Entrance interview: Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel

Photo: Drew Reynolds

Rahm Emanuel is hungry. And not just to tackle Chicago’s budget crisis, underachieving schools, violent crime and the underfunded CTA. The 51-year-old mayor elect, who’ll be sworn in Monday 16 at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, is actually famished. He stayed up late the previous night watching seven of the ten aldermanic candidates he supported emerge victorious in the April 5 runoff election. Now, Rahmbo needs his post-battle breakfast.

At 8am on the dot, he pulls up to Wishbone in the West Loop in a black SUV with tinted windows, looking sharp in a dark blue suit and bold pink tie. It’s a down-home spot for a guy who’s been seen breaking bread at Longman & Eagle and rocking out at Double Door (see “Rahm spotting,” page 15), but Emanuel likes the place. He’s a regular. Doesn’t even ask for a menu. So when the server arrives, I haven’t a clue what to order.