Caesar magic
Untitled Document I grew up in the 1970s, also known as the “good old days,” when eating in a restaurant was a special event, like going to the circus. Fancy restaurants were slim on cuisine but heavy on spectacle and theater. There was the exotic Benihana, where robe-clad culinary magicians would stir-fry steak before your…
Letters to the Editor
Untitled Document We welcome letters. Please include your full name, address, and telephone number. We edit all letters. Send them to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. HOTEL CONTRIBUTED TO HOMELESSNESS Few people remember that part of the cause of homelessness in the Springfield area is what was…
Clean slate
Untitled Document The Sangamon County Valley Group of the Sierra Club, the organization that pressed city utility officials last year to implement more stringent pollution controls on Springfield’s new power plant, this week mailed questionnaires to individuals vying for mayor and seats on the City Council. On March 27, at the group’s monthly meeting, the…
Bus start
Untitled Document After more than two years, the wheels on the push to bring evening bus service to Springfield are finally going ’round and ’round. Urbitran, a New York-based engineering firm hired by the Illinois Department of Transportation, concludes in a preliminary needs assessment that offering night service to Springfield bus riders is feasible —…
Praise for Poe and Dante mysteries undeserved
Untitled Document I do not like thee, Doctor PearlThe reason why is not mere churlBut you’re so smart — and hence my qu’rrel —Well, leaving the nursery verse, seeing as how I can’t find an appropriate final rhyme, your books, Dr. Pearl, just ought to be better than they are. Last summer I read the well-reviewed…
The best alternative fuel
Untitled Document What are the environmental pros and cons of switching to plant-based “biofuels” to reduce our reliance on oil? Because ethanol and biodiesel are derived from agricultural crops, they are inherently renewable, and ethanol and biodiesel emit less particulate pollution than traditional petroleum-based gasoline and diesel fuels. They also do not contribute to global…
Whatever it takes
Untitled Document I thought she had star quality, like Reese Witherspoon, maybe, the way she got up to speak before the audience of some 200 people at the PORA fundraising dinner March 3. She was poised, funny, like when she told about almost getting kicked out of PORA, a little embarrassed by a few details…
Recycle city
Untitled Document Twenty-eight years ago, fresh out of college, I arrived in Springfield to begin my professional career. Living by myself, I didn’t really generate much trash, and the three R’s — reduce, reuse, and recycle — weren’t common or trendy around town then or, for that matter, around the country. In fact, the only…
Revised ethics testing
Untitled Document The story: A $100,000-a-year state boss, with many Social Security numbers and youthful misdemeanors, tried to force her $70,000-a-year “chauffeur” to sleep with her. It could be true — or not. Either way, the confused woman should be cut some slack, because the situation was not covered in the state’s ethics test. How…
Bush’s sneak attack
Untitled Document In 2004, President George W. Bush spoke an unintentional truth: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” In October, Bush quietly signed a provision into law that does real damage to our…
World-class pastry in Springfield
Untitled Document I’ve had them in Paris and elsewhere in Europe. I’ve had them in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. But I’ve never, ever had better croissants than those I’ve eaten at Incredibly Delicious, right here in Springfield. As I tell my cooking students: “If you want a truly religious eating experience, go to Incredibly…
From side dish to main course
Untitled Document Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, possibly the hottest middle-aged people on the planet, are back with Back Numbers, an album that’s almost as pretty as they are. Grieving Luna fans can’t be blamed if the occasion seems bittersweet, however. It’s hard not to wonder whether the excellence of the new CD is a…
Spring cleaning
Untitled Document Spring is coming, bringing with it a rebirth of sorts on our entertainment scene. Now that the smoke has cleared from our taverns and obviously won’t be returning, people are making their way back to see live music, regardless of whether they can puff a cigarette in a bar. Could it be…
Looks great! Less filling!
Untitled Document 300 Running time 1:57 Rated R ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East To be sure, Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel 300 is aimed at one audience and one audience only: young men between the ages of 16 and 23. Snyder knows what his audience wants, and he doesn’t disappoint: This film…
No matter
Untitled Document In less than one minute, the nine aldermen present at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Springfield City Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing the council’s support of U.S. troops worldwide and wished them a speedy return home. On Feb. 6, about a half-hour’s worth of debate occurred before two-thirds of the City Council…
Real space
Untitled Document According to Les Nessman, the news director from the ’70s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, the world’s oldest profession is farmer. He’s probably right, despite what you may think. It takes a twisted mind to combine it with one of the newer professions, astronaut, and the filmmaking brothers Michael and Mark Polish (Northfork) are…
Davlin vs. Strom
Untitled Document On openness . . . When he formally announced his candidacy for mayor, Ward 10 Ald. Bruce Strom placed accessibility and transparency at the center of his campaign, saying that Mayor Tim Davlin’s administration keeps citizens and City Council members in the dark too often. To remedy this, Strom says he would hold…
