Eat. Watch. Do. — ‘Golden Girls’ meets ‘RuPaul,’ plus best suburban breweries and Indienne review

Happy Thursday, Chicago.

It’s hard to find fault with this great city, even during a gray, chilly January week. There’s still so much vibrancy and excitement, and great things to do that can chase away the chill.

Our theater scene offers playful riffs on “The Golden Girls,” a new production of “Tick, Tick … BOOM!” and an international lineup from the increasingly artistic realm of puppetry hitting stages through Jan. 29.

There’s a stellar new Indian restaurant with a tasting menu that costs one-third of what its competitors charge, but critic Nick Kindelsperger also took time to appreciate the beauty in a humble bag of Garrett Popcorn and Chicago’s 150-year love affair with popcorn for National Popcorn Day.

Or if the winter blues have you feeling restless, hit the road to visit one of five suburban breweries that are worth the drive — just make sure you’ve got your designated driver in tow.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week.

— Ariel Cheung, food and travel editor

Even though it has only been open for a few months, Indienne already offers one of Chicago’s most exciting and pleasurable tasting menu experiences.

It’s also one of the city’s most reasonably priced, writes Tribune critic Nick Kindelsperger. Check out his full review here.

What do you get when you cross a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star with one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 1980s? Theatrical gold for “Golden Girls” fans, writes Tribune critic Chris Jones.

Mercury Theater will host the loving tribute to Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia into February — get the full rundown here.

Since at least the 1870s, Chicago has been a hotbed of popcorn innovation. From popcorn balls to Cracker Jack to that famous Chicago Mix, read up on the city’s corn-popping past for National Popcorn Day.

A six-screen Alamo Drafthouse multiplex is coming to Wrigleyville, with craft beers; a bright, shiny lobby and the trademark Alamo shut-up-and-quit-texting policy.

Tribune film critic Michael Phillips got a look inside ahead of the Jan. 27 opening, plus details on the opening lineup full of Chicago-centric classics.

The emerging queen of country rock is Suki Waterhouse, a graceful and mannerly Englishwoman with perfectly tousled blonde hair. She spoke with the Tribune ahead of her Saturday show at Metro about overcoming British stereotyping and biases on her way to making it big.

Filmmaker and Chicago film professor Jennifer Reeder’s filmography has been described as half David Lynch, half John Hughes, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips.

Here’s what Reeder had to say about yet another all-male lineup in the directing ranks for the 2023 awards season — and what it takes for women to make it in the industry.

Being robbed of opportunities to process the scope of tragedy during nearly three years of COVID-19 has left Americans grappling with a second pandemic of grief.

As a new year begins with fewer health and travel restrictions — and, at present, low infection rates — travelers looking to at last address grief or woes can turn to retreats in Wisconsin and Illinois devoted to expert-guided healing.

Chicago has been a hotbed of craft brewing for more than a decade, but a funny thing has happened along the way: the suburbs.

Many of the most exciting Chicagoland upstarts in recent years have sprouted beyond the city lines. Here are five favorites from Tribune beer writer Josh Noel.

Studs Terkel and his wife Ida; WFMT’s Ray Nordstrand; and poet-artist Eddie Balchowsky — just a few of the passengers documented in Allan Lee Koss’ book “Fares: Chicago Taxicab Portraits.”

The photographer documented 10 years of cab rides during the 1970s and ’80s — but getting them published was an entirely different sort of journey.

Puppets have always been part of our city’s theatrical landscape, and there’s all sorts to be seen in the fifth Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

Here’s what to expect from a global lineup of performers in the increasingly artistic and creative realm of puppetry, from “Moby Dick” to “Frankenstein.”