Eat. Watch. Do. — Mel’s Craft BBQ review, ‘Devil Wears Prada’ opens, plus how to recycle and get a free beer

Happy Thursday, Chicago.

This week has been one full of milestones, commendable and otherwise. Chicago marked the 18th anniversary of the Dave Matthews Band tour bus incident with the Chicago River. And this summer is the 30th year for Dance for Life, a fundraising event that seeks to help Chicago’s dance community remain healthy and supported.

Meanwhile, if you’ve got plans to see “The Devil Wears Prada,” it’d be best to “gird your loins” as Nigel says in the movie. Tribune critic Chris Jones writes that while the new musical at the Nederlander Theatre is fairly entertaining, it’s still far from a finished product.

Some places worth checking out are Mel’s Craft BBQ, which Tribune critic Nick Kindelsperger says makes some of the best barbecue in Illinois, and Temperance Beer Co., which has a new recycling program where you can receive a free draft pour by bringing in hard plastic beer can holders.

Enjoy the beautiful weather and see you next week.

— Kayla Samoy, deputy senior editor

Chicago Dancers United’s annual Dance for Life event is back at the Auditorium Theatre this year, raising money to help support Chicago’s dance community. Mainstays Giordano Dance Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet are on the bill, while Deeply Rooted Dance Theater revisits the DFL stage after 14 years away. Read the full story here.

Since he was diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy in March 2021, Billy Zureikat has had to make some adjustments. Unable to turn to sports, he immersed himself in cooking and savory baking. Since last summer, Zureikat’s kitchen has become a laboratory for his handcrafted pizzas and sandwiches that have graced menus at Pizza Friendly Pizza, Split-Rail, J.P. Graziano’s and others. Read the full story here.

“Emily the Criminal,” a tough, lean little Los Angeles crime story, is a fine dramatic showcase for Aubrey Plaza, writes Tribune critic Michael Phillips. “Emily” delves only so far into character on the page, but Plaza creates a woman defined by incremental degrees of economic stress and simmering resolve. Read the full review here.

Eat. Watch. Do.

Weekly

What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life … now.

With a smile, Tribune critic Nick Kindelsperger’s own daughter declared that the ribs at Mel’s Craft BBQ in Park Ridge tasted better than his own. While this is Mel Thillens’ first restaurant, his passion for barbecue started decades ago. Mel’s looks mostly to Texas barbecue for inspiration, though a few nods to Chicago’s own scene exist. Read the full review here.

“Let the Little Light Shine” opens its first weeklong engagement in Chicago on Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center. It’s a tale of how the pre-K-through-8th-grade National Teachers Academy outmaneuvered Chicago Public Schools and city officials’ plans to convert the spacious, high-performing elementary and middle school institution of mostly Black and minority students into a South Loop neighborhood high school. Read the full story here.

Is there a better reward for recycling those hard plastic beer can holders than a free draft pour? Craft for Climate has recruited more than 40 Chicago breweries and beer shops to collect the PakTech holders and take them to four larger collections hubs, including Temperance Beer Co., where beer drinkers can bring recyclable plastic holders to the brewery and receive a free draft pour matching the height of the stack of tops. Read the full story here.

Tribune critic Chris Jones writes that while this new show was reasonably entertaining, there is a lot more work to be done, including adding more wit and irreverence, delivering a more legitimate runway experience, and moving more quickly and smoothly. Read the full review here.

The former chef and co-owner of Cafe Marie-Jeanne, which closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, recently returned to Chicago with a surprising new project: Uncle Bunny’s, a pop-up shack with ribs, hot dogs and Italian beef. Read the full review here.

Adam Levin left Chicago a few years ago and moved to Florida. But his new novel returns to Chicago. “Mount Chicago” is yet another ambitious swing for the literary fences, or at the least, a rollicking yet mournful stab at returning the sprawling American novel to Chicago. Read the full story here.

Jen and John Stumbaugh were inspired by the European cafe model, where a coffee house transforms into a wine bar and baristas serve coffee and cocktails. They opened an all-day cafe called Evanston Pour. Read the full story here.