After the popularity of last year, Chicago Restaurant Week returns February 20 - 27, 2009 and will hopefully become an annual event. Over 130 restaurants across the city including Carnivale, The Gage, Japonais, and Topolobampo are participating.

And what are these restaurants participating in? A great deal on some excellent cuisine. All restaurants part of Chicago Restaurant Week will be offering 3-course prix-fixe meals for $22 at lunch, $32 at dinner (does not include beverage, tax or tip). For many of these restaurants that represents a pretty significant savings. It's all an effort to fill the seats during a usually slow time of year, but whatever the ploy is, I'll take it.

For more information, read my Chicago Restaurant Week profile, and check out the entire lineup of participating restaurants here.

The Museum of Science and Industry is once again having its annual Black Creativity celebration, where they honor the accomplishments of African-Americans in the world of science. This year's focus is the Green Revolution, and takes a look at African-Americans prominence in the world of environmental issues, ecology, and conservationism. Besides highlighting biographies of " zT="1/1UH"green pioneers", the MSI will also have numerous hands-on displays such as miniature solar cars, wind turbines, worm composting and more. This is the museum's overall style -- the interactivity of the exhibits helps to not only make acquiring new knowledge interesting, but fun, too.

• What: Black Creativity 2009: Green Revolution
• Where: Museum of Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
• When: January 15 - March 1, 2009
• Cost: Included with regular museum admission

If you had told me a few years ago that you were turning the cheesy Olivia Newton-John movie Xanadu into a Broadway musical, I would have laughed in your face. Which shows why I never made it as a theater producer, because Xanadu debuted on stage in New York in 2007 and became a smash hit. And now it comes to Chicago at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower, right in the heart of Mag Mile shopping.

• What: Xanadu
• Where: Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower, 175 E. Chestnut Pl., Chicago
• When: Starts January 16, 2009
• Tickets: $22.50 - $77.50; call the Drury Lane box office at 312-642-2000 to purchase

The musical Spamalot, based on the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, had a very successful pre-Broadway run here in Chicago, as well as when it returned in 2006, so they decided to bring the touring company through once again for a limited engagement in January 2009. Playing from January 20 through February 1, 2009 at the Auditorium Theatre, this company features Richard Chamberlain in the role of King Arthur -- not bad for a 74-year-old guy.

• What: Monty Python's Spamalot
• Where: Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., Chicago
• When: January 20 - February 1, 2009
• Tickets: $22.50 - $122.50. Purchase online here.