West Suburban Living April 2017



EDIBLE GARDENS



2017 GOLF GUIDE



SPOTLIGHT ON PLAINFIELD

APRIL 2017 WEST SUBURBAN

TOP

LIVING • TOP

Doctors

DOCTORS

More than 500 of the leading physicians in the western suburbs

VOL. 22 • NUMBER 4

Q&A

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APRIL 2017

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04

WITH MARY KUBICA, AUTHOR OF NATIONAL BEST SELLER, “THE GOOD GIRL” 0

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Editor & Publisher | Chuck Cozette Managing Editor | Anne Knudsen Assistant Editor | Sarah Astra Art Director | Rachel Switall Contributing Writers Laurie Barton, Joni Hirsch Blackman, Buzz Brandt, Jay Copp, Sara Pearsaul Vice, Lynn Petrak, Lisa Sloan, Michele Weldon and Tom Witom Contributing Photographer Ed Ahern Advertising Sales Pam Loebel, Susan Reetz Accounting Jennifer Cozette Circulation Coordinator Ken Cozette Reader Advisory Board

Photos by Graham Webb

Laurie Barton (Glen Ellyn) Linda Cassidy (Campton Hills)

3RD ANNUAL DESIGN HOUSE

Mary Ellen Coombs (Wheaton), Joan Hoff (Elmhurst)

A Love Your Neighbor special event

M Grace Grzanek (Batavia), Liz Hunka (Wheaton) Nancy Jensen (Batavia), Holly Jordan (Wheaton) Mary Ellen Kastenholz (Western Springs) Kate Kirkpatrick (Naperville) Molly Livermore (St. Charles) Pamela Peterson (Burr Ridge) Diana Santos (Woodridge), Darla Scheidt (Darien)

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Jean Stawarz (Oak Brook) Marilyn Straub Garazin (Winfield) West Suburban Living is a publication of C2 Publishing, Inc. 5101 Darmstadt Rd., Hillside, IL 60162 630.834.4995 / 630.834.4996 (fax) wsl@westsuburbanliving.net subscriptions@westsuburbanliving.net www.westsuburbanliving.net

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West Suburban Living (Vol. 22, No. 4 APRIL 2017; ISSN No. 1532-6705) is published monthly, except for July/August and November/December issues (10 times a year) by C2 Publishing, Inc., 5101 Darmstadt Rd., Hillside, IL 60162, 630 834-4995, fax 630 834-4996. Periodicals postage paid at Elmhurst, Illinois and additional mailing offices.

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Contents |

April

|

2017

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

West Suburban Living

Home&Garden

49

gardens good enough to eat

Local experts offer tips for growing edible gardens.

Town Focus

49 Photo by Ed Ahern

64

PLAINFIELD

From rural roots to southwest suburban boom town.

SPECIAL SECTION

52

 Features 34

You Break It, We’ll Fix It A handy guide to some helpful repair shops around the western suburbs, from shoes and watches to vacuums and musical instruments.

2017 Golf Guide

The western suburbs are home to some of the best public courses in the country.

34

39

TOP DOCTORS More than 500 of the leading physicians in the western suburbs across 54 specialties, as chosen by their peers.

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T IMBER T RAILS Development Company

Visit our Model at: 1010 White Pine Lane Western Springs, IL 60558 708.783.1600

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Come check out our new look!

Quick delivery townhouses and single family homes available in TimberTrails and downtown Western Springs.

Broker cooperation offered.

www.timbertrailsdc.com sales@timbertrailsdc.com

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Departments April

|

2017

Photo courtesy of Velvet Grace

|

16

Photo courtesy of Quiubo

Photo courtesy of Allstate Arena

West Suburban Living

25

69 Around the Towns

Perspectives

10

FOREWORD

22

LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY

80

Useful referral guides to local fix-it experts

The pied piper of Oswego touts the harmonica as a gateway to music.

14

By The Numbers

18

Q&A

24

LAST WORD

Take your elbow off my armrest and please don’t pass the popcorn.

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westsuburbanliving.net The go-to site for the Best of the Western Suburbs at your fingertips!

Intriguing numerical tidbits

with best-selling novelist from Plainfield, Mary Kubica

Dining

70

REVIEW: Al Chulo in West Chicago

72

REVIEW: Opera House in Plainfield

69

NEW RESTAURANTS:

76

CHEERS

LOCAL AUTHORS

New book releases from west suburban writers SCENE & SEEN

A photo gallery of recent notable charitable events

Style&Fashion

16

STOPS & SHOPS

New stores and hidden gems

Out&About

25

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Quiubo in Naperville, The Clubhouse in Schaumburg and Las Gorditas de Don Angel in Elgin

Aligoté, Burgundy’s underdog grape

The best in music, theatre and other area events

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editor’s Note “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not

Referral Guides to Local Fix-It Experts

everything that can be

I

counted counts.”

- Albert Einstein

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong.

Because some day in your life you will have been all of these.”

- George Washington Carver

“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”

- John Andrew Holmes, Jr.

“Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”

- Marian Wright Edelman

“If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

- Mark 9:35

pulled the cord on the lawn mower.

Nothing. I had already pulled it several dozen times, so I was not surprised it didn’t start. But this particular mower was old and a bit temperamental, so you never quite knew just how many pulls it might take to get it to roar into action. Since I was just a kid at the time, I didn’t know the first thing about how a lawn mower engine actually worked. So I didn’t have many other options except to keep pulling and hope that it eventually kicked into gear.

Well, actually, I did have one other option, but it was definitely a last resort. If all else failed, I could go get my dad. Doing so, of course, was not only a humbling acknowledgement of my total mechanical ineptitude, it was an invitation for him to demonstrate his dad problemsolving wizardry. He had grown up in a time and place where you learned to fix things, so he was fairly handy. He tried to pass on some of his expertise to me, but I was less than an interested student.

Just get it to work was my mentality at the time. And inevitably, he would.

In this particular instance, after exhausting myself pulling the cord over and over and needing to get the lawn mowed before dark, I gave in and beckoned the lawn mower whisperer.

My dad came outside, pulled the cord once, and the engine roared to life. He smiled and walked back in the house.

I was neither amused nor surprised.

But the mower was working, which was all I cared about, so off I went to take on the task at hand.

I now, of course, have my own lawn mower and a plethora of other personal and household items that regularly break or do not function properly. And I have

wished many times that I had taken the opportunity when I was younger to learn some of my dad’s fix-it skills. They would certainly have come in handy.

On the positive side, as you will see in our article “You Break It, We’ll Fix It” on page 34, there is hope for folks like me.

If you know where to look, there is still a cadre of craftsmen and fix-it specialists who can repair a wide variety of items, from the unusual to the everyday.

Speaking of fixing things that are ailing, this issue also contains our second Top Doctors list (page 39). As was the case when we published our first Top Docs feature almost three years ago, this year’s list was compiled by Castle Connolly Medical, one of the most respected healthcare research firms in the county.

As with any list, it is neither perfect nor comprehensive, and undoubtedly numerous exceptional doctors are not included for any of a variety of reasons. That said, navigating the physician selection process can be challenging, especially when it comes to critical medical specialties. So while only you can determine the right physician for your specific needs, we hope our Top Doctors list serves as an additional and helpful resource.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue and thanks for being a reader!

Chuck Cozette, Editor & Publisher chuck@westsuburbanliving.net 10

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THE

AROUND TOWNS |

STOPS & SHOPS

|

LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY

|

LOCAL AUTHORS Photos courtesy of Elmhurst Art Museum

Q&A

Pinball Artistry

KARL WIRSUM, ZING ZING ZIP ZIP

D

on’t be distracted by the lights, buzzers and bells.

the 80s. Designed and built by local manufacturers —

The main attraction of “Kings and Queens: Pinball

including Elmhurst’s Gottlieb family — the machines

Imagists & Chicago,” an interactive exhibit on display

combine engineering ingenuity with colorful, absurdist

through May 7 at the Elmhurst Art Museum, is the

art from such masters as Ed Paschke, Jim Nutt and current

extraordinary back-glass artwork that grounds this

Elmhurst resident Suellen Rocca. A variety of Imagist

retro collection of pinball machines in the “Imagist”

paintings — some that found their way into pinball

movement of Chicago artists from the 1960s through

machines and others that didn’t — are on display.

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the

By Numbers

8,900

That’s how many K-12 students — the next generation of scientists — participated in programs at Fermilab last year. Located in Batavia, the lab offers a variety of programs to educate young people about research into energy, matter, space and time. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and with a staff of 1,700, Fermi is America’s premier lab for particle physics, serving more than 3,000 scientists worldwide. About 2,600 researchers from 44 countries collaborate on experiments, including explorations into dark matter and dark energy, which constitute 96 percent of the universe. Celebrating its 50th year, Fermilab offers year-round tours, events and programs that take visitors to the frontiers of discovery.

41,559 hand-knitted blankets already provide soft, comfortable bedding to shelter animals, courtesy of Comfort for Critters, a Glen Ellyn-based volunteer group that hand-knits or crochets cozy comforters for pets awaiting adoption. In 2016, the group delivered 8,000 blankets to 100-plus animal shelters nationwide. This year, the 10-year-old charity plans to hit the 50,000-blanket benchmark. To achieve this ambitious target, quick-knit

$16.8 million

has transformed the 288-acre Oak Meadows Golf Course in Addison into The Preserves at Oak Meadows. In a major environmental restoration project by the Forest Preserve of DuPage County, the former 27-hole, 1920s-era course has been redeveloped into an integrated outdoor space blending ecological initiatives with golf and recreation. In addition to a newly redesigned 18-hole golf course set to re-open in July (see 2017 Golf Guide on page 52), the Preserves at Oak Meadows will provide improved stormwater management, better water quality in Salt Creek, enhanced habitat for fish and other aquatic species, and a cycling and jogging path.

50

volunteers are appealing for donations of skeins of 4-ply yarn. For details on where to send extra yarn, visit

Opened in 1967 in downtown Wheaton, the DuPage County

www.comfortforcritters.org.

Historical Museum celebrates its golden anniversary this year. Fifty years ago, the museum held between 5,000 and 10,000 objects; today there are 40,000 artifacts documenting the county’s history.

But perhaps the most impressive artifact is the Adams Memorial Building itself, the museum’s current home. Commissioned by John Quincy Adams — fourth cousin, twice-removed to the sixth president — it cost roughly $100,000 when it was built in 1891. The second-floor auditorium features beautiful windows intricately composed of 2,800 pieces of leaded glass.

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Stops&Shops



Photo courtesy of Anderson’s Toyshop

Photo courtesy of Miss Dottie’s Pound Cake

Photo courtesy of Velvet Grace

Hidden Gems & Longtime Favorites

VELVET GRACE

MISS DOTTIE’s POUND CAKE

ANDERSON’s TOYSHOP

Jewelry, silks and Gifts abound

Choose among seven varieties

the happy interior colors

at Oswego’s popular Velvet Grace (4025 Ogden Avenue/US 34, 630 636-6570). The one-of-a-kind boutique and crafts center occupies buildings constructed by the prominent Oswego Pearce family in the late 1880s. Today, the busy shop is filled with distinctive jewelry, home décor, inspirational signs and unexpected gift items. The warmth of the fireplace, wood floors and log walls are inviting and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful.

Workshops are offered in an adjacent building, which was originally a log cabin. Customers can make custom wood signs, use water-marbling to fancy up silk scarves, take classes in flower arranging, or learn about Annie Sloan chalk paint, the popular home-décor palette that requires no stripping, sanding or priming.

Refreshments are served, creating a fun, relaxed experience. Workshops start at $40. Open Tues to Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

— Laurie Barton

of cake with multiple toppings for a gourmet dessert experience. Fresh and indulgent, flavors range from chocolate chip and lemon to cinnamon pecan and more. They are made from all-natural ingredients — organic butter, eggs, cream and vanilla cream — with no preservatives.

Owner Tassie Tagarelli began baking cakes as gifts for vendors who were helpful in boosting her floral business, but soon they took on a life of their own. Now, Tagarelli prepares elegant presentations for weddings, showers and other celebrations. Based in Glen Ellyn (630 742-3223), she ships or hand delivers beautifully wrapped cakes to anyone, anywhere. Leading up to Mother’s Day, look for a Miss Dottie’s Pound Cake pop-up shop at Pottery Barn in Oakbrook Center.

Tagarelli sends hundreds of cakes as care packages to soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unsold cakes are donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Visit www.missdottiespoundcake.com.

— Anne Knudsen

tell you this is a fun place to visit.

Independently owned Anderson’s Toyshop stands out for the sheer volume of items available.

Merchandise is selected to educate and inspire creativity in children rather than to provide idle amusement. Special events such as the recent “Crazy Aaron Putty Day” and the ongoing weekly story time attract kids of all ages.

Best sellers are the plush toys, Folkmaris puppets and popular brands like Gund, Ty, Jellycat, Ravensburger and Playmobile.

Attentive customer service includes free gift wrap.

The toy shop is a sister store to Anderson’s Bookshop, a Naperville staple for over 50 years. Located at 111 W. Jefferson Street in Naperville (630 355-2665), Anderson’s Toyshop is open seven days a week. There is a play area to amuse the little ones and demo items are available for customers to investigate at their leisure.

— Laurie Barton

New Store Openings Following is a sampling of new shops that have opened in the last few months in the western suburbs.

For a full list, go to westsuburbanliving.net.

Acosta’s Home Consignment Upscale, nearly new furniture and accessories. Traditional and contemporary décor, plus gifts. 901 E. Roosevelt Rd., Wheaton, 630 366-0005

Bestie’s Girl Spa A haven for little girls and teens, offering manicures, pedicures, polishes, face masks, makeup and more.

1536 Commons Dr., Geneva, 630 587-2378

Bits n’ spurs Equestrian specialties (saddles, bridles, etc.) plus boots, fashions, artisanal jewelry and gifts.

1931 W. Wilson St., Batavia.

630 482-3240

Bowlero Romeoville Hip 60,000-sq-ft bowling alley and interactive arcade with 60 games, laser tag, and a sports bar.

735 N. Center Blvd., Romeoville, 630 378-2695

two bostons pet boutique Foods, treats and supplements for cats and dogs, plus toys, and grooming items. 34 Danada Sq. West, Wheaton, 630 765-7920

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Q&A

Photo by Sarah Jastres

Mary Kubica/

Best-selling novelist from Plainfield

n When did you take your first serious

n How did you know your writing was

stab at writing fiction?

MK: I was probably in middle school when I first fell in love with writing. It was a hobby.

I would write stories about “fictional” characters who were a little bit like me, maybe more adventurous, more outgoing.

But it wasn’t until 2005 that I was able to focus entirely on writing, after I decided to stay at home and raise my kids.

good enough to publish?

MK: I didn’t. I wrote The Good Girl completely in secrecy because I had no idea if it was good enough to publish, and I was kind of terrified. It was the first manuscript I finished of, I don’t know, 20 or so that never reached completion.

And it just seemed that the next step was to follow through, send it to literary agents and see what could become of it. I had no idea if it was good. Then I started to receive feedback from the publishing industry and I thought, well, maybe it is.

n Are your characters still an extension

of you in any way?

MK: They’re all fictional. Yet I have to say there are bits and pieces of myself that I can find in both my male and female characters. I feel like I’ve drawn some of my own life into them.

Mary Kubica’s debut novel, The Good Girl

n Is there anyone in particular who

was a breakout success in 2014, hitting the New

inspired you?

MK: It was a cousin of mine. She was young, too, a year older than I am. She liked to write and my passion grew from hers. But writing was always something I was very private about. It was always something I kept to myself.

York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. With her next two books, Pretty Baby and Don’t You Cry, Kubica proved she had staying power as a master of the psychological thriller genre. Deftly written and full of twists and turns, her novels are firmly rooted in the landscapes and people of the Midwest. That’s not surprising, as, with the exception of college days at Miami University in Ohio, Kubica has always lived in and around Chicago. Now a mother of two young children, Kubica lives in Plainfield, which is the setting for her latest thriller, Every Last Lie, to be published in late June. Look for a review of the book in an upcoming issue of West Suburban Living. Kubica will talk about the book at Anderson’s Bookshop in La Grange on Monday, June 26 (7 p.m.) and at Plainfield Public Library on Monday, July 17 (7 p.m.).

Q&A

n Were you always focused on writing?

MK: I played around with the idea of being a lawyer and worked as a paralegal for two years, right after college. Then I went into teaching, which was a true passion for me. If I hadn’t taken time off and gotten myself detoured into this writing world, I imagine I would be working as a teacher now.

RAPID FIRE

n Were you lucky right off the bat?

MK: I submitted The Good Girl to upwards of a hundred agents and every single one of them passed on it. I thought for sure the book would never be published. And then, two years later one of the agents reached back out to me. She told me that when it first came across her desk, she loved it, but just couldn’t get the rest of her team on board. But during those two years she was promoted and was seeking out her own clients. She remembered The Good Girl. So I think all the time that if it were not for this one person, my book might never have been published. n What would you suggest for other

authors who may have a finished manuscript in a drawer somewhere?

MK: Go ahead and send it out.

And keep at it. It can certainly be disheartening to get rejection letters,

Favorite area restaurant?

ideas in the middle of the night I

Front Street Cantina in downtown

have to jot notes down on paper,

Plainfield.

but for the actual writing I rely on

Favorite spots in the ‘burbs?

Writers who inspire you?

the computer.

I love Morton Arboretum and

you choose? I’d be a teacher.

I would say Jodi Picoult and Anita

Three words that describe the

the Naperville Riverwalk.

High-school history.

Shreve. In the thriller genre, Megan

writing life?

Reasons to go downtown?

Books or movies? Books. A Kindle

Abbott and Chris Bohjalian are the

It can be pretty quiet. Isolating

Cubs game, number one. Ice

comes in handy when traveling,

big ones.

sometimes, but inspiring.

skating at Millennium Park. Going

but there’s nothing like holding

Pen and paper or computer?

Favorite charity? I help in an

for a walk on the lakefront. Those

a book in your hands.

Computer. Definitely. When I’m

animal shelter. And I have four cats.

are our favorites.

o M n t d t g t v a t m f t o G d B t

n

M o I h f i g c a m s

M y c t t

n

y M m b

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n

n

out and about or I get those

If not a novelist, what life would

b A b h p t w a a t r

3/24/17 1:15 PM

but writing is such a subjective thing.

And you really only need one person to be passionate about your work. You just have to keep going until you find that person. The other thing is to be open to editing. I know some authors struggle with that, but whether it is a literary agent, a writer’s group or an editor at a publishing house, they’re all going to have feedback. Writers need to be ready to take it. n How did you react to the success

of The Good Girl?

MK: I was completely surprised. I had no idea what to expect. When I sold the book, I remember thinking, ‘I hope it does OK.’ But in the months leading up to publication, there started to be this great buzz about it and I started to realize that this book was going to do well. It was very exciting. With The Good Girl, I took a pretty small book tour, just throughout the Midwest. But since then, I’ve taken more significant tours. I’ve visited book festivals across the country and I’ve taken trips over to Europe to see some of my European publishers. Before The Good Girl, writing was just something I did whenever I could find a spare minute.

But now, besides my family, it has become the number one thing in my life. n Where do you begin a new project?

MK: I start with a problem. In the case of The Good Girl, it’s a missing woman.

In Pretty Baby, a woman discovers a homeless teen girl with a baby. I start from there, but I don’t outline my novels in advance. I never know how they’re going to end. Over the first couple of chapters, I introduce the characters and at the same time get to know them myself so that I can start formulating next steps. But I really try not to over think it. n Do your characters ever surprise you?

MK: They really do. It’s always amazing, you know, just the simple dialog that a character says. Certainly, I come to see them in a different light. And this changes the outcome of the novel. n Do you model characters on people

you know?

MK: I don’t. They’re totally fictional. There may at times be a minute detail or a trait based on someone I know. I am quite the

people watcher — you know, at the grocery store, the library. Or I’m at my kid’s soccer game and I feel like I’m definitely observing people, listening in on a conversation that somehow makes its way into a book. It’s the smallest things, you know, an expression or a phrase that intrigues me. n In your books, the narrative switches

from the perspective of one character to the next. What do you like about this format?

MK: I like it because I feel like the reader is introduced to more than one character, pretty intimately. You get to hear from all these characters and I think you get to know them well by the end of the book and connect with them. The other thing though, is that I feel that multiple narrators can see the same event in a different light. In a psychological thriller that’s important because as a reader you have to figure out which characters you can trust. And you never know when you’re going to have that unreliable narrator mixed in, which is something I love. You just don’t know if what the character is telling you is true. n Thrillers are often seen as the domain

of male authors. What do you think a woman can bring to the genre?

MK: You’ve heard the term “domestic noir?” I think what is intriguing is that female authors are writing mysteries that happen close to home, dealing with some of our most intimate relationships, whether it is a marriage or family dynamics, mothers and daughters or close friends. That’s what makes them so thrilling and unsettling, but in a very good way. Readers can put themselves in these characters’ shoes. They are not that different from us and yet they find themselves in the midst of turmoil or events that could happen to any single one of us. That is something new that female authors are bringing to the table.

Did you purposely set out to write a psychological thriller?

MK: When I wrote The Good Girl I just set out to write a book that interested me. Of course, I knew it had those twisty elements in there, but I never thought of it being classified in any genre. But now that I am there, I love it.

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Q&A  Your novels are grounded in a strong

Think outside the “Big Box! ” Find unique gifts and exquisite home decor

sense of place. Is this intentional?

MK: It is. Places are very important to me.

My books are mostly set in Chicago or the suburbs and for me it’s always been home. I really want readers to feel like they’re here, so I try to use landmarks, the weather, describe the streets and the people’s homes. I want my readers to kind of settle in to the location. I’m already starting to get that itch to explore a different area, maybe learn about some place new. So we’ll see. .  Often there’s a secret at the heart of your novels. Is that a starting point?

MK: Yes, I find it very interesting that you can live with people, be best friends or co-workers for years, and yet you only know what that person is willing to share. You never know what truly is going on inside their hearts and minds.

This can play a prominent role in novels like mine.

through those tricky points.  What advice do you have for those

exploring fiction as a career?

MK: I would say the best thing is to read.

I’ve always been an avid reader. You can learn so much from reading others, noticing the dialog or the styles they use.

I was always very shy, but if you are brave enough, then join a writer’s group, take courses. Write a little bit every day. I know that people get very busy, we all do. But even 15 minutes a day will help you add to your skills.

“

Some days the words are going to flow and other days they’re not. When I’m totally stuck, the best thing is to shut down the computer, go for a walk or do some volunteering.”

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do you set aside the time — and the energy — for writing?

MK: My kids are in third grade and fifth grade, which means they’re off at school for a chunk of time during the day and I can focus on writing. When they were little, I got in the habit of waking up at five o’clock every morning so that I could get a few hours of writing done before the kids woke up. It’s a routine that I have stuck to. I know that no matter how much life gets in the way later in the day, I always have those two hours of writing each morning.  Do you ever come up against writer’s

block? And how do you go about getting your mojo back?

MK: Yes, I do, I do. I know other authors say they’ll set a word-count goal for themselves every day. I tend to look at a bigger picture. By the end of the month I want to be at a certain place in my manuscript, so it takes a little bit of that pressure off. I know that some days the words are going to flow and other days they’re not. When I’m totally stuck, the best thing is to shut down the computer, go for a walk or do some volunteering.

Anything but staring at a blank screen.

That’s usually what helps me work

 What can we expect in your new

book, Every Last Lie? MK: It begins when a young father is killed in a car crash — he drives too fast, takes a sharp turn and goes off the road into a tree. His 4-year-old daughter is in the back seat but she’s completely fine. But soon the little girl starts having nightmares about another car on that road, following them. And so the widow sets off to find her husband’s killer.  Every Last Lie is set in Plainfield. What

will local readers or visitors recognize?

MK: The town is never referred to as Plainfield, but people in the area will know. There’s a point where I talk about Rt. 59. There’s a mention of the tornado passing through many years ago — that’s something local readers will remember.

And there’s a train. I live on the “wrong” side of the tracks here in Plainfield, so I can hardly go anywhere without being stopped by a train. The road where the father is killed is Harvey Road, between Oswego and Plainfield — and it does have a sharp turn. I took a few liberties, but readers who live in the area will definitely pick up on it. I’m excited to hear how they like it! 

20 APRIL 2017 | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | WEST SUBURBAN LIVING

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TO THE

LOOK WESTERN SKY

By Joni Hirsch Blackman

Whistle a Happy Tune The pied piper of Oswego touts the harmonica as a gateway to music

I

f you could pick up a new musical instrument and immediately make a pleasant sound, then play a whole song within 15 minutes or so, you’d probably want to stick with it.

That’s what Jacob Prosek, music teacher at Lombard’s Westmore Elementary School and an Oswego native, figured.

Since that epiphany, he’s become something of a harmonica education expert.

Turns out, the little tin thing with holes on the side is not just a toy.

Though his family wasn’t particularly musical, Prosek enjoyed piano lessons as a kid and played high school saxophone.

He was a college psychology major . . . until he realized he missed music.

“Musical inclinations are very natural; humankind always made music,” says Prosek. “They are evolutionary, vital to our existence, very much a part of who we are.”

He joined the university choir and began participating in musical theater activities, considering a career in performance. But that summer’s musical theater camp job was a revelation — he loved to teach music.

Prosek transferred to North Central College. At his first music educator conference, Prosek read an article that included just a few paragraphs about harmonica curricula. It inspired him to try to teach junior high students to play the harmonica at a summer internship. The kids loved it and Prosek was hooked.

Researching harmonicas, he learned the German folk instrument was invented in the 1800s. In the early 1900s, harmonica competitions and even harmonica bands were all the rage in the U.S. “John Phillips Sousa touted harmonicas as the gateway to get children into the

symphony orchestras of tomorrow,” says Prosek. “It was a big trend.”

Since most harmonicas were imported from Germany, when German imports ceased during World War II, interest waned.

Recorders newly made of plastic instead of the more expensive wood became the

band, but no one plays those instruments for leisure like they do a harmonica.”

The cost of start-up is low. Prosek pays $3-$4 for each harmonica; upgraded harmonicas cost only $44 — a small fraction of the cost of any band instrument, with no worries about losing or breaking it.

“

The harmonica lends itself to improvisation, an exercise that builds confidence, encourages discovery and creates higher-level thinking.” entry-level instrument of choice.

Intrigued with re-introducing harmonicas to Americans, Prosek won a grant to visit Germany, spending part of the summer of 2015 observing harmonica students, learning curricula and researching.

“I saw harmonica orchestras — full ensembles of just harmonicas. It’s a really cool sound, much better than you’d expect,” he says. “Adults and kids in southern Germany — it was just like any instrumental ensemble rehearsal anywhere.”

Some notable advantages for the often time-, cost- and space-conscious music curricula in U.S. schools: “There’s no tuning, so that part of warm-up isn’t needed. There’s less space — you don’t need lockers. And it never gets too loud,” says Prosek.

Even non-music educators can teach harmonica. And that matters.

“There’s a connection between music and high academic performance,” says Prosek. “And it’s wonderful to give children an instrument and have it be theirs. It’s empowering. Recorders are a great prep for

“They’re portable, inexpensive, easy to play and you can bring them with you to the park or practice at home.”

Prosek’s research was published last fall in a music educator’s journal; he has presented to music educators at Roosevelt University, North Central College and at a DuPage County conference last month — approximately 100 teachers in all.

Plenty of others are now playing his tune.

“I’ve had so much fun teaching it, showing what’s possible. Feedback has been so positive, from teachers to professors.”

The harmonica lends itself to improvisation, which can be challenging with traditional instruments — an exercise that builds confidence, encourages discovery and creates higher-level thinking. Even his first graders compose their own music.

But the best part for Prosek is how much the kids love it.

“One of the most exciting parts of my job is sparking interest in music, showing the kids how everyone can be a musician in some way. I hope I’m giving them a tool to revisit throughout their lives.” n

22 APRIL 2017 | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | WEST SUBURBAN LIVING

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Local Authors

By Anne Knudsen

101 Organic Gardening Hacks Noted Warrenville gardener shares creative eco-friendly tips

S

hawna Coronado’s eco-adventures have been featured on television and radio as well as in national magazines. A TEDx presenter, she is a passionate crusader for sustainable home living. Her new book proves that every home owner can make a difference by embracing organic gardening techniques to miraculous effect.

In colorful, browsable pages, Coronado unearths tips, tricks and environmentfriendly solutions to everyday gardening problems. Through inspired text, how-to photos and whimsical drawings, she offers clever, little-known ways to revitalize your garden — everything from planting seeds and attracting bees to warding off pests

and regrowing food from kitchen scraps.

She also demonstrates how to “upcycle” everyday items to give them a new life outdoors. This happy, eye-catching book

is organized around specific gardening challenges, always with a focus on easy, time-saving remedies that make gardens pretty while promoting green-living values.

evolutionary love relationships

Combining her expertise in

100 Things CUBS FAns Should KnoW & Do Before They Die

Miguel’s Gift pulls readers into

clinical psychology and family

by Jimmy Greenfield, Oak Park

This profoundly uplifting book

the shadowy world of INS

law, Dr. Ayala offers down-to-

Revised and updated, this

invites partners to channel their

agent Nick Hayden who

earth strategies to deal with

recruits an unlikely informant

die-hard fan’s guide covers

combined energies into social

the legal process and the

every glorious detail of the

activism. Exploring experiences

life-changing challenges of

Cub’s spectacular win in

of both human and divine love,

divorce. Focused on the Illinois

the 2016 World Series. There

the authors demonstrate how

legal system and its new

are memorable moments,

interpersonal connections are

marriage dissolution law, the

outstanding plays, dates,

the fuel that inspires people

book helps couples navigate

nicknames, superstitions

to put prayer into action

Miguel’s Gift

by Bruce Kading, Hinsdale

journey through divorce

Set in the late 1980s war zone

by Doris N. Ayala, Oak Park

of Chicago’s south side,

— illegal Mexican immigrant Miguel — to take down the ruthless kingpin of Chicago’s illicit trade in counterfeit documents. Speeding toward a deadly climax, this is at once a bone-shaking thriller and a tale of redemption.

child support, property issues

— even the best Cubs bars

by Andrew Harvey and Chris Saade, Oak Park

and together embrace social

and other challenges in a

around the country to knock

causes that have the power

responsible, healthy way.

back a celebratory beer.

to transform the world.

24 APRIL 2017 | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | WEST SUBURBAN LIVING

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OUT&ABOUT |

THEATRE

|

COMEDY

|

ART

|

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

|

HOME & GARDEN

|

AND MUCH MORE Photo courtesy of Dominican University

MUSIC

The Pedrito Martinez Group April 21 In the Afro-Cuban Rumba tradition, this Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz band delivers adrenaline-pumping rhythmics with a high-octane mix of timba, gospel, guaguanco, blues and more.

Lund Auditorium, Dominican University.

Call 708 488-5000

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Out&about

Calendar of Events

Photo courtesy of Allstate Arena

THEATRE | Madagascar: A Musical Adventure | Through Apr 8, Fri − Sat, Fri 7:30 p.m. and Sat 2 & 7:30 p.m. Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and the plotting penguins as they find themselves transported from Central Park Zoo to the world of King Julien's Madagascar. Cost: $16/10. Medinah Baptist Church, 900 Foster Ave., Medinah. 630 634-2100 | The Laramie Project | Through Apr 15, Fri − Sun, Fri − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m.; Additional show on Sat, Apr 15, 3 p.m. Based on true events, this drama chronicles a community's reaction in the aftermath of the death of Matthew Shephard, an openly gay college student found savagely beaten to death. Cost: $20/18. Village Theatre Guild, 3S020 Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 469-8230

May 6 Stars on ice Watch some of the biggest names in U.S. figure skating including Nathan and Karen Chen, Ashley Wagner, Madison Chock, Evan Bates and more at Allstate Arena.

Call 847 635-6601

| Outside Mullingar | Through Apr 15, Thur − Sun, Thur − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. Spanning several years of two family farms in Ireland, this play explores legacies, disputes, and an awkward romance. Cost: $18/15.

Playhouse 111, 111 N Hale St., Wheaton. 630 260-1820 | Silent Sky | Through Apr 30, Wed − Sun, Wed & Fri 8 p.m., Thur & Sun 3 p.m. and Sat 4 & 8 p.m.; No 4 p.m. show on Sat, Apr 1. The true story of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, one of the "computer ladies" at Harvard's observatory in the early 20th century, as she makes ground-breaking discoveries that pave the way for the work of other astronomers, including Dr. Edwin Hubble. Cost: $39/36.

First Folio Theatre at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W 31st St., Oak Brook. 630 986-8067 | Chicago | Through June 11, Wed − Sun, Wed − Thur 1:30 & 8 p.m., Fri 8 p.m., Sat 5 & 8:30 p.m. and Sun 2 & 6 p.m. Recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, this musical satire tells of corruption in the administration of criminal justice in the age of jazz.

Cost: $60. Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Ln., Oakbrook Terrace. 630 530-0111 | Waiting for Godot | Thur − Sun, Apr 6 − 9, Thur − Sat 7:30 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. When Vladimir and Essragon wait in a barren space for Godot, they are caught in a blur of time, place, memory and hope in this tragicomedy about mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning. Cost: $17. Martin Recital Hall at Dominican University, 7900 W Division St., River Forest. 708 488-5000 | Girls Like That | Thur − Sun, Apr 6 − 16, Thur − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. An explosive play exploring gender equality and the pressures on today's digital generation. Cost: $14/12. McAninch Arts Center Playhouse Theatre, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn.

630 942-4000 | Ruthless The Musical | Fri − Sun, Apr 7 − 30, Fri − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. This campy cult favorite is a romp through the world of Broadway, child acting, parenthood and unbridled ambition. Cost: $28/23. Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W Main St., St. Charles. 630 587-8521 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Wed − Sun, Apr 19 − May 28, Wed 1:30 & 7 p.m., Thur 7 p.m., Fri 8 p.m., Sat 3 & 8 p.m. and Sun 1 & 5:30 p.m. Seven time Tony-nominated rock musical portrays the betrayal and death of Jesus Christ.

Cost: $59/44. Paramount Theatre, 23 E Galena Blvd., Aurora. 630 896-6666 | The Navigator | Thur − Sun, Apr 20 − 23, Thur − Sat 7:30 p.m. and Sun 2 p.m. When a man’s GPS system starts to lead him in the right direction in his life, he begins to question the amount of control he has over his own life.

Cost: $10/8. Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S Ellsworth St., Naperville. 630 637-7469

| Wait Until Dark | Thur − Sun, Apr 20 − Apr 30, Thur − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 2:30 p.m.; Also, Sun, Apr 23, 7:30 p.m. and Sat, Apr 29, 2:30 p.m. A blind woman in New York’s Greenwich Village becomes the target of dangerous con men. Cost: $22/12. Theatre of Western Springs, 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. 708 246-3380 | The Trojan Women | Thur − Sat, May 4 − 6, 8 p.m.

Adapted from translations of Homer by Gilbert Murray and Edith Hamilton, this dramatization tells of Troy’s captive women, both royalty and commoners, as they await their fates at the hands of Greek conquerors. Cost: $7/5. Mill Theatre at Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. 630 617-3005 | Improbable Fiction | Thur − Sun, May 4 − June 4, Thur − Sat 8 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. Sharp comedy and dry satire characterize this zany play by famed British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, where imagination becomes reality.

See more at: http://www.atthemac.org. Cost: $35.

McAninch Arts Center Playhouse Theatre, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 942-4000 | One Man Star Wars Trilogy | Fri, May 5, 8 p.m.

Comedian Charlie Ross performs the “Star Wars” trilogy in 90 minutes flat. Cost: $35/30. Theatre of Western Springs, 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs. 708 246-3380 | Rock n’ Roll Theatre | Sat, May 6, 7 p.m. Begin the night with a one-act play, “The Fire and the Rose,” followed by a performance by Sarah Potenza, an upand-coming Nashville-based singer/songwriter. Cost: $29. SecondSpace Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. 847 622-0300

COMEDY | Deon Cole | Fri − Sun, Apr 7 − 9, Fri 8 & 10:15 p.m., Sat 7 & 9:15 p.m. and Sun 7 p.m. Two-time Emmy-nominated writer and comedian known for ABC's “Black-ish” and as a featured guest on “Conan.' Cost: $28 + 2 item food/

bev min. Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Rd., Woodfield Mall, Store K120B, Schaumburg. 847 240-2001 | Kathleen Madigan | Sat, Apr 8, 8 p.m. One of the funniest women in comedy and the only performer on NBC's "Last Comic Standing" to survive the entire show unchallenged. Cost: $40/30.

Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville.

630 637-7469 | Jay Leno | Wed, Apr 19, 7:30 p.m. Former host of "The Tonight Show," stand-up comedian and lovable TV star, Jay Leno, the "hardest working man in show business," is live in concert. Cost: $82/42. Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N River Rd., Rosemont. 847 671-5100 | The Pump & Dump | Wed, Apr 19, 7:30 p.m. Billed as "parentally incorrect," comedy duo Shayna Ferm and Tracey Tee offer up a racy night's entertainment with music, games, prizes, wine and more. Cost: $33 + 2 item food/bev min. Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Rd., Woodfield Mall, Store K120B, Schaumburg. 847 240-2001 | Rodman | Thur − Sat, Apr 20 − 22, Thur 7:30 p.m., Fri 8 & 10:15 p.m. and Sat 7 & 9:15 p.m. Winner of “Last Comic Standing” season eight, Rodman engages audiences with his southern charm, wit and surprise comedic delivery. Cost: $27 + 2 item food/bev min. Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Rd., Woodfield Mall, Store K120B, Schaumburg. 847 240-2001 | Gilbert Gottfried | Fri, Apr 28, 8 p.m. A veteran cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” Gottfried has also performed on “The Cosby Show,” “Late Night with David Letterman” and more. Cost: $30 + 2 item food/ bev min. Zanies Comedy Club in Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E Main St., St. Charles. 630 524-0001; Additional show on Sat, Apr 29, 7 & 9:30 p.m. at Zanies Comedy Club in MB Financial Park, 5437 Park Pl., Rosemont.

847 813-0484 | Improv: On Ice! | Thur − Sun, May 4 − 7, Thur − Fri 7:30 p.m., Sat 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Sun 2 p.m. An improvisational

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Photo courtesy of Allstate Arena

sketch show directed by Alex Moerer. Cost: $5/3.

Madden Theatre, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville.

630 637-7469 | Doug Benson | Fri, May 5, 8 p.m. A Cinco de Mayo special with comedian and marijuana advocate best known for his podcasts “Doug Loves Movies” and “Getting Doug with High.” Cost: $25 + 2 item food/bev min. Zanies Comedy Club in MB Financial Park, 5437 Park Pl., Rosemont. 847 813-0484 | Jermaine Fowler | Sat, May 6, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Comedian who has toured nationally with “College Humor” and “Comedy Central on Campus” as well as writing and starring in the TruTV sketch “Friends of the People.” Cost: $25 + 2 item food/bev min. Zanies Comedy Club in MB Financial Park, 5437 Park Pl., Rosemont. 847 813-0484

MUSIC | Axiom Brass | Sat, Apr 1, 7:30 p.m. An international competition winner, this Chicago-based quintet delivers repertoire that ranges from jazz to Latin music to original compositions for brass. Cost: $45/10. Edman Memorial Chapel at Wheaton College, NE corner of Washington and Franklin St., Wheaton. 630 752-5010 | The Smithereens | Sat, Apr 1, 7:30 p.m. British garage band best known for rock and roll hits "Blood & Roses" and "Only a Memory." Cost: $40/38. Maggie Atcher Theatre, 201 Schaumburg, Ct., Schaumburg.

847 895-3600 | America | Sat, Apr 1, 8 p.m. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, this classic-rock band revives hits like "Ventura Highway," "Don't Cross the River," "California Dreaming" and many more. Cost: $70/50. Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E Benton, Naperville. 630 637-7469 | DakhaBrakha | Sat, Apr 1, 8 p.m. Ukrainian "ethno chaos" quartet uses culturally diverse instrumentation, loud shout-singing, thunderous drumming, and bird calls to get crowds to sing, dance and shout along. Cost: $32/16. Fermilab’s Ramsey Auditorium, Kirk Rd. and Pine St., Batavia.

630 840-2787 | Hands On Dulcimer Workshop | Sun, Apr 2, 1 & 3 p.m.

Musician Dona Benkert gives introductory instruction on these unique stringed instruments. Reservations required.

Cost: $25. Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Rd., Campton Hills. 630 584-8485 | Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra | Thur, Apr 6, 7:30 − 9:30 p.m. “All that Jazz” with conductor Alison Gaines presents all-time jazz favorites. For tickets, visit www. elmhurstsymphony.org. Cost: $25/7. Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W 31st St., Oak Brook. 630 941-0202 | Mitch Paliga | Fri, Apr 7, 8 p.m. Jazz saxophonist who has toured with Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band. Cost: $20/15. Madden Theatre, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville.

630 637-7469 | Rocktopia Live | Fri, Apr 7, 8 p.m. In a fusion of classical music and classic rock, five world-class vocalists and full orchestra perform pieces from Mozart to Queen, Cost: $103/43. Rialto Square Theatre, 15 E Van Buren St., Joliet.

815 726-6600 | Corky Siegel: Cleftomaniac | Sat, Apr 8, 7 p.m. A master of mixing genres to create innovative sounds, Siegel celebrates the coupling of Chicago blues with classical music. Cost: $35. Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. 847 622-0300 WEST SUBURBAN LIVING | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | APRIL 2017 27

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Calendar of Events

| Orbison & The Everly Bros. Reimagined | Sat, Apr 8, 7:30 p.m. Tribute band Dean Bourne and the Robertson Brothers performs hits of rock greats. Cost: $45/43. Maggie Atcher Theatre, 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg. 847 895-3600 | Encore! | Sat − Sun, Apr 8 − 9, Sat 7:30 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m. Join CSO Assistant Principal Violinist David Taylor as he performs Tchaikovsky's "Lalo" concerto. Cost: $49.

Belushi Performance Hall at McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 942-4000 | Mandy Nousain | Sun, Apr 9, 6 – 8 p.m. Returning to her alma mater, this vocalist, actress and vocal instructor brings a fresh twist to classics from Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and more. Cost: $35/30. Madden Theatre, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville. 630 637-7469 | B.A.P | Wed, Apr 12, 8 p.m. Super-popular South Korean boy group, known for uber-fast rapping and urban grit inspired by African American rap. Cost: $175/50. Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N River Rd., Rosemont.

847 671-5100 | Eric Church | Thur, Apr 13, 8 p.m. American country singer and songwriter known for "Drink in My Hand" and "Record Year." Cost: $89/25. Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd., Rosemont. 847 635-6601 | Howl at the Moon at the Morton Arboretum | Fri, Apr 14, 7 p.m. Dueling piano group provides a highenergy entertainment with dance hits, party anthems and more. Registration required. Cost: $40/20. Ginkgo Restaurant at The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. 630 968-0074

Photo courtesy of Rosemont Theatre

Out&about

Buddy Holly & the Crickets and Patsy Cline tribute with Mary Pfeifer and Mike Bruccoleri. Cost: $43. St. Andrews Golf & Country Club, 2241 Route 59, West Chicago.

630 231-3100 ex. 114 | The Pedrito Martinez Group | Fri, Apr 21, 7:30 p.m.

In the Afro-Cuban Rumba tradition, this Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz band delivers adrenalinepumping rythmics with a high-octane mix of timba, gospel, guaguanco, blues and more. Cost: $27. Lund Auditorium at Dominican University, 7900 W Division St., River Forest. 708 488-5000

April 19 Jay leno Former star of "The Tonight Show" and the "hardest working man in show biusiness" is live in concert at Rosemont Theatre.

Call 847 671-5100

| Carlos Vives | Sun, Apr 16, 7 p.m. One of the hottest names in Latin music headlines “USA Tour 2017.” Cost: $131/61. Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N River Rd., Rosemont.

847 671-5100 | Libby York & Jeremy Kahn Duo | Thur, Apr 20, 8 −10 p.m. Spend an evening with jazz singer York as she performs songs from her latest release, accompanied by pianist Kahn. Registration required. Cost: $15. Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W 31st St., Oak Brook. 630 206-9566 | Tribute Dinner Concert | Fri, Apr 21, 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a

| A Twist of Lemmon: The Jack Lemmon Story | Fri −Sat, Apr 21 − 22, 8 p.m. Join Chris Lemmon as he performs a funny, poignant stage show where he goes beyond familiar mannerisms to reveal and "become" his father. For tickets, visit www.arcadalive.com.

Arcada Theatre, 105 E Main St., St. Charles. 630 962-7000 | Krista Detor & Friends | Sat, Apr 22, 7:30 p.m.

Extraordinary singer/songwriter, vocalist and multiinstrumentalist who has toured all over the states and Europe. Cost: $15. Maple Street Chapel, 200 S Main St., Lombard. 630 627-0171 | The Fab Four | Sat, Apr 22, 8 p.m. Emmy Awardwinning Beatles tribute band performs all-time classics, representing three decades of the band's ever changing career. Cost: $45/35. Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville. 630 637-7469 | The Purple Xperience | Sun, Apr 23, 5 p.m.

Showcasing the best of Prince’s music, Marshall Charloff matches the fashion and vocal intonations of the artist.

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Photo courtesy of Morton Arboretum

April 27 ARBOR DAY PLANT SALE Choose from more than 100,000 plants including trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs and more that were chosen by the Morton Arboretum experts. Call 630 968-0074

Cost: $59/39. Arcada Theatre, 105 E Main St., St. Charles.

630 962-7000

Cost: $16/14. Belushi Performance Hall at McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 942-4000

| Celtic Woman | Thur, Apr 27, 7 p.m. Multi-platinum international music sensation and Grammy-nominated group returns to perform the all-new “Voices of Angels” tour. Cost: $103/43. Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N Chicago St., Joliet. 815 726-6600

| Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra | Sun, May 7, 2, 4:30 & 7:30 p.m. The orchestra's 350 young musicians close their season with "Pictures at an Exhibtion," the towering masterpiece by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.

Cost: $25/14. Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. 847 622-0300

| Chris Brown | Fri, Apr 28, 7:30 p.m. Grammy Awardwinning and multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter and recording artist brings “The Party Tour” to stage.

Cost: $250/40. Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd., Rosemont. 847 635-6601 | Music City Hit-Makers | Fri, Apr 28, 7:30 p.m. This band fuses the hits of Nashville Grammy Award-winning songwriters and top studio musicians. Cost: $48. Belushi Performance Hall at McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 942-4000 | Beatles Legacy | Fri, Apr 28, 8 p.m. After a performance of The Beatles’ music by tribute band Liverpool Legends, George Harrison’s sister and Paul McCartney’s stepmother and step-sister tell stories about the fab four.

Cost: $99/49. Arcada Theatre, 105 E Main St., St. Charles.

630 962-7000 | The Chainsmokers | Sat, Apr 29, 7 p.m. Known for “Closer” and “Paris,” this Grammy-nominated artist/ producer duo brings songs from their soon-to-be released debut album. Cost: $96/36. Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd., Rosemont. 847 635-6601 | Will the Circle Be Unbroken | Sat, Apr 29, 7 p.m.

John McEuen and a cast of players including former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members share music, stories and memories. Cost: $35. Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. 847 622-0300 | Elgin Master Chorale | Sun, Apr 30, 3:30 p.m.

Celebrating 70 years of bringing chorale music to the Fox Valley area, this group performs Brahms’ “German Requiem.” Cost: $24/19. Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Dr., Elgin. 847 622-0300 | Once Upon a Symphony | Sun, May 7, 1:30 & 3:15 p.m. Created for children ages 3 and up, performers from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra musically narrate the story of farm animals who go to the town of Bremen to follow their dream of becoming musicians.

| The Hit Men | Sun, May 7, 5 p.m. Rock and roll favorites from original band members who toured with Frankie Valli, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, Carole King, Elton John, Paul McCartney and others. Cost: $69/29. Arcada Theatre, 105 E Main St., St. Charles. 630 962-7000 | Olivia Newton-John | Thur, May 11, 7:30 p.m. Star of “Grease,” this actress and Grammy Award-winning vocalist performs favorites from her top-selling albums.

Cost: $89/49. Rialto Square Theatre, 102 N Chicago St., Joliet. 815 726-6600

DANCE | Riverdance | Through Apr 2, Fri − Sun, Fri 8 p.m., Sat 3 & 8 p.m. and Sun 1 & 5:30 p.m. This internationally acclaimed group of foot-tapping men and women celebrates 20 years of reels, jigs and outstanding entertainment. Cost: $60/40. Paramount Theatre, 23 E Galena Blvd., Aurora. 630 896-6666 | Russian National Ballet | Sat, Apr 29, 8 − 10 p.m.

This 30-year-old Moscow-formed company performs “Giselle,” the story of a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another.

Cost: $40/25. Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E Benton, Naperville.

630 637-7469

ART | Abstract Aesthetic | Through Apr 7, Mon − Sat, Mon − Fri 1 − 5 p.m. and Sat 1 − 4 p.m. View works that represent the artist’s understanding and practice of the visual language of shape, form and color without the dependence on a visual reference. Oak Park Art League, 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park. 708 386-9853

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Out&about

Calendar of Events

| Mirror Face | Through Apr 13, Mon − Thur & Sat, Mon − Thur 11 a.m. − 7 p.m. and Sat 11 a.m. − 3 p.m.

Featuring artists Sarah McEneaney, Crista Donner and Keiler Roberts, an exhibit to highlight the importance of the self-portrait in contemporary art. Cleve Carney Art Gallery, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. 630 942-2321 | Alliance of Fine Art: Best of The Best | Through Apr 29, Mon − Sat, Mon − Fri 9 a.m. − 3 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m. − 1 p.m. Annual exhibit featuring local artists who distinguished themselves over the past year. Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W 31st St., Oak Brook. 630 206-9566 | Kings & Queens: Pinball, Imagists & Chicago | Through May 7, Tue – Sun, Tue – Thur & Sat – Sun 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Fri 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Interactive exhibition that invites guests to play pinball on Chicago-designed and built pinball machines from the 1960s-1980s alongside paintings, sculptures and prints made in Chicago around the same time. Cost: $9/8. Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst. 630 834-0202 | Lorraine Peltz | Through May 14, Mon − Sun, Mon & Sat 10 a.m. − 6 p.m., Tue − Fri 10 a.m. − 9 p.m. and Sun noon − 5 p.m. With imagery from personal history and the contemporary moment, particularly in relation to women. Peltz examines ideas of memory, place and identity. Schoenherr Gallery at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville. 630 637-5375 | Spring Member Show | Tue − Sun, Apr 2 − May 12, Tue − Thur & Sat − Sun 11 a.m. − 5 p.m. and Fri 11 a.m. − 7 p.m. Enjoy an exhibit featuring mixed media art from the members of the EAG. Cost: $8/7. Elmhurst Artists' Guild, 150 Cottage Hill Rd., Elmhurst. 630 279-1009 | Susan Wilson: Treadling Variations | Fri − Sun, Apr 7 − 9, 10 a.m. − 4 p.m. Learn how familiar patterns in weaving can be altered by using elements of other weaves. Cost: $435/410. Kavanagh Building at Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Rd., St. Charles. 630 584-9443 | Artistry in Wood Show | Sat − Sun, Apr 29 − 30, 9 a.m. − 4 p.m. Join the North Suburban Carvers and Cantigny Park as they present a fine art exhibit of one-of-a-kind hand-crafted carvings, wood-burning art, ornaments and more. Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 668-5161

FAMILY & GENERAL | Triton Troupers Circus | Thur − Sat Apr 6 − 8, Thur − Fri 7 p.m. and Sat 1 & 7 p.m. Skilled performers in circus specialities like chairs, clowning, double stunts, and globes.

Cost: $6. Robert M Collins Center Gymnasium, 2001 N 5th Ave., River Grove. www.tritontrouperscircus.com | Archaeology Spanning Four Decades: An Overview of Accomplishments | Sat, Apr 8, 2 p.m. Archeologist Jim Yingst reviews the role that 14 years of archaeological investigations have played in the interpretation of the Culbertson and Garfield families’ occupation of the farm. Cost: $6/3. Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Rd., Campton Hills. 630 584-8485 | Dan TDM | Sat, Apr 8, 3 & 7:30 p.m. English YouTube personality and professional gamer, accompanied by his pet pug Ellie, speaks about his favorite characters, the online world and more. Cost: $93/28. Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N River Rd., Rosemont. 847 671-5100 | Hop Around the Shops: Easter Weekend | Fri − Sat, Apr 14 − 15. Enjoy spring sales and specials, an Easter celebration and more. Downtown Naperville. www.downtownnaperville.com

| Family Night: Fly a Kite | Fri, Apr 21, 5:30 − 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy flying a kite and a demonstration by Chicago Kite, weather permitting. Parade Field at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 668-5161 | Screen Test Student Fest 2017 | Sat, Apr 22. View short student-produced films from all over the world created by elementary school to high school filmmakers. Cost: $15/5. Maggie Atcher Theatre, 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg. 847 895-3600 | Cosley Zoo Party for the Planet | Sat, Apr 22, 10 a.m. − 2 p.m. Celebrate the natural world and learn how to keep it safe with educational talks from environmentfriendly organizations and businesses. Cosley Zoo, 1356 N Gary Ave., Wheaton. 630 665-5534 | Brookfield Zoo Party for the Planet | Sun, Apr 23, 9:30 a.m. Celebrate Earth Day and learn how to make a difference, with an expo, special zoo chats, live entertainment and more. Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., Brookfield. 708 688-8000 | Girls' Day Out in Downtown Downers Grove| Thur, Apr 27. Grab your gal pals for a fun-filled day of shopping and dining, with sales, tastings, demos, and raffle prizes. For information, visit www.downtowndg.org.

630 725 0991. | STEM-CON | Sat, Apr 29, 9 a.m. − 4 p.m. Public outreach event designed to inspire and educate students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. For information, visit www.cod.edu. College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. | Love Your Neighbor 3rd Annual Design House | Thur, May 4, 4 – 9 p.m. Discover and purchase the latest in home trends from west suburban designers. All proceeds benefit Love Your Neighbor. For more information visit www.lovebydesign.org. Cost: $40 129 N Wet St., Wheaton. | Stars on Ice | Sat, May 6, 7:30 p.m. Watch some of the biggest names in U.S. figure skating, including Nathan and Karen Chen, Ashley Wagner, Madison Chock, Evan Bates and more. Cost: $165/25. Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd., Rosemont. 847 635-6601

KIDS | Children's China | Through Apr 25, Mon − Sun, Mon 9:30 a.m. − noon, Tue − Sat 9:30 a.m. − 5 p.m. and Sun noon − 5 p.m. Hands-on activities and innovative technology give kids insight on Confucius' impact on modern Chinese life.

Free with museum admission. Cost: $12/11. Kohl Children's Museum, 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview. 847 832-6600 | Charlotte's Web | Sun, Apr 2, noon. Based on E.B. White's classic children's story, this short muscial tells the tale of Charlotte the Spider's successful attempt to make Wilbur the pig essential to the farm, saving him from becoming dinner. Cost: $12/6. Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E Benton, Naperville. 630 637-7469 | Easter Egg Hunt | Sat − Sun, Apr 8 − 9, 9 a.m. − 1 p.m.

Annual Easter celebration features an egg hunt, pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny and more. Parade Field at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 668-5161 | Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music | Sat − Sun, Apr 8 − 9, Sat 10:30 a.m., 2 & 5:30 p.m. and Sun 1 & 4:30 p.m. When the music teacher’s instruments go missing, Elmo and the crew come to the rescue and learn about new music. Cost: $88/21. Sears Centre Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., Hoffman Estates. 847 649-2270

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April 29 The Chainsmokers Known for their songs “Closer” and “Paris,” this Grammy-nominated artist/ producer duo brings songs from their soon-to-be released debut album to Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

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| Lion King Jr. | Thur − Sun, Apr 20 − 23, Thur 9:45 a.m. & noon, Fri 9:45 a.m. & 7:30 p.m., Sat 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Sun 2 p.m. Enjoy the classic Disney film as portrayed by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin. Cost: $12/10. The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. 847 888-4000 | Legally Blonde the Musical Jr. | Fri − Sun, Apr 21 − 30, Fri 7 p.m., Sat 7:30 p.m. and Sun 3 p.m.; Also, Sun, Apr 23, 6 p.m.; No show Sat, Apr 22. Award-winning Broadway musical spotlights Elle Woods who tries to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner by charming her way into law school. Cost: $15/10. Vero Voce Theatre, 951 State Ave., St. Charles. 630 965-0825 | The Monster Who Ate My Peas | Sat, Apr 29, 10 a.m.

Based on the award-winning book, this musical portrays the courage of a young boy who confronts a clever monster and his own fears. Cost: $12/6. Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E Chicago Ave., Naperville. 630 637-7469

HISTORY | Inside & Out: Geneva's Faces, Places & Spaces | Through Nov 4, Tue − Sat 11 a.m. − 4 p.m. An exhibition highlighting the people who designed, constructed and lived in some of Geneva's homes and buildings. Free for members. Cost: $3/2. Geneva History Museum, 113 S Third St., Geneva. 630 232-4951 | Date with History: Kathryn Atwood | Wed, Apr 5, 7:30 p.m. Historian discusses her book for young adults, Women Heroes of World War I: 16 Remarkable Resisters, Soldiers, Spies and Medics.” Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 668-5161 | House & Home | Tue − Sun, Apr 6 − May 25, Sun & Tue − Fri 1 − 5 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. − 5 p.m. A traveling exhibit from the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. features a kaleidoscopic array of photographs, objects, models and films that takes visitors on a tour of houses past and present, challenging ideas about what it means to be at home in America. Elmhurst History Museum, 120 E Park Ave., Elmhurst. 630 833-1457 | The Endurance: History's Greatest Shipwreck | Sun, Apr 9, 4 p.m. Author Rochelle Pennington details the courage, determination and leadership of the men aboard The Endurance as they made their epic journey hrough the frozen expanses of the Antarctic. Cost: $10/7.

Century Memorial Chapel, 523 S Webster St., Naperville.

630 420-6010 | 175th Birthday of the 1842 Barn | Thur, Apr 13, 6:30 p.m. Celebrate the oldest building at Garfield Farm as it turns 175, fully restored. Cost: $10/3. Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Rd., Campton Hills. 630 584-8485 | 60 Miles Under the Loop | Fri, Apr 14, 10 a.m. − noon. Explore the construction, uses and effects of the 62 miles of tunnels under the Chicago Loop.

Registration required. For ages 18 and over. Cost: $10.

Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W 31st St., Oak Brook.

630 206-9566 | Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Real Story | Sat, Apr 29, 2 p.m. Learn about the author’s life and discover the times, places and people who inspired her books about a farm family living through the pioneer experience.

Cost: $12/10. Glen Ellyn History Center, 800 N Main St., Glen Ellyn. 630 469-1867

HOME & GARDEN | Edible Gardening Workshop Series | Through Apr 8, Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. − noon. Learn tips and tricks on how to create a veggie garden. Registration required. Cost: $44/35. Various locations around the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. 630 719-2468 | Community Roots: Agriculture in Naperville | Through June 27, Mon − Sun, Mon − Sat 10 a.m. − 4 p.m. and Sun 1 − 4 p.m. Explore the community’s rich agricultural history and learn how changes in technology transformed life on Naperville farms through the 20th century. Cost: $12/8. Naper Settlement, 523 S Webster St., Naperville. 630 420-6010 | Naperville Home & Garden Expo | Sat − Sun, Apr 1 − 2. Learn from homeowners, discover the latest in home design, speak with exhibitors and more. For times, visit www.freehomeshow.com. Players Indoor Sports Center, 1740 Quincy Ave., Naperville. | Garden Tour | Tue, Apr 4, 11 a.m. Join a resident forester on a scouting trip to find spring flowering trees, shrubs and wildflowers. Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 668-5161

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Calendar of Events Photo by Michael Brosilow

Out&about The Wiz

| Cantigny Gardens 2017 Preview | Thur, Apr 6, 10 a.m.

A presentation highlighting the park’s plant selections and plans for the main gardens, golf course and Idea Garden in coming seasons. Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 260-8162 | Weed Ladies Spring & Summer Sale | Thur − Sun, Apr 6 − 9, Thur − Sat 10 a.m. − 4 p.m. and Sun 1 − 4 p.m. Spring and summer sale features seasonal floral arrangements with silk and dried florals. Historic Daniels House at Naper Settlement, 523 S Webster St., Naperville. 630 305-5289 | At Home in Hinsdale: A Home Design & Remodeling Showcase | Sat, Apr 22, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bringing together homeowners and professionals, this showcase features local businesses, exhibits and more. For information, visit www.hinsdalechamber.com. The Community House, 415 W Eighth St., Hinsdale. 630 323-3952

Wor th Going Downtown For The Wiz Through Apr 16, Thur – Sun. Follow the yellow brick road with a mix of rock, gospel and soul music in an urban retelling of children's classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Cost: $38/25.

Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave., Chicago. 773 975-8150 King of the Yees Through Apr 31.

Lauren searches for her missing father and drops into a world where she must embrace the past to win him back. Tickets: www.goodmantheatre.org.

Cost: $25/10. Goodman Theatre, 170 N Dearborn St., Chicago.

312 443-3800 Visceral Dance Spring Sat, Apr 8, 7:30 p.m. World premiere

by Artistic Director Nick Pupillo, with guest choreographer Mark Godden’s “Minor Threat.”

Cost: $70/20. Harris Theatre, 205 E Randolph Dr., Chicago.

312 334-7777 Chicago Art Show Sat – Sun, Apr 8 – 9, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Enjoy the newest juried art show featuring originals in all art media including glass, jewelry, furniture and more. Navy Pier, 600 E Grand Ave., Chicago. 800 595-7437 John Mayer Tue, Apr 11, 7:30 p.m. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter launches world tour,“Search for Everything."

Cost: $115/36. United Center, 1901 W Madison St., Chicago.

312 455-4500 Disney’s Aladdin Apr 11 – July 2. Classic musical retelling of the story of Aladdin, the magic lamp and the genie. Showtimes/ tickets: www.broadwayinchicago.com. Cost: $139/45. Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W Randolph St., Chicago. 800 775-2000

Easter Egg-Stravaganza Sat, Apr 15, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. A brunch buffet, free rides on the carousel, crafts, photos and more. Cost: $39/15. Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N Clark St., Chicago. 312 742-2000 Shakespeare in Love Apr 15 – June 11. Oscar-winning romantic comedy tells of the young bard finding his muse in Viola, a woman who will stop at nothing for her moment on stage. Cost: $88/48. Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E Grand Ave., Chicago. 312 595-5600 Adler After Dark: Game On Thur, Apr 20, 6 p.m. Mario Kart, immersive VR experiences and board games at this unique entertainment event. For ages 21 and over. Cost: $25/15. Adler Planetarium, 1300 S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago. 312 922-7827 Wine & Wildlife: Puerto Rican Parrots Thur, Apr 20, 6 – 8 p.m.

Enjoy a glass of wine and learn how the zoo is keeping an endangered species alive. For ages 21 and over. Cost: $17/14.

Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N Clark St., Chicago. 312 742-2000

Global Visionaries Apr 26 – May 7. The Joffrey Ballet performs "World Premiere," “Mammatus” and “The Miraculous Mandarin."

Showtimes/tickets: www.auditorumtheatre.org. Cost: $159/34.

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E Congress Pkwy., Chicago. 800 982-2787 Lewis Black Fri, Apr 28, 8 p.m.

In his inimicable belligerent style, "angry face" comic Black delivers a stand-out standup routine.

Cost: $75/40. Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St., Chicago.

312 462-6300 My Fair Lady Apr 28 – May 21.

Classic Broadway musical version of George Bernard Shaw's rags to riches tale, Pygmailion. For showtimes/tickets, visit www.lyricopera.org. Cost: $199/16. Lyric Opera Chicago, 20 N Wacker Dr., Chicago.

312 827-5600 Bill Maher Saturdays, Apr 29 & May 6, 8 p.m. American TV host and comedian brings biting political satire. Cost: $125/45.

Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St., Chicago. 312 462-6300

Julianne & Derek Hough Sat, Apr 22, 3 & 8 p.m. Celebrated sibling dancers of “Dancing with the Stars” in their “Move: Beyond” tour. Cost: $90/30. Chicago Theatre, 175 N State St., Chicago.

312 462-6300

Reel Science Film Series Thur, Mar 9, 5:30 p.m. Watch "Contact" then discuss the rate of exoplanet discoveries since Carl Sagan's death. Cost: $22/10.

Adler Planetarium, 1300 S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago. 312 922-7827

The Perfect American Sat, Apr 22 7:30 p.m.; Also Sun, Apr 30, 3 p.m. Opera based on the last three months of Walt Disney’s life, where flashbacks bring him face to face with his past.

Cost: $125/39. Harris Theatre, 205 E Randolph Dr., Chicago.

312 334-7777

Rent May 9 – May 14. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning rock musical on disillusionment in America. For showtimes/tickets, visit www.broadwayinchicago. com. Cost: $82/22. Oriental Theatre, 24 W Randolph St., Chicago. 800 775-2000

| Tropical Fiesta | Sat, Apr 29, 9 a.m. − 5 p.m. Enjoy festivities, specials and demonstrations. The Growing Place, 25W471 Plank Rd., Naperville. 630 355-4000 | Arbor Day Plant Sale | Sat − Sun, Apr 29 − 30, Sat noon − 4 p.m. and Sun 11 a.m. − 4 p.m. Choose from more than 100,000 plants including trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs and more chosen by the Arboretum experts.

Parking Lot 33 on West Side of the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. 630 968-0074 | Garden Tour: Spring Annuals & Bulbs | Tue, May 2, 11 a.m. Join horticulturists on a guided tour through the annuals and bulb displays. Visitors Center at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. 630 260-8162

OUTDOORS | Kimberly Haag: What’s So Great About a Prairie? | Sat, Apr 22, 1 − 3 p.m. Get to know plants that grow in the prairies and learn why prairie preservation is important.

Cost: $40/30. The Barn at Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37W570 Bolcum Rd., St. Charles. 630 584-9443 | Woodland Wild Flower Walk | Sat, Apr 29, 9 a.m. View wildflowers on this guided tour around the museum’s Harley Pond & Woods. Cost: $6/3. Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Rd., Campton Hills. 630 584-8485

FOOD & DRINK | Spirits of the Prairie | Fri, Apr 7, 7 p.m. Enjoy a tasting of craft beers and locally made spirits, listen to live entertainment, participate in a raffle and more. Cost: $40/35. Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg. 847 895-3600 | Food Truck Festival | Fri, May 5, 5 − 10 p.m. Grab some festive food truck food and enjoy live music from different artists at the second annual festival. Downtown Aurora. www.auroradowntown.org

HEALTH & FITNESS | Northern Illinois Food Bank Foodie 5K | Sat, Apr 1, 9 a.m. − 1 p.m. Enjoy a 5K through scenic Cantigny Park followed by a festival including entertainment, gourmet food trucks and a kids' zone. Registration required. Cost: $35/15. Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton. www.solvehungertoday.org/foodie5K | Naperville Women's Half Marathon & 5K | Sun, Apr 23, 7 a.m. The second annual half marathon and 5K hits

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the streets of Naperville and tours around the town.

Registration required. For more information, visit www. napervillewomenshalf.com. Cost: $75/1. Downtown Naperville. 504 454-6561 | The Champion of Trees 10K Run | Sun, Apr 23, 8 a.m.

Run on the USATF-certified course followed by live music, recovery food and more after the race. Registration required. For registration, visit www.mortonarb.org. Cost: $55/40. Visitor Center at The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle. 630 968-0074

LITERATURE | Justin Gordon | Sun, Apr 23, 2 p.m. Author presents Holocaust Postal History: Harrowing Journeys Revealed through the Letters & Cards of the Victims. Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore, 7419 W Madison St., Forest Park.

708 771-7243 | Kristin Hannah | Tue, Apr 25, 7 p.m. Bestselling author presents The Nightingale, a story of sisters in WWII France.

For tickets, visit www.andersonsbookshop.com. Cost: $20. Pfeiffer Hall, 310 E Benton, Naperville. 630 637-7469 | S.E. Hinton | Thur, Apr 27, 7 p.m. Celebrate the 50-year anniversary of one of the first young adult books, The Outsiders. Anderson’s Bookshop, 26 S La Grange Rd., La Grange. 708 582-6353 | Adam Selzer | Sat, Apr 29, 2 p.m. This author examines the life and career of infamous serial killer, H.H. Holmes, through legal documents, letters, articles and more.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore, 7419 W Madison St., Forest Park. 708 771-7243 | Kristy Woodson Harvey | Mon, May 8, 5-7 p.m. Author of "Slightly South of SImple" will hold a book signing at SG Geneva/Scentimental Gardens, 428 W. State St., Geneva. Call 630 232-1303 to make a reservation and reserve a copy of the book.

LECTURES | Eric Whitacre | Tue, Apr 11, 7 p.m. Grammy Awardwinning composer and conductor returns to discuss the possibilities that emerge when people are invited to contribute creatively and share their talents with their peers. Cost: $10. Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel at Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst.

630 617-3390 | The Holocaust Intercultural Lecture and Service of Remembrance: Remembering Elie Wiesel | Sun, Apr 23, 7 p.m. Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich, who interviewed Wiesel about his life and works, speaks about their friendship and Wiesel’s novel “Night.”

Founders Lounge at Elmhurst College’s Frick Center, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. 630 617-3360 | Jennifer Keishin Armstrong | Tue, May 2, 7 p.m.

This television historian and entertainment writer deconstructs the show Seinfeld explaining how it changed television in this lecture titled “Seinfeld: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything.” Cost: $10.

Founders Lounge at Elmhurst College’s Frick Center, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. 630 617-3390 Information is as accurate as possible, but times and dates do sometimes change and events are occasionally canceled. Please call to verify all critical information. To have an event included in this guide, send information two to three months in advance to: Out & About, P.O. Box 111, Elmhurst, IL 60126, or wsl@westsuburbanliving.net.

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Photos by Ed Ahern

Jeff Schwartz, uBreakiFix

Laiq Farooqui, Time Center

You Break It, We’ll Fix It A dab of glue and it’s good as new

S

Walter Pawlikowski, Kagan & Gaines Music Co.

Dave Stoklosa, Repair Café

by Jay Copp

tuff happens — it breaks. Often we

decide what’s broken is worth fixing — even if in dollars and cents it’s clearly not.

“A lot of times people want things fixed for their sentimental value. Their parents owned it, or it’s been in the home for a long time,” says Nancy Bauer of the Repair Café in Oak Park.

So here is a handy guide to some helpful repair shops around the western suburbs.

We’ve focused not on big-ticket or commonplace goods such as cars, major appliances or bikes, as people often already have a preferred place for those items.

Instead, we’ve found shops that can salvage less expensive but more precious items as well as products that can drive us crazy when on the blink.

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~John Diamantakos, Cobblestone Shoe Repair Repair Café, Oak Park Once a month on a Saturday patrons flock here bearing busted toasters, vacuum cleaners, mixers, clocks and, most commonly, lamps. A crew of 10 volunteers is usually on hand at the Repair Café, part of an international movement that began in 2009 in Holland to limit the stuff that ends up in landfills. “We have nothing to lose by trying to fix things,” explains Mac Robinet of Oak Park, a co-founder of the Oak Park center. Like the other volunteers, he knows his way around a tool box. He retired from Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont after a career in physics.

The repairs don’t cost a cent.

But, as co-founder Nancy Bauer of Oak Park likes to say, they are not free. “We are an educational place,” she says. Patrons can’t drop off their items. They need to stick around to perhaps learn a thing or two or at least share the camaraderie of the crew. There is a certain old-fashioned barn-raising spirt to the Repair Café, housed in two small rooms at the Oak Park Arms, a retirement community. When a patron arrives, the crew, many of them retired and eager to share their expertise and a self-deprecating joke or two, gather together and start the problem-solving.

On this day, Tony Nelson, a young adult new to Oak Park, hasn’t been able to fix his voltage sensor. “Does the light go off?” a crew member asks Nelson. “No,” he says. “That’s why. You need to have the breaker off.” Nelson also learns that his electric toothbrush may not be salvageable.

“That one is invented to be thrown away.

The battery is not replaceable,” a crew member says knowingly.

Boxes of tools sit in the room. But sometimes the solution is MacGyver-like, such as when a microwave door does not

close properly. “We used the spring from a ballpoint pen to take care of that,” says Paul Oppenheim. He worked for the RTA, but his fix-it skills come from “living for 25 years in a vintage 1906 Oak Park home.”

Crew member Ramkrishna Mehendale of Oak Park has an entirely different skills background — he’s an OB/GYN at Rush University Medical Center. Medicine is in some ways easier than repair work. “The body in a lot of cases fixes itself. Machines Photos by Ed Ahern

Photos by Ed Ahern

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“You get very comfortable in your shoes. You want to keep them.

It’s like when you have a Lexus. Or you are married to lady for 20 years. You want to keep her.”

John Diamantakos, Cobblestone Shoe Repair

don’t,” he says. He understands why so few people decide to fix a product. “It’s way more expensive to fix than replace because of the time involved. Time is expensive.”

Sometimes a patron is dispatched to a hardware store for a part. That’s an opportunity for the patron to pay it forward. “We ask them buy an extra part and leave one with us for the next guy,” explains Robinet.

The Repair Café in Oak Park was founded after Robinet read an article on the movement in AARP magazine and e-mailed the staff for more information.

Bauer just happened to e-mail the magazine at the same time. “Why don’t you two talk to each other?” a staffer suggested.

There are more than 1,000 repair cafés worldwide, with 23 in the United States.

The repair success rate at all the cafes is 60 percent. It’s 65 percent in Oak Park.

The café does not turn down anyone, even if he drives up in a Mercedes. “We can’t refuse anyone. We can’t discriminate,” says Robinet. In fact, patrons of the cafés tend to come from higher income levels.

A sewing shop occupies the second room of the Repair Café. ‘We’re here to fix a hem, sew a button or fix a tear,” says Bauer. “We don’t do complete alterations.

That’s what a tailor is for.”

Nor does the Repair Café fix computers, bikes or products potentially dangerous, such as electric blankets. What it does often fix are seemingly intractable problems that better customer service could have handled. A man once brought in a CD player, which over a year of phone calls, letters and shipping back and forth had not fixed.“It was a problem with the sensor,” says Robinet. “We put a little glue on it, and the problem was solved.”

Cobblestone Shoe Repair, Naperville This small store located in a strip mall carries a simple red sign in block letters: Shoe Repair. It seems all so suburban and prosaic. But Cobblestone Shoe Repair is a place with character, history and a reputation for quality work.

Colorful owner John Diamantakos, 69, estimates he has fixed “a million” shoes.

That is a wild guess. But the number is indicative of his longevity. Over 49 years, he’s run five repair shops — in North Riverside, Bloomingdale, the State of Illinois Center (now the James R. Thompson Center), the Chicago Board of Trade Building and now here in Naperville for 29 years. He began repairing shoes by hand in his uncle’s shop as a 10-year-old boy in Greece. He emigrated

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to the United States as a teenager in 1961.

He’s from Sparta. So call him the Shoe Warrior.

Diamantakos relocated to Naper Boulevard when the street was gravel.

But he saw the potential for growth.

Perhaps it’s counter-intuitive, but he also Ronald McDonald. One of Diamantakos’ knew that although more affluent people daughters has a nice corporate job at could afford new shoes, they’d often rather McDonald’s in Oak Brook. So shoes can repair a pricier shoe than buy a new pair. be a springboard for success. The way It has nothing to do with frugality.

Diamantakos sees it, success begins and “You get very comfortable in your ends with a customer walking away happy, shoes. You want to keep them,” says comfortable again in his own pair of shoes.

Diamantakos, plain-spoken and direct, if not politically correct. “It’s like when The Time Center, Westchester you have a Lexus. Or you are married to The display cases, walls and floor space at The Time Center are a wonder. Brand lady for 20 years. You want to keep her.”

The part of the shop open to the public is crammed with luggage, which he repairs and sells. Luggage falls apart — “zippers, handles and wheels,” he explains. He once had contracts with four airlines to fix luggage they had manhandled.

The back of the shop is crammed with shoes in various states of repair and the few tools needed to restore them to prime condition. The Singer stitcher is the primary weapon against battered, bruised and broken shoes.

It looks old, even ancient. But it Laiq Farooqui, Time Center isn’t. It just gets lots of use. There also are a trimmer and a buffer.

Repairing shoes is not particularly after brand of watches are displayed complicated but it does take attention to for sale: Rolex, Omega, Accutron and detail and a firm grasp of the basics. “I take many more. There are massive grandfather care of my customers,” says Diamantakos. clocks, quaint cuckoo clocks, old-fashioned pocket watches, glistening stopwatches, Women represent about 70 percent modern wall clocks, gleaming alarm of those customers. Diamantakos points clocks, steely atomic clocks and novelty to a pair of high heels as an explanation. clocks featuring cats, clowns or circus Shoes are made better today than figures. Some of the clocks are turned ever, says Diamantakos. He ticks off his off, but it’s an experience to be here at favorites: Cole Haan, Kenneth Cole, noon and hear the cacophony announcing Bostonian and Ellie. His own shoes, the midday. lightweight and comfortable, are rather ordinary, he admits. But he does fix them Repair work is the bread-and-butter a few times before trashing them. of The Time Center. For the customers, it’s On a shelf, a decorative touch, is a often not about dollars and cents. “They huge red shoe — obviously belonging to bring in heirlooms, keepsakes,” says Laiq Photo by Ed Ahern

“A lot of times people want things fixed for their sentimental value.

Their parents owned it, or it’s been in the home for a long time.” ~Nancy Bauer, Repair Café in Oak Park Farooqui, 68, who opened the shop in 1978 and once lived above it. “I’ll tell them the resale value. But 95 percent of the time they want it fixed. It’s been passed on from one generation to the next.”

Not long ago a customer brought in a railroad pocket watch well over 100 years old. Farooqui recently worked on a Westminster chiming clock built in England before World War I. He once serviced, not a cuckoo clock, but a quail-cuckoo clock made long ago in Germany. First the quail comes out chirping, then the cuckoo.

We may live in a disposable society. But it’s a different story for clocks, watches and jewelry, which Farooqui also repairs. His chief tool is a lathe as he makes special parts if he can’t locate what he needs.

Farooqui has an innate mechanical talent but has also received extensive training. He learned his craft from the American Watchmakers Institute, Swatch and other watchmakers. He always keeps abreast of industry news and developments. His reading of industry literature led him to a great discovery that put some serious coin in his pocket. A customer had purchased from him a Rolex Explorer for $3,000, only to be told by an appraiser that he overpaid.

So Farooqui allowed him to return it. But he learned that the timepiece was a limited edition model and, in fact, was made for Steve McQueen, once the world’s number one box office attraction. Farooqui was able to sell the watch for $17,000.

Watches today are a marvel of quartz technology. Not that long ago the routine vibration-per-second stood at 18,000.

That jumped to 36,000 and then to 72,000, which means the accuracy of timekeeping on a wrist has made a quantum leap. “You

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DuPage Vacuum, Wheaton It’s a part of life ­— you’ll get your heart broken, you’ll get in a fender bender, and one day your vacuum cleaner will overheat, not turn on or, worst of all, emit that choking, metallic death-rattle screech indicating you vacuumed something you should not have. “Oh, yeah — we see lots of pens, paper clips, socks,” says Brad Hoffmann of DuPage Vacuum in Wheaton.

For three generations of the Fussel family, first in downtown Wheaton and now on Roosevelt Road, DuPage Vacuum has turned frustration to relief by fixing what ails vacuum cleaners. “We can fix anything.

It may be hard to find a part, but we can come up with something,” says Hoffmann.

Hoffmann is too discreet to point a finger of blame toward customers, but in most cases you can avoid a repair if you are a diligent owner who properly maintains the machine. He bends down to show how easy it is to check a Sebo, the Germanmade gold standard for vacuum cleaners.

Take out the brush roll and clean with scissors. Check and replace the bag and filter if needed. “It’s super-easy,” he says.

Here’s a little secret: those bagless vacuums, though enticing, are made for trouble. If you want to avoid repairs, spend more to buy a better model. “People go to Walmart and buy what they buy, and it lasts two years. They don’t know these other brands exist,” says Hoffmann. “Cheap vacuums are designed to fail after two years.”

A Sebo can last for decades. In fact,

“We hear all kinds of stories. They run over it with their cars.

They put it on the roof, and they find it on the highway.” ~Dan Las, FixThat4U on the showroom floor to demonstrate its longevity, stands a decades-old Sebo, not bright and shiny like a new one but still in good working order. Besides Sebo, Hoffmann recommends another Germanmade brand, Miela. The canister model is sleek and easy-to-use. “It’s lightweight and super strong. It has 360-degree wheels, so you don’t have to lift it,’ he says.

But don’t think America can’t make a decent vacuum cleaner. Hoffmann points to a row of Riccar vacuums, made in Photo by Ed Ahern

”

can make thousands of these quickly with robots,” says Farooqui. “You can get a very good watch today for $10.”

That’s not to say it makes little sense to buy an expensive watch. “The way I look at it is that a good watch is a very nice piece of jewelry for a man,” he says.

Watches and clocks — they are much more than the sum of their parts. They become part of our lives. “A clock is like a living thing. Tick, tick, tick. When it stops working, it’s like a dead body,” says Farooqui. “That bothers people. They don’t want a dead body in their house.”

Paul Oppenheim, Repair Café

Missouri. “It’s a middle-of-the-road brand.

But it’s hearty. It’s nothing flashy or fancy.

It’s very durable,” he says. Trump has one in the White House, as did Clinton and other presidents, says Hoffmann. So there — in a partisan nation, we can at least agree on the quality of a U.S. vacuum cleaner, which can spare us of that sinking feeling when you vacuum something, well, you should not have. uBreakiFix, Geneva It’s easy to guess the most common repair done at uBreakiFix, a nationwide

chain with 280 locations including Geneva, La Grange, Montgomery, Naperville, Schaumburg and Wheaton. The most frequent problem is a cracked screen on an iPhone. It’s also easy to guess how this commonly happens. The user drops it.

Of course, sometimes phones break under circumstances that perhaps customers ought not share — too much information.

But they do. They drop the phones in the toilet, resulting in water damage. Or they even damage the glass because they lose their temper. “One guy told us he threw the phone at his significant other,” says Mark Swistek, Geneva store manager.

People are dependent on their phones and want them back as soon as possible.

The shop does same-day repairs, often in less than an hour. Often it’s much more than a cracked screen that bedevils a phone, tablet or iPad. Digital technology can seem impossibly intricate. But a human made it, and a human can fix it.

“Our motto is if it has a power button and the parts are available, we can fix it,” Swistek says. On the other hand, it may take a bit of head-scratching, trial-anderror and diagnostic wizardry. “Every great technician gets stumped,” admits Swistek.

Price can be a sticking point. The store lets the customer decide if it’s worth fixing.

“The breaking point is about $300. Over that, they don’t get it fixed,” he says.

People don’t get attached to their smartphones like they do to other products. Yet some customers hang on to their phones longer than you might assume. “People get the iPhone 4 fixed.

How long ago was that — 2006? It tends to be the older generation,” says Swistek, 36. “They don’t want to learn new things.”

Not surprisingly, Swistek, was an inveterate tinkerer from an early age. “I think the first thing I took apart was a stapler. Then my mom came home to find

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Photos by Ed Ahern

I had taken apart the brand-new computer she bought for me. I was able to get it back together,” he says. “I had all my friends and family asking me to do things.”

Friends and family — that’s where coming to the rescue of desperate customers becomes especially enriching.

“The most heart-wrenching thing is when their phone is dead and they can’t retrieve their photos,” says Swistek. But Swistek and another worker can retrieve the photos and save them on a thumb drive for $50.

It’s a recurring repair shop theme: all’s well that ends well.

FixThat4U, Oakbrook Terrace Have cell phone, will travel.

And will break. “We hear all kinds of stories,” says Dan Las, a manager of the FixThat4U store in Oakbrook Terrace, which also has locations in Oak Park, Lisle and Plainfield. “They run over it with their cars. They put it on the roof, and they find it on the highway.”

The iPhone is the number one product brought in for repair. That is not at all indicative of its durability.

“There are more Apple users, so we see more Apple phones,” explains Las. (In the digital world, everything — even repairs — is logical and predictable.)

Phones aren’t built to withstand uncommon abuse. “If they were manufactured to be indestructible, they’d cost upward of $1,200,” he says.

The component that prevents breakage is “guerilla glass. Most products have some of that added to it,” he says.

Phones are well-made, so it’s not a case of buyer beware. But the fumble-fingered do need to be careful. “Most devices come with a one-year warranty. But physical damage voids a warranty,” says Las. “It’s like a car and a bumper-to-bumper warranty. If you smash the bumper, you are not covered.”

Still, many users, particularly institutions, assume repairs to computers and the like are not worth it. “It’s quite the opposite,” says Las, who fixes Chromebooks and iPads hauled in by school districts. He believes too many

So what do we get fixed and what can’t be fixed?

The Repair Café in Oak Park recorded the goods brought in for repair in 2016. Clothing was first (the café had an 85 percent success rate in repairing the items), followed by lamps (72 percent success rate), small appliances (51 percent success), kitchen appliances (50 percent), and electronics (35 percent).

schools replace instead of repair computers damaged by mauling students.

With the wave of computers has come a wave of crime or at least wrongdoing.

More and more viruses generate pop-up ads and other unwelcome aliens to software.

Much worse are the scam artists. “The virus warns you have a problem and need to

The store serves musicians across the spectrum — from student beginners to devoted hobbyists to working professionals.

So if a valve is bent or a string is out of whack, they get it right. Or sometimes, at the request of a seasoned musician, they get it exactly as the customer wants.

“They know how they want it to sound.

It might not be according to specs, but we get it to how they like it,” says staffer Jesse James Marquez.

Like other products — or perhaps even more so — a musical instrument often is repaired even when it makes more sense to just buy a new one.

Not long ago, one young musician brought in a trombone and had it cleaned, re-laquered and otherwise reconditioned. So now when he plays, his great-uncle, if he were still here, would appreciate just how great his Bogdan Pawlikowski, instrument still sounds in the hands Kagan & Gaines Music Co. of his beloved great-nephew. n contact Microsoft, and so you call a number and end up paying x amount of dollars,” Cobblestone Shoe Repair: 1512 N. Naper says Las. Blvd., Suite 148, Naperville, 630 955-1550 Technology can be enraging or at the DuPage Vacuum: 806 E. Roosevelt Rd., least frustrating. His technicians know that Wheaton, 630 668-4062 and try to treat customers with kindness, Repair Café: Senior Citizens Center, 414 says Las. “We have customers who try to S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 708 848-5251 fix the phone themselves and come in with FixThat4U: 1107 Maple Ave. B, Lisle, the phone in a big pile,” he says. “We’re 630 324-6827; 17W418 22nd St., very open to helping people and giving Oakbrook Terrace, 630 828-2976; them what they need.”

1101 Lake St., Oak Park, 708 848-4140; and 2316 S. Illinois Rt. 59, Plainfield, Kagan & Gaines Music Co., Forest Park 815 267-6801 Kids do the darndest things. They The Time Center: 9848 W. Roosevelt Rd., drop, bang, bump or generally manhandle Westchester, 708 343-7731 their violas and violins, their horns and uBreakiFix: 1096 Commons Dr., Geneva, guitars. Or they don’t know how to 630 402-0171; 72 S. La Grange Rd., maintain them — no, not at all. That’s La Grange, 708 603-2196; Montgomery, just fine with Kagan & Gaines Music Co. 630 264-0808; Naperville, 331 472-4292; For 87 years, first on Wabash downtown Schaumburg; and 18 Danada Square West, and now in Forest Park for close to half a Wheaton, 630 765-7721 century, they’ve maintained and repaired Kagan & Gaines Music Co.: 7655 W. all kinds of musical instruments.

Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park, 708 771-2152

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Top

Doctors More than 500 of the leading physicians in the western suburbs, across 54 specialties, as chosen by their peers

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(See selection process details on the following page)

SEARCH BY SPECIALTY

Addiction Psychiatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Infectious Disease.. ................................................................. 42

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Adolescent Medicine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Internal Medicine. .................................................................. 42

Pediatric Nephrology..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Allergy & Immunology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Interventional Cardiology................................................. 42

Pediatric Otolaryngology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Cardiac Electrophysiology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Maternal & Fetal Medicine. . ............................................. 42

Pediatric Surgery ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Cardiovascular Disease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Medical Oncology................................................................ 43

Pediatrics ............................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.......................................... 43

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Child Neurology. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Nephrology................................................................................ 43

Plastic Surgery.................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Colon & Rectal Surgery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Neurological Surgery. ........................................................... 43

Psychiatry .. ........................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Dermatology. ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Neurology................................................................................... 44

Pulmonary Disease........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Diagnostic Radiology.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Neuroradiology........................................................................ 44

Radiation Oncology........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Obstetrics & Gynecology.................................................. 44

Reproductive Endocrinology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Family Medicine. .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Ophthalmology . . .................................................................... 44

Rheumatology . ................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Gastroenterology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Orthopaedic Surgery. .......................................................... 44

Surgery.................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Geriatric Medicine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Otolaryngology . ..................................................................... 45

Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Gynecologic Oncology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Pain Medicine . ........................................................................ 46

Hand Surgery .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Pathology. . .................................................................................. 46

Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Hematology . ........... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Pediatric Endocrinology..................................................... 46

Hospice & Palliative Medicine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Pediatric Gastroenterology.............................................. 46

Urology.. .................................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Vascular & Interventional Radiology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Vascular Surgery................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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Top doctors

How Are Top Doctors Chosen? In a Survey of Their Peers by Castle Connolly Medical

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astle Connolly Medical Ltd. is a healthcare research and information company founded in 1991 by a former medical college board chairman and president to help guide consumers to America’s top doctors and top hospitals. Castle Connolly’s established nomination survey, research, screening and selection process, under the direction of an MD, involves many hundreds of thousands of physicians as well as academic medical centers, specialty hospitals and regional and community hospitals all across the nation.

Castle Connolly’s physicianled team of researchers follows a rigorous screening process to select top doctors on both the national and regional levels.

Its online nominations process — located at www.castleconnolly.com/nominations — is open to all licensed physicians in America who are able to nominate physicians in any medical specialty and in any part of the country, as well as indicate whether the nominated physicians is, in

their opinion, among the best in their region in their medical specialty or among the best in the nation in their medical specialty.

Careful screening of doctors’ educational and professional experience is essential before final selection is made among those physicians most highly regarded by their peers.

The result — we identify the top doctors in America and provide you, the consumer, with detailed information about their education, training and special expertise in our paperback guides, national and regional magazine “Top Doctors” features and online directories.

Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected and profiled as Castle Connolly Top Doctors.

Physicians selected for inclusion in this magazine’s “Top Doctors” feature may also appear online at www.castleconnolly.com, or in conjunction with other Castle Connolly Top Doctors databases online and/or in print.

Addiction Psychiatry

Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 455-0456

Deborah Couch, Addiction/ Substance Abuse. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888

Renee Lantner, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Western Springs, 708 246-4515

David Lott, Addiction/Substance Abuse. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 646-8000

Adolescent Medicine

Edward Lisberg, Asthma & Allergy, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Drug Allergy, Sinus Disorders.

West Suburban Medical Ctr., River Forest, 708 366-9300

Garry Sigman, Eating Disorders, Obesity, Behavioral Disorders. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-9119

Richard Meyer Jr, Asthma & Allergy, Eczema,Allergic Rhinitis. Central DuPage Hospital, Carol Stream, 630 668-9610

Allergy & Immunology

Diane Ozog, Asthma, Allergy, Pediatric Allergy & Immunology.

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Naperville, 630 652-0606

Baltazar Espiritu, Asthma & Allergy, Autoimmune Disease. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 630 953-6600 Mark Jacobson, Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma & Sinusitis, Cough-Chronic, Food Allergy. AMITA Health Adventist

G. Wendell Richmond, Immune Deficiency, Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 455-0456

Cardiac Electrophysiology David Wilber, Atrial Fibrillation, Arrhythmias, Heart Failure. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-2642

Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3422

Cardiovascular Disease

Rabindra Malhotra, Cardiac Catheterization, Angioplasty & Stent Placement. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 852-0230

John Barron, Coronary Artery Disease, Echocardiography, Heart Failure, Nuclear Cardiology. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2749

Joseph Marek, Hypertension, Preventive Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease,Angioplasty. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 719-4799

Alan Brown, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Preventive Cardiology.

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-2730

Robert Mazurek, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, 847 843-0726

Vincent Bufalino, Preventive Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-2730 Lowell Carpenter, Cardiac Catheterization, Percutaneous Vascular Interventions, Echocardiography, Interventional Cardiology. Rush Copley Medical Ctr,, Aurora, 630 264-8600

Thomas McKiernan, Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2749 Ivan Pacold, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Geriatric Cardiology, Preventive Cardiology. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2749 Evans Pappas, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders,Hypertension. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 718-2660

Eugene Chiu, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 740-1900

R. Andrew Rauh, Congestive Heart Failure. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 946-2250

Maria Costanzo, Transplant Medicine-Heart, Congestive Heart Failure. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-2730

Venoodhar Reddy, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3680

Daniele De Girolami, Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging.

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 740-1900 Mark Duerinck, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 510-9244 Duane Follman, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3422 Gary Gibbs, Congestive Heart Failure, Heart Valve Disease, Nuclear Cardiology. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3422

Muhammad Riaz, Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, 847 717-0600 Gaile Sabaliauskas, Cardiac Effects of Cancer/Cancer Therapy. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 719-4799 Sara Sirna, Preventive Cardiology, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Hypertension, Heart Disease in Women. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2749 Mushabbar Syed, Cardiac Imaging.

Loyola University Medical Ctr. Maywood 708 327-2739

Santosh Gill, Preventive Cardiology, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Heart Disease in Women, Interventional Cardiology. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 851-6440

Diane Wallis, Vein Disorders.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 737-0450

William Gries, Echocardiography, Preventive Cardiology, Peripheral Vascular Disease. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3680

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Alain Heroux, Transplant MedicineHeart, Heart Failure. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2738 Jerome Hines, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3422 Dennis Killian, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 740-1900 Lloyd Klein, Coronary Artery Disease, Angiography-Coronary, Angioplasty & Stent Placement, Coronary Syndrome-Acute. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 681-7862 Gregory Lewis, Pacemakers/ Defibrillators,Arrhythmias, Cardiac Electrophysiology. AMITA Health

Kurt Williams, Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 232-0280

Elizabeth Bernardino, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety Disorders. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, 630 325-4899 Anthony D’Agostino, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, Psychopharmacology, ADD/ADHD, Child Psychiatry. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, 847 755-8090 Ahmed Hussain, Depression, ADD/ ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar/ Mood Disorders. Streamwood Behavioral Health Ctr., Streamwood, 630 837-9000

Child Neurology Steven Coker, Epilepsy/Seizure

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Disorders. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-6631 Priti Singh, Advocate Christ Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 630 230-3372 David Sperry, Headache, ADD/ADHD, Seizure Disorders, Migraine. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-6631 Rita Yadava, ADD/ADHD, Behavioral Disorders. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Elmhurst, 630 758-8798

Colon & Rectal Surgery Theodore Saclarides, Rectal Cancer/Sphincter Preservation, Laparoscopic Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2846 Michelle Slogoff, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery, Anal Disorders & Reconstruction, Anal Cancer. Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 208-7874 James Wielgolewski, Hemorrhoids.

Edward Hospital, Naperville 630 790-1700 Jeffrey Zawacki, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Berwyn, 708 484-0621

Dermatology James Davis, Acne,Dermatitis. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 355-1102 Amy Derick, Skin Cancer & Moles, Melanoma Early Detection/ Prevention, Medical Dermatology, Acne & Rosacea. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Elgin, 847 381-8899 John Kalis, Psoriasis, Eczema, Acne, Pediatric Dermatology. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oak Brook, 630 574-5860 Fred Kemp, Skin Cancer, Cosmetic Dermatology. Presence Mercy Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 859-6864 Susan Liebovitz, Psoriasis, Skin Cancer,Cosmetic Dermatology, Botox & Collagen Therapy. AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 884-8096 Mary Massa, Cosmetic Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Botox Therapy, Dermatologic Injectables & Fillers.

Rush University Medical Ctr., Westmont, 630 968-4500 Julie Moore, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-5086 Marianne O’Donoghue, Acne & Rosacea, Eczema, Medical Dermatology. West Suburban Medical Ctr., Oak Brook, 630 574-5860 Jessica Sheehan, Mohs Surgery, Skin Cancer, Dermatologic Surgery, Cosmetic Dermatology. Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, Elgin, 847 381-8899 Rebecca Tung, Mohs Surgery, Skin Cancer, Reconstructive Surgery-Skin, Cosmetic Dermatology.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., La Grange Park, 708 485-1020

Annette Wagner, Pediatric Dermatology, Laser Surgery, Port Wine Stains, Birthmarks. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Westchester, 312 227-6060

Diabetes, Growth Disorders, Pediatric Endocrinology. Edward Hospital, Wheaton, 630 416-4501

Margo Wolf, Preventive Medicine.

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-2900

Family Medicine

Gastroenterology

Diagnostic Radiology

Guy Agostino, Hypertension, Diabetes, Preventive Medicine.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 579-4801

Richard Benya, Endoscopy,Celiac Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-0464

Eva Bading, Women’s Health, Preventive Medicine. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 531-5200

Scott Berger, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-6450

Terrence Demos, Musculoskeletal Imaging. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-0170 Christine Dudiak, Ultrasound. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8934 Stanley Kim, Interventional Radiology.

Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4487 Tony Kim, Neuroradiology. Hinsdale, 630 856-7400 Hal Kipfer, Breast Imaging, MRI-Breast, Mammography, Breast Cancer. Joliet, 630 545-7880 James Oakey, Body Imaging, Musculoskeletal Imaging, MRI, Ultrasound. Central DuPage Hospital, Lombard, 630 545-7880 Michael Racenstein, Breast Imaging, Mammography, Breast Cancer. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 877 717-7700 Bernard Schupbach, Interventional Radiology, Neuroradiology. Presence Mercy Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 801-2505 Michael Schwartz, Nuclear Radiology. Presence St. Joseph Hospital-Elgin, Geneva, 630-208-9325 David Wasserman, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 331 221-5420

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism William Bayer, Diabetes, Thyroid Disorders, Osteoporosis. Central DuPage Hospital, Carol Stream, 630 668-3210 Steven Bielski, Pituitary Disorders, Adrenal Disorders. Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 208-6775 Pauline Camacho, Osteoporosis, Bone Disorders-Metabolic. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-0160 Gerald Charnogursky, Diabetes, Thyroid Disorders, Pituitary Disorders.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-0160 Mary Ann Emanuele, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Thyroid Disorders, Parathyroid Disorders. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8563 Grant Sievertsen Jr, Reproductive Endocrinology, Metabolic Disorders.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540 Terrence Swade, Diabetes, Thyroid Disorders, Pituitary Disorders. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 629-3610 W. Patrick Zeller, Thyroid Disorders,

Stephen Behnke, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, 847 985-9390 Joanna Borowicz, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-2900 Mark Collins, Geriatric Medicine, Diabetes, Preventive Medicine. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3500 Gregg Fenske, Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma. AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr, Hoffman Estates, 847 882-2400 Calvin Fischer, Diabetes, Hypertension.

AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 882-2400 Michael Fitzgerald, Diabetes, Asthma, Preventive Medicine. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 717-2646 Lisa Fortman, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 856-8650 William Gros, Hypertension, Diabetes,Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 579-4801 Margaret Hannon, Geriatric Medicine, Women’s Health, Preventive Medicine. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Western Springs, 708 246-4155 Eileen Heffernan, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 744-4357 James Judge, Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 531-5200 Charles Kalenowski, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Bartlett, 847 952-7393 Linda Lis, Women’s Health, Preventive Medicine. Hinsdale, 630 655-117 Stefan Nemeth, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-2900 Dorothea Poulos, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 888-3661 Fred Richardson, Rush Oak Park Hospital, Oak Park, 708 524-0123 Eric Spratford, Palliative Care.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Westchester, 708 562-5430 Michael Vosicky, Central DuPage Hospital, Bloomingdale, 630 351-9170 Margaret Wade, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-1558 Michael Waszak, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-3440

Suresh Bhalla, Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 744-2123 Joseph Bresnahan, Liver Disease, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

MacNeal Hospital, Riverside, 708 783-7000 Scott Cotler, Liver Disease, Liver Cancer, Transplant Medicine-Liver, Hepatitis B. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 855 483-7362 Mark Dubin, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Liver Disease.

AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 490-9901 David Gerard, Hepatitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease/Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Downers Grove, 630 969-1167 Stephen Grill, Colonoscopy, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oakbrook Terrace, 630 833-0653 Robert Janda, Swallowing Disorders, Colonoscopy. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-2260 Deepak Khurana, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 931-7550 George Morgan, Esophageal Disorders, Barrett’s Esophagus. Edward Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 416-7006 Brian Muska, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Colonoscopy, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, 847 843-0726 Suriya Sastri, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Willowbrook, 630 325-8684 Matthew Smith, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis,Hepatitis C. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oakbrook Terrace, 630 717-2600 Gerard Sublette, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 758-8889 Philip Sweeney, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Hinsdale, 630 325-4255 Jeffrey Victor, Liver Disease,Capsule Endoscopy. Delnor Community Hospital, St. Charles, 630 208-7388 Rockford Yapp III, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Esophageal Cancer, Eosinophilic Esophagitis,

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>

Top doctors Barrett’s Esophagus. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 434-9312

Surgery, Upper Extremity Surgery.

Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 225-2663

George Zahrebelski, Irritable Bowel Syndrome,Liver Disease,Hepatitis.

AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates. 847 882-8300

Craig Torosian, Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Elbow Surgery, Shoulder Surgery. Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 584-1400

David Zepeda, Inflammatory Bowel Disease,Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 264-8880

David Tulipan, Hand & Wrist Surgery, Joint Replacement, Arthritis.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 790-1872

Geriatric Medicine

Hematology

Viswanatham Susarla, Diabetes, Hypertension, Alzheimer’s Disease.

Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, 847 741-0026

Sucha Nand, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Myeloproliferative Disorders, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin’s. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3217

Roger Weise, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 364-6724

Gynecologic Oncology Barbara Buttin, Gynecologic Cancers. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Warrenville, 630 933-4950 Ronald Potkul, Ovarian Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Robotic Surgery, Vulvar & Vaginal Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3383 Sudarshan Sharma, Gynecologic Cancers, Minimally Invasive Surgery.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 856-6757 Josh Tunca, Ovarian Cancer, Robotic Surgery, HPV-Human Papilloma Virus.

AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, 847 490-0144

Hand Surgery Michael Bednar, Hand & Wrist Surgery, Brachial Plexus Palsy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-5825 Matthew Bernstein, Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Joint Replacement, Shoulder Surgery. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, 847 285-4200 Michael Cohen, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Rotator Cuff Surgery, Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-2121 Peter Hui, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Microsurgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Elmhurst, 630 530-0442 Thomas Kiesler, Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Sports Injuries, Trauma, Arthritis. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 225-2663 Terry Light, Congenital Hand Deformities, Hand Injuries-Pediatric, Thumb-Absence, Hand Reconstruction-Pediatric.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-4570 Richard Thomas, Microsurgery, Elbow

Patrick Stiff, Bone Marrow Transplant, Leukemia, Ovarian Cancer, Vaccine Therapy. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3148 Donald Sweet Jr, Bone Marrow Transplant,Bleeding/Coagulation Disorders,Lymphoma. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 654-1790

Hospice & Palliative Medicine Ileana Leyva, Palliative Care.

Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4847

Infectious Disease Frederick Alexander, Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, 815 726-1818

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Burr Ridge, 630 654-4201

Brian O’Leary, Chronic Illness. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 946-2565

Internal Medicine

Gregory Ozark, Loyola University Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 708 327-1300

Richard Baley, Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, 847 742-3525 Ojash Bhagwakar, Hypertension, Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Heart Disease.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 627-4722

Ashish Patel, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Preventive Medicine, Heart Disease, Preventive Cardiology. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, 847 490-0600

James Boblick, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 708 327-7030

Warren Pierce, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, 847 843-7030

William Boblick Jr, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oak Park, 708 327-1410

Steven Rehusch, AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, 630 830-1900

Ronald Bosh, Preventive Medicine.

Delnor Community Hospital, Batavia, 630 879-2110

Reena Shah, Delnor Community Hospital, Batavia, 630 879-2110

Alan Brongiel, AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, 630 830-1900 Robert Carbone, Preventive Medicine. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540 Steven Cataldo, Preventive Medicine, Hypertension. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-2121 James Collins, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 355-6200 Jeffrey Eye, Preventive Medicine, Diabetes, Hypertension, Cholesterol/ Lipid Disorders. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3678

Linda Tayeh, Preventive Medicine.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Oakbrook Terrace, 630 627-7399 Keith Veselik, Loyola University Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 708 327-1300 Jennifer Virant, Women’s Health, Diabetes. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540 Peter Yoon, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 932-2020

Interventional Cardiology Edgar Carell, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Vascular Medicine, Hypertension. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3422

Nina Clark, HIV, Infections-Transplant, Viral Infections. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3232

Maureen Fearon, Preventive Medicine,Hypertension. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Oak Brook Terrace, 630 627-7399

James Cook, Tuberculosis, Non Tuberculous Mycobacteria. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3232

Thomas Gallagher, Preventive Medicine. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540

Fred Leya, Aneurysm-Aortic, Heart Attack, Coronary Artery Disease,Heart Valve Disease. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-4720

Jason Griffin, Preventive Medicine, Hypertension, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Diabetes. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540

John Lopez, Cardiac Catheterization, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Valve Disease, Aneurysm-Aortic. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-4720

Catherine Grotelueschen, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 932-2020

Stephen Rowley, Heart Disease in Women, Nuclear Cardiology, Angioplasty, Arrhythmias. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 719-4799

Rodica Dumitru, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Burr Ridge, 888 220-6432 Lynwood Jones III, Travel Medicine.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3694 Steven Lewis, Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 232-6111 Bob Manam, Fevers of Unknown Origin, Infection Control. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 851-1144 J. Paul O’Keefe, AIDS/HIV,Fungal Infections, Infections-Surgical. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3232 Edward Sherman, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,AIDS/HIV, Travel Medicine.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 545-4075 Mia Taormina, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 545-4075 Gary Trager, Tuberculosis. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-3440 David Waitley, Wound Healing/ Care,AIDS/HIV, Travel Medicine.

Amy Hashimoto, Cholesterol/Lipid Disorders, Hypertension, Women’s Health. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-3540 Paul Hering, Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8757 Brian Ing, Preventive Medicine.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., North Riverside, 708 354-9250

Peter Kerwin, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 435-6100

Donald Tanis, Nuclear Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease, Echocardiography. Rush University Medical Ctr., Oak Park, 708 660-2328

Maternal & Fetal Medicine

Edward Kogan, AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 884-7111

Jean Goodman, Diabetes in Pregnancy, Prenatal Diagnosis, Prenatal Ultrasound, Pregnancy-High Risk. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-4033

Richard Krouse, Chronic Illness, Diabetes, Kidney Disease. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lisle, 630 873-8875

Michael Hussey, Prenatal Diagnosis, Multiple Gestation ,Pregnancy-High Risk. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-6091

Mary Jo Liszek, Women’s Health.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., North Riverside, 708 354-9250

Paula Melone, Pregnancy-High Risk.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888

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Medical Oncology

Melrose Park, 708 327-1500

Kathy Albain, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Cancer Survivors-Late Effects of Therapy, Mesothelioma. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3102

Elyse Schneiderman, Breast Cancer.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 654-1790

Dennis Azuma, Breast Cancer.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 369-1501 Nafisa Burhani, Breast Cancer, Lymphoma, Colon Cancer. Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, 815 725-1355 Joseph Clark, Kidney Cancer, Melanoma, Head & Neck Cancer.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3217 Marilyn Evrard, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 331 221-5900 Linda Ferris, Lung Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 352-5450 Daniel Frank, Central DuPage Hospital, Lisle. 630 364-7850 Ellen Gaynor, Breast Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Bladder Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3214 Christopher George, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Prostate Cancer. Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 232-0610 Gary Grad, Breast Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Prostate Cancer (advanced),Lung Cancer.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 437-3312 James Hannigan, Breast Cancer, Colon & Rectal Cancer. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Hinsdale, 630 286-5500 Alexander Hantel, Breast Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Palliative Care. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-3788 Arvind Kumar, Lung Cancer, Testicular Cancer. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-1355 Steven Leibach, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 437-3312 Patricia Madej, Breast Cancer, Lymphoma,Lung Cancer. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 654-1790 Kenneth Micetich, Gastrointestinal Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3144 Edwin Priest, AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 885-4100 Sarode Pundaleeka, Hematology.

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-1355 Leela Rao, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Bolingbrook, 630 312-2000 David Rosi, Leukemia, Lymphoma.

Loyola University Medical Ctr.,

Kulumani Sivarajan, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, 815 725-1355 Samir Undevia, Sarcoma-Soft Tissue.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-3788 Warren Wong, Hematology, Solid Tumors. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 708 579-3418

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Robert Covert, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 847 991-0440 Leslie Farolan, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 847 991-0440 Jonathan Muraskas, Prematurity/ Low Birth Weight Infants, Multiple Gestation, Conjoined Twins, Ethics.

Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital-Loyola, Maywood, 888 584-7888 Marc Weiss, Prematurity/Low Birth Weight Infants, Breathing Disorders.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-1067

Nephrology Nasir Ahmad, Advocate Sherman Hospital, South Elgin, 847 697-2692 Vinod Bansal, Hypertension, Glomerulonephritis, Kidney DiseaseChronic, Lupus Nephritis. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3306 Karen Griffin, Hypertension, Diabetic Kidney Disease. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3306 Naresh Julka, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 968-1595 Z. Teresa Kravets, Hypertension, Dialysis Care, Kidney Failure-Acute.

Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, 815 744-5550 David Leehey, Diabetic Kidney Disease, Hypertension, Kidney Stones.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708-216-3306 Lisa Pillsbury, Dialysis Care. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847-952-9332 Leonard Potempa, Hypertension, Hypertension-Drug Resistent, Glomerulonephritis, Kidney DiseaseChronic. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 354-1306 Anis Rauf, Kidney Failure. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Bolingbrook, Lombard, 630 495-9356 Mohammad Zahid, Hypertension, Kidney Failure, Dialysis Care. Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, 847 697-6464

Neurological Surgery John Brayton, Delnor Community Hospital, Naperville, 630 983-7100

DIANE L. OZOG, M.D. & ASSOCIATES ADULT & PEDIATRIC ASTHMA, ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY

D

r. Diane Ozog & her staff specialize in providing comprehensive health care for patients and families, from infants to seniors, for asthma, allergy and clinical immunology. Commitment to excellence, care and responsiveness are utmost in her approach to each and every patient.

Her practice represents a strong group of medical experts. In addition, adult and pediatric patients symptomatic with food allergies, eczema, sinus issues, recurrent infections, stinging insect allergy, hives, drug allergy and eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases are also evaluated and treated in her practice.

Educating our patients about their asthma, allergies and other related conditions is very important to us. Our practice strongly emphasizes this philosophy.

We believe that patients should participate in their medical care by taking an active role in maintaining a healthy state of body and mind. Our physicians are available for consultation and emergency calls 24/7. Their goal is to listen and care and for every patient to: Have an Allergy and Asthma Free Day !

We Listen.

We Care.

DIANE L. OZOG, M.D. & ASSOCIATES 630.652.0606 • www.drdianeozog.com 1331 W. 75th Street • Suite 303 • Naperville, IL 60540 130 S. Main Street • Suite 306 • Lombard, IL 60148 WEST SUBURBAN LIVING | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | APRIL 2017 43

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Top doctors Anthony DiGianfilippo, Spinal Surgery-Cervical,Aneurysm, Trigeminal Neuralgia. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 655-1229 Stanley Fronczak, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 655-1229 Robert Kazan, Spinal SurgeryCervical, Acoustic Neuroma, Aneurysm-Cerebral, Trigeminal Neuralgia. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 655-1229 Christopher Loftus, Carotid Artery Surgery, Aneurysm-Cerebral, Vascular Malformations, Stroke. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8563 Russ Nockels, Spinal SurgeryComplex, Spinal Deformity, Scoliosis, Spinal Cord Injury. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-0005

Neuroradiology Sasan Payvar, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-7200 Harish Shownkeen, Interventional Neuroradiology, Stroke, Arteriovenous Malformations. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-2113

Obstetrics & Gynecology Vasant Acharya, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, River Forest, 708 386-2400 Jaafar Afshar, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 681-7670

Ophthalmology

Kimberly Bruneau, Menopause Problems, Pregnancy-High Risk, Women’s Health. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Downers Grove, 630 969-7706 Caroline Casey, Women’s Health.

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 832-4210 Elaine Cheng, Menopause Problems, Pregnancy, Women’s Health. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Downers Grove, 630 719-9229

Szymon Rosenblatt, Skull Base Tumors & Surgery, Cerebrovascular Surgery, Brain Tumors, Spinal Cord Disorders.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3630

Ellen Embry, Pregnancy,Women’s Health. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 978-6886

Dennis Wen, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 695-6611

Neurology Jose Biller, Vascular Neurology, Stroke in Children, Aneurysm. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-4702 Wayne Gavino, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 695-8721 Surendra Gulati, Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-3942 Ninith Kartha, Movement Disorders, Dementia. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 708 216-4702 Donald Lussky, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 331 221-9095 Michael Merchut, Neuromuscular Disorders, Electromyography (EMG), Myasthenia Gravis. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888 Michael Rezak, Movement Disorders, Deep Brain Stimulation. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4056 Michael Schneck, Stroke, NeurologyIntensive Care, Aneurysm, Vascular Neurology. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-9000 Christopher Simon, Stroke/ Cerebrovascular Disease, Epilepsy/ Seizure Disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, Headache. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 986-8770 John Wilson, Peripheral Neuropathy, Headache. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 681-7879

Leslie Spencer, Women’s Health.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 920-2229 Paula White-Prock, Menopause Problems, Pap Smear Abnormalities.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Oakbrook Terrace, 630 627-7399

Vikram Prabhu, Brain Tumors, Pituitary Tumors, Skull Base Tumors, Meningioma. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3208

Matthew Ross, Brain Tumors,Spinal Tumors, Spinal Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 393-2222

Gayle Simmons, Menopause Problems, Pregnancy, Women’s Health. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Downers Grove, 630 969-7706

Michael Feingold, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 428-1500 Meghan Flannery, Pregnancy, Women’s Health. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 717-9977 Martin Gallo, Pregnancy, Menopause Problems, Minimally Invasive Surgery. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 435-6107 Gail Gerber, Infertility, Pap Smear Abnormalities, Pregnancy-High Risk.

AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, 847 884-1800 Scott Graziano, Menopause Problems, Gynecologic Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Laparoscopic Hysterectomy. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 888 584-7888 James Jenks, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 968-2144 Virginia Kelly, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 968-2144 Liana Lucaric, Pregnancy, Women’s Health Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 717-9977 Katherine Nolan-Watson, Preventive Medicine, Menopause Problems, Adolescent Gynecology.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 620-8061 Patrick Pozzi, Laparoscopic Surgery, Infertility, Hysterectomy Alternatives.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-8866 Andrew Roth, Women’s Health, Pregnancy-High Risk. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 932-2055

Brad Anstadt, Glaucoma, Cataract Surgery. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-4510 Robert Barnes, Glaucoma Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 897-5104 Charles Bouchard, Cataract Surgery, LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cornea Transplant, Keratoconus.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3833

Krishan Nagpal, Diabetic Eye Disease/Retinopathy, Geriatric Ophthalmology. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 832-3055 Raymond Nootens, Glaucoma, Diabetic Eye Disease/Retinopathy.

Stickney, 708 788-3400 Lois Polatnick, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Vision Loss-Unexplained Loss. Mercy Hospital & Medical Ctr.-Chicago, Aurora, 630 897-5104 William Reiff, Cataract Surgery.

Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 841-8866 Kenneth Resnick, Retinal Disorders, Diabetic Eye Disease/Retinopathy, Macular Degeneration. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oak Brook, 630 571-1501 Brian Smith, Cataract Surgery, Corneal Disease & Surgery, Glaucoma, LASIK-Refractive Surgery.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-2828

Mark Daily, Macular Degeneration.

Central DuPage Hospital, Wheaton, 630 668-8250

David Springer, Cornea Transplant, Cataract Surgery, Corneal Disease & Surgery. West Suburban Medical Ctr., Oak Park, 708 848-2400

Patricia Davis, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus-Adult & Pediatric. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 897-5104

Susanne Tidow-Kebritchi, Cataract Surgery. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3833

Felipe De Alba, Retina/Vitreous Surgery, Diabetic Eye Disease/ Retinopathy, Macular Disease/ Degeneration. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3833 Robert Foody, Cataract Surgery, Refractive Surgery, Laser Surgery.

Mercy Hospital & Medical Ctr.Chicago, Aurora, 630 897-5104 David Gieser, Glaucoma Central DuPage Hospital, Wheaton, 630 668-8250 Lise Guay-Bhatia, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Amblyopia, Strabismus-Adult & Pediatric.

Central DuPage Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 322-8300 Jeffrey Haag, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Cataract Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Wheaton, 630 668-8250 Walter Jay, Neuro-Ophthalmology.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888 Tosca Kekish, Cataract Surgery, Diabetic Eye Disease/Retinopathy, Glaucoma. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 264-8830 C. Ronald Lindberg, Cataract Surgery, Diabetic Eye Disease/ Retinopathy, Glaucoma. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Hinsdale, 708 579-3090 James McDonnell, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus-Adult & Pediatric. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3833 David Morimoto, Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-3220

Audrey Wayne, PRK-Refractive Surgery, Glaucoma, Cataract Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 654-4551 Lisa Wohl, LASIK-Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma, Dry Eye Syndrome. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., GlenOaks, Bloomingdale, 630 351-2030 Richard Zak, Retinal Disorders, Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Eye Disease/Retinopathy, Retinal Detachment. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 897-5104 Aras Zlioba, Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma, Cornea & External Eye Disease. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 741-3220

Orthopaedic Surgery Joshua Alpert, Sports Injuries, Sports Medicine. Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 224 293-1170 Haluk Altiok, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Spinal Surgery-Pediatric, Hip Disorders & Dysplasia, Spina Bifida.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Burr Ridge, 708-27-1000 Marc Asselmeier, Sports Medicine, Shoulder Surgery. Edward Hospital, Glen Ellyn, 630 790-1872 Giridhar Burra, Sports Injuries, Knee Surgery, Shoulder & Elbow Surgery, Arthroscopic Surgery. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Naperville, 630 323-6116 Steven Chudik, Arthroscopic Surgery, Shoulder Surgery, Knee Injuries/ACL, Sports Medicine. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 920-2350

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Michael Collins, Arthroscopic Surgery, Shoulder & Knee Surgery, Knee Replacement, Rotator Cuff Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-6116 Robert Daley, Knee Surgery, Knee Replacement, Joint Reconstruction, Cartilage Damage. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-6116 Benjamin Domb, Arthroscopic Surgery, Hip Surgery, Sports Medicine, Shoulder & Knee Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 920-2350 Michael Durkin, Hip & Knee Surgery, Shoulder Surgery, Joint Replacement, Knee Injuries/ACL. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-6116 Richard Erickson, Hip & Knee Surgery, Hip & Knee Replacement, Shoulder Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Carol Stream, 630 665-9155 Howard Freedberg, Arthroscopic Surgery, Sports Medicine, Shoulder & Knee Reconstruction. AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Ctr., Hoffman Estates, Bartlett, 630 372-1100 Michael Gitelis, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Elgin, 847 931-5300 Stephen Heim, Spinal Surgery.

Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 225-2663

Erling Ho, Shoulder Surgery. MacNeal Hospital, Riverside, 708 442-0221 William Hopkinson, Joint Replacement, Arthritis, Sports Medicine, Hip & Knee Replacement.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888 Kevan Ketterling, Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic Surgery, Knee Surgery.

Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 584-1400 Steven Louis, Hip & Knee Replacement, Pelvic & Acetabular Fractures, Fractures-Complex & Non Union, Trauma. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Hinsdale, 630 323-6116 Steven Mash, Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic Surgery. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 968-1881 Nicholas Mataragas, Spinal Surgery, Spinal Reconstructive Surgery, Spinal Disc Replacement. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 967-2225 Jeffrey Meisles, Joint Replacement, Sports Medicine, Arthritis. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 782-9600 Mary Morrell, Arthroscopic Surgery, Arthritis,Hand & Wrist Surgery, Trauma.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 437-9889 Scott O’Connor, Presence Mercy

Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 978-3800 P. Ronjon Paul, Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Spinal Surgery. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 967-2225 John Reilly, Sports Medicine, Joint Replacement, Fractures. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 790-1872 Keith Schroeder, Shoulder & Knee Surgery, Joint Replacement, Sports Medicine, Knee Replacement. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, 847 885-0022 Pietro Tonino, Knee Surgery, Shoulder & Elbow Surgery, Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic Surgery. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8730 Leah Urbanosky, Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery, Arthritis, Reconstructive Surgery. Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 630 323-6116 Kevin Walsh, Joint Replacement.

Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 790-1872 Michael Zindrick, Spinal Disorders, Spinal Deformity-Pediatric. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-6116

Otolaryngology Robert Bastian, Voice Disorders, Swallowing Disorders, Laryngeal

Disorders, Airway Disorders. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 724-1100 Robert Battista, Hearing Disorders/ Tinnitus, Ear Disorders/Surgery, Acoustic Neuroma, Meniere’s Disease.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 789-3110 Lawrence Berg, Nasal & Sinus Disorders, Sleep Disorders/Apnea/ Snoring, Allergy, Hearing Disorders/ Tinnitus. Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 697-3800 Richard Borrowdale, Head & Neck Cancer, Thyroid & Parathyroid Cancer & Surgery, Head & Neck Reconstruction. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-1676 Shilpa Cherukupally, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Sinus Disorders/Surgery, Sleep Apnea. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 873-8700 Joseph Donzelli, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery, Airway Disorders, Voice Disorders. Central DuPage Hospital, Naperville, 630 420-2323 Michael Gartlan, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Ear Disorders, Sinus Disorders, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-1191 Samuel Girgis, Sinus Disorders/ Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery-Face. AMITA Health

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Top doctors Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-5214 Raymond Konior, Hair Restoration/ Transplant. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Oakbrook Terrace, 630 932-9690 Daniel Kurtzman, Sinus Disorders, Nasal Reconstruction, Thyroid Disorders. Rush Oak Park Hospital, Berwyn, 708 749-3070 John Leonetti, Skull Base Tumors & Surgery, Neuro-Otology, Head & Neck Cancer, Facial Paralysis. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-9183 Rajeev Mehta, Allergy, Sinus Disorders/ Surgery, Thyroid Disorders,Minimally Invasive Surgery. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-1191 Victor Mokarry, Nasal & Sinus Disorders, Sleep Disorders/Apnea/ Snoring, Head & Neck Cancer, Pediatric Otolaryngology. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 357-9486 Ankit Patel, Pediatric & Adult Otolaryngology, Hearing Disorders/ Tinnitus, Nasal & Sinus Disorders, Nasal & Sinus Surgery. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-1191 James Rejowski, Head & Neck Surgery, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 654-1391 Brent Richardson, Voice Disorders, Airway Disorders, Swallowing Disorders. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 724-1100 Bryan Rubach, Sinus Disorders/Surgery, Head & Neck Cancer & Surgery, Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery-Face & Neck. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 820-8653 James Stankiewicz, Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, Rhinosinusitis, Nasal & Sinus Disorders. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-9183 Regina Walker, Sleep Apnea, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Western Springs, 708 246-4475

Pain Medicine John Gashkoff, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 967-6000 Mohammad Khan, Pain-Interventional Techniques. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-7730 Paul Manganelli, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 967-6000 John Prunskis, Pain-Back & Neck, Headache, Pain-Musculoskeletal, Pain-Pelvic. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Elgin, 847 289-8822

Pathology Cathryn Goldberg, Bone Marrow Pathology, Hematopathology. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 527-5926

Dino Vallera, Transfusion Medicine, Cytopathology. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 856-7851

Pediatric Endocrinology Tseghai Berhe, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Roselle, 847 894-2624

Pediatric Gastroenterology James Berman, Inflammatory Bowel Disease/Crohn’s, Nutrition, Ulcerative Colitis. Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital-Loyola, Maywood, 708 327-9073

Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology Ammar Hayani, Leukemia, Solid Tumors, Lymphoma. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4291 Charles Hemenway, Pediatric Cancers, Leukemia & Lymphoma, Bleeding/Coagulation Disorders.

Ronald McDonald Children’s HospitalLoyola, Maywood, 708 216-8563 Sharad Salvi, Leukemia & Lymphoma, Bleeding/Coagulation Disorders, Anemia, Solid Tumors.

Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4291

Pediatric Nephrology Rekha Agrawal, Kidney Disease, Hypertension, Transplant MedicineKidney. Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital-Loyola, Maywood, 708 327-9149

Pediatric Otolaryngology Andrew Hotaling, Sleep Apnea, Neck Masses,Ear Infections, Airway Disorders. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-9183 Eileen Mahoney, Airway Disorders, Swallowing Disorders, Sleep Disorders/ Apnea. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 981-0032

Pediatric Surgery Loretto Glynn, Congenital Anomalies, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Chest Wall Deformities. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-6631

Pediatrics Javed Bangash, Asthma, Allergy, ADD/ADHD. Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 742-9698 Maria Bayang, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Bolingbrook, Lockport, 815 838-7337

Hinsdale, 630 323-0890 Louis Camras, Growth/Development Disorders, Chronic Illness, Preventive Medicine, Vaccines. Presence Mercy Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 896-7788 Hannah Chow, Breastfeeding, Breathing Disorders. Loyola University Medical Ctr., North Riverside, 708 354-9250 Stanislava Coufal, Newborn Care, Adolescent Medicine. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Downers Grove, 630 971-6511 Thomas DeStefani, ADD/ADHD, Developmental & Behavioral Disorders, Adoption & Foster Care.

Central DuPage Hospital, Glen Ellyn, 630 790-1555 Lorene Eckberg, Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 978-6635 Lisa Franco, Preventive Medicine.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-0890 Marc Freed, Asthma, Pediatric Dermatology. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, North Riverside, 708 442-7979 Mary Gruszka, ADD/ADHD, Asthma, Cerebral Palsy, Nutrition. MacNeal Hospital, North Riverside, 708 442-7979 Sang Han, Newborn Care. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Bloomingdale, 630 529-6969 Heather Haukness, West Suburban Medical Ctr., Oak Park, 708 383-8070 Pamela Huang, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Darien, 630 810-0900 Oscar Linares, Infectious Disease.

MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, 708 788-0077 Muhammed Longi, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Bolingbrook, Lockport, 815 838-7337 Mark Matray, Adoption & Foster Care. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 588-0088 Nafeesa Moosabhoy, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 323-0890 David Morris, Sleep Disorders, Asthma,Allergy, Weight Management.

Central DuPage Hospital, Glen Ellyn, 630 469-7700 Dennis Murphy, Delnor Community Hospital, Batavia, 630 879-2110

John Boblick, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Oak Park, 708 327-1410

Martine Nelson, Edward Hospital, Lisle, 630 717-9600

Emilio Cabana, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 852-4551

Ravindranath Reddy, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Bloomingdale, 630 529-1000

John Cabana, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 852-4551

Christine Rejdukowski, Central DuPage Hospital, St. Charles, 630 348-3100

Daniel Campbell, Preventive Medicine, Newborn Care. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr.,

Moazzam Saeed, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Bolingbrook, 630 226-5300

Nabil Saleh, Westlake Community Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-0112 Jeffrey Sroka, Asthma. Delnor Community Hospital, Batavia, 630 879-2110

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Bonita Alexander, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Elk Grove Village, 847 631-5664 Norman Aliga, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Sports Injuries. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, 630 909-7000 Gouri Chaudhuri, Stroke Rehabilitation. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Oakbrook Terrace, 630 909-6518 Dennis Keane, Electromyography (EMG),Prosthesis Control, Neurologic Rehabilitation, Musculoskeletal Injuries. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Aurora, 630 909-6470 Mary Keen, Pediatric Rehabilitation, Spasticity Management, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, 630 909-7000 Richard Krieger, Stroke Rehabilitation, Neurologic Rehabilitation. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, 630 909-7045 Jeffrey Oken, Pain Management, Acupuncture, Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, 630 909-7057 Noel Rao, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, 630 909-7000

Plastic Surgery Victor Cimino, Maxillofacial Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery-Face, Cleft Palate/ Lip, Cosmetic Surgery-Breast. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Oakbrook Terrace, 630 953-6679 Joseph Daw Jr, Cosmetic SurgeryFace & Body, Breast Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Craniofacial Surgery, Liposuction & Body Contouring. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 545-7875 James Ferlmann, Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Cosmetic SurgeryBreast,Breast Reconstruction, Liposuction & Body Contouring.

Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Naperville, 630 922-8825 Bahram Ghaderi, Breast Augmentation, Liposuction & Body Contouring, Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery-Face & Body. Central DuPage Hospital, St. Charles, 630 762-9697 Ricardo Izquierdo, Cosmetic Surgery-Face & Body, Liposuction & Body Contouring, Eyelid Surgery.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Oak Brook, 630 794-0700

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Raymond Janevicius, Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cosmetic Surgery-Breast, Liposuction & Body Contouring.

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst, 331 221-9500

John Walsh, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD).

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 725-2653

Psychiatry

Radiation Oncology

Syed Anwar, Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Elgin, 847 697-2400

Azhar Awan, Solid Tumors, Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer, Sarcoma-Soft Tissue. Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 224 783-8746

Catherine Camilleri, Anxiety & Mood Disorders. Edward Hospital, Woodridge, 630 964-9400 Angelos Halaris, Depression, Bipolar/ Mood Disorders, Psychopharmacology.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888 Caroline Morrison, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety & Depression, Panic Disorder. Naperville, 630 983-8920 Murali Rao, Geriatric Psychiatry, Dual Diagnosis, Geriatric Psychiatry. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3276 David Schilling, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, Depression. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888 Gregory Teas, Bipolar/Mood Disorders, Addiction/Substance Abuse, Anxiety Disorders, Depression.

AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, 800 432-5005 Pauline Wiener, Geriatric Psychiatry, Neuro-Psychiatry, Anxiety Disorders, Dementia. Central DuPage Hospital, Carol Stream, 630 231-9400

Pulmonary Disease Lawrence Alberti, Pulmonary Infections, Emphysema, Asthma.

Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 264-8600

Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-5402

Katherine Baker, Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Head & Neck Cancer. Lisle, 630 432-6745 Martin Boyer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-5760 John Han-Chih Chang, Proton Beam Therapy, Pediatric Cancers, Head & Neck Cancer, Lung Cancer. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 821-6400 Bahman Emami, Head & Neck Cancer, Lung Cancer,Acoustic Neuroma. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-2729 William Hartsell, Pediatric Cancers, Brain Tumors, Proton Beam Therapy, Breast Cancer. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 821-6472 Christy Kesslering, Breast Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers, Brachytherapy.

Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 352-5350 Edward Melian, Brain Tumors, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Pediatric Cancers. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-2729 Brian Moran, Prostate Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers, Skin Cancer.

Lisle, 630 432-6745

Carl Barsanti, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Lombard, 630 932-2040

Rajiv Patel, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Elk Grove Village, 847 981-5760

Jon Doud, Asthma, Sleep Disorders, Emphysema, Interstitial Lung Disease.

Presence Mercy Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 264-8600

Anand Shah, Lung Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer, Brain Tumors. Lisle, 630 432-6745

Peter Freebeck, Breathing Disorders, Sleep Disorders/Apnea. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, Westmont, 630 789-9785

William Small Jr, Breast Cancer, Gynecologic Cancers, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-2729

Robert Hart, Sleep Disorders/Apnea, Narcolepsy. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 981-3660 Kevin Kovitz, Interventional Pulmonology. University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Elk Grove Village, 847 498-5864 David McElligott, Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 355-8776 Kevin Simpson, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Asthma. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8563 Nidhi Undevia, Sleep Disorders/ Apnea, Emphysema, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Pulmonary Infections. Loyola University

Michael Stutz, Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer, Brachytherapy.

Central DuPage Hospital, Geneva, 630 262-8554 Patrick Sweeney, Sarcoma, Head & Neck Cancer, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Prostate Cancer.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Hinsdale, 630 286-5500

ELAINE R. CHENG, MD, FACOG Obstetrics & Gynecology

“

Ob-Gyn is a happy specialty. It is a privilege to follow our patients from their teens, to adulthood and the senior years.

We try to follow the Golden Rule, and to promote health, wellness, and healthy pregnancies. We are a small, independent private practice of three women, and try to give personalized, friendly, gentle service.

We are multicultural and open minded, but deeply rooted in the Midwest.”

Board-Certified, Residency, Northwestern University; Medical School, Honors Program in Medical Education, Northwestern.

Awards: Top Doctors, West Suburban Living Magazine, 2014, 2017; Chicago Magazine, 2014; Castle-Connolly, 1999-2016; seen in New York Times; Patient’s Choice; America’s Top Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Angie’s List, Yelp and HealthGrades. Accepts most insurance and Medicare; discount for cash payment.

Arpi Thukral, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 275-2300

WOMEN OB-GYN ASSOCIATES

Reproductive Endocrinology

— CONVENIENT APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE —

Michael Hickey, Infertility-IVF. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 856-3535

4121 Fairview Avenue, Suite 201 • Downers Grove 630.719.9229 • www.womenobgynassociates.com

Award-winning physicians Naheed Akhter, M.D., Amy Gaunt, M.D., Elaine Cheng, M.D. Also find us on

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Top doctors

Nasir Rana, Infertility-IVF, Endometriosis, Laparoscopic Surgery. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Oakbrook, 630 954-0054

Daniel Douglas, Hernia, Breast Cancer & Surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 790-1700

Elena Trukhacheva, Infertility-IVF, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Oakbrook, 630 954-0054

Leo Farbota, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 695-6600

Meike Uhler, Infertility, Endometriosis, Menopause Problems. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Warrenville, 630 305-7576

Rheumatology

Sara Fredrickson, Breast Cancer & Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 307-7799 William Frymark Jr, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 579-0018

Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery Rudolph Altergott, Cardiac Surgery.

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 630 324-7900 Mamdouh Bakhos, Heart Valve Surgery-Mitral,Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Transplant-Heart & Lung. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2503 Michael Bresticker, Cardiac Surgery, Transplant-Heart & Lung. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 593-4116

Carey Dachman, Pain Management, Fibromyalgia. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, 847 352-5511

Robert Geller, Laparoscopic Surgery, Breast Cancer & Surgery, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-0462

Judith Frank, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-5085

Constantine Godellas, Breast Cancer, Melanoma, Sarcoma.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3430

Lee Graham, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis,Osteoporosis.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Westmont, 630 268-0200

Colleen Hagen, Breast Cancer & Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, 708 579-9705

Stephen Laga, Cardiovascular Surgery, Aneurysm, Lung Surgery.

Westlake Community Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 344-5242

Max Harris, Lupus Nephritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis.

West Suburban Medical Ctr., Oak Park, 708 763-2536

Andrew Kramer, Trauma, Breast Surgery, Vascular Surgery. Delnor Community Hospital, Geneva, 630 208-7874

Jeffrey Schwartz, Cardiac SurgeryAdult, Aneurysm-Aortic, TransplantHeart & Lung. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888

Bruce Johnson, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Fibromyalgia. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr, Elk Grove Village, 847 364-0800

Paul Kuo, Transplant-Liver, Liver & Biliary Cancer, Liver & Biliary Surgery, Transplant-Kidney. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2710

Wickii Vigneswaran, Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Cancers, TransplantLung, Mesothelioma. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2449

Lynn Meisles, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus/SLE, Osteoarthritis. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, Melrose Park, 708 450-5085 Maria Sosenko, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Lupus/SLE. Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr., Joliet, 815 744-7246 Glenn Weiner, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Lupus/SLE. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 364-0800

Amy Lu, Transplant-Kidney, Transplant-Liver, Transplant-Pancreas.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-9000 Fred Luchette, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery,Crohn’s Disease, Hernia.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2680

Surgery

Amrit Mangat, Breast Cancer & Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Glen Ellyn, 630 790-1700

Gerard Aranha, Gastric Cancer, Esophageal Cancer, Breast Cancer, Gastrointestinal Cancer & Surgery.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-3430

Louis Montana, Gallbladder Surgery, Breast Cancer & Surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery, Hernia.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 790-1700

Raul Aron, Vascular Surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery. Advocate Sherman Hospital Elgin 847 695-6600

Issa Muasher, Vein Disorders, Varicose Veins. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 920-8501

John Brems, Pancreatic Cancer, Liver Cancer, Transplant-Liver, Hepatobiliary Surgery. Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 224 359-0100

Donald Nash, Rush Oak Park Hospital, Oak Park, 708 660-2970

Bipan Chand, Obesity/Bariatric Surgery, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Barrett’s Esophagus, Hernia. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 327-2845 Mark Danielson, Breast Surgery, Hernia, Minimally Invasive Surgery.

Silver Cross Hospital, Joliet, 815 725-2277 Steven De Jong, Thyroid & Parathyroid Surgery, Adrenal Surgery, Endocrine Surgery. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-8563

William Piccione, Vein Disorders, Varicose Veins. Rush Oak Park Hospital, Oak Park, 312 563-4120 Margo Shoup, Cancer Surgery, Colon & Rectal Cancer & Surgery, Gastrointestinal Cancer & Surgery, Sarcoma. Central DuPage Hospital, Warrenville, 630 352-5450

Bryan Foy, Transplant-Heart, Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD).

Presence St. Joseph Medical Ctr.Joliet, Naperville, 630 416-8500 John Grieco, Cardiac Surgery.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 324-7913

Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery Linda Brubaker, Urogynecology, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair, Pelvic Reconstruction, Incontinence-Urinary.

Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-2180 Michael Moen, Urogynecology, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair, Pelvic Reconstruction. Rush Copley Medical Ctr., Aurora, 630 978-4837

Urology John Bockrath, Incontinence, Prostate Cancer, Erectile Dysfunction.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 369-1572 Joel Cornfield, IncontinenceUrinary, Kidney Stones, Urologic Cancer. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 887-0580 Geoffery Engel, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 823-3185 Robert Flanigan, Urologic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-5100 James Griffin, Advocate Sherman Hospital, Elgin, 847 741-0398

Noemi Sigalove, Breast Cancer & Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 307-7799

John Kritsas, Urologic Cancer.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., Hinsdale, 630 887-0580

John White, Laparoscopic Surgery, Cancer Surgery. Delnor Community Hospital, St. Charles, 630 377-5300

Paul Lyon, Prostate Cancer, Brachytherapy, Incontinence. Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 369-1572

Paul Merrick, Urologic Cancer, Vasectomy & Vasectomy Reversal, Voiding Dysfunction, Erectile Dysfunction. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 790-1221 Joseph Nuzzarello, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Stones, Prostate Benign Disease, Infertility-Male. Central DuPage Hospital, Wheaton, 630 653-5550 Robert Pasciak, Prostate Cancer, Prostate Benign Disease, Incontinence.

Edward Hospital, Naperville, 630 369-1572 Marcus Quek, Prostate Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Penile Cancer. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-5098 George Sosenko, Incontinence, Prostate Cancer, Bladder Cancer.

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, 630 725-9700 Thomas Turk, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Prostate Benign Disease, Kidney Cancer, Kidney Stones.

Loyola University Medical Ctr,, Maywood, 708 216-8152 John Wheeler Jr, Incontinence, Neurogenic Bladder. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 888 584-7888

Vascular & Interventional Radiology Marc Borge, Aneurysm-Aortic, Interventional Radiology, Vascular Disease, Varicose Veins. Loyola University Medical Ctr., Maywood, 708 216-3727 Luke Sewall, Endovascular Stent Grafts,Peripheral Vascular Disease, Uterine Fibroid Embolization, Angioplasty & Stent Placement.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Hinsdale, 630 856-7460 Donatas Siliunas, Interventional Radiology. AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Ctr., Elk Grove Village, 847 437-5500 Steven Smith, Angioplasty-Peripheral, Uterine Fibroid Embolization, Varicocele Embolization, Arteriovenous Malformations.

AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Hinsdale, 630 856-7460

Vascular Surgery Thomas Painter, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Naperville, 630 545-7565 Joseph Schneider, Carotid Endarterectomy, Aneurysm-Aortic.

Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4487 Michael Verta, Carotid Endarterectomy, Carotid Artery Stent Placement, Aneurysm-Aortic, Arterial Bypass Surgery. Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, 630 933-4487 James Walsh Jr, AMITA Health Adventist Medical Ctr., La Grange, Downers Grove, 630 416-8500

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Photos courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Gardens

Photos courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Good Enough to Eat

R

by Sara Pearsaul Vice

emember when putting in a home vegetable garden meant clearing a big space, amending the soil, and putting up stakes and tomato cages that made your property look more like a farm than a home? Today, edible gardening is burgeoning in backyards and fits right in with the well-tended suburban landscape. You can grow a fine crop of fruits and veggies in nothing more than a few containers. This season, you will find advice on getting started and a heaping helping of edible plant varieties from garden centers and growers. Public gardens, too, provide education as well as bountiful inspiration.

Start with container gardening If you are a first-time gardener of edibles, starting with a container or two of fruits, herbs or vegetables may be the easiest option. Virtually every garden center professional suggests that beginners start small with containers or with a raised bed if planting in the ground.

“People don’t have the space or they don’t want to use the space for vegetables,” says Diana Stoll, retail manager of The Planter’s Palette in Winfield. “It’s so easy to grow almost any vegetable in a container.” She notes that many suburban yards don’t have a lot of sun,

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Gardens Good Enough to Eat Place in Aurora, recommends that families involve their young children in gardening.

“Lettuce and carrots are easy to grow.

Cherry tomatoes are also good. If you make it fun for kids, you can create a life-long gardener,” she says. Van Evercooren recommends trying a themed

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

so the ability to move containers into the sunniest spots is a plus. “Vegetables work very well with flowers. You can fit in a broccoli plant with the flowers,” she suggests. Using a container also means you don’t have to contend with the clay soil that makes gardening in the western suburbs such a challenge.

At Wasco Nursery in St. Charles, grower and designer Mark Levandoski suggests starting planting early, with crops that thrive in the cool weather, such as lettuces and leafy vegetables.

“It’s a great time to start plants from seed. You can do it indoors with simple types of seed-starting trays,” he explains.

For small spaces, Levandoski recommends a potato pot with a liner that lifts out, allowing you to grow fingerling or red potatoes easily and harvest them without digging down to the bottom of the container.

“You can get a couple of pounds of potatoes out of a 12-inch pot,” he says. For larger yards, he suggests putting a row of plants in the ground and trying different herbs and vegetables.

Pick your favorite foods As edible gardening has grown in popularity, garden centers are stocking an abundance of vegetable and fruit plants, most of which are annuals. The selection can be overwhelming.

“When new gardeners come in, I ask them to think about what they want to eat, to narrow their choices down before they go to look at the vegetable plants, and to figure out how much space they have,” says Christa Bormann, manager of Heinz Brothers Greenhouse and Garden Center in St. Charles. In addition to vegetable plants, Heinz Brothers and other garden centers stock an array of seeds. “Certain plants we only recommend growing from seed, such as radishes, carrots, and beets, so you don’t disturb the roots,” she explains.

Donna Van Evercooren, who runs the vegetable teaching garden at The Growing

vegetable garden in a container or in the ground, such as a pizza garden with tomatoes, basil, green onions and sweet peppers. Last year, The Growing Place offered a salsa garden in a 16-inch diameter pot filled with tomatoes, peppers and herbs.

To accommodate small space gardeners, plant breeders like West Chicago-based Ball Horticultural Company with its Burpee line of plants, are developing new, smaller varieties of popular fruits and vegetables that produce a lot of fruit all season long. “The varieties are more compact and really high yield,” says Scott Mozingo, product manager for Burpee Home Gardens’ plants, which are

sold through retail garden centers.

With tomatoes the most popular homegrown edible, Burpee has developed Take 2 Combos, combining plants that have been tested to grow well together.

You can buy a cherry tomato and a slicing tomato in the same container. All you have to do is take the pre-planted container home and put it in a spot with full sun (more than six hours of sun a day).

Burpee’s Berries Galore line of strawberries can also be grown in a container. The plants sport flowers in rose or pink colors and berries that keep coming all summer long.

The Sweet Kiss variety of strawberries produces fruit from June until the first frost and is considered among the tastiest. Mozingo points out that Burpee varieties are naturally selected with no GMOs (genetically modified organisms). The breeding process includes attention to disease resistance, making the plants easier to grow without chemicals.

Fruit lovers may want to try dwarf bushes of raspberries, thornless blackberries or four types of blueberries from the BrazelBerries line, available at most garden centers.

They can be grown in containers or in the ground. Be aware, though, that fruit bushes grown in containers need some special overwintering care to ensure they survive for the next season. The best protection is to bring the containers inside the house or garage for the winter.

Go organic Garden centers and growers alike are seeing greater interest among home gardeners in growing edibles organically.

“People don’t want chemicals, even on their lawns,” says Levandoski of Wasco Nursery. “All of our seeds are organic. We use organic potting soil and fertilizer. The main thing is pest control, and there are a lot of botanicals and oils you can use.”

If you are buying edible plants, be sure to get them from a source that grows them organically, as many local garden centers

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Get inspired Gardeners who want to make an edible garden into a thing of beauty will find inspiration at our area’s public gardens.

For a historic perspective, Naper Settlement’s Paw Paw Post Office Flower and Vegetable Gardens demonstrate how early settlers in the 1800s grew kitchen gardens close to their homes. “It’s a nice little old-fashioned garden,” says Nancy Carroll, one of many volunteers from the Cress Creek Garden Club who have maintained this garden since it opened in 1979. She explains that people in Colonial times followed European traditions of having their kitchen gardens right outside

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

their doors in both the front and back yards. This year, the Paw Paw Gardens will be planted with such staples as tomatoes, beans, cabbages, kale and squash. The area also includes a cutting garden, which used to be a popular way to supply cut flowers for the home and little bunches or “nosegays” for friends and visitors.

An avid home gardener, Carroll invites children in her neighborhood to sample

everything she grows, allowing them to pick flowers in the spring and baby pumpkins in the fall. “I love to encourage kids to discover gardens. One day a week, I let them run around and pick what they want. It’s like an Easter egg hunt,” she says. “Gardening is for sharing.”

At Morton Arboretum, a series on edible gardening includes a workshop on April 8 by Nick Michaud on French kitchen gardens, admired for their beauty

Photo courtesy of Wasco Nursery

Photo courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company

Photo courtesy of Wasco Nursery

and growers do. Heritage Prairie Farms in Elburn is offering organic plant sales on April 8 for spring plants and May 6 and 13 for summer plants. Spring transplants include such cool-weather-loving plants as chard, kale, beets and lettuces, as well as herbs like cilantro and sage. Summer transplants, like tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon and squash, must wait to be planted until after the traditional frost-free date of May 15.

To help you learn more about organic edible gardening, Van Evercooren at The Growing Place is offering a seminar on the topic on April 1. In addition to sharing basic organic gardening principles, she will inform gardeners about the need to keep beneficial insects, such as spiders and ladybugs. They help by eating the bugs that can infest vegetable plants and their roots. “I encourage people not to use any chemicals,” she adds.

as well as their function. Michaud is head gardener for a 50-acre estate in Long Grove, which includes a formal French garden lined with clipped boxwood.

What makes a French “jardin potager?”

“For me, it’s the combining of vegetables, fruit, cut flowers and herbs all together in the same garden,” Michaud says. He likes traditional planting principles, including companion planting —“growing plants together so one plant helps another” — inter-planting ornamentals and edibles, and succession sowing to make sure the garden produces over the season. In garden design, he says, “You always want to add some height to your bed,” including tall plants that require supports like tomatoes, bush beans and pole beans.

At Cantigny Park, the Idea Garden typically contains some unusual edible cultivars and multiple types of popular herbs. “A lot of people love rosemary but probably don’t realize how many varieties there are. We grow seven different kinds.

Some have straight stems that can be used for barbecue or to skewer meat in shish kebobs. Others are weeping or cascading and are good for containers,” says Liz Omura, horticulturist for Cantigny.

Cantigny’s Spirited Botanist series features cocktails made from plants grown at the park. One of Omura’s favorites is the Asian butterfly pea plant, whose bright blue flowers are dried to make tea. The flowers turn liquids blue and form the base of the “Mood Ring” drink that shades into lavender when lemonade is added.

Her advice for home gardeners: “Try at least one new thing a year.” n

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GOLF GUIDE 2017

The western suburbs are home to some of the best public courses in the country

ARLINGTON LAKES GOLF CLUB 1211 S. New Wilke Rd., Arlington Heights 847 577-3030, www.ahpd.org. Pro: Tim Govern.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $35 for 18, $21 for 9; Wknds (non-residents): $38 for 18 before 11 a.m., $30 after 11 a.m., $26 after 5 p.m., $25 from 5-7 a.m. Wkdays (non-residents): $35 for 18, $21 for 9; Wknds (residents): $33 for 18 before 11 a.m., $24 after 11 a.m., $21 after 5 p.m., $20 from 5-7 a.m. Senior rates available.

More than 100 sand traps and nine water holes. Features strategically placed, fescueedged bunkers that bring a natural look.

ARROWHEAD GOLF CLUB 26W151 Butterfield Rd., Wheaton, 630 653-5800, www.arrowheadgolfclub.org. Pro: Bruce Stoller.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $72 for 18, $36 for 9; Wknds (non-residents): $82 for 18, $41 for 9; Wkdays (residents with ID): $59 for 18, $29 for 9; Wknds (residents with ID): $64 for 18, $32 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Surrounded by forest preserves, this 27-hole course features

No matter how good you are, you can always get better, and that’s the most exciting part.

- Tiger Woods

ponds, tree-lined fairways and white tour sand bunkers, as well as a lit driving range.

BIG RUN GOLF CLUB 17211 W. 135th St., Lockport, 815 838-1057, www.bigrungolf.com. Pro: William Roper.

Fees — Wkdays: $49 before 10 a.m., $59 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., $45 after 2 p.m.; Wknds: $69 before noon, $59 from noon-2 p.m., $49 from 2-4 p.m. Senior and seasonal rates available.

BLACKBERRY OAKS GOLF COURSE 2245 Kennedy Rd., Bristol, 630 553-7170, www.blackberryoaks.com. Pro: Chad Johansen. Fees — Wkdays: $41 for 18, $26 for 9; Wknds: $49 for 18, $33 for 9, $39 for 18

after 2 p.m., $32 after 4 p.m. Senior and junior rates available. Features wetlands, prairie grasses and mature oak groves.

BLISS CREEK GOLF COURSE 1 Golfview Ln., Sugar Grove, 630 466-4177, www.blisscreekgolf.com Pro: Dave O’Neal.

Fees — Wkdays: $33 for 18, $25 for 9; Wknds: $43 for 18, $25 after 5 p.m. Senior and junior rates available. Features tree-lined fairways and well-placed water hazards.

BLOOMINGDALE GOLF CLUB 181 Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, 630 529-6232, www.bloomingdalegc.com. Pro: David Shallcross. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents):

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Photo by Peter Schulz

E

A well hit golf shot is a feeling that goes up the shaft, right through your hands and into your heart.

- Ben Hogan for 9; Daily (residents): $42 for 18, $27 for 9.

Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

$73 for 18, $41 after 3 p.m.; Daily (course 4): $155 for 18, $100 after 4 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

BOWES CREEK COUNTRY CLUB 1250 Bowes Creek Blvd., Elgin, IL 60124, 847 214-5880. www.bowescreekcc.com.

Pro: Mike Lehman. Fees — Wkdays (nonmembers): $59 for 18, $33 for 9, $55 for 18 from noon - 2 p.m., $49 after 2 p.m.; Wknds (non-members): $69 for 18, $65 from 10 a.m. noon, $59 from noon - 2 p.m., $49 after 2 p.m.

9 for $35 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Resident, senior and junior rates available.

EAGLEWOOD RESORT & SPA 1401 Nordic Rd., Itasca, 630 773-1410. www.eaglewoodresort.com. Pro: David A. Fazio. Fees — Wkdays: $56 for 18 before noon, $46 from noon–3 p.m., $36 for 9; Wknds: $66 for 18 before noon, $56 from noon–3 p.m., $46 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Senior rates available. Features rolling greens with trees and lakes.

BROKEN ARROW GOLF CLUB 16325 W Broken Arrow Dr., Lockport, 815 836-8858, www.golfbrokenarrow.com.

Pro: Matt Reed. Fees — Wkdays: $59 for 18, $35 from 2-5 p.m., $26 after 5 p.m., $32 for 9 before 2 p.m.; Wknds: $69 for 18, $35 from 2-5 p.m., $26 after 5 p.m. $33 for 9 after 2 p.m. Manic Monday: $33. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available. North Course is the only double-greens in Illinois

To find a man’s true character, play golf with him.

- P. G. Wodehouse

Lakeside No. 9, known as “Dick Tracy,” at Cantigny golf course in wheaton

$53 for 18, $28.50 for 9, $38 after 2 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $58 for 18 before 11 a.m., $49 from 11 a.m.– 2 p.m., $41 after 2 p.m., $20 after 5 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

Community card available for residents.

BOLINGBROOK GOLF CLUB 2001 Rodéo Dr., Bolingbrook, 630 771-9400, www.bolingbrookgolfclub.com. Pro: David Thompson. Fees — M-Th (non-residents): $80 for 18, $60 after 3 p.m. $40 after 5 p.m.; F-Sun (non-residents): $95 for 18, $60 after 3 p.m. $40 after 5 p.m. M-Th (residents): $75 for 18, $55 after 3 p.m. $35 after 5 p.m.; F-Sun (residents): $90 for 18, $55 after 3 p.m.; $35 after 5 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available.

BONNIE DUNDEE GOLF CLUB 270 Kennedy Dr., Carpentersville, 847 426-5511, www.bonniedundeegc.com. Pro: Jim Opp. Fees — Daily (non-residents): $46 for 18, $29

CANTIGNY GOLF 27W270 Mack Rd., Wheaton, 630 668-8463, www.cantignygolf.com. Pro: Patrick Lynch.

Fees — Wkdays (M-Th): $81 for 18, $42 for 9; Wknds (F-Sun): $97 for 18, $42 for 9. Cart fee: $20 for 18, $12 for 9 (per person). Senior and junior rates available. Three unique golf experiences over 27 holes. Also features 9-hole Youth Links exclusively for juniors and Cantigny Golf Academy.

CARRIAGE GREENS COUNTRY CLUB 8700 Carriage Greens Dr., Darien, 630 985-3400, www.carriagegreens.com.

Pro: Dan Kochevar. Fees — Daily: $35 for 18.

Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

CINDER RIDGE GOLF LINKS 24801 Lakepoint Dr., Wilmington, 815 476-4000, www.cinderridge.com. Pro: Scott Hogan Fees — Wkdays: $40 for 18, $35 after 12 p.m., $24 for 9; Wknds: $50 for 18, $45 after 12 p.m., $29 for 9. Twilight rates available.

Prices include cart fees. Built on the site of disused coal mining operations, 350 acres wind through ravines and flat areas.

COG HILL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB 12294 Archer Ave., Lemont, 866 264-4455, www.coghillgolf.com. Pro: Kevin Weeks. Fees — Wkdays (courses 1 & 3): $53 for 18, $30 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (courses 1 & 3): $61 for 18, $35 after 3 p.m.; Daily (course 2):

FOX BEND GOLF COURSE 3516 Rt. 34, Oswego, 630 554-3939, www.foxbendgolfcourse.com. Pro: Keith Pike.

Fees — Wkdays: $39 for 18, $26 for 9; Wknds: $44 for 18, $30 for 9. Gas cart fee: $17 for 18, $11 for 9. $25 for Sunset Special after 5:30 p.m., including cart. Resident and senior rates available. Features plush fairways, mature trees and challenging greens. Host of three Illinois Opens.

FOX RUN GOLF LINKS 333 Plum Grove Rd., Elk Grove Village, 847 228-3544, www.foxrungolflinks.com.

Pro: John O’Brien. Fees — Wkdays (nonresidents): $54 for 18, $31 for 9, $38 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $65 for 18, $35 for 9, $41 after 3 p.m.; Wkdays (residents): $44 for 18, $26 for 9, $32 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (residents): $54 for 18, $23 for 9, $34 after 3 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

FRESH MEADOW 2144 S Wolf Rd., Hillside, 708 449-3434, www.freshmeadowgc.com. Pro: Jake Thurm.

Fees — Wkdays: $25 for 18 until 7 a.m., $32 for 18 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., $27 after 2 p.m., $25 after 5 p.m., $22 for 9; Wknds for 18: $45 before 8 a.m., $49 from 8-11 a.m., $45 from 11-1 p.m., $39 from 1-2 p.m., $35 from 2-3 p.m., $29 from 3-4 p.m., $27 from 4-5 p.m., $25 after 5 p.m., $25 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

GLENDALE LAKES GOLF CLUB 1550 President St., Glendale Heights, 630 260-0018, www.glendalelakes.com.

Pro: Jennifer Ferrell. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $30 for 18 from 8-11 a.m., $25 after 11 a.m.; $25 for 9; Wknds (non-residents): $39 for 18 from 8-11 a.m., $29 after 11 a.m.; $29 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Resident, senior and junior rates available. Water in play on 11 holes.

GLENEAGLES COUNTRY CLUB 13070 McCarthy Rd., Lemont, 630 257-5466, www.golfgleneagles.com. Pro: Steve Sullivan.

Fees — Wkdays: $52, $30 form 3-5 p.m., $20 after 5 p.m.; Wknds: $58, $32 from 3-5 p.m., $25 after 5 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available. Historic course, former host to Chicago Open.

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Photo courtesy of Arrowhead Golf Club

GOLF GUIDE 2017

Arrowhead golf club in Wheaton

HERITAGE BLUFFS PUBLIC GOLF CLUB 24355 W Bluff Rd., Channahon, 815 467-7888, www.heritagebluffs.com. Pro: Brian Smith. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $27 until 7:30 a.m., $54 for 18, $36 for 9 after 2 p.m., $32 twilight; Wknds (non-residents): $70 for 18, $31 for 9; Wkdays (residents): $18 until 7:30 a.m., $40 for 18, $18 for 9 after 2 p.m., $21 twilight; Wknds (residents): $52 for 18, $31 for 9, $29 twilight.

Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available. Situated on 166 rolling, wooded acres.

THE HIGHLANDS OF ELGIN 875 Sports Way, Elgin, 847 931-5950, www.highlandsofelgin.com. Pro: Jim Vogt.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $46 for 18, $24 for 9, $36 after 4 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $53 for 18, $37 after 4 p.m.; Wkdays (residents): $37 for 18, $21 for 9, $27 after 4 p.m.; Wknds (residents): $44 for 18, $28 after 4 p.m. Senior and junior rates available.

HUGHES CREEK GOLF CLUB 1749 Spring Valley Dr., Elburn, 630 365-9200, www.hughescreek.com. Pro: Sam Bradberry.

Fees — M-Th (non-residents): $36 for 18, $28 for 9; Fri: $38 for 18, $29 for 9; Wknds (non-residents): $52 for 18 before noon, $42 for 18 after noon, $29 for 9 after noon; M-Th (residents): $34 for 18, $26 for 9; Fri: $36 for 18, $28 for 9; Wknds (residents): $50 for 18 before noon, $40 for 18 after noon, $28 for 9 after noon. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

A passion, an obsession, a romance, a nice acquaintanceship with trees, sand, and water.

- Bob Ryan, sportswriter KLEIN CREEK GOLF CLUB 1N333 Pleasant Hill Rd., Winfield, 630 690-0101, www.kleincreek.com. Director: Matte Allman.

Fees — M&Th: $57 for 18, $35 after 3 p.m.; F-Sun: $79 for 18, $40 after 3 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and military rates available.

LINKS AT CARILLON 21200 S Carillon Dr., Plainfield, 815 886-2132, www.carillongolf.com. Director: Jeff Yackley.

Fees — Wkdays: $40 for 18, $26 for 9. Wknds: $57 for 18, $26 for 9, $36 for 18 after 2 p.m., $21 for 9.

Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

MAKRAY MEMORIAL GOLF CLUB 1010 S Northwest Hwy., Barrington, 847 381-6500, www.makraygolf.com.

Pro: Don Habjan. Fees — Wkdays: $67 for 18, $36 for 9; Wknds: $92 for 18, $41 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

MAPLE MEADOWS GOLF CLUB 272 S. Addison Rd., Wood Dale, 630 616-8424, www.dupagegolf.com. Pro: Chris Malek.

Fees — Wkdays: $50 for 18 (west course), $29 for 9 (west course); Wknds: $64 for 18; Twilight:

$36 daily. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

MILL CREEK GOLF CLUB 39W525 Herrington, Geneva, 630 208-7272, www.millcreekgolfcourse.com. Pro: Rich Flores.

Fees — M-T: $22 for 18, $20 after 3 p.m.; W-F: $25 for 18, $20 after 3 p.m.; Wknds: $35 until noon, $25 noon - 5 p.m., $20 after 5 p.m.

Prices include cart fees. Junior rates available.

MISTWOOD 1700 W Renwick Rd., Romeoville, 815 254-3333, www.mistwoodgc.com. Pro: John Platt.

Fees — Wkdays: $84 for 18, $65 after 2 p.m.; Wknds: $110 for 18, $90 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available. Home of the Illinois Women’s Open.

NAPERBROOK GOLF COURSE 22204 W 111th St./Hassert Blvd., Plainfield, 630 378-4215, www.golfnaperville.org. Pro: Tim Dunn. Fees—Wkdays (non-members): $52 for 18 before noon, $47 after noon, $34 for 9 and super twilight; Wknds (non-members): $62 for 18 before noon, $57 after noon, $47 for 9 and super twilight; Wkdays (members): $47 for 18 before noon, $42 after noon,

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ATON

Photo courtesy of Arrowhead Golf Club

$29 for 9 and super twilight; Wknds (members): $57 for 18 before noon, $52 after noon, $33 for 9 and super twilight. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available.

OAK BROOK GOLF CLUB 2606 York Rd., Oak Brook, 630 368-6400, www.oak-brook.org. Pro: Jeff Kawucha.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $67.50 for 18, $42 for 9, $54.50 after 2 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $71.50 for 18, $45 for 9, $54.50 after 2 p.m. Wkdays (residents): $51.50 for 18, $35.50 for 9, $43.50 after 2 p.m.; Wknds (residents): $53.50 for 18, $35.50 for 9, $46 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

I like trying to win.

That’s what golf is all about.

- Jack Nicklaus OLD OAK COUNTRY CLUB 14200 S Parker Rd., Homer Glen, 708 301-3344, www.oldoakcc.com. Pro: Dan Shields.

Fees — M-Th: $56 for 18, $35 for 9, $37 after noon, $26 after 5 p.m., F: $60 for 18, $37 after noon, $26 after 5 p.m. , S-Sun: $69 for 18, $57 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., $37 after 3 p.m., $26 after 5 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

ORCHARD VALLEY GOLF COURSE 2411 W Illinois Ave., Aurora, 630 907-0500, www.orchardvalleygolf.com. Pro: Jim Tourloukis.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $49 for 18, $32 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $69 for 18, $32 after 3 p.m.; Wkdays (residents): $39 for 18, $32 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (residents): $59 for 18, $32 after 3 p.m. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

PHEASANT RUN RESORT 4051 E Main St., St. Charles, 630 584-4914, www.pheasantrungolfresort.com. Pro: Jamie Nieto. Fees — Wkdays: $49 for 18, $39 for 9, $39 after 2 p.m., $29 after 5 p.m. ; Wknds: $61 for 18, $35 for 9, $49 after 2 p.m., $39 after 5 p.m., $35 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Hotel guest, senior and junior rates available.

PHILLIPS PARK 1001 Hill Ave., Aurora, 630 256-3760, www.phillipsparkaurora.com. Pro: Jeff Schmidt.

Fees — Wkdays: $33 for 18, $23 for 9, $27 after 1 p.m., $23 after 4 p.m.; Wknds: $40 for 18, $31 after 1 p.m., $26 after 4 p.m. Senior, junior and military rates available.

PINECREST GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB 11220 Algonquin Rd., Huntley, 847 669-3111, www.huntleyparks.org. Pro: Tom Larsen.

Fees — Wkdays: $42 for 18; Wknds: $48 for 18, $38 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available.

PRAIRIE BLUFF PUBLIC GOLF CLUB 19433 Renwick Rd., Crest Hill, 815 836-4653, www.prairiebluffgc.com, Director: Steve Lunde. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $52 for 18, $32 for 9, $42 after 11 a.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $65 for 18, $51 after noon. Prices include cart fees. Resident, junior and select senior rates available.

Beautiful 9-hole course conveniently located at 400 W. 59th Street,Westmont.

We offer incredible specials, great leagues and wonderful outings!

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GOLF GUIDE 2017

I know, win or lose, I enjoyed the prospect of giving it my all.

- Arnold Palmer PRAIRIE LANDING GOLF CLUB 2325 Longest Dr., West Chicago, 630 208-7600, www.prairielanding.com.

Pro: Brian King. Fees — Wkdays: $79 for 18 until 4 p.m., $39.50 for 9, $32 after 4 p.m.; Wknds: $100 for 18 until 2 p.m., $54 for 9, $44 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Golf Digest 4-1/2-star rated links-style public course, designed by Robert Trent Jones.

Preserve at Oak Meadows 900 N Wood Dale Rd., Addison, 630 595 0071, www.dupagegolf.com. Pro: Austin Copp. Newly renovated course will re-open in early July.

Rates have not yet been determined. Designed to meander alongside Salt Creek, the course beautifully blends conservation and recreation.

RUFFLED FEATHERS GOLF CLUB 1 Pete Dye Dr., Lemont, 630 257-1000, www.ruffledfeathersgc.com. Pro: Zach Wrobel.

Fees — Seasonal rates apply, call course. Only course in the Chicago area designed by Pete and P.B. Dye. ST. ANDREWS GOLF CLUB 2241 Rt. 59, West Chicago, 630 231-3100, www.standrewsgc.com. Pro: Dave Erickson.

Fees — Wkdays: $24 before 8:30 a.m., $41 from 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m., $26 after 1 p.m., $24 after 3 p.m., $12 after 6 p.m., $27.50 for 9 with cart until 2:52 p.m.; Wknds: $49 before 11 a.m., $39 after 11 a.m., $28 after 2 p.m., $17 after 6 p.m.; $33 for 9 with cart from 10 a.m. - 1:52 p.m. Senior and junior rates available. Built in 1926, this championship course features vast rolling terrain, mature trees, and a historic setting.

SANCTUARY GOLF COURSE 485 N. Marley Rd., New Lenox, 815 462-4653, www.golfsanctuary.com. Pro: Bob Schulz.

Fees (non-residents) — Wkdays (non-residents): $50 for 18, $35 for 9; Wknds (non-residents): $60 for 18, $40 for 9. $47 after 2 p.m.

Wkdays (residents): $40 for 18, $29 for 9; Wknds (residents): $47 for 18, $33 for 9. $40 after 2 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available.

Don’t Miss a Single Issue Return the enclosed reply card or call 630 834-4995.

SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB 401 N. Roselle Rd., Schaumburg, 847 885-9000, www.schaumburggolf.com. Pro: Jonathan Parsons. Fees (non-residents) — Wkdays: $44 for 18, $22 for 9, $33 after 3 p.m.; Wknds: $55 for 18, $25 for 9, $39 after 3 p.m. Resident, senior and junior rates available.

SETTLER’S HILL GOLF COURSE 919 E. Fabyan Pkwy., Batavia, 630 232-1636 www.settlershill.com Manager: John O’Connor.

Fees — Wkdays (non-card holders): $38 for 18, $23 for 9; Wknds (non-card holders): $46.50 for 18, $27 twilight; Wkdays (residents): $26 for 18, $16 for 9; Wknds (residents): $34.50 for 18, $22 twilight. Senior and junior rates available.

Course is built around a forest preserve.

SEVEN BRIDGES GOLF CLUB 1 Mulligan Dr., Woodridge, 630 964-7777, www.sevenbridges.com. Director: Ben Nachtwey. Fees — M-Th: $85 for 18 before

10 a.m., $95 from 10 a.m.–2:20 p.m.; F: $95 for 18 before 10 a.m., $105 from 10 a.m.–2:20 p.m.; S-Sun: $115 before 10 a.m., $95 from 10 a.m.–2:20 p.m.; Daily: $85 from 2:30–3:20 p.m.; $59 after 3:30 p.m. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and foursome rates available. Front nine meanders through 100-year-old oaks.

SPRINGBROOK GOLF COURSE 2220 W 83rd St., Naperville, 630 848-5060, www.golfnaperville.org. Pro: Mike Lyzun.

Fees (non-residents) — Wkdays: $57 for 18 before noon, $51 for 18 after noon, $35 for 9, $35 for twilight. Wknds: $66 for 18 before noon, $61 for 18 after noon, $39 for 9, $35 for twilight. Prices include cart fees. Resident, junior and senior rates available.

TAMARACK GOLF CLUB 24032 Royal Worlington Dr., Naperville 630 904-4000, www.tamarackgc.com. General Manager: Ryan Rocha. Fees — Daily: $25 for 18 before 3 p.m., $20 after 3 p.m. (Rates are from Spring 2017; Summer rates not yet posted.)

Prices include cart fees. Senior rates available.

TANNA FARMS GOLF CLUB 39W808 Hughes Rd., Geneva, 630 232-4300, www.tannafarms.com. Manager: Chad Zipse.

Fees — Wkdays: $49 for 18, $35 for 9, $35 after 2:30 p.m., $35 for replay; Wknds: $65 for 18 before 11 a.m., $55 after 11 a.m., $40 for 9, $35 after 2:30 p.m., $35 for replay. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

VALLEY GREEN GOLF COURSE 314 Kingswood Dr., North Aurora, 630 897-3000, www.valleygreengc.com. Fees — Wkdays: $23 for 18, $15 for 9; Wknds: $24 for 18, $16 for 9.

VILLA OLIVIA COUNTRY CLUB 1401 W Lake St., Bartlett, 630 289-1000, www.villaolivia.com. Fees — Wkdays : $32 for 18, $18 for 9, $23 after 4 p.m.; Wknds: $38 for 18, $22 for 9, $28 after 4 p.m.

VILLAGE GREENS OF WOODRIDGE 1575 W 75th St., Woodridge, 630 985-3610. www.villagegreensgolf.com. Manager/Pro: Brandon Evans. Fees — Wkday: $39.99 for 18, $34 for 9, $38 after 4 p.m.; Wknd: $60 for 18, $37 for 9, $38 after 4 p.m., $23.50 after 6 p.m.

Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available.

VILLAGE LINKS OF GLEN ELLYN 485 Winchell Way, Glen Ellyn, 630 469-8180, www.villagelinksgolf.com. Pro: Michael Campbell. Fees — Wkdays: $57 for 18, $20 for 9, $26 for 18 after 3:30 p.m.; Wknds: $62 for 18, $25 for 9, $36.75 for 18 after 2 p.m., $26 for 18 after 3:30 p.m.; Daily: $8 for 9 after 6:30 p.m.

Resident rates available.

WEDGEWOOD GOLF COURSE 5001 Caton Farm Rd., Joliet, 815 741-7270, www.golfjoilet.com. Pro: Jason Shook. Fees — $50 for 18, $32 for 9, $40 for twilight; Wknds: $56 for 18, $45 for twilight. Prices include cart fees.

Senior, junior and season rates available.

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WHISPER CREEK 12840 Del Webb Blvd., Huntley, 847 515-7682, www.whispercreekgolf.com. Manager: Joe Bidro.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $57 for 18, $36 for 18 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (non-residents): $69 until noon, $59 from noon–3 p.m., $39 after 3 p.m. Wkdays (residents): $43 for 18, $27 for 18 after 3 p.m.; Wknds (residents): $52 until noon, $44 from noon–3 p.m., $29 after 3 p.m.

WHITE PINES GOLF CLUB 500 W Jefferson St., Bensenville, 630 766-0304, www.whitepinesgolf.com. Pro: Chuck Lynch.

Fees—Wkdays: $29 for 18 before 7 a.m.; $49 for 18 from 7 a.m.–2 p.m.; $35 after 2 p.m., $22 after 5 p.m., $32 for 9; Wknds: $59 for 18 before 10 a.m.; $45 from 1- 3 p.m., $35 after 3 p.m., $22 after 5 p.m.; $32 for 9. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates also available.

A 240-acre course built in 1928.

WILLOW CREST GOLF CLUB (AT OAK BROOK HILLS RESOrT) 3500 Midwest Rd., Oak Brook, 630 242-5700, www.oakbrookhillsresortchicago.com/golf.

Pro: Randy Bolstad. Fees — Wkdays: $75 for 18, $60 before 9 a.m. and after 2 p.m., $45 after 3.30 p.m., $35 after 5 p.m. $40 for 9; Wknds: $79 for 18, $64 after 2 p.m., $49 after 3.30 p.m., $39 after 5 p.m., $45 for 9. Prices include cart fees.

Senior, junior and military rates available.

If you watch a game, it’s fun.

If you play it, it’s recreation.

If you work at it, it’s golf.

- Bob Hope WOODRUFF GOLF COURSE 621 N Gougar Rd., Joliet, 815 741-7272, www.golfjoliet.com. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $50 for 18, $32 for 9, $40 for twilight; Wknds (non-residents): $56 for 18, $45 for twilight. Wkdays (residents): $39 for 18, $26 for 9, $34 for twilight; Wknds (residents): $44 for 18, $39 for twilight. Prices include cart fees. Senior, junior and season rates available.

9-HOLE COURSES APPLE ORCHARD GOLF COURSE 692 W Stearns Rd., Bartlett, 630 540-4807, www.bartlettparks.org. Manager: Rich Glover.

Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $13.25; Wknds (non-residents): $14.25. Wkdays (residents): $11.25; Wknds (residents): $12.25. Solo rider cart rental: $5.50. Senior and junior rates available.

BOUGHTON RIDGE GOLF COURSE 335 E Boughton Rd., Bolingbrook, 630 739-4100, www.boughtoneridgegolf.com. Manager: Marc LeRoux. Fees — Daily: $16. Cart fees: $9 per person.

DOWNERS GROVE GOLF CLUB 2420 Haddow, Downers Grove, 630 963-1306, www.dgparks.org. Pro: Jim Festle.

Fees — M-Th (non-residents): $22; F-Sun (non-residents): $24; twilight: $12.; M-Th (residents): $18; F-Sun (residents): $20; twilight: $12. Senior and junior rates available. Course designed in 1892, 24-station range.

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GOLF GUIDE 2017

FLAGG CREEK golf Course 6939 S Wolf Rd., Countryside, 708 246-3336, www.flaggcreekcourse.org. Pro: Billy Rosinia Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $19; Wknds (non-residents): $21; Wkdays (residents): $15; Wknds (residents): $17. Senior and junior rates available. Premier 9-hole course, 25-station lighted driving range.

GREEN MEADOWS GOLF CLUB 18W201 W 63rd, Westmont, 630 810-5330, www.dupagegolf.com. Fees — Wkdays: $23; Wknds: $24. Prices include cart fees. Senior and junior rates available. Traditional park-like setting with two large putting/chipping practice greens.

LINKS AND TEES 880 W Lake St., Addison, 630 233-7275 ext. 4 www.addisonparks.org. Manager: Charles Sims.

Fees — Daily: $15 for 9, $8 before 10 a.m., $10 twilight after 6 p.m., $10 for 9 of Foot Golf.

Lighted practice range rated a Top 50

Stand-Alone Range by the Golf Range Association of America. Features 1,100 yards of bent grass tees, fairways and greens. Outdoor golf range and indoor golf dome.

Golf: A plague invented by the Calvinistic Scots as a punishment for man’s sins.

- James Barrett Reston MEADOWLARK GOLF COURSE 11599 W 31st St., Hinsdale, 708 562-2977, www.forestpreservegolf.com Manager: Brian Dober. Fees — Wkdays (non-cardholders): $28; Wknds (non-cardholders): $30. Twilight (non-cardholders): $25; Wkdays (cardholders): $25; Wknds (cardholders): $327 Twilight (cardholders): $22. Prices include cart fees.

Senior and junior rates available on weekdays.

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ton

Photo courtesy of St. Andrew’s Golf Course

www.saltcreekgolfclub.com. Manager: Frank Bonanno. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $16; Wknds (non-residents): $17; Wkdays (residents): $13; Wknds (residents): $14. Senior and junior rates available.

STREAMWOOD OAKS 565 Madison Dr., Streamwood, 630 483-1881, www.streamwoodoaksgolf.com.

Manager: Randy Shepherd. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $16; Wknds (non-residents): $18; Wkdays (residents): $15; Wknds (residents): $16. Senior and junior rates available. Option to play two rounds of 9.

SUGAR CREEK 500 E Van Buren St., Villa Park, 630 834-3325, www.sugarcreekgolfcourse.org. Head Golf Pro: Cory Ferrell. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $20; Wknds (non-residents): $21; Wkdays (residents): $15; Wknds (residents): $17.

Senior and junior rates available. Lighted driving range, 25 practice stations.

Of all the hazards, fear is the worst.

- Sam Snead TWIN LAKES golf Club 400 W 59th St., Westmont, 630 852-7167, www.wpd4fun.org. Clubhouse Manager: Craig Grember. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $15; Wknds (non-residents): $16; Wkdays (residents): $11; Wknds (residents): $12; Senior rates available. Twilight and child specials available F-Sun. A facility of Westmont Park District with challenging golf for beginners as well as advanced golfers. Located on 25 acres with woods, lakes and rolling hills.

WALNUT GREENS GOLF COURSE 1150 N Walnut Ln, Schaumburg, 847 490-7878, www.walnutgreensgolf.com. Pro: Peggy Ellsworth. Fees — Wkdays: $11.50; Wknds: $13.50. Senior and junior rates available.

St. Andrew’s Golf Course

Cook County Forest Preserve course.

POTTAWATOMIE GOLF CLUB 845 N 2nd Ave., St. Charles, 630 584-8356, www.pottawatomiegc.com. Pro: Ron Skubisz.

Fees — Wkdays: $18 before 8 a.m., $19 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., $15 after 3 p.m.; Wknds: $20.

Located along the banks of the Fox River, the course was designed in 1939 by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Ranked 15th among the best nine-hole courses in America by Golf World magazine.

RIVER BEND golf club 5900 S Rt. 53, Lisle, 630 968-1920, www.riverbendgolfclub.org. Manager: Deb Culbertson. Fees—Wkdays (non-residents): $20; Wknds (non-residents): $22; Wkdays (residents): $15; Wknds (residents): $17.

Senior and junior rates available. Water on eight holes and lowland areas.

SALT CREEK 701 Thorndale, Wood Dale, 630 773-0184,

WESTERN ACRES 2400 W Butterfield Rd., Lombard, 630 469-6768, www.westernacres.com. Clubhouse Manager: Don Voth. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents) $19; Wknds (non-residents): $21. Wkdays (residents): $16; Wknds: (residents): $18. Senior and junior rates also available.

Family friendly park district course.

WING PARK 1010 Wing St., Elgin, 847 931-5952, www.wingparkgolf.com. Fees — Wkdays (non-residents): $18; Wknds (non-residents): $20; Wkdays (residents): $14; Wknds (residents): $16. Senior and junior rates available. Oldest municipal course in Illinois dating back to 1908.

ZIGFIELD TROY GOLF CLUB 1535 W. 75th St., Woodridge, 630 985-4653, www.zigfieldtroygolf.com. Pros: Tim & Mike Troy, Barry Butterfield, Mark Arentsen and Patricia Brindle. Fees — Wkdays: $10; Wknds: $12; Replays: $5; Senior and junior rates available. Sporty with challenging greens, large year-round practice range and Lost Mountain Adventure miniature golf.

Check us out online

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Known for cutting-edge design, excellent customer support and highquality construction, Reliable Home Improvement is recognized as one of the premier home-remodeling firms in the western suburbs. Family owned and operated for 50 years, the Napervillebased company specializes in everything from bathroom and kitchen remodeling to designing and building custom home additions.

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— from project management and design to scheduling and production — Reliable saves clients time and money by eliminating the need to contract multiple vendors. A proprietary job-scheduling system allows the firm to finish jobs up to one third faster than many competitors, without compromising quality or customer satisfaction.

Beyond being a resource for quality and expediency, Reliable Home Improvement is also known for being innovative, creative and progressive. Its staff understands that remodeling trends are always changing and customers’ priorities are constantly shifting as well.

To help customers keep up with the newest products and trends, Reliable boasts a 15,000-sq-ft showroom and design gallery. The showroom features full-size kitchens, bathrooms and other living spaces and is regularly updated to reflect the most current design trends and options.

“It’s our experience that our customers most appreciate from us,” says Director

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Photo courtesy of Reliable Home Improvement

Special Promotional Feature

of Marketing Christine Ducato. “Our clients know they will not only get high-quality craftsmanship and design, but that their entire experience will be a positive one, from start to finish. That’s important, because remodeling projects take weeks, often months. There is a big element of trust involved, so it is critical to have a company with a proven track record that understands the full scope of what is involved.” www.reliablehomeimprov.com 630 579-6600 Imperial Kitchens and Baths

Imperial Kitchens and Baths is known for creating special living spaces that meet clients’ needs and budgets, from small powder rooms to dream kitchens.

Imperial’s experienced design team uses state-of-the-art design software, allowing clients to see in advance how a room will look when it is finished, so there are no surprises. Just as important, Imperial serves as contractor for its

This covered patio area by Reliable Home Improvement extends the indoor living area to the outdoors.

projects, employing top artisans in each construction field. Customer service is key; Imperial knows that living in a house that is under construction is stressful and the staff treats each home as though it is their own.

While kitchens and baths are Imperial’s specialty, the Brookfield firm

provides design and construction expertise on a range of other projects, including room additions, master suites, basement remodels and wine cellars. Imperial also offers custom cabinetry and cabinet recovering services. www.imperialkitchensandbaths.com 708 485-0020 n

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Plainfield

From rural roots to southwest suburban boom town

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By Lynn Petrak

es, there are still plains and fields in Plainfield. But this southwestern suburb — deemed to be the oldest town in Will County — is anything but plain, and the fields are now the site of a spate of new residential and commercial areas that complement the natural topography of open land, small lakes and rivers.

Testament to the growth and expansion of Plainfield, the town’s population today is estimated at 43,000, compared to barely over 4,500 in 1990.

At the heart of this boom is downtown Plainfield, about 35 miles southwest of the city of Chicago. While retaining the small-town charm, brick-paved sidewalks, historic facades, and decades-old businesses of the earlier hamlet, this district has been revived in recent years with a variety of new shops and eateries.

The spike in residents, workers and visitors to Plainfield is attributed in part to the ongoing suburban expansion evident in other outlying areas. More interestingly though, it is also linked to the deadly, devastating tornado that changed the literal and figurative landscape of the community in the summer of 1990.

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b

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Photos by Ed Ahern

Photo by Evi Kempf

Photo by Kathy Bobal

“When I was in high school here in 1963, I think we had about 1,800 people in Plainfield. After the tornado, the town just boomed,” says longtime resident Sue Hasenyager, operations director of the Plainfield Historical Society Museum and a former teacher in the school district.

She attributes the growth to people becoming aware of the town when the tornado landed, triggering extensive new building and development.

Lifelong resident Russell Flagg, whose ancestors Reuben and Betsey Flagg were original settlers, agrees that the storm begat growth. “I was on the fire department here and the town was projected to grow like other areas around Aurora and Naperville. But until the tornado, Plainfield was basically a rural town. After that, it just grew and grew,” Flagg says.

Today, Plainfield’s population includes thousands of new families, joining the many residents who can trace their roots back generations. Jokes Hasenyager: “I’m considered a newcomer, because I’ve only been here 58 years.”

Still, the town’s inherent folksiness remains. “Plainfield is a lot larger than many think but still has that small-town

feel. We are seeing buildings being constructed and stores opening,” says Tasha Kitson, executive director of the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce, who is always open to new ideas on how the town can continue to grow.

Downtown, in Plain View A stroll through downtown Plainfield brings to mind the quintessentially American yet fictional downtowns depicted on TV shows, such as Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show or Pawnee in Parks and Recreation, to name a few.

For one thing, there are the brick-paved sidewalks, and the trees are strung with little white lights that glimmer in the evenings all year long, additions that came after a streetscape enhancement in 2009.

For another, there are the many independent shops, boutiques, bakeries, bars, restaurants and businesses that exemplify both the American dream and contemporary life.

Look inside some of the buildings and you’ll soon find other ways in which downtown Plainfield evokes old-time charm married to modern goods and

services, from the tin ceilings inside Capri Sogno restaurant to the retro barber pole outside the Lincoln Way Barber Shop.

Several businesses look like they have been there a long time, because they have. The barber shop first opened in 1881 and moved to its current site in 1901. It is still run by the descendants of founder Albert Worst.

Miller’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop, housed in an 1894 building that was once a drugstore, recently marked its 25th year in town. In addition to a variety of meats, including a line of all-natural choice beef, the shop offers wild game processing, a service used by customers who patronize the various fishing and hunting clubs in the Plainfield area. The Village Flower Shop has been a fixture in downtown Plainfield for 30 years, offering plants and arrangements as well as flowers for

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Plainfield

Statistical Snapshot 2015 pop est – 42,138 g Increase from 2000 – 223% g Median age – 34 g 19 and under – 38% g 20-24 – 4% g 25-34 – 10% g 35-44 – 20% g 45-54 – 15% g 55-64 – 8% g 65 and over – 6% g Male – 49% g Female – 51% g White – 80% g African-American – 6% g Asian – 8% g Hispanic – 11%

Education gH igh school degree

or higher – 95% g B achelor’s degree or higher – 90%

Photo by Ed Ahern

Population

Housing g Total households – 12,598 g F amily households – 85% g Avg. household size – 3.14 gM ean price for detached houses – $256,775

gO wner-occupied units

– 10,260

gR enter-occupied units – 1,713

g Gross median rent – $1,465

Business/Employment gR esidents employed – 95%

g Graduate or professional degree – 18%

g Residents unemployed

– 5%

gA vg. travel time to work

Income

– 34.2 min

g Median household Income – $108,928

weddings and other events. The Lockport Street Gallery, approaching 20 years, specializes in etchings by Louis Icart and Salvador Dali, plus works by other master and contemporary artists.

The many flourishing downtown restaurants have ensured that there is no proverbial rolling up of the sidewalks after dark in this town. Capri Sogno serves up classic Italian fare in a historic building that once served as an ice cream factory.

Moe Joe’s Cajun ramps up the seasoning with Louisiana-style cooking and creole dishes. Front Street Cantina and Volar cater to those with a hankering for Mexican fare. Befitting a town with an all-American vibe, there are several American-style restaurants here, including HopScotch and Vine, Tap House Grill, Southern Bell’s Restaurant, Sovereign Tap, the Uptown Eatery and Tap, Larry’s Dinner, and Opera House Steak & Seafood, housed in a vintage building that’s been restored and decorated with a roaring 1920s flair (for a review of Opera House Steak & Seafood, see page 72 in Dining).

Those looking for bites and drinks, meantime, can quench their respective tastes at other spots in downtown Plainfield. For cocktails and ambiance,

Sources: U.S. Census, City-Data.com and usa.com

belly up to the swanky Blu cocktail bar, a floor below Opera House Steak & Seafood. Noshing is the order of the day at Wine & Cheese by TCC. If you’ve watched an episode of Cupcake Wars, you might recognize the team at Millette’s Cakes, which specializes in custom-baked three-dimensional cakes for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions, and also offers a plethora of other baked goods.

Later this spring, just in time for warmer weather, Hazel Marie’s Ice Cream Shop is set to open. (Ice cream, in fact, is tied to the history of Plainfield as it’s been said that the ice cream sundae was invented at a drugstore fountain in town.)

If you’re the one doing the cooking, you can stock up on specialty foods, supplies and accessories at various businesses in downtown Plainfield.

Simply Saucy offers sauces, rubs, marinades and dips, along with gourmet gifts and kitchen gadgets. The Tawny Tortoise —for “slow-paced shopping,” its motto suggests — carries a variety of specialty foods, along with dolls, books and other items for the home and kitchen.

You can also do some serious shopping downtown at retailers like 3 Chic’s Boutique, Just Ducky Gift Boutique, Me Tu Boutique Bella, and Sweet Pea & Me

Boutique, among others. Those looking for a bit of “old” — or repurposed, to be more precise — can find an array of goods at On the Road Again antique store and Back on the Rack consignment store.

Browsing downtown to shop and eat can be part of a day trip, but Plainfield has all you might desire for an overnight or weekend outing, too. The Plainfield Inn, a historic hotel dating to 1851, was recently refurbished and reopened by the Myers family.

If you care to venture beyond the town center, there are other pockets of stores, restaurants and services in town, ranging from the ubiquitous Starbucks Coffee to the Hometown Furniture store on Highway 30, which dates to 1969.

Plain and Simple Things to Do Like many suburbs, Plainfield offers a range of things to do for residents and visitors alike. “The Plainfield Area Chamber hosts many events, not just to promote our town but also to connect people with our business community,” says Kitson. For instance, she explains, the Chamber hosts 11 “Cruise Nights” during the summer. Every Tuesday night, proud owners of hot rods, Corvettes, Pontiacs, Chevys and Mustangs roar into town to show off their wheels to thousands of admiring onlookers.

Fall events include a Harvest 5K in September, a Homecoming parade in early October, a Spooktacular Halloween and, close to the holidays, a Candlelight Christmas in late November.

Flagg says that the Homecoming parade is a wonderful example of a village event that combines past and present in a fun new way. “Homecoming is a good thing, because it brings everyone back and gives you a chance to meet new people, too,” he says.

The year’s outdoor racing season gets off to a running start in Plainfield on May 27, Memorial Day weekend, with the annual “Run for the Brave” 5K at Plainfield North High School. The event supports military veterans and members of the armed services.

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History Comes Alive The EF5 tornado that ripped through town in 1990 caused damage to buildings and leveled St. Mary Immaculate Church (which was later rebuilt), but the downtown emerged with pieces of the past left standing. Many, if not most, of the businesses and restaurants in downtown Plainfield are housed in historic structures built by merchants and entrepreneurs back in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Visitors can see where past and present meet by taking part in a historic walking tour of downtown Plainfield, either on their own guided by a brochure, or with a member of the Plainfield Historical Society. “We also offer a tour called ‘Wine about Plainfield’ that starts at the Wine and Cheese shop,” says Hasenyager, noting that Plainfield Historical Society is planning an upcoming event in June.

The walking tour includes a look at a variety of vintage buildings in the community, such as the Congregational Church, built in 1850; Chittenden Dry Goods store, built in 1876; and the William Wright House, one of the oldest homes in the downtown district, built in 1850.

Other sites in Plainfield have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Plainfield Halfway House and the Flanders House, both on Main Street, and the Standard Oil Station/Andreasen Travel Building on Lockport Street.

The Plainfield Historical Society Main Street Museum sheds more light on the history of the town and region. Open to visitors on Saturday mornings and by request, the museum houses a variety of artifacts from the past and features a series of exhibits. “We’ve just started a display

about the early pioneers, the Flagg family, who came in the 1830s. As part of the exhibit, there is an original newspaper from New York from the day President Lincoln died,” says Hasenyager, adding that the display will be expanded later this year. A new exhibit showcases a vintage doll collection owned by Darcy Photos by Ed Ahern

The popular Plainfield Farmers Market opens around the first Saturday of June, in time for the planting and growing season. Local farmers as well as those who travel to town from farms in neighboring states offer all kinds of produce and other farm-fresh items.

Reed, who inherited dolls from her mother and aunt. Another exhibit features a collection from resident Jean Helm, who is an internationally known painter of fine china.

Plains, Ponds and Waterways Although Plainfield is situated on open, flat land, there are several waterways that have made the area a popular site for private fishing and hunting clubs and a destination for those who enjoy the great outdoors.

The Lake Renwick Heron Rookery

Nature Preserve, run by the Forest Preserve District of Will County, spans more than 800 acres. A 320-acre portion of the site was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1992. The 200-acre lake and surrounding wetlands attract all kinds of wildlife, including birds like blue heron and egret that breed, nest and live in islands on Lake Renwick, a popular site for bird watching.

While visitors are restricted during the breeding season, there are guided bird viewing events and other public programs.

For a closer look, mounted scopes are available for bird watchers. Visitors can hike or run along the crushed limestone trails around the preserve or cycle the asphalt Lake Renwick Bikeway.

The DuPage River winds through parts of Plainfield and was instrumental in its founding as a site for mills and fur trapping. Today, the river remains a focus, as the village has been working on plans for a downtown riverfront park. The ambitious project is occurring in phases and has involved the construction of a new pedestrian bridge on Lockport Street, the opening of the DuPage River Trail along the DuPage River, an expansion of Electric Park near the river, and ultimately the development of a new Riverwalk Park.

Visitors and residents also enjoy a lake view at Settlers’ Park, south of the Village Hall near downtown. In addition to natural elements like a small lake, open land and walking trails, the park features an amphitheater, playground and war monument. In the summer, people gather to enjoy concerts and movies.

The community’s’ rural roots are alive and well in other natural areas around town, including the restored prairie in Mather Woods and in the dozens of parks within Plainfield.

Down on the Farm Another indication that Plainfield remains tied to its centuries-old rural history is the fact that the community is home to many working farms, some of which are open to visitors.

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Plainfield

Photo by George Keslin

Resources

Lake Renwick

Plainfield Public Library Total holdings: 217,163 Items checked out per year: 657,375 Visitors per year: 446,313

Attractions

708 946-2216. Forest preserve with 839 acres, associated wetland habitat, a variety of bird species, crushed limestone hiking trail and more.

Tree Farm 508 IL-126, 815 436-2140.

Working farm providing trees, landscaping services, vegetables and produce and more.

Links at Carillon 21200 W South Carillon Dr., 815 886-2132. A 27-hole public golf course (three 9-hole courses) featuring an event space, full pro shop and more.

n Bronkberry

Farms 18061 S Bronk Rd., 815 436-6967.

Working farm with state-ofthe-art greenhouse, large barn, large vegetable garden, local honey and more.

n Mather

Woods Forest Preserve 25032 W Renwick Rd., 815 436-8812. A 67-acre forest preserve with picnic facility,as well as hiking trails, a gazebo and natural resource areas.

n Opera

n Naperbrook

n Anderson

House 15060 S Illinois St., 815 782-5916. Former opera house, now landmark building, housing a steak and seafood restaurant.

Museums n Plainfield

Historical Society 9217 E Main St., 815 436-4073.

Society seeking to preserve artifacts that represent the story and continuing heritage of Plainfield.

Recreation

n Lake Renwick Preserve/ Heron Rookery Nature Preserve 230 W Renwick Rd.,

n The

Golf Course 22204 W 111th St., 630 378-4215.

Links-style course with 6,755 yards of land, par-72, a 10-acre driving range, separate lesson tees and more. n Normantown Equestrian Center 12151 S Normantown Rd., 815 254-1950. Six-acre facility with a heated observation area, a small indoor riding arena, large outdoor riding arenas and five paddocks. n Ottawa Street Pool 23820 W Ottawa St., 815 436-3314.

Bronkberry Farms, which re-opens for the season during the third week of April, is run by fifth-generation farmers who grow corn and soybeans. They now sell a variety of vegetables and plants as well as foodstuffs like honey, jam, pickles and canned goods. On May 21, Bronkberry Farms will host a craft fair with local vendors.

200,000 gallon L-shaped outdoor pool featuring diving boards, lap lanes, wading pool, ship-shaped play area and more. n Settlers’ Park

24401 W Lockport St., 815 436-7093.

Park featuring over 20 acres of walking trails as well as an amphitheater, monuments, a lake and a picnic shelter.

Events

n Candlelight

Christmas Downtown Plainfield, www.plainfieldchamber.com.

Holiday event featuring pictures with Santa, sleigh rides, crafts, dance performances and more. n Cruise Nights Downtown Plainfield, www.plainfieldchamber.com. Vintage and modern cars are put on display at this summer event. n Irish Parade N James St. & W Ottawa St., 815 258-9676.

St. Patrick’s Day parade featuring family tents, floats and family activities. n Plainfield

Fest West Electric Park, W Village Center Dr., www.plainfieldfest.org.

Summer festival with a business and crafters expo, local and visiting performers, a carnival and more.

Another working farm open to the public is Anderson Tree Farm. In addition to selling a variety of trees and offering landscaping services, Anderson Tree Farm offers produce and fresh eggs. An on-site party room is available to rent for special occasions. At Christmastime the farm draws visitors for its selection of Christmas trees.

Other Highlights of Plainfield • Plainfield settler Reuben Flagg provided the lumber for the first frame home in Chicago. In fact, Plainfield has been dubbed the “Mother of Chicago,” because the growing city relied on Plainfield for wood and other supplies.

• Historic Rt. 66, at an earlier time one of the longest highways in the nation, runs through Plainfield. So, too, does the historic Lincoln Highway, another of the country’s longest roadways that once linked New York to San Francisco.

• Another example of the mutual support of farmers and businesses is Nevin’s Brewing Company, which delivers spent grain from making beer to local farmers to use as feed for livestock and for compost. Nevin’s completes the farm-to-fork chain by purchasing meat and vegetables from farmers for its menu items.

• The Plainfield Park District, which is working on a master plan to guide the future of its venues and programs, runs the Normantown Equestrian Center stable, which is open to the public.

The site includes an indoor riding arena, two outdoor riding arenas, stables and a classroom. The center offers riding lessons for both beginners and advanced riders.

• With new residential developments drawing more people to the village, Plainfield is expanding its dining and shopping options. Soon to open are Freedom Brothers Pizzeria & Alehouse, DNA Athletics and Riverfront Kayak.

They are joining recent new ventures such as Mora Asian Fusion, Clocktower Shoppe, Jane Fine Jewelry and JC Licht Paint Company, among others.

• Meeting the needs of its growing population, the school district includes four high schools: Plainfield Central, Plainfield South, Plainfield North and Plainfield East.

• Actress and “Spicey” Saturday Night Live star Melissa McCarthy grew up in Plainfield and gave a hometown shout-out in her speech after winning an Emmy award in 2011, declaring, “I’m from Plainfield, Illinois and I’m standing here, and it’s kind of amazing.” n

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DINING |

REVIEWS

|

LISTINGS

|

CHEERS WINE COLUMN

|

AND MUCH MORE

Photo courtesy of Quiubo

RESTAURANT OPENINGS

RECENTLY OPENED

Quiubo

T

he creators of new-concept

guacamole and specialty salsas. The menu is

interior design, combining raw industrial

eateries Bien Trucha in Geneva

seasonal and, where possible, ingredients are

finishes with murals hand-painted by Mexican

and A Toda Madre in Glen Ellyn

sourced from local farms. Cocktails infused

artist, Spaik, is in tune with the fusion of

just opened another Mexico-

with citrus and herbs add an unconventional

ancestral and modern cuisine on the plate.

inspired restaurant at 120 Water St.

twist to a bar menu that includes craft beers

in downtown Naperville (331 702-2711). The 30-item menu of shareable plates includes

and wines from South America.

The centerpiece of the restaurant is

Quiubo is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. , with an 11 p.m. close on Fridays and Saturdays. The

specialties like fresh oysters and Maine lobster

the lively open kitchen where diners can see

restaurant anticipates adding a Sunday

ceviche, plustacos, asado and pork belly.

the chefs busily at work. Brisk yet attentive

brunch and dinner service in the near future.

Tortillas are made fresh each day, paired with

service adds to the upbeat ambiance. The

–Anne Knudsen

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Photos by Nathan Veunnashack

GoOd food

By T.R. Witom

Al Chulo Tapas-style Mexican cuisine in West Chicago

M

any Mexican restaurants offer such predictable (read: safe) menus that it’s hard to distinguish one from the other.

But that’s not the case with Al Chulo Restaurant in West Chicago.

Thanks to the creative instincts of chef-owner Roberto Avila and his associates, Al Chulo is in high gear as its first anniversary draws near. The 60-seat restaurant offers bold flavors in a classy but comfortable environment where the service is impeccable and two can dine for less than $40, excluding alcohol.

While tacos, freshly made guacamole and ceviche are familiar menu items, at Al Chulo these dishes stand out. Diners call it tapas-style with a twist. High-quality ingredients make a difference, as do unexpected garnishes such as microgreens.

A recent meal at Al Chulo started with a shareable order of al arroz verde.

Poblano chilies imparted a green-flecked appearance to the rice. Other components of the dish that add flavor included creamy corn, Chihuahua cheese, sour cream and epazote, a popular Central American herb that imparts a touch of muskiness.

A perfect mélange of flavors awaits

diners who try al esquite (roasted corn).

This savory dish, prepared in chicken broth, brings together serrano peppers, onions, epazote and queso Cotija, an artisan Al Arroz Verde cow’s milk cheese.

Both of these small plates would partner well with tortilla chips.

Eight seductive versions of soft tacos (four to an order) are available, with fillings varying from marinated pork tenderloin, to beer-battered tilapia, to pan-seared lemon herb chicken.

Especially tasty was the fundido — large shrimp sautéed with garlic, Chihuahua cheese, pickled red onion and cilantro-lime oil. Al Chulo’s interpretation of this classic is hard to resist.

A disk of fried masa (ground maize) forms the base of al sope which, at first glance, brings to mind an unusually thick tortilla with a vegetable and meat topping. The campechano at Al Chulo is served three per order and has chipotle bean puree, shredded skirt steak, homemade chorizo, sour cream and salsa — a delicious package.

Only a single dessert was on offer, but it was a welcome one. Flan, the lightly sweetened egg custard, ranks as a traditional favorite.

Al Chulo — its name loosely translates to “good looking” — has a full bar with a number of tequilas ready to make your acquaintance. Servers can walk diners through the drinks list; beside margaritas, mojitos and sangria, take time to discover the specialty cocktails.

Customers sit at banquettes and tables in Al Chulo’s light, airy and high-ceilinged dining room. As the place fills up, be prepared for the decibel level to escalate proportionately.

Two sister restaurants — Altiro Latin Fusion in Geneva and Chicago — also tempt diners with a variety of tasty small-plate choices. A fourth is expected to open in Oak Park this spring. n

QUICK FACTS

Al Chulo

1400 S. Neltnor Blvd., West Chicago 630 520-0615 www.alchulo.com

Recommended Dishes

Cost

Hours

Al fundido (taco)

Soups/salads:

Mon - Thur 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Al campechano

$6 to $8

Fri - Sat 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

(sope)

Shareables: $6 to $11

Extras

Full bar, parking, reservations.

Other locations: Altiro Latin Fusion in Geneva, Chicago and coming to Oak Park

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DIning Photo courtesy of The Clubhouse

n n n n Recently Opened

Listings Following is a sampling of some of the best dining destinations in the western suburbs, including reader favorites, advertisers and a cross-section of just plain good places to grab a bite. Bon appétit! n Central DuPage n Nw DuPage & Upper Fox Valley n Sw DuPage & lower fox valley n Se Dupage & SW Cook n Ne DuPage & nw cook

n Adelle’s: 535 W Liberty Dr, Wheaton. 630 784-8015.

New twists on old American favorites served by seasoned professionals in a stylish ambiance.

Capacity: 160 plus 50 on outdoor patio. Yrs in bus: 13. Chef’s Choice: White fish. Entrée prices: $18-$34.

Extras: Bar, outdoor dining, banquets, wine room, carry-out, live jazz Th at 7 pm, live music on select other nights, lounge, fireplaces. T-Th 4:30-8:30, F-Sat 4:30-9:30, Sun 4-8. Reservations: Recommended.

The Clubhouse Popular Oak Brook restaurant gets new sister location in Schaumburg

n Allgauer: 3003 Corporate West Dr, Lisle;

in the Hilton Lisle/Naperville. 630 245-7650. Classic American fare with an eclectic twist in a contemporary environment. Specializes in locally sourced, dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood and chops.

Capacity:196 at 44 tables. Yrs in bus: 35. Chef’s Choice: Potato-crusted halibut. Entrée prices: $25$44; lunch menu $9-$18. Extras: Bar, banquets, family friendly, Sunday brunch, breakfast buffet Mon-Sun, lunch buffet M-F, seafood buffet on Friday.

Breakfast M-F 6:30-11 am, Sat 7-11 am, Sun 7-9:30 am; Lunch M-Sat 11-3; Dinner M-Sun 4-10, F seafood & prime rib buffet 5:30-8:30, Sun brunch 10:30-2:30.

Reservations: Recommended.

T

n Altiro Latin Fusion: 308 Anderson Blvd,

that has taken over premises

Geneva. 630 232-7717. A tapas restaurant combining innovative flavors from Spanish and Latin cuisine. Capacity: 50 + 40 outside. Yrs In bus: 3. Chef’s Choice: Altiro tilapia tacos. Entrée prices: $8-$12. Extras: Full bar, carry-out, catering, patio.

Lunch T-Sat 11-3; Dinner M-Th 4-9, F-Sat 4-10; Brunch Sun 10-2. Reservations: Recommended. Affiliated with Al Chulo, 1400 S Neltnor Blvd., West Chicago, 630 520-0615. n Anyway’s Chicago Restaurant & Pub 5 E Roosevelt Rd, Oakbrook Terrace. 630 932-9323.

Classic neighborhood restaurant and pub serving American cuisine. Capacity: 200 at 45 tables.

Yrs in bus: 20. Chef’s Choice: Izzy’s jambalaya pasta and Certified Angus burgers. Entrée prices: $7-$15. Extras: Bar, carry-out, banquets, outdoor dining, kids’ menu, daily specials. M-Th 11:30 am1 am, F-Sat 11:30 am-2 am, Sun noon-1 am.

Reservations: Yes, for 10 or more. Additional location at 304 W Army Trail Rd, Bloomingdale, 630 351-8870. n Atwater’s: 15 S River Ln, Geneva; in The

Herrington Inn & Spa. 630 208-8920. Eclectic American cuisine with a rotating, seasonal menu in a European style atrium setting overlooking the Fox River.

Capacity: 40. Yrs in bus: 23. Entrée prices: $24-$45.

Extras: Bar, outdoor dining, banquets, catering, private dining in gazebo, event space. Breakfast M-F 7 am-11 am, Sat-Sun 8 am-11 am; Lunch M-Sun 11-2; Dinner Sun-Th 5-9, F-Sat 5-10; Brunch Sun 11-2.

Reservations: Recommended.

he Clubhouse at

Grillhouse By David Burke.

bone-in rib-eye steak to

1301 American Ln.,

Speiss also oversees The

a 6-oz petit filet mignon.

Schaumburg (847 298-8200)

Clubhouse in Oak Brook,

Seafood fans will want

has set out to woo diners with

which will mark its 20th

to check out the catch

a menu focused on classic

anniversary later this year.

of the day or pick from

The concept, Speiss says,

American cuisine.

menu dishes such as

is “essentially a country club

pecan-crusted tilapia,

for everyone,” says Jason

clubhouse . . . as soon as

orange basil salmon or

Speiss, manager of the

you walk in the door, you’re

lobster and shrimp risotto.

recently opened restaurant

a member.”

Kobe beef burgers and

“We’re offering something

previously occupied by

Diners can find plenty to chew on, from an 18-oz

n Autre Monde Café: 6727 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn.

708 775-8122. Mediterranean-infused fare served in an urban setting. Capacity: 85, 75 patio seating.

Yrs in bus: 5. Entrée prices: $13-$24, smaller plates $6-$15. Chef’s Choice: Pastas made fresh daily and flatbreads. Extras: Outdoor patio, private parties, catering, wine list, Sun brunch 10-2. T-Th 5-10, F-Sat 5-11, Sun 5-9. Reservations: Yes. n Barrel + Rye: 477 S Third St, Geneva.

630 402-0647. American bistro featuring craft beers, venison burgers and small shareable plates.

Capacity: 32, 25 at bar. Yrs in bus: 2. Chef’s Choice: Southern deep fried chicken. Entrée prices: $9-$16.

Extras: TVs, full bar, free Wi-Fi, carry-out, selection of whiskey, scotch and bourbon, patio. Sun-Th 11-midnight, F-Sat 11-2 am. Reservations: No. n Basils Greek Dining: 4000 Fox Valley Center

chicken pot pie are also popular dishes. – T.R. Witom

and contemporary authentic Italian dining in a casual, friendly setting. Capacity: 240. Yrs in bus: 9.

Chef’s Choice: Black fettuccine with lobster & wild mushrooms. Entrée prices: $10-$30. Extras: Exhibition kitchen, bar, wine list, children’s menu, gluten-free menu, carry-out, catering, private parties, family friendly. M-Th 11:30-9:30, F-Sat 11:30-10:30, Sun 11-9.

Reservations: Yes. Additional location at 20560 N Rand Rd, Deer Park, 847 438-1850. n The burger Local: 577 S 3rd St, Geneva.

630 232-2806. Locally sourced beef burgers made in a rustic environment. Capacity: 100. Yrs in bus: 1.

Chef’s Choice: Double Diner or Hawaii burger.

Entrée prices: $11-$15. Extras: Carry-out, family friendly, full bar, outdoor seating, TVs. Sun-T 11-9, W-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-11 (bar open later). Reservations: No.

Dr, Aurora. 630 692-1300. Award-winning Greek/ Mediterranean restaurant with a modern flair.

Capacity: 240. Yrs in bus: 7. Chef’s Choice: Oven roasted lamb shank. Entrée prices: $21-$49. Extras: Bar, banquets, outdoor dining, catering, carry-out, craft beer on tap. M-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 11-9.

Reservations: Yes.

n Capri Ristorante: 324 Burr Ridge Pkwy, Burr Ridge. 630 455-4003. Authentic Italian fare served in a warm, elegant setting. Capacity: 150. Yrs in bus: 11. Chef’s Choice: Homemade rigatoni with vodka sauce, with soup or salad. Entrée prices: $15-$40.

Extras: Full bar, carry-out, catering, outdoor dining, private parties. M 11:30-2 & 4-10, T-F 11:30-10, Sat 4-11, Sun 2-9. Reservations: Recommended.

n Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano 2752 Showplace Dr, Naperville. 630 428-8500. Classic

n Carlucci: 1801 Butterfield Rd, Downers Grove.

630 512-0990. Rustic Italian restaurant serving Tuscan

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GoOd food

By Lynn Petrak

Opera House Steak & Seafood Classic fare and 1920s-era fun in Plainfield

W

hile “opera” may evoke images of sopranos in velvet or tenors in tuxedos, Opera House Steak & Seafood has more of a flapper vibe, with an ambiance and music inspired by the gilded age of the 1920s.

Run by Mike and Casey Vaughn and housed on the second level of the recently renovated, circa-1899 Opera House building in the quaint downtown area, the main dining room features lofty ceilings, a glass skylight and large windows overlooking Lockport Street.

A quieter side room features lush green walls, soft sconces, rich fabric window treatments and a hardwood floor.

The Vaughns have paid keen attention to detail in the décor, from vintage instruments displayed on shelves, a coat stand topped with roaring 1920s-era hats, and stately black chairs that might be found in box seating at the opera. Even servers are clad in attire befitting the Gatsby era, some with vintage combs in their hair and others with natty bow ties and vests.

If the ambiance — which includes retro songs piped over speakers and live piano music on Friday and Saturday evenings — makes Opera House Steak

& Seafood hit the high notes, the food from Chef Nick Dispenza is just as ambitious.

A basket of hot sliced bread comes with three kinds of butter including Crème Brulée garlic-herb and, for those who like a bit of sweet with their savory, cinnamon. Bacon, sumptuous on its own, gets the luxe treatment in an appetizer of candied bacon (aka “pig candy”) made with bourbon brown sugar, pecans and an apricot chili sauce. Likewise, the pork belly poutine is lavish in its topping of house-made chips with smoked gouda cheese, scallions and a sunny-side up egg.

Other appetizers include classics like jumbo lump crab cakes and oysters Rockefeller, as well as fresh takes such as a roasted beet dish with shaved fennel, roasted figs, candied pecans, goat cheese, spring greens and an orange-grapefruit vinaigrette. The daily cream of onion soup and soup de jour — we tried the earthy cream of mushroom — are served in elegant tureens and are intense in flavor.

The star of the show, as the name of the restaurant attests, is the selection of steaks and chops. The menu delivers

wet-aged porterhouse, bone-in and boneless Kansas City strip, bone-in and boneless rib-eye, tomahawk chops and filet mignon. House-made toppings and sauces, such as the brandy peppercorn demi, are a complement rather than an over-the-top distraction from the center-plate prime beef. Seafood lovers can choose from a flavor-laden seared halibut, the Loch Duart salmon, or the indulgent Alaskan King crab legs served with drawn butter and Canadian Lobster Tail.

The final act, dessert, doesn’t disappoint, with crème brulée or key lime pie served in a martini glass.

As guests enjoy a night out — and it does get busy on weekend evenings — the din of clinking glasses adds to the dining experience. There’s no Prohibition here, with cocktail, champagne and wine offerings that bring to mind a night out with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. n

QUICK FACTS

Opera House

15060 S. Illinois St., Plainfield 815 782-5916 www.operahouseplainfield.com

Recommended Dishes

Cost

Hours

Extras

Pork belly poutine,

Starters: $9 to $16

Tue - Thur: 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Live piano music on

seared halibut, steak,

Main: $32 to $46

Fri - Sat: 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Fridays & Saturdays;

Sun Brunch: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Reservations.

“lollipop” lamb chops

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DIning cuisine. Capacity: 300. Yrs in bus: 12. Chef’s Choice: Linguini bobonato. Entrée prices: $12-$33. Extras: Carry-out, private dining, outdoor dining, bar open later, live entertainment. Lunch M-F 11:30-3:30; Dinner M-Th 3:30-9:30, F 3:30-10:30, Sat 4:30-10:30, Sun 4:30-9:30. Reservations: Recommended. n Catch 35: 35 S Washington St, Naperville.

630 717-3500. A deep and interesting variety of flavorful seafood and premium steaks in an uptown atmosphere. Capacity: 192. Yrs in bus: 11. Chef’s Choice: Chilean sea bass. Entrée prices: $16-$50.

Extras: Bar, private parties, family friendly, outdoor dining, valet parking T-Sat. Lunch M-Sat 11:30-4; Dinner M-Sat 4-10, Sun 4-9. Reservations: Yes. n Cine Modern Taqueria: 29 E First St, Hinsdale.

630 590-5655. Contemporary Mexican restaurant serving quality Latin fare. Capacity: 150. Yrs in bus: 3. Chef’s Choice: Mole Negro. Entrée prices: $16$30. Extras: Outdoor dining, carry-out, delivery, daily specials, full bar, live entertainment on Th, free kids’ tacos on Sun. Lunch T-Sat 11:30-2:30; Dinner Sun-M 5-9, T-Th 4-10, F-Sat 4-11. Reservations: Yes. n CityGate Grille: 2020 Calamos Ct, Naperville.

630 718-1010. Fine dining serving contemporary American fare in a steakhouse atmosphere.

Capacity: 220. Yrs in bus: 7. Chef’s Choice: Seared Diver Scallops and Steak Risotto. Entrée prices: $18-$39, Avg: $25. Extras: Live music F-Sat, private parties, catering, kids’ menu. M-Th 11:30-9, F 11:30-10, Sat 5-10 (bar open later F-Sat). Reservations: Yes. n Clara’s: 6550 S Rt 53, Woodridge. 630 968-8899.

Fresh homemade pastas and sauces, fresh seafood, handmade wood stone pizzas, veal and beef dishes.

Capacity: 275. Yrs in bus: 29. Chef’s Choice: Shrimp Ersilia. Entrée prices: $8-$35, Avg: $12. Extras: Bar, patio, catering, carry-out, family friendly. T-Th 4-9, F-Sat noon-10, Sun noon-9. Reservations: Yes. n COOPER’S HAWK WINERY & RESTAURANT: 510

Village Center Dr, Burr Ridge. 630 887-0123. Upscale, yet casual dining featuring award-winning wines from Cooper’s Hawk’s own winery. Capacity: 300.

Yrs in bus: 8. Chef’s Choice: Gnocchi Carbonara.

Entrée prices: $10-$30. Extras: Outdoor patio, bar, wine club, tasting room, retail boutique, private parties, full wine list, live music Th-Sat. M-Th 11-9:30, F-Sat 11-10:30, Sun 11-9. Reservations: Recommended.

Additional locations at 100 W Higgins Rd, South Barrington, 847 836- 9463; and 1740 Freedom Dr, Naperville, 630 245-8000. n Country House: 2095 S Kirk Rd, Geneva.

630 208-8181. Steaks, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, salads and pasta in a casual and rustic setting.

Capacity: 240 at 30 tables inside, 70 outside. Yrs in bus: 40. Chef’s Choice: Country Cheeseburger. Entrée prices: $9-$20, Avg: $12. Extras: Carry-out, bar, kids’ menu, outdoor dining, catering and banquets.

Sun-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-11; bar open until 1 am daily.

Reservations: Yes. Additional locations at 241 55th St, Clarendon Hills, 630 325-1444; and 6460 College Rd, Lisle, 630 983-0545. n Davanti Enoteca: 800 W Hillgrove Ave, Western

Springs. 708 783-1060. Simple Italian fare served in a rustic wine bar setting. Capacity: 130 plus 30 on a seasonal patio. Yrs in bus: 3. Chef’s Choice: Focaccia di Recco, Burratta Salad and Davante Burger. Entrée prices: $11-$24. Extras: Brunch Sat 11-2 and Sun 10-2, full bar, daily specials, Bloody Mary bar, M-F rotating sandwich menu. M-T 11:30-9, W-Th 11:30-9:30, F 11:30-10, Sat 11-10, Sun 10-9 (bar open later F-Sat). Reservations: Yes. n Dell Rhea Chicken Basket: 645 Joliet Rd, Willowbrook. 630 325-0780. World-famous fried chicken in a 1940s-style Route 66 roadhouse featuring video gaming. Capacity: 225 at 40 tables. Yrs in bus: 70. Chef’s Choice: 50/50 burger and breakfast burger. Entrée prices: $10-$20, Avg: $13. Extras:

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DIning Carry-out, bar, catering, over 50 beers. Sun-Th 11-9, F-Sat 11-10. Reservations: Yes. n Devon Seafood + steak: 17W400 22nd St, Oakbrook Terrace. 630 516-0180. Sleek, upscale venue serving fresh seafood and steak. Capacity: 237. Yrs in bus: 4. Chef’s Choice: Maple Plank Salmon Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. Entrée prices: $21-$58, lunch $11-$25. Extras: Private banquet room, vegetarian and gluten-free menus, wine list, happy hour M-F, full bar (open later), half-priced wine bottles on Mon.days. M-11-9 T-F 11-10, Sat 4-10, Sun 4-9. Reservations: Yes.

n Ditka’s: Rt 83 & 22nd St, Oakbrook Terrace.

630 572-2200. Fine dining steakhouse also offering fresh seafood, burgers and sandwiches in a hospitable and vibrant atmosphere. Capacity: 350.

Yrs in bus: 8. Chef’s Choice: Da Pork Chop and Pot Roast Nachos. Entrée prices: $10-$50. Extras: Awardwinning wine list, full bar, private rooms, breakfast on Sat & Sun 9-2, complimentary valet parking, gluten-free options. M-F 11-10, Sat 9-10, Sun 9-9.

Reservations: Yes. Additional location in Chicago. n D.O.C. Wine Bar: 326 Yorktown Center,

Lombard. 630 627-6666. Light, contemporary fare featuring more than 300 wines. Capacity: 150. Yrs in bus: 9. Chef’s Choice: Butcher’s block. Entrée prices: $9-$35. Extras: Full bar, carry-out, lounge, wine flights, retail shop, private dining, daily specials.

M-Th 11:30-10, F-Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-9:30.

Reservations: Yes. n Eddie Merlot’s: 28254 Diehl Rd, Warrenville.

630 393-1900. Upscale contemporary steakhouse with a lighter ambiance also known for its wine.

Capacity: 260. Yrs in bus: 4. Chef’s Choice: Prime aged steaks and wagyu. Entree prices: $23-$51.

Extras: Extensive wine list, outdoor dining, lounge

with drink specials. M-Th 4-10, F-Sat 4-11, Sun 4-9.

Reservations: Recommended. Additional location at 201 Bridewell Dr, Burr Ridge. 630 468-2098. n Empire Burgers & Brews: 48 W Chicago Ave,

Naperville. 630 355-9000. Craft beers and burgers in an urban atmosphere. Extras: Carry-out, full bar, whiskey selection, live music, outdoor seating, happy hour. M-Th 11-1 am, F-Sat 11-2 am, Sun 11-midnight. Reservations: Accepted. n The Finery & Blacksmith Bar: 305 W Main St, St. Charles 630 940-2380. Contemporary fare with an ode to the American table in a bistro-like atmosphere. Capacity: Yrs in bus: 1. Chef’s Choice: Country Pheasant and Flat Iron Steak. Extras: Artisan cocktails, craft beers, Happy Hour, family friendly, carry-out, Sunday brunch. T-Th 4-10, F-Sat 4-11, Sun 11-3 and 4-9. Reservations: Yes. n Emilio’s Tapas Bar: 4100 Roosevelt Rd, Hillside.

708 547-7177. Spanish tapas in an authentic countryside atmosphere. Capacity: 150. Yrs in bus: 28. Chef’s Choice: Paella and Datiles con Bacon.

Entrée prices: $6-$16 per person. Extras: flowered patio, online reservations, carry-out, bar, family friendly, “Tapeo” $1.95 bites menu 4:30-6:30 M-Fri, GrubHub and Yelp Eat 24, live entertainment Fridays, full bar, catering. M 4:30-9:30, T-Th 11:30-9:30, F-Sat 11:30-10, Sun 4-9. Reservations: Yes. n Fire + Wine: 433 N Main St, Glen Ellyn.

630 793-9955. Rustic and inviting restaurant with modern Italian flair, serving small-plate fare, authentic Neapolitan artesian pizzas and classic pastas in a family friendly atmosphere. Capacity: 135. Yrs in bus: 4. Chef’s Choice: Hanger Steak and Grilled Romaine Salad. Entrée prices: $7-$19.

Extras: Bar, carry-out, wine list, craft beer, family friendly, kids’ menu, private event hosting, specials.

T-Th 4-11, F 4-midnight, Sat 3-midnight Sun 3-10.

Reservations: Call-ahead seating. n Fogo De CHAo: 1824 Abriter Ct, Naperville.

630 955-0022. Brazilian steakhouse known for its churrasco style of cooking various meats over an open fire in a warm, contemporary atmosphere.

Capacity: 200. Mths in bus: 7. Chef’s Choice: Cordeiro and Picanha. Entrée prices: Avg: $32/$49. Extras: Full bar, family friendly, valet, seasonal patio, Sunday brunch. Lunch: Sun-F 11-2; Dinner: M-Th 5-10, F 5-10:30, Sat 4-10:30, Sun 4-9. Reservations: Yes. Additional location at 5460 Park Pl, Rosemont, 847 678-7200. n Fuller House: 35 E First St, Hinsdale. 630 537-1653.

Craft beer and bar food in an industrial, rustic setting. Capacity: 140. Yrs in bus: 1. Chef’s Choice: Buffalo shrimp or brisket grilled cheese. Entrée prices: $11-$20. Extras: Updated sound system, TVs, sidewalk seating, full bar, carry-out, beer garden in The Backyard. M-Th 11-11, F-Sat 11-midnight, Sun 11-10. Reservations: Yes, for 6 or more. n Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse: 5464 N River Rd,

Rosemont. 847 928-9900. Classic American steakhouse offering USDA Prime Steaks, fresh seafood and huge portions in a 1920s art-deco style setting.

Capacity: 260. Yrs in bus: 16. Chef’s Choice: WR’s Chicago Cut. Entrée prices: $12-$52. Extras: Carryout, catering, free valet parking, private parties, piano bar (open until 2 am), entertainment. M-Sun 11-2. Reservations: Yes. Additional location at 2105 S Spring Rd, Oak Brook, 630 954-0000. n Gia Mia: 106 N Hale St, Wheaton. 630 480-2480.

Old-world authentic Neapolitan pizza in a rustic restaurant. Capacity: 120. Yrs in bus: 1.5. Chef’s Choice: Hand-crafted meatballs. Entrée prices: $6-$20. Extras: Newly renovated space, full bar, TVs,

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n n n n Recently Opened

Las Gorditas de Don Angel Flavors of Mexican street food, fresh and spicy in downtown Elgin

F

amily recipes play a

A gordita resembles a thick

gorditas stuffed with dried

corn tortilla stuffed with meat,

hot peppers imported from

Las Gorditas de Don Angel,

cheese, eggs, cactus and

Mexico are priced at $2.25.

165 E Highland Ave, Elgin

other fillings. Of the more

(847 468-0330), says Jazmin

than 20 versions in Chacon’s

is open Tuesday through

Chacon, owner of the new

repertoire, the most popular

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mexican restaurant.

gorditas include one stuffed

and Sunday from 9 a.m. to

with poblano peppers

8 p.m. No alcohol is served.

key role in the menu at

“I learned from my parents

Las Gorditas de Don Angel

who opened a restaurant

and another with pork in

The venue has a seating

with the same name in Cicero

a red salsa, says Chacon.

capacity of 88, and Chacon

13 years ago,” says the

Stuffed gorditas go for $1.90

describes the carryout

ambitious 23-year-old Chacon.

apiece with one exception:

business as brisk. – T. R. Witom

carry-out, large wine selection, fresh ingredients from local sources, mobile brick-oven. M 4-9, T-Th 11-2 and 4-10, F-Sat 11-10. Reservations: No, but callahead seating available. Additional location at 13 N Third St. Geneva, 630 405-5544. n Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse 70 Yorktown Center, Lombard; in the Westin Hotel.

630 953-3400. Classic Italian steakhouse in a sportsthemed atmosphere. Capacity: 550. Yrs in bus: 9.

Chef’s Choice: Prime steaks, chops and Italian Specialties. Entrée prices: $12-$52. Extras: Outdoor dining, bar, sports memorabilia, carry-out, private events. Lunch M-Sun 11-5 (bar only); Dinner M-Sat 5-10, Sun 4-9. Reservations: Yes. Additional location at 10233 W Higgins Rd, Rosemont, 847 699-1200. n Heaven On Seven: 224 S Main St, Naperville.

630 717-0777. Louisiana-style restaurant featuring Cajun and Creole entrées. Capacity: 120. Yrs in bus: 13. Chef’s Choice: Shrimp voodoo over rice.

Entrée prices: $9-$20. Extras: Cooking classes, bar, catering. M-Th 11-10, F 11-11, Sat 10-11 pm, Sun 10-9, Sat-Sun brunch 10-3. Reservations: Yes. n Hillgrove Tap: 800 Hillgrove Ave, Western

Springs. 708 290-0055. Traditional bar fare with a creative twist served up in a family friendly neighborhood sports bar. Capacity: 115, plus 50

on a seasonal patio. Urss in bus: 1. Chef’s Choice: Nacho Bites or Bourbon Glazed Pork Chop. Entrée prices: $12-$19. Extras: TVs, 24 craft beers on tap, selection of bourbons and whiskeys, carry-out, full bar, outdoor seating. M-Th 11-midnight, F-Sat 11-1 am, Sun 11-10 pm. Reservations: Yes. n Holy Mackerel!: 70 Yorktown Center, Lombard; in the Westin Hotel. 630 953-3444. Fresh interpretations on fish house classics in a vintage décor. Capacity: 150. Yrs in bus: 9. Chef’s Choice: Kasu marinated sea bass. Entrée prices: $9-$46. Extras: Private parties, bar, carry-out. Breakfast M-Sat 6-11, Sun 6 am-noon; Lunch M-Sat 11-4; Dinner M-Sat 4-9.

Reservations: Yes. n Ivy Restaurant: 120 N Hale St, Wheaton.

630 665-2489. Casually elegant dining featuring steaks, chops and seafood. Capacity: 170, plus 90 on the patio. Yrs in bus: 8. Chef’s Choice: Black pepper shrimp. Entrée prices: Avg: $19. Extras: Banquets, outdoor dining, carry-out. M-Th 11-9:30, F-Sat 11-10, Sun 11-9. Reservations: Yes. n Kama Bistro: 9 S La Grange Rd, La Grange.

708 352-3300. Fresh and modern Indian fare with unique tastes served in an upscale and cozy setting. Capacity: 55 plus 20 on patio. Yrs in bus: 5. Chef’s Choice: Lamb Chop Masala. Entrée

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cheers

DIning

By Buzz Brandt

prices: $10-$34. Extras: Catering, gluten-free & vegan options, carry-out, delivery, patio. M 4-9:30, T-Th 11:30-9:30, F-Sat 11:30-10:30, Sun 11:30-9. Reservations: Yes. n MÉcÉnat Bistro: 821 W Burlington Ave, Western

Springs. 708 246-8668. American eclectic fare.

Capacity: 110. Yrs in bus: 5.5. Chef’s Choice: Pan seared whitefish. Entrée prices: $12-$30. Extras: Outdoor dining, full bar, live entertainment F & Sat nights, private dining, retail wine shop. T-Th 4-11, FSat 4-midnight, Sun 4-8. Reservations: Yes.

Aligoté Burgundy’s underdog grape

F

rance’s Burgundy wine region is fertile terroir, its unique limestone, marl and clay soils producing some of the world’s most spectacular Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. But another classic white grape shares its ancestral home with these flagship varietals — the often-overlooked and sometimes under appreciated Aligoté. Though it may lack the blockbuster appeal of its rivals and is a bit rare on wine shop shelves, it’s still worth seeking out.

Flourishing in the region since the 18th century, Aligoté shares its genetic history with its more popular cousin Chardonnay and at one time thrived alongside it with equal prominence.

But Aligoté has a problem: because it ripens late, it’s more at risk for late harvest rains that can cause the fruit to rot. As a result, over time it was relegated to underdog status.

Today Burgundian winegrowers allocate Aligoté vines to the less prestigious tops and bottoms of slopes, leaving the prized middle parcels for the easier-to-grow Chardonnay. The only exception is the small village of Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion, where Aligoté

has been granted its own appellation and where it finds its best expression.

Since the grape is quite tolerant of cold weather, it is more commonly grown in eastern Europe (where it is popular as both table and sparkling wine), Canada, Washington State and Oregon.

Because of its naturally high acidity, Aligoté has been used as a blending wine to add structure and aroma to Chardonnay and Sacy. It also provides the backbone for the sparkling wine Crémant de Bourgogne and, if mixed with Crème de Cassis (black currant liqueur), the traditional wine cocktail, Kir.

In the glass, Aligoté catches the eye with its pale golden color and when swirled offers up a superb but delicate nose of white flowers, apples, pears, stone fruits and citrus. On the tongue, the supple palate zings with vivacious, fresh acidity and the wine’s characteristic apple and lemon flavors meld with undercurrents of a flinty minerality on the refreshing finish.

This is a wine meant to be consumed young (two or three years), although some winemakers are barrel-fermenting and aging Aligoté to tame the acidity to create a more complex style. n

medium-bodied Cabernet-based blend brimming with red and black cherries, plums and teases of licorice, cedar, cocoa, molasses and sweet vanilla oak all wrapped up in silky tannins.

Dry finish with hints of caramel.

• Charlene Pontrelli Cellar 406 406 75th St., Downers Grove 2015 A to Z Wineworks Riesling (Oregon) $13.

Crisp and clean

n Morton’s: 1751 Freedom Dr, Naperville.

630 577-1372. Steaks and seafood in an upscale American steakhouse featuring an a la carte menu. Capacity: 120. Yrs in bus: 7. Chef’s Choice: Porterhouse steak. Entrée prices: $40-$60. Extras: Bar, valet parking every day but M, lounge, private dining, patio. M-Th 5:30-10, F 5:30-11, Sat 5-11, Sun 5-10 (bar opens at 4). Additional locations at 9525 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Rosemont, 847 678-5155; and 1470 McConnor Pkwy, Schaumburg, 847 413-8771. n Maya Del Sol: 144 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park.

708 358-9800. Casual, yet upscale New World Latin dining. Capacity: 175, 130 outdoors. Yrs in bus: 8.

Chef’s Choice: Carne asada. Entrée prices: $14$36. Extras: Bar, outdoor dining, live entertainment, gluten and dairy free options, catering, carry-out, private dining. M-Th 4-10, F-Sat 4-11, Sun 4-9, Sun brunch 9-2. Reservations: Yes. n Nobel House: 305 W State St, Geneva.

630 402-0452. American comfort food and handcrafted cocktails served up at this gastropub. Capacity: 70.

Yrs in bus: 2. Chef’s Choice: Big Texas Burger. Entrée prices: $10-$24. Extras: Carry-out, family friendly, full bar, free Wi-Fi, TVs, catering, brunch Sat & Sun, kids’ menu. M-T 11-10, W-Th 11-11, F 11-2 am, Sat-Sun 10-2 am. Reservations: No. n Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille: 5 Oakbrook

Expert wine recommendations • Jeff Sukowski Famous Liquors 105 E. Roosevelt Rd., Lombard 2015 Domaine Lafage Miraflors Blanc (France) $13. Aromas of lemons and mint swirl around a citrus core in this blend of Viognier, Vermentino, Muscat, and Grenache Gris.

Medium-bodied; bright acidity.

2016 NAPA Michael’s Red Blend (California) $14.

An approachable,

n Melting Pot: 255 W Golf Rd, Schaumburg.

847 843-8970. Traditional and European fondue in a relaxed and romantic atmosphere. Capacity: 131 at 31 tables. Yrs in bus: 21. Chef’s Choice: Fondue.

Entrée prices: $32-$45. Extras: Bar, extensive wine list, ladies night. M-Th 5-10, F 5-11, Sat 4-11, Sun noon-9.

Reservations: Recommended. Additional locations at 1205 Butterfield Rd, Downers Grove, 630 737-0810; and 4931 S Rt 59, Naperville, 630 717-8301.

with flavors and aromas of citrus, peaches and melons nuanced by hints of spice and honeysuckle.

Good minerality and acidity.

2016 Domaine La Colombe Rosé (France) $14.

An expressive blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, redolent with a fruity nose of strawberries, tangerines and peaches; subtle touches of pepper and spice.

Center, Oak Brook. 630 571-1808. Classic steakhouse with premium steaks and fare with tableside preparation.

Capacity: 300. Yrs in bus: 3. Chef’s Choice: 14–oz New York Strip steak. Entrée prices: $26-$59. Extras: Private dining rooms, island bar, seasonal patio, live music M-Sat, carry-out. M-Th & Sat 4-10, F 11-10,Sun 4-9 (bar open later). Reservations: Yes. n Plank Bar & Kitchen: 120 Water St, Naperville.

630 778-9676. Upscale bar serving tastes of local food in a rustic modern atmosphere. Capacity: 50, 12 at bar. Chef’s Choice: Beer braised short rib or Mezcal brined pork tacos. Entrée prices: $12-$28.

Extras: Covered and valet parking. Breakfast M-F 6:30-10:30, Sat-Sun 7:30-11:30; Dinner M-Sun 4:30-10 (bar until 11). Reservations: Yes. n Parkers’ Restaurant & BAr: 1000 31st St,

Downers Grove. 630 960-5700. Casually elegant restaurant serving a contemporary American menu. Capacity: 250. Yrs in bus: 15. Chef’s Choice: Cedar-planked halibut and charcoal-grilled center cut pork chop. Entrée prices: $14-$65, Avg: $32.

Extras: Bar, outdoor dining, private dining, live music in lounge W-Sat. Lunch M-F 11:30-2:30; Dinner M-Th 5-10, F 5-10:30, Sat 4-10:30, Sun 4-8:30.

Reservations: Recommended. n Patten House Restaurant & Bar 124 S Second St, Geneva. 630 492-5040. A newly renovated historic landmark featuring a distinctive

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menu with a Cajun flair. Capacity: 250. Yrs in bus: 2. Chef’s Choice: BBQ Pork Sandwich and Honey Sriracha Glazed Brussel Sprouts. Entrée prices: $18-$30. Extras: Full bar, outdoor seating, TVs. M-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 10-10. Reservations: Yes.  PATIO RESTAURANT: 7440 S Kingery Hwy (Rt 83),

Darien. 630 920-0211. Casual dining featuring American food and specializing in BBQ ribs. Capacity: 300.

Yrs in bus: 27. Chef’s Choice: BBQ ribs. Entrée prices: $7-$22. Extras: Carry-out, outdoor dining, catering, family friendly, drive-up. M-Th 10:30-10, F-Sat 10:30-11 pm, Sun 10:30-9:30. Reservations: No. Additional locations at 4400 Fox Valley Center Dr, Aurora.

630 820-8800; 151 S Weber Rd, Bolingbrook, 630 226-9696; and 2780 S Highland Ave, Lombard, 630 627-2600.  ROBERTO’S RISTORANTE & PIZZERIA: 483 Spring

Rd, Elmhurst. 630 279-8486. Italian cuisine served in a romantic, neighborhood setting accented by white tablecloths. Capacity: 250. Yrs in bus: 54.

Chef’s Choice: Fish entrées. Entrée prices: $14-$44.

Extras: Carry-out, bar, outdoor dining, catering, family friendly, banquets. M-Th 11-11, F 11-midnight, Sat 4-midnight, Sun 2-10. Reservations: Yes. .  SEASONS 52: 3 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook.

630 571-4752. Fresh grill and wine bar focusing on low-calorie entrées and farmers’ market-influenced fare. Capacity: 350. Yrs in bus: 4. Chef’s Choice: Caramelized sea scallops. Entrée prices: $16-$25.

Extras: Extensive wine list, live music, private dining.

M-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 11-9. Reservations: Yes, recommended. Additional location at 1770 E Higgins Rd, Schaumburg. 847 517-5252.  SULLIVAN’S STEAKHOUSE: 244 S Main St, Naperville.

630 305-0230. Steak, chops and seafood in a 1940s Chicago-style décor. Capacity: 300. Yrs in bus: 18.

Chef’s Choice: Seafood and steak. Entrée prices: $30-$60. Extras: Bar, live entertainment, valet parking.

Lunch M-F 11:30-4:30; Dinner M-Th 5-10, F 5-11, Sat 4:30-11, Sun 4:30-10. Reservations: Recommended.  SUSHI HOUSE: 830 E Ogden Ave, Westmont.

Experience the Finest Selection of Italian Cuisine One-of-a-Kind Gourmet Specialties, Custom Created by Experienced Chefs

630 920-8948. Sushi, sashimi and other Japanese fare. Capacity: 100. Yrs in bus: 21. Chef’s Choice: Cracker Roll. Entrée prices: $10-$20. Extras: Carryout, catering, delivery, private parties, kids’ menu, sushi bar, beer & wine. M-F 11:30-10, Sat noon-10, Sun noon-9:30. Reservations: Yes. Additional locations at 950 Warren St, Downers Grove, 630 968-0088; 1107 Lake St, Oak Park, 708 660-8899; and 281 Rice Lake Square, Wheaton, 630 221-8986.

483 Spring Road

 SUZETTE’S: CREPERIE: 211 W Front St, Wheaton.

630 462-0898. Crêperie, pâtisserie, boulangerie, French country bistro and wine bar in a casual setting. Capacity: 88. Yrs in bus: 16. Chef’s Choice: Beef bourguignon crêpe and Suzette’s benedict.

Entrée prices: $13-$40. Extras: Wine bar, bakery, carry-out, full bar, outdoor dining, private parties, boutique weddings, occasional live music. Pâtisserie open at 7 am, M-Sat, Sun brunch 11-2, afternoon tea T-Sat 2 pm, Sun 1 pm. Breakfast T-Sat 7-11 am, Sun 8-11 am; Lunch T-Sat 11-4; Dinner T-Th 5-9, F-Sat 5:30-9:30. Reservations: Recommended.

www.robertosristorante.com

•

Elmhurst

630.279.8486

Mon - Thurs 11 am - 11 pm • Fri 11 am - midnight • Sat 4 pm - midnight • Sun 2 - 10 pm

 VIE: 4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs. 708 246-2082.

Seasonal, contemporary American à la carte menu with European influences in an elegant atmosphere.

Capacity: 120. Yrs in bus: 12. Chef’s Choice: Gnocchi.

Entrée prices: $26-$46. Extras: Bar, new lounge space, gluten-free and vegetarian options, monthly Sunday suppers. M-Th 5-9, F-Sat 5-10. Reservations: Yes.  YORK TAVREN: 3702 York Rd, Oak Brook.

630 323-5090. The oldest, continuously operating restaurant in DuPage County, restored and updated in 2006, serving burgers and American fare.

Capacity: 60. Yrs in bus: 172. Chef’s Choice: Burgers.

Entrée prices: $6-$20. Extras: Carry-out, bar. M-F 11-1 am, Sat 11-2 am, Sun noon-10. Reservations: No.

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Charitable Events of Note

Daliadne Moreno and Benn Skraboly, both of Aurora

Rachel Holada of Villa Park, Mike Wolfe of Warrenville, Jennifer O’Keefe of Oak Lawn and Robin Holada of Lombard

Photos courtesy of John Reilly Photography

SCENE&SEEN

Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Charities John Ryan of Villa Park, Monsignor Michael M. Boland, Emcee Monica Pedersen and Jim Ryan of Naperville Co-Chairs Jim Ryan Sr. and Marie Ryan of Elmhurst

Stacie Ryan of Villa Park and Denise Giacalone of Lombard

Mike Olson of Lombard and Jennifer Ryan of Naperville into a boxing hub with entertainment such as amateur fights, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, a casino area and more. The night raised more than $112,000 for the Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) program, established by former Attorney General of Illinois Jim Ryan.

Photos courtesy of Chris Guillen

A RECORD-BREAKING 700 GUESTS ATTENDED THE THIRD ANNUAL CHARITY BOXING MATCH, the Patrick J. Ryan Main Event & Casino Night recently hosted by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Attendees witnessed the transformation of Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace

OVER $646,700 WAS RAISED at Marklund’s 21st Annual Top Hat Ball, which entertained 600 guests with an auction, raffle, awards and more. The event was held at the Marklund Hyde Center in Geneva, with funds raised supporting Marklund’s goal of serving infants, children, teens and adults with serious disabilities and special healthcare needs.

Binna and Bud Porter of St. Charles

Marklund President & CEO Gil Fonger, Ron Moyer of Naperville, Don Ortegel of Naperville and Chair of Marklund Board of Directors, Duane Fitch of West Chicago Becky and Rich Stewart of Elburn

Sandy and Michael Herlihy of North Aurora The Donahue family of Geneva

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Photos courtesy of Edward-Elmhurst Health

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation Trustee Jim Nelson and Mary McDermott of Wheaton

Susan Tyburski, Executive Director, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation; Anne Oldenburg, Foundation Trustee/Chef Fest Committee member; and Linda Hay of Chicago Mike and Cyndi Allas, owners of Tannins Wine Bar & Boutique in Elmhurst

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital teen volunteers Erina Maranda, Kendall Vorel, Kate Veach, all of Elmhurst, and Claire Kawiecki of Riverside

170 GUESTS ATTENDED THE COLETTE A MILES FOUNDATION’S Third Annual Raising Hope Dinner recently in Geneva. The event raised $43,000, which was 50 percent more than last year, and featured live and silent auctions, gift baskets, a full dinner and more. The foundation received 98 percent of the profits from the event, which will further the group’s goals of providing individual family support to those with cancer and donating to Fox Valley Food for Health in an effort to deliver nurturing, healthy meals to cancer patients and their families.

Faith Allande, Alyssa Eby, Sydney Eby and Ashland Josefiwitz, all of St. Charles

Photos courtesy of Colette Miles Foundation

Photos courtesy of John Reilly Photography

MANY DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS WERE FEATURED at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Foundation’s recent 17th Annual Chef Fest. The event, which raised $82,000, delighted 700 guests with a variety of signature menu items produced by local chefs. Proceeds from the fest went to support the group’s mission of delivering state-of-the-art healthcare to the community.

Sofia Tenuda and Kendra Mitchell, both of Algonquin, and Katie Keller of Geneva

Teresa Drawant of South Elgin, Irene Eby and Barb Oborne, both of St. Charles WEST SUBURBAN LIVING | WWW.WESTSUBURBANLIVING.NET | APRIL 2017 79

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Last Word

By Michele Weldon

Going Solo at the Cineplex Take your elbow off my armrest and please don’t pass the popcorn

I

never pictured myself as someone who would do it. For years, friends told me how they have regularly succumbed to this covert practice without fear, shame or embarrassment. Not me, no.

That is something lonely people do. It is the habit of desperate individuals, those without family or friends. People without appointment calendars, invitations, schedules. I am too busy, I have friends, sisters and brothers.

Yes, of course I was snobby and judgmental. I never thought I would join the club. But since I gave it a try a few months ago, I have decided I prefer it.

I now go to the movies alone.

It all began with a cancellation and a sincere desire to see the Oscar-nominated films in the weeks leading up to the awards.

I confess this new practice has spread past that unfortunate awards evening climax of winner mix-ups called Envelopegate. And it is likely to go far beyond April and May. Initially I had planned to see a movie with a good friend. Something came up and she bowed out. I still wanted to see the film, so I went. I conquered my taboo.

And it was glorious. I wept, guffawed; I felt free. With the big screen ahead and empty seats on either side, I was alone with characters larger than life, without filters. I could recline, put my purse beside me and breathe into relief without anyone hogging my armrest, crackling candy wrappers or loudly scarfing down popcorn.

The best part? No one in the theater noticed or cared. Not the person at the ticket booth, not the attendant taking the ticket, not any of the patrons in the theater.

And a bunch of others were doing it, too.

“It was glorious. I wept, guffawed; I felt free. With the big screen ahead and empty seats on either side, I was alone with characters larger than life, without filters.”

I counted 17 lone moviegoers on my first trip. And that was when the lights were on.

So many theaters in the western suburbs are revamped with reclining seats and foot rests, gourmet food — even cocktails. Seeing a new movie has all the luxuries of home with the technology of surround sound and exquisite visuals. You can immerse yourself in all of this sensory indulgence while the movie is still hot — long before it goes to Netflix or Amazon.

Of course, it is easier and cheaper to stay home and watch in your pajamas. You do not have to put on shoes or park. But I love the feeling of being in a large movie theater. Even though I am alone, I am with other people in this communal artistic experience. We react together. I like to hear when other people laugh or sob.

A confirmed people watcher, I feel that somehow when you are alone, it seems less invasive to silently and discreetly observe people before the lights go out. What I notice is that even when two people are watching a movie together, they often act as if they are alone.

When I go to the movies on my own and the previews begin, I look straight ahead and immerse myself in the show. I fully enjoy the next 120 minutes without distractions, worry or guilt that I talked a friend into seeing a movie she hates. And if the movie is not to my liking, I leave early. That’s why I sit on the aisle.

It’s been 17 years since Robert Putnam wrote Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, a book that describes the cultural tendency of people to act independently and without interaction, doing more activities by themselves than in groups.

Much has changed in those nearly two decades; more people than ever gather for protests and town halls. There are even flash mobs that perform complicated choreography in public spaces like train stations and parks. But people are likely going to these community gatherings alone, finding out about spontaneous events via Facebook or Instagram, Twitter or text. The sense of what constitutes a community has transformed.

My fears about solo movie-going may have been ridiculous all along because watching the movie is itself a singular experience. I am glad I have given myself permission to attend a new movie when the mood strikes, without all the back and forth of securing a companion or agreeing on a show.

But I am not universally brave. When I travel for work, I still avoid going to the hotel restaurant alone to eat at a table for one. I feel self-conscious. So I stay in my room and order room service — with a glass of Pinot Grigio if I am in the mood. I sit on the fluffy bed and turn on the TV. And, of course, I watch a movie. Alone. n

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