Eat. Watch. Do. — Eating vegan in Wicker Park, ‘Showing Up’ review, plus rails to trails guide

It’s Thursday, Chicago.

As the springtime air begins to greet us after the last dash of snow, it’s time to get those calendars out and mark off all our summer fun in the coming months. Whether it’s planning a leisurely bike ride on one of the region’s trails, attending anticipated festivals such as Pitchfork and Summer Smash or simply chillin’ at home, our long-awaited Chicago summer is almost here.

This Saturday is Earth Day, and for many Chicagoans, sustainability is top of mind — and taste buds. Tribune food critic Louisa Chu visited Bloom Plant Based Kitchen in Wicker Park to sample its vegan and vegetarian cuisine and noted their use of green sources of power and liquid composter.

And if you’re overdue for a trip to the movies, we have a review for “Showing Up,” a new comedy-drama starring Michelle Williams. Feel that seasonal spring in your step as you head out, and we’ll see you next week.

— Lauryn Azu, deputy senior editor

We have the details on 20 festivals coming to Chicago this summer, including free and low-cost bashes such as the Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest, the Chicago Pride Parade and the Millennium Park Summer Film Series. Be sure to bookmark this guide, and check back throughout the summer for new additions.

Chicago may be a particularly carnivorous town, but you won’t miss the meat at Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, food critic Louisa Chu attests.

“The delicate and daring dumplings are a startling evolution in not just plant-based cuisine; they rival any expensive wagyu or foie gras tasting menu dish,” Chu writes of one particular favorite bite. Read the rest of her review here.

From the creator of “Homeland” and “The West Wing” comes “The Diplomat” on Netflix, starring Keri Russell as a newly installed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. “The writing has a real snap to it — it’s fun — and if you’ve been experiencing ‘West Wing’ withdrawals and are pining for some sharp-elbowed banter among high achievers, Cahn lands on a less showy but far more enjoyable stylistic approach than Aaron Sorkin ever did,” Tribune critic Nina Metz writes. Read more here.

After opening a Guinness brewery in Baltimore, the beer brand expects to open its Chicago brewery this summer in the West Loop. It will have a taproom and working brewery, a full-service restaurant, a bakery and an event space, and will likely develop a signature Chicago brew. Read on here.

“Showing Up,” from director Kelly Reichardt, is a comedy with “subterranean seriousness underneath the deadpan-comic surface,” Tribune critic Michael Phillips writes. Michelle Williams plays a ceramic sculptor hustling to complete a series of pieces for her upcoming art show while enduring life’s obstacles.

“The movie has a tiny motor of a narrative, but it’s just enough,” Phillips says. Read the rest of his review here.

Unless you’re a European history buff, you might have missed the historic tie between Poland and Turkey that reveals itself in Polish cuisine. Luckily, a few Chicagoland restaurants serve dishes that wow and also embody the relationship, such as lamb shish kebabs or beef tartar. Read more here.

If you’re looking for a laugh, comedian and Chicago native Pat McGann is performing at Chicago Theatre on Saturday. He recently spoke with Tribune reporter Rick Kogan about his journey from the packaging business into comedy. Read more about McGann and his show here.

Theater critic Chris Jones writes that Heidi Blickenstaff “was on fire” the night he saw “Jagged Little Pill” at Nederlander Theatre. The play is a jukebox show with an original plot based on Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name from 1995, centering on a wealthy Connecticut family, where Blickenstaff plays the mother. The show completes its run in Chicago on Sunday. Read more here.

Rail trails, which are bike paths built on abandoned train lines, proliferate in Chicagoland and across the region. The Green Bay Trail beside Metra’s North Line, trails along the roadbed of long-abandoned lines, like the west suburban Illinois Prairie Path and the city’s Bloomingdale Trail, also known as The 606, are all bikeable, and writer John Carpenter embraces the magic of these trails on the Great American Rail Trail that stretches through Indiana and Illinois. Read more about how you can also ride them here.

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.