
He may or may not have personally had a hand in the eggplant-hued, embroidered cotton jacket I'm about to hand off to some brave Reader reader, but it's definitely sporting his label. Here's why you might not want it, but if you do, the deadline for saying so is coming up, Saturday at midnight.
Maison, a new restaurant from Custom House's Sue Kim-Drohomyrecky and Peter Drohomyrecky, opens tonight. The French-tinged menu comprises seafood, snacks like gougeres and house-marinated olives, charcuterie plates, and a generous list of entrees; the executive chef is Perry Hendrix. 333 E. Benton Pl., 312-241-1540.

This is the unspoken argument of legislators who want to save Tamms, the supermax at the southern tip of Illinois. Governor Pat Quinn has proposed closing Tamms—not for humanitarian reasons, but to save the state money. Most of the Tamms inmates would be moved to maximum-security prisons, where housing them would be cheaper. There's been legislative opposition to Quinn's proposal, however, because guards would lose their jobs. The verdict is imminent.
Representative Brandon Phelps, a downstate Democrat, this week proposed converting Tamms to a regular prison in order to keep it open. As the Southern Illinoisan reported Wednesday, this plan would "appease" those who believe the prison should be closed because the long-term isolation that inmates are subjected to "purportedly causes mental illness." Phelps has made clear he's more concerned about the jobs than the mental illness: "My main deal right now is to keep Tamms open, whether it's just a super-max or regular facility, because southern Illinois cannot afford to lose those jobs or that revenue." Phelps's proposal is unlikely to fly because of the retooling costs.

Little less spicy, not particularly greasy is the MO at Edgewater's Den Den, the city's only Eritrean restaurant, which replaced Las Islas Marias late last year. That's not to say it isn't worth checking out: at the very least it provides a socially acceptable opportunity to eat spaghetti with your hands.
This weekend, Western Exhibitions presents "Excavation," a solo show by John Parot. Parot's new body of work builds on his interest in psychedelic patterns and hippie ephemera, and also explores his interest in ancient Egyptian tomb art. Parot’s paintings are large-scale and bright; one of his strengths is his ability to find patterns in everything from porn magazines to ancient symbols and bring them together in an interesting visualscape. "Excavation" is Parot's third solo exhibition at Western Exhibitions.
Fri 5/25, 5-8 PM, Western Exhibitions, 119 N. Peoria, Suite 2A