By Lily Gordon 

Dining out has always been an exciting experience for my taste buds.  During "Restaurant Week," the opportunities are expanded--restaurant owners and chefs try to hit us with their best shot:  visionary prix fixe menus featuring inventive dishes at a discount.  It is a time for those without deep pockets to step up in class and eat like the rich and famous.

 

Many U.S. cities host one highly anticipated Restaurant Week per year, and in Chicago this year that week is February 17-26.  For Chicagoans, the magic numbers are 22 and 33--$22 for lunch, and $33 for dinner at 267 of the city's finest eateries.  If you have an inquiring palate, this is the best time to splurge for a taste of toro tartare, Kobe beef, or stone crab.

 

Speaking of splurging, I am going for broke this Restaurant Week, having already explored the offerings of two participating venues--trendy Japanese "Mirai Sushi," and romantic "Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana" in Lakeview.

 

My first stop was dinner at Mirai, listed at number four on Zagat's Best Chicago Japanese Restaurants.  Located in Wicker Park, it boasts a well-stocked sushi bar, in both ingredients and chefs.  In sampling its three-course Restaurant Week dinner, priced at $33, an appetizer called Bin Cho--sushi marinated baby tuna sushi with arugula in a citrus dressing--stood out.  The fish melted in my mouth, a true sign of its freshness, and the tanginess of the citrus complemented the soft fish perfectly.  The entrees were less inventive and more substantial, but delicious all the same.  Needless to say, a refreshing addition to my meals in the dining hall.

By Jeffrey Niedermaier

It's that time of the quarter again. Midterms are (mostly) over, and with any luck you'll enjoy a brief lull in the workload in the coming week to wistfully entertain daydreams of Chicago in the springtime. And, if you'd like to learn some more about Chicago as the weather gets warmer, you're in luck! Pre-registration for spring quarter courses begins Monday, Feb. 20 at 9am, which means you'll have until next Friday evening to determine your academic fate to close out the year. There are plenty of great courses that engage Chicago through a wide array of disciplines. We've highlighted a few of them below:

1. Public Policy--Process and Policy in City Government (PBPL 28501): What better way to learn about the enigmatic inner-workings of Illinois government than from a man who has worked on the inside? Clayton Harris III, a wildly popular professor, brings his experience to the classroom as former Chief of Staff of the Illinois Department of Transportation and Deputy Chief of Staff to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

An interview with student activist Olivia Woollam

by Adam Janofsky

It's hard not to be restless as a college student, but 3^rd year Olivia Woollam has a permanent wanderlust.  Having traveled the world before even arriving in Hyde Park, this history major has spent much of her time at the University of Chicago exploring life outside the ivory tower.  We sat down with Olivia to hear about her favorite areas in the world and in Chicago, and how she stays active in civic life.

Adam Janofksy (AJ):  Do you live in a dorm or off campus?

Olivia Woollam (OW):  I moved off after my first year.  It's a very different experience living off campus.  I think it forces you to be more critical about where you want to be spending your time.  And I'm not saying that Housing's not a great experience.  It's also an amazing support system and forces you to meet people unlike you, which is not to be underestimated.  But I think living off campus definitely gives you a perspective of the fact that the University is not a universe.  It forces you to evaluate a lot of things about the city that you could ignore if you lived on campus.

AJ:  What's your favorite place in the neighborhood?  Why?

OW:  One of my favorite spaces would actually be my roof.  I work with an organization in Woodlawn called FLY (Fearless Leading by the Youth) and over the summer we had an open mic night.  When we went to the roof, it wasn't my apartment, it wasn't in the middle of a church in Woodlawn, it wasn't this space that would be charged with previous usage, everyone was able to come together and be very equal.  I really liked that.

AJ:  What's one trait about Chicago that you love?

By Sydney Paul, Class of 2012

This is his tamest work I've seen yet", exclaimed a spunky old lady from the front of the audience. The seasoned theater enthusiast was referring to Race, a rather controversial play by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, David Mamet. Her proclamation began a rather lively post-show discussion between audience members about social issues, like race, which many believe should spill out of the theater and onto the streets.

On January 26th, 2011, a little more than a dozen students took the opportunity to attend the play at the Goodman Theater. The trip was sponsored by OMSA, ORCSA, Chicago Studies, and Arts Pass at the Logan Center for the Arts. Arts Pass hosts several events throughout the year where students can get can discounted tickets to attend shows, but also have in depth discussion with UChicago faculty about relevant underlying topics.

Race, which has received favorable reviews, has been getting a lot of buzz for its controversial nature. The plot surrounds the case of a rich old white man accused of sexually assaulting a young black woman. The audience witnesses the discussions between the accused and his legal counsel, which consists of three attorneys--two black and one white. The fast-paced dialogue is consistently charged with social issues such as racial, gender, and class inequalities that provide an abundance for further discussion.