Latest news with #BigStar
Eater
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Chicago Icon and Favorite of the Cast of ‘The Bear' Recovers From a Devastating Fire
Chicago's restaurant community has rallied around Birrieria Zaragoza as the Mexican restaurant plots its recovery from a devastating fire. The blaze struck in the afternoon on Monday, June 24, at 4852 S. Pulaski Road. No injuries were reported. The fire originated on the building's second floor. The Zaragozas are waiting to hear from insurance adjusters to assess the damage as the restaurant remains closed. The restaurant has enjoyed an 18-year run and is a member of the Eater Chicago 38. Big Star, the taqueria from One Off Hospitality Group, is raising money for Birrieria Zaragoza at its locations in Wicker Park, West Town, and Wrigleyville. They'll donate a portion of Saturday, July 5 sales of their quesabirria to fire recovery efforts. So far, a GoFundMe has raised more than $30,000 as the family-owned restaurant figures out its next steps. The family also has a second location in Uptown near the Riviera Theater on the corner of Lawrence and Broadway. Donations will go toward rebuilding, paying workers, and overall expenses. Beyond being a popular destination for the cast and crew of The Bear , the restaurant has become an essential part of the city's cultural fabric thanks to a simple menu featuring slow-cooked goat served with fresh tortillas and all the fixings. The Archer Heights restaurant, near Midway Airport, has also become a destination for members of the service industry, and many are offering their support. Notable donations listed on the GoFundMe include Oriole (last month, chef Noah Sandoval won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes), chef Norm Fenton from Michelin-starred Cariño; and Beard winner Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in suburban Northbrook. See More:
Eater
06-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
Chicago's Influential Violet Hour Is Closed Until Further Notice
For the past three weeks, the Violet Hour has remained dormant in Wicker Park, with ownership saying the cocktail bar was in dire need of plumbing repairs. Originally, the owners planned on reopening last week, but now the 18-year-old cocktail bar will stay closed 'until further notice,' missing the onslaught of culinary tourists in town next weekend for the 35th annual James Beard Awards. Ownership from One Off Hospitality Group, the restaurant company behind the Publican and Big Star, says they're in negotiations with the building's landlord, attempting to reach common ground over those repairs. A rep declined to say how much that would cost, only saying 'substantial' fixes are needed. Floors would need to be ripped up, and the ground dug out. The bar's furniture remains intact at 1520 N. Damen Avenue. Public records showed the owner listed as Magic Carpet LLC, which leads to Newcastle Investors. A press release shows Newcastle acquired the property in 2023. 'We're working hard to resume service and will continue to share updates as they become available, so please keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest news,' a Violet Hour statement reads. 'Thank you for your continued support — we can't wait to welcome you back, if and when the time is right.' Violet Hour's importance extends a few layers deep. The bar's debut ushered in the age of the mixologist with sophisticated cocktails using not-so-easy-to-find ingredients. And a multitude of different types of ice. But its influence extended across the country. Chicagoans enjoyed martinis and Manhattans, but Violet Hour's bartenders showed them new drinks, introducing them to future bar staples like the Paper Plane and the Art of Choke. In 2015, the bar won the Beard for Outstanding Bar Program. The bar has made numerous local and national lists and is one of Chicago's essential bars. An arsenal of bartenders remains thankful for their time working the bar, which helped launch their careers. The bar's arrival also marked the start of One Off's Wicker Park presence as the area rapidly gentrified. MTV brought the neighborhood attention when it brought its Real World circus to North Avenue in 2001-2002. One Off partner Terry Alexander was already an integral part of the area — he was also behind Danny's Tavern in nearby Bucktown and soon joined Paul Kahan and Donnie Madia's group. After opening Big Star, they eventually took over the neighboring space to the north and opened Dove's Luncheonette. In 2016, the group opened a spinoff of its pioneering Publican, but the restaurant struggled to find traction as the neighborhood continued to change. An ancillary Beard event, scheduled for Sunday, June 15 — a collaboration with Portland, Oregon Beard Award finalist Scotch Lodge — will move to Friends of Friends, a new bar that Alexander opened last week with Violet Hour alum Abe Vucekovich. Alexander's familiarity with the Violet Hour spans more than two decades through MOD, a restaurant that was open from 2000 to 2005; and Del Toro, a restaurant that gave Andrew Zimmerman a chance to shine. Zimmerman would go on to open West Loop icon Sepia, a Michelin-starred restaurant. While One Off appears to be cautiously optimistic about a reopening, a decision to shutter could echo what happened in 2020 in West Loop when the company closed Blackbird, a gastronomic trailblazer, after two decades. Fans of Blackbird didn't get a chance to have a final meal. One Off hopes Violet Hour doesn't face the same fate and gets a proper last call. Sign up for our newsletter.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Big Star: The Nick Skelton Story review – story of showjumping's comeback king spares the horses
It's one hell of a comeback. In 2000, champion showjumper Nick Skelton broke his neck in a bad fall; two years later, he was back on a horse and out of retirement. He went on to win Olympic gold twice, first in London in 2012, then aged 58 at Rio in 2016 (with a replacement hip), becoming the oldest British winner of an individual Olympic gold medal in more than 100 years. Skelton (and his horse Big Star) finally retired in 2017; his story is told in this solid but largely unrevealing documentary, flawed by tight-lipped interviews, no one rocking the boat. Skelton was born in Warwickshire, the son of a chemist. He rode his first pony aged 18 months ('we did everything together') and after parting ways with school at 15, he went to work for tough guy horse owner and trainer Ted Edgar ('a bastard' according to one friend). Talented and ambitious, Skelton was a superstar showjumper, but back at the stables, boss Edgar still made him clean the lorries. In the end, Skelton decided to go it alone with his wife, Sarah; they mortgaged their house and bought a horse. In front of the camera Skelton sits straight-backed, a little stiff, telling very little. There's a wink or two to hard-partying on the 80s showjumping circuit, but sadly no Jilly Cooper-worthy anecdotes. Skelton covers his divorce to Sarah in a sentence or two and even on the subject of the fall (he was initially told by doctors never to ride again) he gives little away. Like most of the talking heads here he's much more lyrical about the horses, and this really does feel like a film made for showjumping fans. Funnily enough, the dullest interviewee is Bruce Springsteen, who turns out to be friends with Skelton. 'He's got a hot fire in the furnace,' says the Boss. It's a shame we don't get to see it. Big Star: The Nick Skelton Story is in cinemas from 6 June.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Makes 'Surprise Appearance' at Kenny Chesney's Vegas Show
It's official: , 57, has kicked off his summer residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and he enlisted one of his most famous friends to help him do it. When Chesney performed his 2002 hit song "Big Star," the graphics on the Sphere all around him made his fans feel like they were inside of a pinball machine, and that's when the audience was surprised by 's unexpected appearance. She has been laying low these days. Who would have thought she'd be in Vegas? 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 At least, a picture of her was in Vegas. See the moment here: As the pinball makes it to the top of the hill, a photo of Swift and Chesney together in her younger years (definitely Debut era with that curly hair) pops up on the screen, framed by a star. It got fans pretty excited, too — in the video above, you can hear the buzz in the audience as soon as she appears on screen. Chesney and Swift go way back. And in 2024, the singer told USA Today that it's "unbelievable what she has become" after knowing her since her teenage years when she was first trying to break into country music. "She has such a creative soul and that's where all of this started," he said. "Everything you see, the stadium shows and big performances, are great. But she is still, I believe, at heart, a songwriter. That is something no one can deny."Wonder if Swift knows she's part of Chesney's performance? Considering their long history together, it's a sweet way to pay tribute to their friendship. Taylor Swift Makes 'Surprise Appearance' at Kenny Chesney's Vegas Show first appeared on Parade on May 23, 2025
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Huge tanker with Russian ESPO oil waits near China as demand sags
MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) - The Big Star, a huge tanker with 2.1 million barrels of Russia's ESPO Blend oil onboard, has been waiting near China in a potential sign of weaker demand for the crude in the region, LSEG data showed and two traders said on Friday. Many state oil companies in China are wary of potential secondary sanctions from the United States if they buy the sanctions-hit Russian oil, traders said. China's seaborne oil imports from Russia dropped to the lowest in 26 months in February, with commodity analysts Kpler assessing arrivals at 970,000 barrels per day. Since then, they have recovered as demand from private "teapot" refiners picked up. But obstacles to Russia's oil trade remain. The Big Star - a so-called very large crude carrier (VLCC) - loaded a total of 2.1 million barrels of ESPO blend from three smaller Aframax tankers, Leftkada, Kai Fu and Centurion I, between May 12 and May 17 near Russia's Far East port of Zarubino, LSEG and Kpler data showed, and headed towards Jieyang in China's southern Guangdong province before stopping. One of the traders suggested the three cargoes were placed too late for sale and failed to attract buyers. Oil in Asian markets normally sells one and a half months prior to loading. The three cargoes loaded from Kozmino port in late April and early in May, prior to the ship-to-ship transfer to the Big Star, LSEG data showed. It is not common for ESPO tankers to be involved in ship-to-ship transfers given the proximity of Russia's Kozmino port to China, and it is also rare for the grade to be held in floating storage, the traders said. After May 23, the vessel briefly lost a ship-tracking signal and then emerged near the Senkaku Islands, not far from Taiwan, on May 25, but has remained anchored since, according to LSEG data.
