Eat. Watch. Do. — ‘Little Mermaid,’ best pastrami in Chicago

Happy Thursday, Chicago.

With as much regard as I can muster for “the other Ariel,” that dang mermaid has been haunting me for 32 years.

Born just eight months after the Disney classic hit screens the first time around, I grew up with a mother who swore she had no idea what she was consigning me to and countless associations to the redheaded siren.

Still, I ended up with a soft spot for the finned teen, which is why I was so pleased to read Tribune critic Michael Phillips’ review of the live animation adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” which premieres Friday.

I hope to catch the movie in theaters soon, but to be frank, I’m not sure when I’ll have time during our long-awaited Chicago summer. Between feasting on every pastrami sandwich I can get my hands on and taking in countless concerts, art exhibits and theater performances, it’s going to be an action-packed season. I can’t wait.

Enjoy this week’s roundup of arts and food coverage from our Tribune writers, and we’ll see you next week.

— Ariel Cheung, food and travel editor

The Sweets & Snacks Expo returned to Chicago this week for a “bittersweet” finale before it begins to alternate between Indianapolis and Las Vegas for the next decade.

Still, the event showcased some of the most innovative new snacks and bites, and Tribune food critic Louisa Chu was on the scene to let us in on the latest, from a recordable lollipop to the growing trend of flavor combinations. Read more here.

The restrictions are gone. The festivals are back. And Chicago’s music scene is more robust than ever.

Dive into our list of some of the best of the bunch this year.

Jonathan Zaragoza, one of Chicago’s most promising young chefs, finally has a permanent home. So it makes sense he chose to name the project Čálli, the word for house in Nahuatl, a pre-Hispanic language still spoken in parts of Central Mexico.

Čálli opens today, and Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger got all the details about the Mexican restaurant’s debut.

Whether the titular mermaid was a major part of your world as a kid or you’re just loosely familiar with the redheaded tail-flipper, “The Little Mermaid” live action adaptation is worth your time, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips.

“Director Rob Marshall’s take on ‘The Little Mermaid’ stays faithfully close to the ’89 basics and many of the scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot design schemes of the animated version,” Phillips writes. “Yet the changes really help.” Read his full review here.

“Stunning pastrami is now popping up somewhere I never expected ― barbecue joints,” writes Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger. Get his rundown on the best spots in town for some of that smoky, tender, juicy dish, but beware: You’ll leave hungry.

“From a Pinter play to the music of Lloyd Price to the kid who sure plays a mean pinball, Chicago theater has enough excitement to rival NASCAR or Lolla this summer without any need to close a road or bare a midriff,” writes Tribune theater critic Chris Jones.

Get his list of recommendations for upcoming shows here.

Illinois craft breweries made a good showing at the 2023 World Beer Cup, and some walked away with titles naming them the best brews not only in Chicagoland, but across the globe.

Read on for more about the local winners, including Horse Thief Hollow, Pollyanna Brewing and more.

On “Ted Lasso,” Jeremy Swift plays the team’s delightfully offbeat director of operations, Leslie Higgins.

But in Tribune critic Nina Metz’s “My Worst Moment” series, he recounts a difference experience in live theater, when he was caught not quite with his pants down, but with no pants at all.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is just 32 and “Chain-Gang All-Stars,” his first novel, is already landing a lot of best-of-the-year hosannas. The Washington Post compared it to “1984″ and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” just to give you a taste.

The author spoke with the Tribune’s Chris Borrelli about the novel and how his life has shaped his writing. Get the full story here.

Summer is fast approaching, even on days it doesn’t feel like it. Someday, we’ll want to spend more hours outside than in and be on the lookout for divertissements that fit the bill.

When that day comes, we’ve got you covered with our list of summer museum highlights, some of which you can even enjoy in the great outdoors.