Not fAIr: On Thursday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m., an independent coalition of artists and musicians will rally at Dirksen Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn St., to highlight the devastating effects of generative AI on the music industry.
Many of the artists who will gather to voice their concerns are also members of the SCL (Society of Composers and Lyricists), the Recording Academy (Grammys) and many other music organizations. The music platform Deezer reported that uploads of AI-generated tracks have, for the first time, exceeded half of all daily new music deliveries.
—Hot Pepper: The Chicago City Council introduced a symbolic ordinance to permanently honor the legacy of legendary drag performance artist Chilli Pepper, per The Chicago Star. Sponsored by Ald. Brian Hopkins, the legislation establishes “Honorary Chilli Pepper Way” to honor Pepper, who passed away in September 2024. The formal street-naming ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 3—her birthday.
Backed by city leaders including restaurateur Alpana Singh, the ordinance carried the explicit co-sponsorship of Alds. Timmy Knudsen, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Andre Vasquez, Bennett Lawson, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth and Maria Hadden. The designation will specifically honor a corner of North State Parkway and East Division Street near 1201 N. State St., where Pepper lived.
The write stuff: Be sure to read and subscribe to my other Substack—Pop-Eds: My thoughts on pop culture. (Like SAVOR, it’s less than $5/month to access everything.) Columns have discussed Heated Rivalry, the best ‘70s detective shows and Madonna’s newest album, among many other topics.
And now, on to culinary items…
—***COMING UP: Later this week, there will be reviews of The Bellevue, Bandit and Felix Modern American Dining.
—Getting reflective: Andersonville dining spots Replay and A Taste of Heaven were recent crime scenes, as at least one person broke in, stole money and caused damage.
However, in a Facebook post, A Taste of Heaven owner Dan McCauley not only discussed the damage—but his own feelings about what transpired. “The damage was minimal, under $1500, but nonetheless, it was a stressful way to start the day for the employees and myself. Still, I’m enormously grateful that it wasn’t much worse and that no one was hurt,” he stated.
McCauley also said, “Anger is a normal response to being robbed, but honestly I don’t feel that at all. I know no one chooses to go into a life of crime, and only ends up doing it as a last resort. Some may think some addiction may be the motive, but it’s equally possible that survival is. I truly hope and pray that the men who did this are safe, and that their fortunes improve as soon as possible.”
SPOTLIGHT: It’s not the easiest thing to be bright and cheerful at 7:30 a.m.—especially when facing a constantly moving line of customers.
Nevertheless, that’s what I witnessed from the workers at the newest branch of the bakery Good Ambler, located at Two North Riverside Plaza.
Executive Pastry Chef Meg Galus leads the new location, bringing a distinct Midwestern sensibility to her rigorous French-trained techniques—and some serious honors. She is a three-time James Beard Awards finalist for “Outstanding Pastry Chef” and Jean Banchet’s “Pastry Chef of the Year” in 2017, and she was inducted into the Chicago Culinary Museum Chefs Hall of Fame in 2021.
So one would expect Good Ambler to offer a knockout line-up of culinary items—and, on that end, it certainly delivers. There are savory and sweet offerings, ranging from ham-and-cheese croissants to blueberry muffins and apple cruffins (croissant-muffin hybrids). Everything was absolutely delightful, although the cruffin was not what I expected—especially since there was a peaches-and-cream cruffin advertised on the website. Oops!
Pastry professional Gabby Enriquez—one of the aforementioned bright and shiny people—added, “Our seasonals change every month unless we have too much of something; then, we’ll carry it on for a couple weeks. But you should be able to see a change in our menu, which I think is really nice because you come back looking and hoping for something different.”
Coffee and tea drinkers will be in heaven. There’s a nice selection of coffees (including espressos and lattes), teas (such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey Crema, Jasmine Green Dream and Moroccan Mint Meritage) and even hot chocolate—which people will undoubtedly order as we ease into fall.
There’s even a gift shop with Good Ambler merch that spills over into an adjoining room. However, there is a sad lack of seating in that room. Enriquez mentioned that the spot will hopefully expand and have more chairs. Until then, be prepared to either stand or sit just outside Good Ambler where hundreds of people pass by, making for some interesting (and fast-paced) people-watching.
But Good Ambler is definitely worth your time. Grab a latte and a kouign-amann, and savor the goodness.
ALSO: SAVOR with Andrew has info on the new Fulton Market Black Briar, which might have some of the most innovative dishes I’ve tried this year.
—Fall in: Levain Bakery has unveiled its fall menu—and it’s quite a line-up of goodies.
Items include the Fall Spiced Chocolate Chunk Cookie ($6); White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie ($6); Pumpkin Ginger Spice Cake ($5); Apple Cider ($6; hot or iced); and the new Cacio e Pepe Scone ($4.25; with sharp cheese and cracked black pepper).
—That’s Italian!: Labriola Oak Brook (3011 Butterfield Road) will host gnocchi-making events on Sept. 30, Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.
During the hands-on class, Labriola chefs will guide guests step by step through rolling, cutting and shaping fresh gnocchi from scratch. Each participant will also take home a batch to cook and enjoy later.
Following the class, guests will sit down for a four-course dinner featuring a tasting trio of tomato cream, short rib and pesto gnocchi. Tickets are $55/person and also include a welcome cocktail, wine service and a signature house-made dessert. Space is limited to 20 guests per event. Additional information and tickets are available here.
Additional dates will be announced as Labriola continues the series.
—Awareness options: With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many spots are offering specials, with most having proceeds going to various organizations:
- Several Lettuce Entertain You restaurants are holding specials to benefit the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation initiative Chicago’s In Good Taste. For example, Aba – Chicago will donate one dollar from each Milos Cosmo sold; Beatrix is giving one dollar from each Pink Ribbon Sugar Cookie purchased; and Mon Ami Gabi will donate a portion of proceeds from each Tarte aux Pralines Roses sold.
- Also, several others from Lettuce will donate to The Pink Agenda. They include Bub City (portion of proceeds from its strawberry milkshake), Beatrix ($1 from its Pink On the River (Raspberry Crumble) Cookie), il Porcellino ($1 from its Giuliana Prosecco), R.J. Grunts ($1 from the Gruntburger) and RPM Seafood ($1 from its yellowfin tuna crispy rice), among others.
- Throughout the month, a portion of proceeds of sales of the Pink MargariTATA at Lake View’s Cesar’s Killer Margaritas will be donated to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The nation’s largest and most impactful noncompetitive breast cancer awareness and fundraising walk, organized by the American Cancer Society, is taking place on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Soldier Field Stadium Green.
—A spirited time: The international 21-and-older, cocktail-focused pop-up Black Lagoon will return to haunt The Parlour on the second floor (stairs required) of The Albion Manor in Chicago every day in October.
Found in 34 bars across the United States and Canada this Halloween season, Black Lagoon can be found in Chicago only at this venue for the third year in a row. Some of this year’s cocktails include Abyssa’s Obsession(pumpkin-infused Kraken Rum, coconut, pineapple, Lustau Oloroso sherry, lime and Bitter Queens Tobacco Bitters); Demon Dance(coconut cream cheese-infused Maker’s Mark, carrot cake syrup, Lustau Amontillado Sherry and Bitter Queens Caribbean spice bitters); Final Girl(Ford’s Gin, Giffard Quince, miso falernum, lemon, pear brandy, Bitter Queens sarsaparilla bitters, Champagne vinegar and club soda); and Bone Temple(Teremana Blanco Tequila, pomegranate, spiced oat orgeat, Lustau Amontillado Sherry, lime, vanilla honey and Bitter Queens tobacco bitters).
—Neighbor day: Common Pantry is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its “I Am Your Neighbor” Party on Friday, Oct. 2, 7-11 p.m., at Artifact Events.
The event will feature 30+ food and drink vendors, a silent auction and raffles, and the return of the Hidden Cove for one-night-only classic karaoke, among other highlights. Tickets start at $175 each, with all proceeds benefiting Common Pantry in its mission to directly fight food insecurity in Chicago.
—A “Good” time: Farm Bar is celebrating fall with its first-ever Good Apple Days, taking place Oct. 2-4 at its Lakeview and Ravenswood locations. In addition to the menu, each guest will receive a sealed Good Apple Days “Bounce-Back Envelope” with the bill, with every envelope containing a guaranteed prize to encourage a return visit before the end of the year.
The celebration will spotlight apples from Brown Dog Farm, owned by Farm Bar owner TJ Callahan, with a limited-time menu of autumn-inspired dishes and drinks. Highlights include autumn apple pork belly bites with apple butter BBQ sauce; apple cider bruschetta with apple and Brussels sprout caponata, prosciutto and stracciatella; an autumn apple salad; and an applewood-smoked short rib with apple molasses and apple demi-glace. Guests can also add a side of Brown Dog Farm apple butter.
Apple-forward drinks and desserts include a caramel apple sundae, cider sangria, Orchard Spritz, Brown Dog Farm’s Johnny Mac Cider and hot apple cider. Families can also enjoy a decorate-your-own apple dessert with caramel, chocolate sauce and chocolate chips. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.
Until next time…