Licensed to grill
Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd) on Thursday grilled Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, on a host of licensing matters that impact his dense River North neighborhood. Reilly held court on everything from liquor laws to valet companies to horse drawn carriages, perhaps incurring the wrath of an impatient Alderman Carrie Austin (34th), chair of the City Council Budget Committee. “The chairman is going to make me to turn my mic off,” Reilly joked.
Bon appetit
Anonymous reviewers for French travel guide- and tire-maker Michelin picked 69 Chicago restaurants for the company’s 2014 Bib Gourmand list, five more than the previous year. The Bib Gourmand designation was created to recognize excellence in affordable dining – patrons of the chosen restaurants can enjoy two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less, minus the tip and tax. Eighteen of the restaurants are new to the list, including Fat Rice, Found and Mercat a la Planxa. See the full list at Crain’s Chicago Business.
Pass the popcorn
Reeling Film Festival, the world’s second-oldest LGBT film festival, kicked off last night at the Music Box Theatre in Lakeview. The majority of the week-long festival’s films will be shown at the Logan Theatre in Logan Square, according to DNAinfo Chicago. The full list of show times is available on the festival’s website.
Good health
Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. on Tuesday said a year-over-year rise in pharmacy sales for the month of October was partially the result of an increase in the number of people purchasing flu shots, according to the Chicago Tribune. Have you remembered to get your shot this year? Alderman Bob Fioretti (2nd) did.
Prepare to eat well
O’Hare Airport tied for No. 2 with Detroit’s airport on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s 13th annual list of American airports with the healthiest food options, the Chicago Tribune reported. List was based upon how many food restaurants at each airport have one or more “plant-based, high-fiber, cholesterol-free” entree on their menus. O’Hare has 85 such eateries.
-Tom Butala and Matthew Blake