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After I attended the Black Lips show at the Logan Square Auditorium, none of us were ready to turn in for the night. Stumbling down Kedzie, slightly show buzzed, we came upon Azucar! Tapas, restaurant and cocktail bar.
Azucar storefront.
The host was nice enough to oblige us with a table, even though dining hours were clearly over. Offering us a plate of olives, we each ordered a Spanish beer and reflected on our night.
The best part about Azucar! is undoubtedly the ambiance. The dimly lit atmosphere is perfect for gossiping over a night of fun with friends, or to bring a date.
A view from the cocktail bar.
Though an evening spent over Tapas will undoubtedly be a relaxing one, we quickly found that Azucar! staff definitely errs on the fun-loving side. The bartender soon motioned for us to join him at the bar for a round of Sangria… on the house. (One of my favorite phrases.) We sampled both red and white, crunching on the delicious chunks of apple, and marveling on the perfect sweetness.
Red Sangria. The house specialty!
Though I was unable to finish my entire glass– the fear of a champagne-esque headache suggesting that I push it aside– I am looking forward to going back during more appropriate hours to sample some of the amazing food I have heard such rave reviews about.
In fact, the only real damper on the evening was the apparent near-deadly situation at the California blue line stop. A veritable kerfuffle sent an unsuspecting victim onto the tracks.. to some unknowing end. By 2:30 in the morning, we all knew we would be forced to cab. A fate not entirely worth complaining about after a long day, that needed to end snug at home…as soon as possible.
Go check it out! I hear fabulous things about the empanadas.
2647 N. Kedzie Ave, Chicago,
-Ileana
Took this picture of Lake Michigan coming home from Pilsen. Beautiful.
Dev xx
Pilsen is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Chicago for many reasons, including the food that you will find at La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria at 1834 S. Blue Island Ave.
Atole, a Mexican hot chocolate made with cornmeal, is really thick and has a distinct taste.
I must have looked completely clueless when I walked into La Casa because within moments of me staring at a menu completely in Spanish (PS, I do not know any Spanish), a friendly woman behind the counter smiled and told me exactly what I should get. Usually, I like picking my meal out myself, but she was so sure that I would love the combination of cheese, chicken and red tamales she would offer me, I could not say no.
The cheese tamale tasted just like a chile relleno, comprising a tender smoky Poblano chili and plenty of (what tasted like) Monterey Jack cheese. Like in the video, however, the red tamale was my favourite, combining spicy pork, garlic and cumin in the lightest cornmeal tamale I have ever tasted.
Cheese tamale
The inside of the red tamale
Eat up!
The counter inside La Casa del Pueblo Taqueria
Electric Guitars' storefront.
Nestled somewhere between Ukrainian Village and Logan Square is Electric Guitars. A name I wish I could say was disingenuously made, but is just simplistic enough to be dead on. Run by eccentric owner and shopkeeper Fred Mangan, the store is a closet-sized space with a veritable mish-mosh of guitar bits and accessories.
Owner Mangan trying to find me a deal on a record player on Ebay.
The shop itself is a mess of bolts, amps, and wires. A paradise for anyone who walks in and knows exactly what piece their equipment is lacking. His is the perfect example of one’s passion for tinkering becoming a life’s work.
As you will undoubtedly learn, Mangan’s proudest sales moment was when the lead singer of the band Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme, bought one of his prized, hand-crafted guitars. He says that sale alone has allowed him to relax for a few months, not needing to stress about what his next sale will be.
I especially enjoyed how small talk of my need for an inexpensive record player progressed into Mangan searching for a cheap one to order for me on Ebay. What a guy! He is undoubtedly one of the nicest, most helpful store owners I have yet to meet.. as well one of the oddest. But hey, what’s bizarre about Ukie Village anyway?
Many of the guitars are hand-made by Mangan.
If you are in the area and are looking for some distortion pedals minus the sticker shock, consider stopping in.
2351 W. Augusta, Chicago.
-Ileana
The counter, aka: the workspace.
The Violet Hour has been praised for their creative cocktails, the romantic ambiance (everything is candle- and chandalier-lit) and the swanky – yet minimalistic – décor. What it could lose, and still be just as amazing without, is the pretentious attitude.
Violet Hour’s rules are posted just inside the door, but in case you cannot find the door I decided to post them here. Why would you not be able to find the door? Unlike many clubs that have a sign and a club-front that would proudly display the name and welcome people in, the Violet Hour, located at 1520 N. Damen Ave. in the Wicker Park neighbourhood, secretly hides behind what looks like a demure construction site.
Oddly enough, this “hidden” venue actually stands out like a sore thumb in Wicker Park’s downtown, dawning what looks like a neatly boarded up front with only two doors: one of which, pompously enough, has a massive, painted bust of a man (circa 1952) with a smarmy grin on his face pointing at the wrong entrance. That’s right. A fake entrance. For such a nice, classy place you think the Violet Hour would not have to try so hard to be cool.
Once you get in the door, be prepared to get friendly with a whole group of people shoved into a small, dark corridor waiting for the bouncer to give you a once-over and lead you through a heavy purple curtain. Bigger parties will wait for a longer time and do not worry your little head about not being dressed to the nines: it is so dark, no one will notice your jeans and Chuck Taylors.
After you are led to your (tiny) table and you quit gagging on Violet Hour’s ego, you are in for a laugh. Because of the chairs and the setup of the bar, there is a possibility you will be sitting across from your date and you can giggle at how it looks like the two of you are sitting in facing electric chairs awaiting your imminent death. The only thing those chairs are missing are the wrist shackles. Opt for chairs that are sitting next to each other if you want to talk to your date.
Sit with the menu for a while and finally remember why it is you came here: The cocktails are amazing. I went for an Etiquette that had Gruet sparkling, house-made raspberry syrup, Tabernero Pisco Acholado (a Peruvian distilled grape alcohol) and Aperol (an Italian aperitif).
I am not a huge cocktail drinker but I can honestly say that this was, by far, the best cockatil I have ever had. The sweet and bitter bite along with the refreshing bubbly made it go down smoothly. So smoothly, in fact, I could hardly tell there that it was laced with a ton of alcohol. Dangerous!
Really, once you are inside, the Violet Hour is not at all as stilted as it seems. The servers are friendly, the bartenders really want you to enjoy the drinks they make and the bouncer came by the table just to check up on us and make sure we were having a good time, which we were.
I just do not think the Violet needs to put up such a front just to be considered a secretive and posh bar when they have all the class and modesty of English royalty. In other words, they need not be chavvy and flaunt a label when they can wear a bespoke suit from Jermyn Street that says it all.
This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder, when the affections glow again and valor is reborn, when the shadows deepen magically along the edge of the forest and we believe that, if we watch carefully, at any moment we may see the unicorn.
- Bernard DeVoto “The Hour”
Dev xx
Miller's Pub on Wabash.
Saturday, the real St. Patrick’s Day- as many Chicago locals may attest, I was in search of an authentic Irish Pub of which to indulge in my adoptive holiday. As the majority of my day was spent in the Loop, I was pleased to learn that Miller’s Pub, a local hot spot, was within walking distance and highly rated online.
I all but skipped to the restaurant: 1) For the knowledge of delicious food to come to my increasingly angry and growling belly, and 2) For a cold beer. Arriving on site, a bouncer (a bouncer?!) greeted us at the door and requested my I.D. Understandable. But when he asked me to remove my sunglasses to inspect whether I was “too drunk” to come in, I almost laughed in his face. I guess I wasn’t celebrating hard enough. As we walked in, the hostess cheered us for missing the line that apparently wrapped around the block that morning. 
Though the restaurant was literally packed to the brim, we were sat in relatively good time. The menu offered Irish favorites such as corned beef and cole slaw and all the Guinness one could want.
I opted for a more tame selection. A blue cheese and bacon burger, side of seasoned fries, and a Red Stripe. (I’m sure they celebrate St. Patty’s Day in Jamaica..)
The burger was expertly cooked and left my place almost as soon as it arrived.
As to be expected, the pub was a bit overbooked. Our frantic waitress repeatedly apologized for the wait, of which we brushed off with our lazy Saturday attitude of, what else are we going to do? To repay us for our patience, she explained that her family owned the restaurant and she would love to give us a round of Guinness on the house. Please and thank you!
I highly recommend Miller’s to anyone who is looking for a little traditional Irish flair this St. Patty’s Day. And it may be in your best interest to pay your waiter or waitress a little respect.
Located at 134 S. Wabash.
-Ileana
The Chicago River dyed green!
A Loop walk was just what I needed after the fabulous brunch I had at Deleece, so I met Tim downtown and strolled through the packed streets! Here are some very striking pictures of the Loop!
The Chicago River
This is where the dye gets mixed and first placed in the water!
A view of the Water Tower, one of the few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire 1871
Dev xx
Do I have your attention yet? Good because the brunch I had at Deleece at 4004 N. Southport Ave. is calling your name and you would be a fool not to go and enjoy it.
The above picture is of the fluffy, warm and chewy French beignets that arrived at my table as a starter. These deep fried beignets were drizzled in a caramel sauce that had the savour of rich caramel and an aroma of bananas, and were dusted lightly with powdered sugar. Deleece took the time to present the beignets in a lovely way, but the real delight came from biting into one of these pastries.
You will feel the pillowy dough sink between your teeth as you bite in and as much as you will want to pop the whole thing in your mouth, take just a few seconds to give it a swirl in the caramel.
Heaven, my friend, is dessert first.
Sadly, what I really wanted for breakfast was sold out! If anyone out there has had the pleasure of enjoying the cinnamon orange french toast with raspberry purée, please let me know how it is! Once she let me know that they had no more french toast or pancakes I had to take a few minutes to pour over the menu and choose something else.
On the specials board was a duck breast hash with Gruyere cheese and dijon mustard served with two poached eggs that sounded absolutely pornographic and I just had to indulge.
The flavour combination on this dish was perfect and I felt every taste bud going into overdrive on the first bite. The roasted hash paired with the tender (slightly pink in the middle) smoky duck was expertly paired with a salty Gruyere and a honeyed dijon. What really brought the meal full-circle was the pre-buttered toast and perfectly poached eggs that I slathered in the remaining dijon and ate oh-so-slowly just to make the flavour last.
Tim's lunch, a grilled cheese sandwich with white cheddar and sundried tomato spread on whole grain with roasted potatoes!
Deleece brings a rustic, homey feel into their restaurant with brick walls, wooden beams, dramatic drapery and vibrant local artwork. Tim and I cozied up in a sunny spot by the window and enjoyed a great morning chat in this charming up-scale restaurant with amazing prices and a fabulous reputation to boot!
Happy eating!
To look at the places we called in at on the way home, click on the link to see photos!
Friday night was filled with good music, great pizza and overpriced bowling.
We started our night at Elbo Room, supporting Dan’s brother’s band, Black Amber. Dan’s brother was brilliant at the drums and we voted for them to get to the next round of the Emergenza Music Fest (which, by the way, they made it to the next round!!!!!). Their next show is at The Double Door (www.doubledoor.com) on May 14th at 8pm.
If you remember from my last trip to Elbo Room, we spent all of our time in the upstairs bar and did not get to see the downstairs. Well, because we went to see Black Amber (and other bands) we finally got to see the venue, and there is a reason why it is one of the best rock venues in all of Chicago.
The setting is really intimate and you get to be really close to the singers on-stage, even if you are not in the “pit” right in front of the stage. They encourage dancing, promote local artists and have a really cool owner who will charm you in between sets.
After checking out the bands, I wanted to go dancing, so we left and headed toward Grand Central until I was distracted by a glowing red sign, “Bowling Billiards Seven Ten Lounge”.
Bowling!? I loooove bowling.
So we went bowling instead :-).
Seven Ten Lounge at 2747 Lincoln Ave. is a cool joint with plenty of billiards tables and 10 lanes of bowling. They have a bar and serve food and played pretty decent music. What you must keep in mind is that Seven Ten is not your typical bowling alley. It is small, pretty bare bones bowling that will charge you more than your typical McBowling Alley.
If you are willing to shell out $20/hour for a lane as well as $3 for shoe rentals, then be my guest. If you want to be a savvy spender, then bowl on Sundays when lanes only cost $10/hour (shoes cost the same) and you will not have to wait as long for a lane.
Also be ready to brush up on how to score your bowling A-game as Seven Ten will make you score old school style: pencil and paper, baby. No fancy electronic screens or cosmic bowling here. No, this is the bowling alley to bring a more mature crowd.
While waiting for a lane, we ordered a few drinks and a barbecue chicken pizza, which was actually fantastic and a real hidden gem.
The pizza had tons of grilled chicken and a peppery-sweet sauce with a crisp crust and plenty of salty mozzarella cheese.
Yes, one pizza is big enough for three people, if by three people you mean slightly to moderately hungry. One explanation for their unusually good pizza is that Seven Ten is run by Spare Time Inc., a company that not only owns a bunch of billiards and bowling venues around Chicago, but also the Robey Pizza Company…
After pizza, bowling and being silly, we decided it was time to go home and tuck in for the night.
The bar at Seven Ten Lounge
Dev xx
