Eat. Watch. Do. — 87 St. Patrick’s Day specials, ‘Tina’ at Nederlander Theatre, plus LeTour review

It’s Thursday, Chicago.

With the days warming and getting longer this weekend, there’s suddenly so much to do and see and eat across Chicago.

And given that the city is a true foodie’s paradise, we’re proud to announce the Food Awards are back this year. Our Critics’ Choice Award named eight restaurants across Chicagoland — from suburban Bloomingdale to the heart of Bronzeville — as the top picks for their hard work and contributions to our city’s fair food scene. Now it’s your turn to be the judge: Nominate your favorite late-night haunt, plant-based dish or barbecue joint through March 15 to win bragging rights and recognition.

We hope you’re getting in the green spirit ahead of this weekend with all the St. Patrick’s Day-themed festivities on deck. Our roundup of restaurants with Guinness on draft and corned beef on the menu will be sure to help.

And now that we’re settling into Women’s History Month, who can resist the empowering and energetic “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” coming soon to the Nederlander Theatre? We spoke with the show’s two leading actors and learned what it’s like to play the title role.

Enjoy the weekend we’ll see you here next week.

— Lauryn Azu, deputy senior editor

For our 2023 Critics’ Choice Food Awards, what stood out the most wasn’t necessarily the foods or drinks themselves (although don’t get us wrong, those are decidedly award-worthy all on their own) but the spirit of the people who make that magic happen, day in and day out. In a grueling industry still finding its way through the pandemic, their stories stay with us, long after the last bite of the night.

Read up on our picks, and then it’s your turn to nominate your favorites.

The 95th Academy Awards are Sunday, and to get us all up to speed, Tribune film critic Michael Phillips presents “unreliable Oscar night guesswork and raw, untrammeled favoritism” in his preview. Read here about which movies he thinks deserve to win Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay and more.

Chef Debbie Gold and Amy Morton are serving French and Moroccan dishes with inventive twists at their new restaurant LeTour in Evanston.

“LeTour not only road trips around France, but also travels by way of the American Midwest,” critic Louisa Chu writes in her review. “Morton and Gold, luckily for us, have prepared for this journey their entire lives. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy everything they’ll unpack, from buttery Burgundy escargots to spicy southern mussels, along with the personal stories behind them.” Read more here.

The Lincoln Park-based bestselling novelist Gillian Flynn has turned to publishing books and screenwriting and producing movies and TV. Her new imprint Gillian Flynn Books is under Zando Projects. Chris Borrelli sits down with Flynn to discuss the first book on her imprint, “Scorched Grace” by Margot Douaihy, and more “Gone Girl”-like slow burn thrillers in store. Read more here.

A new restaurant is coming to the historic Flair House in River North this month. At Asador Bastian, Andros Taverna co-owners Hsing Chen and Doug Psaltis want to explore Spanish-style asadores where diners share cuts of meat. Read here about what will be on the menu and how they revamped part of the 140-year-old building into a dining space.

Over 40 years after the irreverent historic comedy “History of the World, Part 1″ was released, the sequel returns as a series to the streaming service Hulu. This time the Mel Brooks creation is driven by Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, with cameos galore. While many jokes don’t land, TV critic Nina Metz writes, the ones that do stick with you — and the bonus of streaming means you can fast-forward at your discretion. Read more here.

Want to sit in Frank Sinatra’s seat at Gene & Georgetti? It might come at a premium, thanks to the booking platform Tablz, which allows restaurants to charge fees for desirable tables. The service is gaining ground among Chicago-area restaurants, and it can potentially be another revenue stream at a time when restaurants are struggling with high inflation. Read more about dynamic pricing’s impact here.

Naomi Rodgers and Zurin Villanueva play the title role in “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical,” coming to the Nederlander Theatre this month. Read here about how the actors prepared to play the role in the biographical musical that recounts Turner’s journey from humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to international superstardom, and learned lessons of strength and resilience along the way.

Put on something green and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Chi-rish style at one of these 87 spots across the city and suburbs, with green beer, Irish coffee, bagpipes and more in store. Read more here.

Lia Kohl has a new album releasing this week. After perfecting the work of other musicians, she found it thrilling to make music of her own and join Chicago’s improvisational music scene.

She worked on “The Ceiling Reposes” over the past year and bits of audio snapshots from her life ended up on the record. An album release event will be Friday at the International Museum of Surgical Science. Read more here.