Come bike over Monday the 29th from 8 am to 2 pm for a discounted memorial day brunch with us! (Just show us your helmet!)

Gather your family and friends for an Easter Brunch at the 'Bone.  Whether it's early for a light breakfast or midday for a banquet with mimosas (bottomless, too), fresh cooked ham, waffles and a dozen Benedicts, make your bunnies happy this Sunday at Wishbone.
We are taking reservations for parties of 6 or more, but ask you re-confirm the number and time an hour or so before you arrive.  Call (773) 549-2663 to reserve (and confirm).    As usual, our brunch is menu-driven and not prix-fixe.  We'll have added treats for kids and, depending on weather, may have our patio open as well.

Saturday, the 1st, marks the 28th annual celebration of Chicago's bard, Nelson Algren, which every year selects individuals or organizations contributing to the cultural and social life of the city.   And 2017 the spotlight falls on our own Miki for bringing together diverse musicians, artists and performers in different venues in addition to his own songwriting and playing most notably with Maestro Subgum and the Whole and, more recently, a band called "It's a Girl."

The celebration which falls appropriately on April Fools' Day (in the sense of the opening card of the Tarot), is being held as a carnival symposium at the Bloomingdale Artists Building, 2418 W. Bloomingdale, where the 606 crosses Western. The program begins at 7:30 and admission is $10 or $5 for students and seniors with piano by Erwin Helfer, excerpts by Tony Macaluso from Studs Terkel's radio shows, hosted discussions of Algren's beloved skid row and refections on Hemingway and much, much more.    For more information and directions, go to http://nelsonalgren.org/news-and-events.html

While many know Michael or Miki (depending on the circumstance) for his free concert series at Wishbone on Thursdays and Sundays, his roots in Chicago go back much further as creator of the Lunar Cabaret (situated not far south on Lincoln Avenue) and to his compositions and piano for Beau O'Reilly's Maestro for over two decades.  Anyone who has spent time with him from his long stint with the Old Town School of Folk Music to the present, is immediately aware that he is one of those remarkable individuals who nurtures art and artists because he is so singularly "in the present."    The bicycle you'll always see outside Wishbone with the single gear and plastic bag covered seat--is, of course, Michael's.   He also manages the Front of House and is  hard to miss darting around the dining room or being caught on a catering call behind the counter.

What many don't know is that Miki is also a fine photographer; ran a cibachrome lab in Bucktown for many well known photographers AND is the very proud father of 4 girls--one of whom took the snapshot above with the tie.

More personally, Michael and I arrived in Chicago at the same time roughly 30 years ago--landing on Division Street hardly two blocks from Nelson's old digs on Evergreen.  He hailed from Boston and I  from New York and our paths have intersected many times since.  (I include with this post an old snapshot of my preparing Miki for a film cameo in brother Gregory's DRUMSTRUCK--shot largely in James Bond's loft at 1550 N. Milwaukee.)

If you don't know the author of The Man with the Golden Arm or know that he was responsible for Simone de Beauvoir's residence in Chicago, then you owe it to yourself to find out what Chicago was like before Division Street was gentrified.  The local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War is also being honored (and what better time than now?)  and it's going to be a fun party with a broad mix of people.

It's also a good time to celebrate someone who has brought so many artists together and who continues to make music today.  To Nelson and Miki, all hail!
                                                                                              -Guy Nickson

On Friday, March 17th at 7 PM a special celebration of St. Patrick's will take place at Wishbone--far from the braying crowd--in the form of a concert by Jamie O'Reilly and other splendid singers and musicians.  This marks the second year that Wishbone has tipped its hat to the rich musical and lyric traditions of Ireland in addition to menu offerings and drinks that depart from our usual fare. 

Ms. O'Reilly comes from a storied performing family here in Chicago and THAT tradition is carried forward in the harmonies of her daughters, Meg and Nia.  Peter Swenson's guitar and John Floeter's bass are equally well known in venues throughout Chicago. 

Discounted tickets FOR THE CONCERT ONLY may be purchased in advance through www.jamieoreilly.com (CLICK ON PHOTO)  and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Woman's Health Clinic.  Reservations for the concert room will be coordinated by the O'Reilly ticket sales or by calling 773.203.7661 for more information. 

Food and drink specials (and regular menu items) are purchased separately from Wishbone--either before or during the concert.

Join us for a heart-warming evening of ballads and shanties--not to mention our own house prepared corned beef, cabbage and other treats and cocktails.    Cheers to all.

This Tuesday Wishbone celebrates Mardi Gras with boogie piano legend ERWIN HELFRIN and a menu of Cajun and Creole dishes.   Join in the big feast before Lent with crawfish dishes, etoufees,  jambalaya, gumbo, Salmon en pappillot . . . and special sampler platters with heaping portions of the Big Easy.

For family and friends, it's not a night to miss--to dispel some of the Winter gloom.  Doors open at 5 PM--with music beginning at 6.  NO COVER  and we've got the beads and feathers to make the evening properly festive . . . along with some of the best N'awlins food around!  Reservations a good idea.  773.549.2663

If you have your own Carnival Costume, you can win a FREE DINNER at our judging at 8 PM.

We're open Tuesday Night for a special Valentine's Dinner featuring Family Specials, Do-It-Yourself-Valentine Cards, Live Flute and Piano provided by Rachel LaPorte and Lily Floeter AND for couples, a Prix Fixe Dinner for Two.

The Prix Fixe Dinner is $22.95 per person from Appetizers to Desserts and will include Fried Gulf Oysters and Stuffed Mushroom choices for Appetizers; Entree Choices to include Rainbow Trout Meuniere, Roast Ribeye and Savannah Paprika Chicken (and more).  There will be a special Artichoke Salad and Dessert Choices from Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Cloud and Chocolate Pecan Pie.

Ordering from an a la Carte menu will feature many Wishbone favorites as well.

Dinner will be served from 5 to 9 PM; there is NO COVER CHARGE and reservations are recommended
by calling 773.549.2663.  (note that our "Kids Eat Free" promotion will not apply to this special evening)

Get your mind off the other stuff and come by for some great food and . . . a bit of fun! 

 While in China attention is being given a large rooster statue with the attributes of President-elect Trump, at Wishbone we are honored and delighted to have a new talisman of good fortune for the coming year--in the form of a painting by Esperanza Gama.   Esperanza, a neighborhood artist who has exhibited internationally (and once in our more humble Couloir Bleu gallery)  presented the painted wishbone this past week and it now hangs above our espresso machine until a more suitable shrine is found.  Using gold leaf for the highlights and a muted organic background of leaves, Esperanza has made of the humble furcula something akin to a religious reliquary replete with gold leaf frame.  

This is entirely appropriate given the esteem and sacred powers atributed to the wishbone by peoples as far back as the Etruscans and passed down to us as merry thoughts in our American tradition of Thanksgiving.  Even more appropriate is the gift for New Year's when fortune telling and hopes strain at the inscrutablility of what is to come from the past year's darkness.  What better ray of light to rekindle happier speculations than a gilded wishbone, beautifully rendered, to welcome the Chinese Year of the Rooster.  

Within the Chinese zodiac, the start of the new year is lunar and celebrations in 2017 begin on the 28th  of January.  The attributes of the rooster are quite the opposite of what we usually think of as plummage and vanity:  for the rooster embodies the confident, hardworking and gregarious parts of our nature--parts we know quite well here at Wishbone.

So a great big thank you to Esperanza (could she have a better name?)  for this lovely gift.  And best wishes to you who read this!

   It doesn't have to be amateur night.  Saying goodbye to a rough year and toasting hopes for the new, calls for something civilized:  like music, good company and food to match.   Dennis Carroll will be leading a trio of bass, keyboards and drums for some interesting jazz while the Wishbone kitchen presnts Prix Fixe menus for couples in addition to our regular menu and specials like Roast Ribeye, Salmon cooked in parchment, Stuffed Chicken and Rainbow Trout Meuniere.   The music begins at 6:30 and we'll be popping the corks at nine--well before the witching hour when the Donald begins his tweets.  Doesn't hurt that the price is right:  No cover and blackeyed peas to get a favored start in 2017.

And don't forget New Year's Brunch from 9 to 4 PM with bottomless Mimosas, hair of the poodle and, of course, more great food with special sausages, waffles and delicious benedicts--with more blackeyed peas that is part of the Southern good luck tradition.

So come celebrate with Wishbone evening or day.  Let's have fun.

The holidays all collide this week; guests are in town; shopping is a nightmare--TIME TO SIMPLIFY WITH TRAYS FROM WISHBONE!

We've got SMOKED BRISKET (whole or sliced) that comes with a choice of horseradish sauce or BBQ and an array of vegetables and desserts that are as "home made" as anything you could wish for when time is a short leash.  You can pick up hot or cold 1/4 AND 1/2 PANS (and whole pies)  as late as 3 PM Christmas Eve, but you'll need to order in the next few days if you want to be on the "good" list.  And no one need ever know you didn't make those sweet potatoes yourself or pecan pie or even the Hoppin' John for luck.  Download the menu and give us a call!  . . .  before the days start getting light again.