from Albania to Zimbabwe.
—Andrew Davis
(Andrew@WindyCityTimes.com)