Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Articles Sections >> Arts + Words Bars + Clubs Dating Festivals Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Theater Travel + Tourism Who's Who > View All Ask Centerstage Cheap Thrills Green Thumb Weekend Warrior

Beat the winter woes with a novel approach to your private party.

Saturday Dec 24, 2005.     By Jessica Herman

Lifestyle Feed

Much like a prop for flirting, gimmicks and themes are sometimes just the kind of pick-me-up that a party needs to get going. And since you're presumably past the age of the murder-mystery theme party and rousing rounds of Pin the Tail on The Donkey, we asked a few local experts how they'd host a party.

Wine and cheese, please. Whether you're looking for an ice-breaker at your company party or merely hoping to spice up an intimate dinner with friends, Lakeview's artisan cheese, bread and wine shop Pastoral, 2945 N. Broadway, offers a bang-for-your-buck option, should you be willing to share the host duties with Pastoral's sommelier or fromager. The good-stuff expert will custom-curate your evening, explaining the drinks and dairy of choice to your guests. Your "co-host," fromager Daniel Sirko (Judge at the American Cheese Society 2005 with 25 years of experience) or sommelier Jan Henrichsen (former assistant wine director at Bin 36) come well versed in both languages. You'll consult with your host ahead of time to discuss your goals for the evening, including the expert's role, what you'd like to learn and regions on which you care to focus.

You'll pay $75 for the first hour (plus $60 for each additional hour) to host the expert, plus the cost of the cheese and/or wine order. One economic and interactive option is to make your party BYOB; Pastoral will happily guide you toward appropriate pairings. And do give Pastoral a head's up ten days in advance.

The single sweeties slumber party. For those of you who never manage to follow through with the whole kit-and-caboodle girls' night (mani, pedi, vino, massage train, face mask and romantic comedy rental), professional help is on the way. Drawing from a team of 300 freelancers, Beauty on Call, 1419 N. Mohawk, sends the professionals into your home to buff, rub, shape and polish. You can even opt for a makeup consultation. You'll pay a fee for having the provider in-home (consider it a comfort charge) and then pay for each service individually, a good thing, as it allows gals to mix and match the treatments of their choosing.

Riffing off the health and beauty theme, founder Stacey Koerner recommends complementing the treatments with Borbatinis, martinis mixed with the nutraceutical vitamin water Borba (sold at Nordstrom), which comes in varieties like replenishing, firming and clarifying. Chi-chi water aside, expect to spend $110 per hour per service provider for groups of three or fewer, and $70 per hour per provider for groups of four or more. Treatment-wise, a half-hour facial costs $40; manicures are $35. The complete roster of services is listed at Beautyoncall.com.

Bad movie night. A night of bad-movie watching can be an economical and educational way to spend a wintry night. While plenty of non-cinephiles have experienced a classic cult flick like "Barbarella" at one time or another, there's a galaxy of lesser-known good-bad movies resting in Lincoln Park's Odd Obsession Movies, 1659 N. Halsted. A connoisseur of good-bad movies (you know, the kind that are so bad they're good), Odd Obsession owner Brian Chankin recommends considering your genre of choice, from smart American porn flicks like the X-rated version of Alice in Wonderland to '70s American exploitation flicks by Robert Downey, Sr. Should you opt for the classic campy kind, Chankin suggests Ed Wood's pornographic "Necromania."

To supplement the evening, inquire if any of your pals have any magic tricks or crazy talents up their sleeve to entertain during the necessary intermission between screenings. Stock a cooler with High Life and throw bags of chips with cans of Cheese Whiz on the table, and you're good as gold for a mere $3 per movie.

The classic poker night. There's hardly anything more stereotypical when it comes to guy-bonding activities than a cigar-studded poker night. Among the handful of smoke shops around town, La Casa Del Tobacco, 1937 W. North Ave., is a wise stop to study up on Cigar Party 101. Here are the basics: First, pick a beverage that complements the type of cigar (light, medium or dark) you choose; for instance, light smokes go well with white wine and beer. The new CAO Soprano is hot on the market, but you can't go wrong with classics like Romeo and Julieta and Montecristo.

Two, size matters; the larger the smoke, the longer it lasts. Considering that large cigars may last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, you'll probably want to provide two or three smokes per guest. Don't forget to buy a few cigar cutters, a torch lighter and a few cigar ashtrays. A box of 24 or 25 pretty decent cigars costs around $140-$250, and a mix-and-match 10-pack goes for $50. Accessories run $15 and up. Lastly, the accoutrements: Should conversation run dry, pop in a mob flick or Sopranos DVD. And dress your table with heavy eats like wings, pizza, burgers and ribs.

For more info on planning your party right, contact these spots: Pastoral, 2945 N. Broadway; (773) 472-4781; Pastoral.com. Beauty on Call, 1419 N. Mohawk; (312) 335-5350; Beautyoncall.com. Odd Obsession, 1659 N. Halsted; (312) 573-9910; Oddobsession.com. La Casa del Tobacco, 1937 W. North Ave.; (773) 384-5225; Lacasadeltobacco.com.