This has been the week of unbelievable finds mostly due to total chance and a bit of luck and…read moremystery. I found myself in Rogers Park for two days for my daughter's freshman orientation at Loyola. Of course, my number one concern after the first day of seminars was to find somewhere awesome to eat that evening. After extensive searching throughout the day, I believed I had settled on somewhere to go... that is until the front desk attendant of my hotel handed me a sheet of recommended places to check out in the area. Normally, I will just explore and research on my own to figure out somewhere to go. Despite the many exciting choices nearby, of which I almost settled on Ethiopian or Cambodian, I stumbled on Le Piano; and my oh my, I couldn't be happier that I did. Looking at the listed provided by the hotel, Le Piano was in a small section titled "music, food, bar" and specifically labeled as jazz. Taking a minute to hit up their website, I found that night that Gerry Hundt, a blues artist I didn't know was going to be playing. My interest already now piqued, I rushed over to the menu, which is awash in wonderful sounding continental and French classics made local and fit for a jazz bar. The cocktail menu also matches, but is also incredibly extensive and has a very interesting Victorian flair. It was at this point I was sold, and booked a seat immediately to head out that evening. Arriving, I found this to be one of the coolest spaces I have ever been to for music. Styled perfectly with a dark Victorian-yet-jazzy flair, and intimate, my assigned seat was allowed to be changed to an amazingly worn leather loveseat, like something out of a noir film, with a single taper lighting my table. The bartender and my server made a point of giving me their names, which I believe were Chris and Steven, but I can't remember because my memory is Swiss cheese, but they were both amazing, talking with me and being completely engaged with me as a Chicago newbie. This doesn't even include the perfect sazerac and jasmine that Chris made to round out the artichoke fritters I ordered. The fritters were outstanding. Barely breaded and flash fried to perfection and one of the best fried dishes I've had in years, as I don't prefer that type of thing. Steven's recommendation was seriously on point. If a spot like this existed near me, I would be there weekly. If I lived in Chicago, Le Piano wouldn't be able to get rid of me. Don't pass on this place and get there now! Enjoy some wonderful music, legendary drinks, and outstanding food!

Love this venue! Wonderful decor, great lighting, super cool space…read more Came for the sunday night latin jazz, which was a great show. Small/medium crowd, easy to find seats. Had the cava brut rosé which was yummy and refreshing. Loved the ambiance and performance. One thing is that the website and menu made it seem like there was no cover on sundays, but it was actually $15. Not the end of the world but would've appreciated if that was more clear upfront, instead of getting charged on the bill at the end. Overall loved the venue and the performance, would totally come back!

What a wonderful venue. Not a bad seat in the house. I would definitely go back! The staff were…read morevery friendly!

Studio 5 is primarily a top notch dance center that hosts theatrical performances and events. They…read moreare the sometimes home of the infamous Practical Theater who came together while students at Northwestern. The owners of Studio 5 are warm and welcoming, the space is impeccable. They offer a wide variety of wine and cocktails to enjoy during the The Practical's Ho Ho Holiday show was one of the best shows I have seen in years! If you ever have the opportunity to catch one of their shows, run don't walk. You will be thoroughly entertained and much, much smarter!

My partner and I had a great time here on a Monday evening listening to some good chill Blues music…read moreand enjoying our drinks! There were a couple of performers playing some very good harmonica and guitar solos and singing some classic Chicago Blues, as some within the audience started dancing while others, myself included, continued watching, listening, and supporting the musicians with tips. The bartenders were very courteous and patient and prepared my drinks very well, including pouring our ginger ale ensuring every drip was gone from the can she was using. I ordered a hibiscus margarita and it was excellent! It had a fruity flavor that wasn't diminished much from the ice that was placed in the drink, and the tajin around the cup gave the drink a bit of a contrasting flavor that worked beautifully. I thoroughly enjoyed the drink and even contemplated getting a second one before I decided that I should limit my spending that night. Since I don't think there's another Blues club in Chicago that are open on Mondays, the fact that this place exists is a true blessing for those that want to have some fun watching Blues live performances on Monday nights. It doesn't contain a crazy loud vibe, so I would imagine that it caters to a relatively more chill crowd. I would personally go regardless.

Chicago's best kept secret, featuring top blues talent such as Tom Holland, Brother John, Ron…read moreSorin, Gerry Hundt, & Wild Boar Moore, with no cover charge. You can't beat that.

I came here for a magic show with a group of friends on a Friday. Overall, good facility! There's a…read moresmall parking lot for patrons nearby, which was nice. Bartenders were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. It was cold, but that's typical of buildings in the summer. I'd come back!

What's life without a little magic! We came by to see a show on a Sunday afternoon and we're able…read moreto enjoy the Physician's show. When you walk in there is a bar and some tables but through the double doors, you'll find a 2nd bar with a speakeasy feel. When we checked in, we were assigned our tables. We ordered drinks before hand and the drinks were brought to our tables. We also ordered the pimento cheese and crackers. We snacked on the crackers most of the show as there was quite a bit of pimento in the bowl. The show was great and was broken into 2 parts. There were a lot of great metaphors along with it being a very interactive show with the crowd. Many of the tricks and magic left us in complete awe. We can't wait to come back and see future shows!

We just attended a wedding this past weekend in Chicago and the hit of the evening (besides the…read morebride & groom) was the David Rothstein Band. Not only did he make the evening flow with ease, the band provided an unforgettable vibe with a piano and violin player. The dance floor was packed the entire evening and a good time was had by ALL! A MUST HIRE

A Great Wedding Band…read more Wedding Date 2.1.25 As Father of the Bride, I thought that DSR Music was the best and that the music helps make the wedding reception a great and memorable one. The band members and vocalists are so talented and energetic in all genres of music making each song fun to dance to. The dance floor was packed all night and we received complements for weeks about the quality of the band and how much fun the wedding was. David Rothstein does a great job as the MC for the night but the benefits of using DSR start long before the wedding day. David takes the time to get to know the wedding couple and their family, understand what is important to them at the wedding, learn the type of music they are interested in hearing and provides special touches for the bride and groom. I think so highly of DSR Music that I used them for my oldest daughter's wedding in 2016 and my niece used them as well.

I cannot recommend this band enough! They played the house down (seriously some people said they…read moredidn't even make it to the photo booth because they were too busy dancing) and offered a fully customizable experience. 10 stars! All the stars!

What a hoot, the Chicago Groove Collective was so great that our guests left their phones tucked…read moreaway and danced the night away... hope our photographer got the shots. One thing we really wanted was a live band and knew the Stitely group form a wedding we attended two years ago. Started off with a nice call with Jeff Stitely going over the basics and getting some numbers together. From the first call to the abundant follow up and care to ensure that we did not miss anything their attention to detail was most appreciated. It was one big piece of the puzzle that we did not need to worry about. One nice part was the list of songs on line to get you started to give them a feel for what you do and do not like, followed by a page to drop in suggestions and ideas that you may like. We sneakily asked our bridal party what their "songs" were before the wedding and added them to the play list even though they were not in the C.G.C. repertoire. It was fun to see the members of our party notice their song, smile then grab a dance. Big thank you to the group at Stitely for being a big part of our big day!