May 2009 Newsletter

re savvy
May 2009 E-Newsletter

EVENTS IN MAY
-Cinco de Mayo Parade 5/3 12pm ~ Cermak Road from Wood to Zedzie
-30th Anniversary of the Chicago Farmers Markets ~ chicagofarmersmarkets.us
-Mother’s Day 5/10
-Third Annual Chicagoland Great American Mutt Show 5/16 10am-5pm ~ Promoting no-kill animal shelters; Morton West High School, 2400 Home Ave, Berwyn
-Memorial Day Parade 5/23 noon ~ State Street from Lake to Van Buren
-8th Annual Bike the Drive 5/24 5:30am-10:30am ~ Starting in Grant Park; sign up at www.bikethedrive.org
-Mayfest Chicago 5/28-31 ~ Lincoln & Leland; visit mayfestchicago.com for live entertainment and times
-Do-Division: Street Fest & Sidewalk Sale 5/30-31 12pm-10pm ~ 10 city blocks from Ashland to Leavitt featuring food, art, and spirits vendors; visit www.do-divisionstreetfest.com
-Belmont-Sheffield Music Festival 5/30-31 noon-9pm ~ The hottest national, regional, and local musical entertainment
-First Fridays 6pm-10pm ~ Every 1st Friday of the month, have your happy hour at the Museum of Contemporary Art; admission ticket includes cash bar and free Wolfgang Puck apps! 220 E Chicago Ave, www.mcachicago.org
-‘Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!’ Thursdays 7:30pm-9:30pm ~ Attend a living taping of NPR’s humorous news quiz show with host Peter Sagal; Chase Auditorium, 10 S Dearborn

ARTICLE: BAIT IS ENOUGH
Seller sweeten real-estate deals with cash, cars… even canoes
By Jake Malooley, TimeOut Chicago

As pressure to sell! sell! sell! mounts in this paralyzed housing market, Chicago Realtors and by-owner sellers are offering creative incentives to entice home shoppers to open their padlocked wallets. A quick glance at local real-estate ads shows property baited with everything from a two-year buy-back guarantee to plasma-screen TVs. “Everyone is looking for some bonus to buy right now,” says Jaime Smith, a sales agent with the Kopley Group, which is advertising $20,000 toward furniture or a new four-door Suzuki car for those who sign a contract before April 30 on loft units in North Center. Smith says Kopley’s summer 2008 promotion at the lame location – a free Vespa with purchase – was an effective attention getter, but most buyers took the purchase-price discount instead of the scooter. According to Realtor Eric Rojas – a Rubloff Residential Properties agent who’s listing a Rogers Park condo that includes a free canoe at closing – sellers often overrate incentives. However, “in an apples-to-apples situation,” he allows, a pot-sweetener can be the deciding factor. Rojas recalls a recent example when the seller of a townhome extended $40,000 toward the purchase of a compact car to an interested shopper who complained the garage was too small. “Talk about sign of the times,” Rojas chuckles.

SCRUMPTIOUS SELECTION: SUNDA
Outlet for my Opinionated Tatste Bud

Sushi… my nemesis, my weakness, my obsession. Given this blunt confession, you can imagine my response when I was recently invited to sample some taste bud ticklers at the newest Asian comfort food hot spot. The founding fathers of Rockit Bar & Grill and The Underground opened their latest brainchild eatery in March, which has already inspired write-ups in CS Magazine and Michigan Avenue Magazine. The restaurant is a large open expanse with plenty of seating option—tables for two, picnic style tables with stools for your group, sushi bar seating, cocktail lounge, a private party room, and patio seating for 30. And the food? Definitely something to boast about. We’re not talking just another sushi bar. No, Executive Chef Rodelio Aglibot creates contemporary interpretations of dishes from Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Phillippines, Thailand and beyond. A bit more on the experimental side, I sampled the Adobo Braised Black Pork Belly, the Food Buddha’s Classic Crispy Rise with Kobe Beef Tartare, Crab Cake Crusted Ahi Tuna Sashimi, and the Sunda Rainbow Roll. For the diverse selection, the ambiance and the location, I felt the whole meal was worth the escalated River North prices. Check it out!
Where: 110 W. Illinois (LaSalle & Illinois)
Call for Rezzies: 312-644-0500

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