—Cafecito (www.cafecitochicago.com; 26 E. Congress Pkwy.): This Cuban cafe in the Loop is a culinary oasis in its area, offering everything from breakfast sandwiches to guava-and-apple pastelitos—and it’s all delicious.
—Hammacher Schlemmer’s Complete Coverage Wind-Defying Umbrella (www.hammacher.com): A lot of umbrellas supposedly protect you from the wind and rain—but you see their bashed carcasses in trash cans all over Chicago. This one definitely has worked for me, thanks to an overlapping vent system that disperses the wind.
—Brunch at ZED451 (www.zed451.com; 739 N. Clark St.): For only $29 per person, the weekend brunch at this River North restaurant is a steal. An all-you-can-eat deal offers duck-confit hash browns; artisinal cheeses and charcuterie; quinoa salad; chicken and waffles; and much more.
—dlisted (www.dlisted.com): There are dozens of celebrity blogs out there, but few are as informative (and cheeky) as this one—helmed by Michael K, who is described on its own website this way: “This bitch is one of the dumbest hos you will ever meet.”
—Andrew Davis
(Andrew@WindyCityTimes.com)