The Class Action Lawsuit Against Groupon

We're big fans of Groupon. We've recently purchased 5 Groupons to one of our favorite spots in the Sloop, Panozzo's. The gift certificate said that it expires in one year, but it sounds like this expiration date is against Illinois law.

Edelson McGuire, LLC, a law firm in Chicago, has filed a class action lawsuit against Groupon:

Now a North Side man is suing Groupon — the company behind the wildly popular website offering daily deals at everything from eateries to retail outlets — alleging the discounted gift certificates he purchased to a local florist weren’t quite the deal he thought they were.

Specifically, Daniel Keeler purchased three $40 gift certificates, each valued at $80, for Grow Flower Shop in the NBC Tower, but when he attempted to redeem them earlier this year, he was told he’d have to pony up $20 for each of the three arrangements he wanted to send, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit not only alleges breach of contract, but accuses the company of violating Illinois law by offering non-food gift certificates with expiration periods shorter than five years.

One of Groupon's main Chicago competitors, YouSwoop, was also sued, but it appears that they've acted a little quicker to come to a settlement. It will be interesting to see how this turns out for Groupon.

For the law junkies, the Consumer Protection law in Illinois states:

On or after January 1, 2008, no person shall sell a gift certificate that is
subject to: (1) an expiration date earlier than 5 years after the date of
issuance; or (2) a post-purchase fee.

We definitely were not familiar with this law, but glad we know now. We actually had a similar issue with a restaurants.com gift certificate that we tried to use at Savoy Bar & Grill in the Essex Inn (800 S. Michigan Ave). It didn't expire but somehow they wouldn't honor the gift certificate.

Congress Parkway the Consensus Northern Boundary of the South Loop

Cocaine Bust at 1500 Block of South State

In case you missed this story on Friday, we felt it was worth posting about today:

Execution of a Chicago Police Department search warrant yields the recovery of over 600 grams of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia and cash.

Michael Wright, 50, of the 1500 block of South State Street, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Street value of the seized loot exceeds $80,000

A reader writes about this story:

Not sure if you wanted to make a post about this...but we need to get rid of riff raff like this loser... And making his face known can only help send him deeper into the shadows.

Dude was working, allegedly, right out of one of the biggest condo buildings in the S Loop... and with tons of kids in the building. Just makes me sick.

(Hat Tip to MW!)
(Image from WGN.com)

Groupon Today: $20 for Beer, Meat and Cheese at Villains

We're big fans of Villain's Bar & Grill (629 S. Clark) and that's why we were excited to wake up this morning, check email and see today's Groupon promotion. For $20 you get to sample Beer, Meat and Cheese:

While fresh, local foods get a lot of hype, vampires and Abe Vigoda know that
eating aged and fermented foods can lead to immortality and enhanced eyebrow
dexterity. For $20, today's Groupon lets you taste a triumvirate of
well-aged cheeses, meats, and craft beers at Villain's Bar & Grill in
Printer's Row (a $47 value).

Act quick it ends today!

Ora Dental Gets Good Marks

A reader writes about Ora Dental Studio (1827 S Michigan):

Ora dental studios get two thumbs up from me! Don't know if you've been
there or not but it's a nice place with a nice staff!

We haven't been, but good to hear a good review about it.


(Hat Tip PF!)

Two South Loop Bars in the Final Four

Time to represent the hood. It looks like Reggie's and Kroll's have made it to the final four of a Heineken Light bar bracket. Voting ends tomorrow, so get your vote in now!

(Hat Tip LH!)

(Image from ESPN)

Shots Around the Sloop: The Chicago River

(Hat tip DWK!)

Free Poundcake for National Poundcake Day!

I know National Poundcake Day is almost over, but that shouldn't stop you from signing up for a free slice of poundcake from ComfortCake (which is an online shop based in the South Loop at 1243 S. Wabash Suite 201). They recently reached out to us and will be sending us some of their poundcake in honor of this glorious day. According to them, if you want a free slice here is how you get it:

Either go to www.comfortcake.com or www.nationalpoundcakeday.com (links to our site). They should click on 'email list' and we’ll contact them from there to get their address and mail it to them…absolutely free!

Looking forward to trying it!

Good Info in Most Recent Alderman Newsletter

Alderman Fioretti's newsletter is hit or miss, but this time it was a hit. In case you don't get the newsletter, the first thing is an announcement and celebration for the improvements on the recently refurbished South Wabash street:

At 11 a.m. on Monday, March 8, I (alderman Fioretti) am
hosting a street celebration at 11th and Wabash. This event will commemorate
recent improvements and mark the end of the Wabash Avenue streetscape and
roadway reconstruction project.

The Columbia College Jazz Band will open the event and local
restaurants are offering complimentary drinks and snacks.

The South Loop has seen tremendous growth and development in the past
decade. In cooperation with the community and CDOT, we wanted to ensure this
important thoroughfare was brought up to the level of quality that the growth
and new character of the neighborhood deserves. This has become one of the most
desirable places in the city to live, do business, go to school or work. These
improvements will serve to only further that desire by attracting commerce and
residents.

Second, a chance to get some trees planted in your area of the Sloop:

Would you like a tree planted in the parkway in front of your property? If no
tree is currently there, I will direct the Bureau of Forestry to plant
one. At least 100 new trees will be planted in the 2nd Ward this Spring, adding
to the 300 we planted last fall. We must get our locations to the Bureau as soon
as possible this month, so please let us know of your wishes soon. On a
related note, if there is a dead tree in your parkway please let us know right
away. Contact Tim Stevens via email at: timothy.stevens@cityofchicago.org

Finally, an announcement to to apply for block party and garage sale permits:

Now is the time to start putting in your requests for block party and garage
sale permits. To do so visit our website and complete the application under the
"For Residents" tab and submit that application to my office at 429 S.
Dearborn.

Harper Gallery Opens at 1915 S. Michigan

A reader writes:

I visited the grand opening of Harper Gallery last week and found it to be
a perfect addition to the South Loop. Chicago Journal had an article about
the gallery and I took a couple of pictures while there (posted below, but may
show up very small).

http://chicagojournal.com/Blogs/02-28-2010/The_dawn_of_a_new_gallery

Glad to see another store opening up on that stretch of South Michigan Avenue. We will definitely be checking it out soon.

For those also interested in the area we had a post about two more places opening up on the 1900 block of south Michigan Avenue.

(Hat Tip: SoloMotorow!)

Columbia College Student Reported Missing

Many Chicago news outlets have articles reporting that there is missing Columbia College student:

Jay Polhill, 20, was last seen Feb. 28 in the 500 block of South State Street, according to police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.

Family and friends were reaching out to the online community Wednesday, posting a message on Reddit.com in hopes of finding Polhill, a Columbia student.

He was last seen at University Center, Congress and State, where he is a resident, according to the posting.

Here is the link to the Chicago Sun-times article and here is a reddit link where information is being shared.

Tekka Don at Ma & I: Great Presentation, but Not the Best Tuna Dish

We're huge fans of Ma & I (1234 S. Michigan) and go there often. When I'm in the mood for raw or seared tuna, I always opt for the 'Sear Tuna Salad' which is probably one of my favorite dishes in the South Loop. But for some reason I thought it was time to try something new. Still craving tuna, the 'Tekka Don' (which is described as Tuna Sashimi over sushi rice) entree sparked some interest. I asked the waitress what to expect, but she didn't give me the clearest explanation. Regardless, it went for it anyway. As the entree came out, my first impression was 'wow! talk about food presentation!':


This picture probably doesn't do justice to the dish's presentation, but if you look at the Tuna it was cut and contorted in the shape of a rose. Although I'm not sure how difficult this is to do, it seemed very impressive to everyone at the table.

However, besides the presentation the dish was just OK in my opinion. The tuna was tender and of good quality, but the overall dish just wasn't my favorite. If you're in mood for a Tuna dish that has a stunning presentation go for the 'Tekka Don' dish, if not go for the 'Sear Tuna Salad'. It's better and will save you a couple bucks!

A Beautiful Building

Not sure if the lighting is new or if it's simply the first time we've noticed it, but the building on the Northeast corner of Roosevelt and Wabash (where Potbelly's is and Sam's used to be) looks great! The lighting truly adds to the beauty of the building:

We received an email stating a rumor about a 'high-end' restaurant moving into the building back in December, but that hasn't happened yet. It's a great building, in a prominent location and in our opinion would be a great place for a restaurant or a sports bar given it's proximity to Solider Field. The only problem is that its current floor plan has a ton of square footage, but if the right tenant emerged, we're sure it could be split up if necessary.

Regardless, the new lighting looks great in our opinion (if it really is new).

And the Sloopin 2010 T-Shirt Contest Winner is...

Drum roll please...And the winner of the Sloopin 2010 T-Shirt Contest is Entry #2 - Sloopster!


Thanks for everyone who voted, submitted shirts and gave feedback. The next step is for us to finalize a t-shirt vendor (which were hoping we can do this month). After that we will do a couple of posts explaining how you can buy the t-shirts.

As a reminder, the goal of this contest is to raise funds so we can implement some new features on the blog. If you're interested in pre-ordering a t-shirt please email us at sloopin@gmail.com.

Finally, for those of you who are interested the final voting results were:

Entry #1: Map (4 votes)
Entry #2: Sloopster (16 votes)
Entry #3: Sloopin Ain't Easy (4 votes)
Entry#4: I've been Sloopin Around (10 votes)
Entry #5: I heart Sloopin (2 votes)
Entry #6: Everybody Sloops (2 votes)

Shots Around the Sloop: Spires in the Background

Spires in the distance frame Roosevelt road to the west.

3 Days Left to Vote for the Sloopin T-Shirt Contest

As a reminder we will be wrapping up the voting process for the Sloopin T-Shirt contest.

Thanks to everyone who has voted and if you haven't yet, please do before Midnight on Sunday (2/28). For the shirts, see this link or scroll down.

Right now we have a barn burner between:
#2 - Sloopster
#3 - Sloopin
#4 - I've been Sloopin Around

However, it's still a pretty close race across the board!

Bacon Popcorn...Yum?

We've heard a lot about the bacon popcorn at the new Roosevelt Collection movie theater, but have not had a chance to try it out (however we had a similar concoction at Revolution Brewery a couple of weekends ago). Here is a review of the unusual popcorn at the theater's 2nd floor lounge:

The first few bites were great — the bacon cubes melted on my tongue, the popcorn complemented with crunch. But soon the bacon cooled, some kernels were stale, and there was an odd brown powder clinging to others.

Halfway through my small bowl I stopped eating the upscale popcorn, envious of the tub of regular stuff the guy at the end of the bar was stuffing into his face. It felt a little like walking out of a theater midway through a blockbuster that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce.

A South Loop Blog for Local Restaurants

We're always scouring the interwebs for great stories and discussions about the South Loop, so we were glad that an avid Sloopin reader sent us this email:

Hey Sloopin Peeps,

Thanks for all the hard work you do! I love what I read from you all. I wanted to send you a quick note to tell you that I've started writing for Roosevelt's school paper and have started a blog about area restaurants there. Pass it along to the Sloopin readers if you like (if not, I won't take offense!)

Hope you all are having a great day!
Yvonne

http://www.roosevelttorch.com/sections/staff-blog-strumecki

For more information about the blog check out this link and for her first review check out this one on Epic Burger. Best of luck on the blog...we will be following it!

Two Important Planning Meetings for the Sloop. One Tonight; One on Tues Mar 2nd

Micah Maidenberg of the Chicago Journal had a post notifying readers of two interesting and important meetings coming up relevant to the South Loop. First, a discussion about student housing plans:

South Loop Neighbors is hosting a discussion Wednesday, Feb. 24 about new student residences in the neighborhood. Invited guests include Lesley Slavitt, vice president of governmental relations and outreach at Roosevelt University, and Keith Giles, a principal at Kargil Development.

Roosevelt is building a 32-story "vertical campus" that will replace the Herman Crown Center at 421-425 S. Wabash. The structure will host seven floors of classrooms, six floors of student services and 615 beds for the school's freshmen and sophomores, as well as space for student organizations and activities and street-level retail.

Kargil Development, which has built and rehabbed number of residential structures in the South Loop, wants to build a $100 million, 21-story tower with 420 two-bedroom suites and 20 single rooms for dorm resident assistants at 1136-1140 S. Wabash, land currently owned by the city.

Also Ald. Fioretti is hosting an event on upcoming construction projects around the Sloop:

Fioretti will be hosting a meeting March 2, meanwhile, about three major infrastructure projects slated to start this April: the Congress Parkway remake; reconstruction of Wacker Drive; and repaving the Eisenhower Expressway. Representatives from the city and state departments of transportation will be on hand to discuss the projects.
The road construction meeting starts at 6 p.m. March 2 at Robert Morris University, 401 S. State, in Room 803.

If you click on the Congress Parkway remake link above you will find an interesting PowerPoint talking about that project. It looks like the idea of this is to make the street more pedestrian friendly (which we love). The duration of the project is scheduled for two years (to start during Spring of 2010 and wrap up in Spring of 2012). Here are some renderings from the PowerPoint:

Census Employment Testing at Old St. Mary's Church

Census Announcement for those interested in helping and getting paid:

The South Loop has changed dramatically over the past ten years. It is important that we do everything that we can to ensure a proper count. Accurate data reflecting changes in our community are crucial in apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and deciding how more than $400 billion per year is allocated. The private sector also uses this data in determining were to establish new businesses.

The Young Adult Group of Old St. Mary’s will be hosting the US Census Bureau this Sunday. The Census Bureau will be taking applications and administering employment testing in the Social Hall at 1:00PM. Old St. Mary's Church is located at 1500 S. Michigan. No appointment is necessary. Pay rates for field positions begin at $18.25 an hour.

For more information on the application process please go to: www.2010censusjobs.gov

For a list of the approved forms of identification to bring to the test and a copy of a sample test, please go to the following links.

Approved forms of Identification
Sample Test

For any questions please call: 1-866-861-2010

Best Regards,
Luis Gonzalez
Old St. Mary’s Parish Council Member