WEDNESDAY 25
Check out our round-up of Black Wednesday parties, from Smart Bar to the Metro to Lumen and more.

Quartino’s November Wine Bash pays homage to Thanksgiving with housemade Turkey prosciutto—and pays homage to wine with a tasting of Italian whites and reds from the Abruzzo region. Reservations not accepted; registration begins at 6:30pm at the door. 7–9pm. 626 N State St (312-698-5000). $20.

In preparation for all the hormones, antibiotics and toxins you’ll devour tomorrow, why not take part in a Give Thanks Vegan Dinner tonight? All entrées—like live kale greens, sweet maize corn and sweet potato “cheezcake”—are raw and vegan. Holistic Health Center, 5550 S State St (773-288-7718). $25 at the door.

THURSDAY 26
Find last-minute recipes from Chicago bloggers, seek out a dinner reservation (but be sure to call ahead; many restaurants are fully booked) and find out which great bars will for sure be open after dinner.

FRIDAY 27
What better place to spend Black Friday than a hotel bar? Cityscape Bar, on the 15th floor of the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, hosts a free tasting of Dewar’s Scotch. 6–8pm. 350 W Mart Center Dr (312-836-5000). Free.

SATURDAY 28
Soul-food pickings seem to be getting slimmer and slimmer, but here’s something worth investigating: The Weathington and Dismukes families will be cooking a soul-food dinner in Kennicott Park. 4–7pm. $5/person for dine-in; $10/person for to-go plates. 4434 S Lake Park Ave (888-858-4996 for more information).

SUNDAY 29
Many people are giving thanks for their pets this weekend, but other animals aren’t so lucky. Wing Ding Fest raises money for the Buddy Foundation, which provides shelter to stray, abused and abandoned animals. A $25 entry fee gets you two drink tickets, free wings and a halftime buttet from participating restaurants like Finn McCool’s and Slice of Chicago. Alumni Club Schaumburg, 871 E Algonquin Rd, Schaumburg (847-397-3100). 11am.

The New Adventures of Old Christine 7-7:30pm, CBS. Barb is worried that Dave will propose to her on their date, so she invites Christine to come along as a buffer.

Read more »

Black Wednesday night is one of the biggest clubbing nights of the year, believe it or not. I guess it makes sense to wanna boogie the night away before sleeping in and waking up to a massive feast to recharge. Personally, I find it a good pre-emptive strike against the cabin fever that I get by Friday morning. But what if you are the one making the feast? Lay off the booze, I suppose. Today’s five things is front-loaded with nightlife events, but you’ll find even more in our Black Wednesday party guide, including DJ gigs from Steve Angello at crobar and Classic night at Smart Bar.

Kid Sister

NIGHTLIFE/MUSIC - Kid Sister + Flosstradamus + Green Velvet
Hailing from nearby Markham, the young club rapper finally unveils her debut LP, Ultraviolet, in all its electrogawdy glory. Flosstradamus, her brother Josh’s party-pumping DJ duo, spins throughout the night. Legend of house and electro, Chicago’s own Green Velvet, spins as well. House of Blues, 6:30pm, $18, all ages.

NIGHTLIFE - DJ Class
Over the course of this year, Class has hit clubs over the head with his twofer in the form of his ubiquitous singles “I’m the Ish” and “Dance Like A Freak.” The former has been out since the spring and it continues to send dance-floors into a frenzy with its minimal b-more-esque beat and guest verse from Kanye. Now, Manor wants dibs on your Black Wednesday business with this special live performance from Class, that’ll surely have its dancefloor freakin’. Manor. 10pm; $20, free before 11:30pm.

GAY & LESBIAN/NIGHTLIFE - Get Get Down
You can bet B-town’s best will hit Berlin hard before the reality of Thanksgiving with the relatives sets in. Berlin, 11pm, FREE!

THEATER - South Pacific
The lavish Lincoln Center Theater revival of the WWII musical hits Rosemont in touring form; you can hear the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein score played by a lush 26-piece orchestra. Rosemont Theatre, 2, 7:30pm, $39.50–$79.50.

AROUND TOWN - Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Everything’s illuminated in Daley Plaza when the switch is flipped on the city’s towering holiday tree. This is the first year the cash-strapped city is using a single tree rather than piecing together nearly 100 smaller trees. To add to the festivities, Bonnie Hunt (of The Bonnie Hunt Show) and Mayor Daley will make an appearance. Holiday music abounds. Daley Plaza, Washington and Dearborn Sts (312-744-3315). 4pm. FREE!

The latest episode of our local music podcast The Infinite Loop features terrific local talent Tania Bowers, who as Via Tania recently released her second album, Moon Sweet Moon. The charming full-lenth is the result of a significant time spent abroad chasing her sound, as uncovered in this week’s profile. Bowers recently visited our State and Jackson headquarters for an interview and recording, in which she discussed her role as a makeup artist on Califone’s feature-length film All My Friends Are Funeral Singers and how the moon was essential to her youth in Australia. Best of all, she played two lovely tunes on her tenor ukulele, including “How Come,” on which she teases a gorgeous call and response effect from a lo-fi cassette recorder. It’s breathtaking, and may be the most intimate Infinite Loop performance yet. Hear it for yourself.

Subscribe to an RSS feed of past and future Infinite Loop podcasts below.

Subscribe to the Infinite Loop podcasts via iTunes.

Infinite Loop image: Nadine Nakanishi

In this week’s magazine we list several bars that are open on Thanksgiving evening, and illustrate that list with a bottle of Wild Turkey. What else could we have possibly used as an illustration? Not only does Wild Turkey provide a nice visual pun (and, in case you haven’t noticed, TOC has a soft spot for puns), it also represents the most American spirit there is: Bourbon.

But while there’s a time and a place for Wild Turkey (namely 2am, from a flask, in the aisle of an all-night 7-Eleven), it will not be this food writer’s choice come Thursday night. No, this Bourbon drinker will be sipping Black Maple Hill, a small-batch brand I encountered at Andersonville’s In Fine Spirits. Being so impressed with the stuff (and with that bar in general), I decided to call the owner, Shane Kissack, to ask what other bourbons he’d recommend for the holiday. As it turns out, the Black Maple Hill was at the top of his list, too:

Black Maple Hill: “It’s everybody’s small-batch favorite as of late. It’s small production—it’s rare but not impossible. Got a little bit of a softer edge to it—a good way to go.”

Buffalo Trace # 188: Most Buffalo Trace is sold as a blend of several different barrels, but In Fine Spirits chose this particular barrel to sell this winter. “I was looking for a winter bourbon,” Kissack says. He was drawn to this one “for the creme brulee, caramelly flavors that were up front, and the spicy finish that lingered.”

Noah’s Mill: “Very much a colder weather bourbon—it has burnt chocolate, burnt caramel, toffee flavors that work for me this time of year. This was the bourbon I had last year at Thanksgiving.”

Willett Family Pot Still Reserve: “This is a little harder to get. It’s got a little more of a caramel note to it, and a milder finish. It’s not so complex, per se. But sometimes that can be a good thing.”

Legal issue and foreclosure be damned! It looks like the Block 37 shopping center (bordered by State, Randolph, Dearborn and Washington Streets) is actually on track to open. I went past the building last night and saw that Steve Madden is officially open for business, and Puma (located next door to the shoe store) looks like it’s doors will be open by the end of the week (or sooner, the employees inside looked like they were unpacking boxes at a rapid rate). According to CBS2, the underground Pedway is already open and Zara is slated to make its State Street debut tomorrow. As we previously reported, other stores set for the space include some local options such as a second location of local designer Michelle Tan’s boutique,  Bleeding Heart Bakery, Comic Vault, Alternatives Shoes and another outpost of Claudia Kleiner Malabar Collection.

The Biggest Loser 7-9pm, NBC. Suze Orman stops by to discuss the connection between health and wealth with the contestants. This sound like it would be a lot more fun if it was Kristen Wiig doing her Orman impression.

Read more »

AROUND TOWN /BOOKS - Chicago Moth StorySLAM
Notes, scripts and cheat sheets aren’t allowed at this yarn-spinning open mike. Sponsored by WBEZ and the Moth nonprofit literary agency, StorySLAM features ten authors each telling true stories all surrounding this month’s “Blunders” theme. Winners are chosen by a panel of audience members and win the chance to go on to the Chicago GrandSLAM tournament later in the year. Doors open at 7:30pm. Martyrs’, 3855 N Lincoln Ave (themoth.org). 8pm, $7.

THEATER - Mise en Place: Snap Shots
Get yer fancy Whistler cocktails with a side of drama: Pavement Group makes an evening of four short plays by the company’s former and future collaborators Mallery Avidon, Joshua Conkel, Gregory S. Moss and David Perez. The Whistler, 8pm, FREE!

FILM - Stop Making Sense
As concert films go, with all due respect to The Last Waltz and Woodstock, we freakin’ love Stop Making Sense, which captures the feel of a Talking Heads concert from their eponymous tour, complete with big suit. Doc Films, University of Chicago, 1212 E 59th St between Kimbark and Woodlawn Aves (773-702-8574). Metra: Elec Main to 59th St. Bus: 4 (24hrs), X4, 14, 28, 59, 171. Tue 24 at 7pm. $5.

ART & DESIGN - Taryn Mead
Mead cites examples such as the Singapore Art Center’s polar bear fur–inspired ventilation system in discussing “The Role of Biomimicry in Design.” Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave. 6pm. FREE.

MUSIC - Cage
Depart from Me, the third disc from Chris Palko, a.k.a. sci-fi MC Cage, is rife with synths and guitars, creating a neo-industrial foundation for Palko’s twisty rhymes. Catch him now, before Transformers star Shia LaBeouf gives the New York rapper the 8 Mile treatment, as he’s been threatening for some time. Reggie’s Rock Club, 8pm, $15, 17 and older.

When we throw a contest online, we often get so excited about giving stuff away that we forget to tell blog readers about the winners. So excuse me while I catch up with some announcements. Last month, Roberta S. and Julie M. each won Kickboard scooters from Time Out Chicago Kids. And in early November, Jeni B. in Chicago won a Zune HD in Time Out Chicago red. Keep an eye on the blog for more contests soon.

The music awards season is upon us—top ten lists are being drawn up with care on the back of cocktail napkins, even the folks at Playboy are getting in on the act. But the difference is those freedom-loving libertines are letting us (Playboy, ahem, readers) vote for the music acts we’d like to see in the March 2010 issue of the magazine—yes, they still make a magazine called Playboy. A point by which, I would guess, all said music acts will be passé. Vote in 12 categories such as Best Breakout Album, Best Hip-Hop Album, Best Live Band and more—but strangely, not Most Shapely Gams. Write-in votes are welcome. Vote in Playboy’s Music Poll.