We mean it. Channel that inner smart ass and let us know what you think!

We’ve opened up the “comments” feed on our blog roll for you - our NorthShoreInsider friends. If you read something that makes your ears burn or your heart sing in agreement, post a comment! If there’s a blog about a great restaurant, and you can one-up us, go for it! If you want to chime in with a “OMG! I love that place too!” - we want to see it! From time to time, we’ll ask a question - if you’ve got an opinion, share it!

NorthShoreInsider can only get better when we hear from the people that use it - namely, you. So don’t be shy! To start things off on a summer theme, we’re asking you:

What’s your favorite beach and why?

Post a comment and let us know - where’s the best sand? Who’s got the best looking lifeguards? Where are the kids the friendliest? Best concession stand? Talk! Talk!

Who says you have to head south to the City to catch a theater world premiere?

Take a look at the Trib’s Tempo section today – Glencoe’s Writers Theatre will host not one, but TWO world premieres next season – an untitled musical work from Steppenwolf troupe member Austin Pembleton and lyricist Jan Tranen based on George Bernard Shaw’s “Candida”, and in February 2009, “Old Glory,” a play about war and family loss, authored by Brett Neveu.

Other fare next season includes a summer run of “Nixon’s Nixon,” “Picnic,” and “The Maids.”

You still have time to catch the remainder of the 2007 - 2008 season - “As You Like It” is playing through April 20 at 325 Tudor Court and “The Lion In Winter” from May 27 through August 3rd.

Technorati Tags: North Shore Chicago Theatre, Glencoe theater, Writers Theater

In the mood for a burger, the family hit up the Deerfield location of Boston Blackie’s this weekend to see if what “they” say is true – Boston Blackie’s can serve it up. Hmm. Where do I start? Let’s just say the visit had its pros and cons:

The cons (I always like to end on a good note, so let’s get these out of the way): It’s not a good sign when you walk in, it’s packed, the host is being confronted by an angry customer about the mayo on his wife’s burger, and he disappears for five minutes. Also, it’s a really tight environment. If I backed up an inch in my chair, the table next to me could have picked up my tab. And the mean age of the customer was about 73. That’s not a bad thing, per se, it just tends to tense me up when we’ve got the kids with us and I feel like I have to follow grandmother’s rules - no elbows on the table, etc.

The pros: Did I mention it was packed? I always take this as a good sign, in that it means the food must be halfway decent. “They” are right, by the way – the burgers are really, really good. Or as I heard from my compatriots - I got the Buffalo Chicken Breast sandwich - which was also tasty, though not as hot as I usually like. Service was fairly quick, and they took our name over the phone, so our 25-minute wait was about 5 minutes by the time we got there. It’s reasonably priced too - always a bonus in my book!

If you need a place to take the parents when they’re in town, this may just be the perfect fit. There’s also a bar to escape to if necessary!

Boston Blackie’s
405 Lake Cook Rd.
Deerfield
847.418.3400

Technorati Tags: Boston Blackie’s, Deerfield restaurants, Glencoe restaurants, North Shore Chicago hamburger joints, Chicago area hamburger restaurants