Restaurateur Billy Dec joins Val and Ryan for 'Windy City Weekend'
CHICAGO (WLS) -- "Windy City Weekend" had a live studio audience this Friday. And Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini had a familiar face to greet that audience - restaurateur/entrepreneur Billy Dec, who was one of the guests on the very first "Windy City Live" program back in 2011.
Dec was in studio to feature some meals to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The meals are featured at his Sunda New Asian restaurants in the Fulton Market and River North neighborhoods.
Warner, Chiaverini and Dec started off the segment by talking about Groundhog's Day, which is this Sunday. They talked about how the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wants to change the tradition of Groundhog's Day, by instead using a gender reveal cake instead of Punxsutawney Phil to forecast the weather of the future.
They also talked about a new poll on Reddit which asks: "Would you rather have extra love, extra time or extra money. According to the poll, 46 percent voted for extra money; 29 percent voted for extra time; and 24 percent voted for extra love.
Before going to a commercial break, Warner offered a tribute to her great uncle, Gregory Bell, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 94 . He was a former track and field athlete who won an Olympic gold medal for the long jump in 1956.
Last year, Val's son, Max, also a track-and-field athlete, met Bell for the very first time in his hometown of Logansport, Indiana. The emotional meeting was documented in ABC 7 Chicago's 2024 Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award-winning program, "Our Chicago; History and Heritage."
In The Kitchen with Billy Dec
Warner and Chiaverini then joined Billy Dec in the kitchen. They talked about the traditions of Lunar New Year. And they also talked about Chicago Restaurant Week, a17-day celebration of Chicago's award winning dining scene, where over 500 restaurants in the city and suburbs offer special prix fixe menus for brunch and lunch ($30), and/or dinner ($45 or $60).
Chicago Restaurant Week started on Jan. 24 and will continue through Feb. 9.
Dec then showed Val and Ryan dishes from Sunda New Asian which are featured to help celebrate Lunar New Year.
One special meal being promoted at Sunda New Asian during Chicago Restaurant Week is this one, which is $60 per person and is great for those who are vegetarians or can only eat gluten-free meals:
APPETIZER
CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS GF - Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, red onions, carrots, chilis, fried shallots, minced shrimp, nuoc cham vinaigrette
OXTAIL POT STICKERS - Braised oxtail, caramelized onion jus, white wasabi cream
SIGNATURE SUSHI
YELLOWTAIL JALAPEÑO - Cilantro, garlic, yuzu ponzu
SWEET POTATO POKE MAKI - Sweet potatoes, cucumber, avocado, sesame soy sauce, seaweed salad
MAIN FLAVOR
CHICKEN INASAL - lemongrass, tomatoes, red onion, achiote glaze, chili lime vinaigrette, grilled lemon
HAINANESE SALMON - ginger scallion oil, bok choy, toasted garlic soy
CHAP CHAE - sweet potato noodles, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, scallions, tofu, sesame
Dec then talked about the various celebrations for Lunar New Year at Sunda New Asian's River North (110 W. Illinois St.) and Fulton Market (333 N. Green St.) locations.
On Friday night, the River North location will host a traditional Lion Dance performance, which is a vibrant cultural tradition symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. That performance starts at 7 p.m.
Dec also talked about these special Lunar New Year dishes being offered at Sunda New Asian:
Hong Kong Steak Lo Mein - NY Strip, Mushroom, Bok Choy, Carrot, Onion, Cabbage
Whole Crispy Snapper - Red Snapper, Red Bell Pepper, Pineapple, Bok Choy, Onion, Carrot, Dried Chilies, Shaoxing Rice Wine Sauce
Lion's Head Meatballs - Shrimp and Pork Meatballs, Napa Cabbage, Bok Choy, Glass Noodles, Sweet Ginger Soy
Guests celebrating at Sunda will also receive a traditional red envelope containing surprise treats during this time, ranging from complimentary desserts to appetizers and more - perfect to share the joy and fortune of the New Year.
Studs Terkel's "Division Street" Revisited Podcast - Mary Schmich And Melissa Harris
Warner and Chiaverini were then joined by Melissa Harris and Mary Schmich, who launched a seven-episode series called "Division Street: Revisited, Unfinished stories From The 1960's" on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Harris is the creator of this podcast; Schmich is the host.
The podcast is based on a book written in 1967 by Chicago radio host and author Studs Terkel, titled, Division Street: America
Studs Terkel was Chicago's renaissance man. Terkel was an actor, broadcaster, author and oral historian. For over 40 years, he hosted an hour-long daily radio show on WFMT-FM, where he interviewed notable figures in all walks of life. Many of those interviews are now stored at the Chicago History Museum, as part of the Studs Terkel Center for Oral History.
But Terkel is best known as a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, remembered for his oral histories of common Americans.
Melissa Harris , who currently runs a PR/marketing firm, used to be a business columnist for the Chicago Tribune. And Mary Schmich was a Pulitzer prize winning columnist for the Tribune who was recruited by Melissa to host the podcast based on Terkel's "Division Street: America".
In the podcast, they revisit descendants of seven people featured in Terkel's book and flesh out their back stories. They traveled throughout the country to talk to these people and record interviews, which are featured on the podcast.
Roeper's Reviews
Warner and Chiaverini closed the show with the weekly visit from film critic Richard Roeper.
"YOU'RE CORDIALLY INVITED" -- SPEND
Roeper started with a good review for a new comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, "You're Cordially Invited". This comedy is about competing wedding parties that have been double-booked into the same venue.
"COMPANION" - SPEND
The film critic also gave a positive review to a new horror thriller, "Companion", which stars Chicago-born actress Sophie Thatcher as a "companion robot girlfriend" who gets mixed up in a murder mystery.
"GREEN AND GOLD" - SPEND
Finally, Roeper gave a good review to "Green and Gold". It stars Craig T. Nelson as a Wisconsin farmer and diehard Green Bay Packers fan in the 1990s who bets the future of his farm on the Packers winning the Super Bowl.
