The Art of Perfect Vibes: How NYC's Hottest Restaurants Got That Way
It's a Monday night at Torrisi in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, and the brick-lined dining room is packed. At one table, a cashmere-clad young couple gleefully plots a coming vacation. At a round banquette, a group of older women in blazers clink glasses over a big birthday. Rows of guys directly in from finance jobs wave around big watches. The buzz is energetic; laughter ripples around the room. Our server, a smiling goateed guy in a cream-colored tuxedo jacket, comes by. 'Hi,' he says, leaning in. 'I'm Fernando, and we're going to have fun tonight.' I have to believe him: Every table is celebrating. And it's only 5:30 p.m. on the slowest restaurant night of the week.
'We call it 'Torrisi, the Musical,'' says Rich Torrisi, the chef behind this dynamic Italian American sibling of the world-famous Carbone, who stops by our table. 'We make everyone feel like they're part of the show, and that we're celebrating with them.'
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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Diana' at Theo Theatre was no ordinary opening night
Back in 2021, I reviewed a widely reviled musical flop called 'Diana, the Musical' on Broadway. Soon after I returned to Chicago, I found myself at Theo Ubique Theatre (now Theo Theatre) reviewing a show and talking to its voracious artistic director, Fred Anzevino. I recall the humorous conversation as going something like this:Opening night for Anzevino's long-awaited staging of 'Diana' (music and lyrics by David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro) arrived some four years later on Sunday night, but alas, Anzevino himself did not live to see it. The giant of tiny Chicago theater died during the rehearsal process. His co-director, Brenda Didier, followed his specific instructions to make sure his beloved project made it to the stage. I caught Didier's eye on Sunday night; she seemed at once elated, relieved and deeply sad. I recount all of that to tell the reader that this is hardly a normal theater review for me. I admired Anzevino's directing work very deeply, and consider some of his Theo Ubique productions, mostly shows staged about a decade ago, as masterful productions that were among the very best storefront theater I ever saw in Chicago. (I thought of him as the David Cromer of Chicago musicals.) 'Diana' was, to put it mildly, a passion project for Anzevino, a gay man who was around the same age as Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997 at the age of 36. I am only a little younger myself. Anzevino had lived for years with the HIV virus and told me several times how profoundly grateful he had been in 1987, when she held the hand of a hospitalized AIDS patient, a gesture she had chosen to reduce the stigma felt by AIDS patients at the time. By 1991, Diana's handshakes had become hugs. Some of those scenes are in the musical; they were very hard to watch on Sunday. Frankly, the whole show was very hard to watch, so you'll have to take this review in that context. It must also have been very difficult to perform in this context, even though some in the cast are young performers who did not have a long history with Anzevino. However, I don't doubt they know the level of respect in which he was held. 'Diana' did not magically become a great American musical, of course, much as I might wished such a transformation in Anzevino's memory; it simply does not have that level of insight. But he turn what was a campy affair on Broadway into something with heart, passion and integrity. Anzevino changed the show, which had seemed to all about a tabloid love triangle in New York, into a loving tribute to the woman he so admired. 'Diana' is not the first musical to look ridiculous on Broadway, only to work much better in a little room in Chicago (well, Evanston) with a young, hungry cast pouring their hearts and talent into the work. And, frankly, the passing years have been kind to the show in various ways. The young Kate McQuillan, who plays the title role, is charming as she scurries from one wig and costume into another (as designed by Patty Halajian and Kevin Barthel). Jack Saunders is delightfully dotty as Prince Charles, out-maneuvered at every turn, and Collette Todd, a veteran of many Theo shows, mercifully avoids all tempting stereotypes as Camilla. I also don't want to suggest the show is maudlin. It's not. It's fun. Especially if you watched all of 'The Crown.' That's an apt comparison of tone and veritas, although this show certainly did not have a writer of the caliber of Peter Morgan. But then, 'The Crown' did not have power ballads like 'Pretty, Pretty Girl' and 'As I Love You.' Go in with the right spirit and you'll have a good time. Drinks are to be had at the bar. One final note: Anzevino was spectacular when it came to casting young talent. Aside from those already mentioned, here he found a young guy named Matheus Barbee, a recent Northwestern University graduate who plays one of the AIDS patients, among other small ensemble roles. Barbee acts with real honesty and sounds fantastic in what, at this particular production, actually is the most important role in the show. Though no official star rating appears with this review, four stars for Anzevino's life in the theater. Review: 'Diana' When: Through July 6 Where: Theo Ubique Theatre, 7321 Howard St., Evanston Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Tickets: $51-$66 at
Eater
7 days ago
- Eater
A New Italian Spot Hopes to Comfort Lincoln Park After The End of Tarantino's 30-Year-Run
Another Lincoln Park stalwart fell by the wayside when Tarantino's closed in March, ending three decades along Armitage Avenue. The neighborhood's restaurant scene has seen changes in recent times, and three decades seems to be a magic number. Pizza Capri closed its own 30-year run earlier this year when it moved to Avondale. Goose Island Beer Co. moved on from its original brewpub, relocating to the Salt Shed earlier in 2024 after a 35-year run on Clybourn. As Tarantino's wished farewell to its clientele, word spread that Cornerstone Restaurant Group planned to open a new project in the space. Cornerstone's Chicago-area restaurants include chef and partner Bill Kim's Urbanbelly, The Table at Crate, and Bill Kim's Ramen Bar inside Time Out Market Chicago. Cornerstone is also known for its partnership with Michael Jordan, running MJ's Mag Mile steakhouse, plus locations across the country and South Korea. In Lincoln Park, the company wants to retain Tarantino's customers and lure new ones with Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian, pegged for a summer opening at 1112 W. Armitage Avenue. Executive chef Matt Eckfield worked with Kim, splitting about 13 years at Belly Shack (the chef's shuttered Puerto Rican and Korean restaurant in Bucktown) and Belly Q (the shuttered Korean barbecue-style spot in West Loop). Eckfield left Chicago for New York's Major Food Group, working as one of the conglomerate's executive chefs, spending nearly 12 years with its famous Italian American brands like Carbone, Contessa, and ZZ's Club. Eckfield is hopeful to make use of produce from Green City Market, the farmers market held weekly in the summer, just east of the restaurant and toward the lake. Eckfield wouldn't spill on menu specifics other than saying customers, including Tarantino's regulars, will recognize the food. Expect a mix of pastas made on premises and seasonal veggies. There will be sandwiches. Eckfield is excited to pump out some focaccia, saying that while most anyone can make the flatbread, few folks can bake focaccia that actually tastes good. 'There's not going to be tweezer work,' the chef says. Former Boka Restaurant Group pastry chef Casey Doody is handling dessert recipes with gelato, cakes, and more. So Lincoln Park is experiencing a renaissance. Dimmi Dimmi, which means 'tell me, tell me,' in Italian, should open in late July or early August. Another notable nearby opening comes near the busy Halsted and Clybourn intersection, where a group of experienced restaurant veterans is working on Brick & Mortar inside the former Golden Ox and Burger Bar space. Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian , 1112 W. Armitage Avenue, planned for a late July or early August opening Sign up for our newsletter.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Tony nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers on finding the ‘color' in 'Boop! The Musical'
One year after getting rejected for the role, Jasmine Amy Rogers is now Tony-nominated for 'Boop! The Musical.' She and co-star Ainsley Melham join Morning Joe to talk about tap dancing, time travel, and why the show's joyful message—'life isn't full of color until it's filled with love'—is resonating with Broadway crowds.
