A Savory Decision

Who can really resists a good crepes? To be honest, I never tried any other crepes beside sweet crepes. So when I finally was blunt enough to order a savory one, I was really happy with my decision. I ordered the Chicago crepe, which has avocados, muenster cheese, sundried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, sunflower seeds, fresh cilantro, scallions, and organic mixed greens. It is indeed savory--I cleaned the plate with no doubt. They also have great coffee. It was a perfect match. The restaurant is cozy and easy to get to. Plus, the ambiance is vibrant yet soothing all at the same time.

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Coffee , Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Beautiful Pizza

If you want to get people in an argument quickly, get them talking about pizza. You'll find that everybody has a passionate opinion, and passion about pizza is what you'll find at Great Lake, where their crust has been carefully perfected. It's thin with a puffy, bubbly edge that's delightfully chewy when warm. It's so good, you almost don’t care about the toppings, but you'd be wrong not to. Toppings are regionally sourced, with cheese from Wisconsin and spinach from local growers. Of course, what's available has an impact on the menu, which changes monthly, with only four to five pizzas offered at any given time. A basic cheese usually has a spot, but other options can include mushrooms and spinach. And if that wasn't quirky enough for you, the tiny storefront location only seats fourteen, mostly at a communal table, and has irregular hours, so it's best to call ahead.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Grab It By the Horns!

If you've walked by the Icosium Kafe once, you've walked by it a dozen times. Perhaps you've filed it away in that area of the brain where you put restaurants that look intriguing but not so interesting as to divert you from your current plans. Or maybe the cheap has signage led you to believe that the meal will be of equal quality. You would be wrong on both counts. The variety on the menu is stunning for a restaurant that specializes in crepes and the food is delicious and satisfying. In addition to the standard drink menu you'll find at every restaurant, they serve North African teas and coffees that are perfect for accompanying your Algerian meal or savoring during an afternoon spent enjoying a little peace and quiet. Icosium has somehow managed to be the best-kept secret in Andersonville, despite being prominently located on one of its busiest intersections. Stop by and check it out before the suckers standing in line at the neighboring restaurants realize what they're missing.

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Coffee , Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

(It was) Hip to be Hip

Editor's Note: RIP Tomboy. It is now closed.
Those wary of hipsters, beware: A trendsetting crowd ventures out to this Andersonville hotspot on a seemingly nightly basis. Also adding to Tomboy's "hip" vibe is a loft-style layout that showcases brick walls and intriguing brushed-metal accents. But it's not just about being seen here; the food is also worth a shot. Diners can't go wrong with eclectic American dishes like filet mignon topped with gorgonzola cream sauce or Cornish game hen served with a sweet chili sauce. Tomboy is a great spot if you're trying to impress your date before catching a concert at the Aragon, or looking for one of the classiest dining options in the neighborhood. 

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Eat and Observe

This Andersonville spot walks a fine line between lively neighborhood restaurant and quirky exhibit of Mexican painter Frieda Kahlo's portraits. There are so many, it's almost an art gallery. Don't be deterred--the staff is friendly and the restaurant offers a relaxing atmosphere. The menu offers several tasty options, including numerous breakfast dishes. Try the Bomba Frida, composed of pork, chorizo, ham, cheese, and peppers in a pineapple and chile de arbol salsa. It's a gooey concoction of meats and cheese that will simultaneously remedy those late-night munchies and make vegetarians squirm. Since Kahlo did paint so many self-portraits, I bet she would have loved dining here amongst them. La Cocina de Frida is a good option for dinner before drinking some brews as nearby Simon's Tavern.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Wine Shrine

A few months ago, this popular Andersonville wine shop opened up a lounge in the space next door to the store, and in doing so, hit the jackpot on creating a stellar hangout. The space seems small at first, but it also has a patio and an upper level. Each month the lounge has a different focus and highlights wine, beer, and cocktails from that region. As you'd expect, the wine list is varied and includes flights of reds, whites, and bubbly. A small, but formidable list of craft beer is also on the menu, with one selection served via a hand-pumped cask. Food-wise, you can nibble on light snacks, cheeses, and small sandwiches. The real reason to go here, however, is the great list of carefully blended classic cocktails. The classic cocktail has been making a comeback in Chicago, and if you're looking for a great drink, you can't go wrong here.

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Nightlife • Edgewater / Andersonville

Yield from the Field

I'd often seen Edgewater Produce as I'd walked into the giant grocery behemoth next door but I'd never gone in because of a bad experience I'd had with an independent grocery store in my old neighborhood. Everyone I knew used to go on and on about how great this other place was but it sucked. They were enamored with the "independent business" label and it's not that I don't want to support independent businesses; I just don't want to support them if they suck. Edgewater Produce is an independent grocer that does not suck. The fruit and veggies are significantly cheaper and fresher than at the Jewel across the street and they have a lot of great things that you can't even find at their big corporate competitor: horchata mix, Greek yogurt, a much better selection of peppers, and an awesome Mexican frozen foods section. You'll probably still have to make a stop at a large chain store because Edgewater Produce's relatively small storefront doesn't have everything you need, but it does have pig's feet. And they're a steal.

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Supermarkets • Edgewater / Andersonville

Nothing Like a Lingonberry

Don't let the name "Swedish Bakery" fool you. Although you can get all the toska tortes, marzariners, and limpa bread you want, this is a full-service bakery that has tasty, yet reasonably prices cakes, pastries, cookies, donuts, coffee cakes, muffins, and bread. Swedish Bakery has been around for about eighty years, with the current owners running it for almost thirty of those years, so it's safe to say they've perfected baking goodness. Try the rich triple chocolate cake or the delectable butter cookies. During the Christmas season you can indulge in your favorite Swedish specialties like pepparkakor and stollen. They also make fresh fruitcakes. At Easter, fresh hot cross buns are available. During the weekend, this place is hopping, so either plan your visit during the week or prepare to wait for a little while. Then you simply drop a few bucks and leave with a Swedish cannoli.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

I wish that Too Much Light was so popular that it didn’t need to be written about on a website dedicated to Chicago’s lesser-known virtues. Sadly, on average, 3 out of 5 Chicagoans I have spoken with have never seen 30 original plays performed in 60 minutes, nor have they heard the whispers cooing “Neo-Futurists” over the megaphones shouting “SECOND CITY!” As the longest-running show in Chicago (but with many of its 30 plays changing each week), Too Much Light touches the “heart” with personal anecdotes-cum-performance pieces, examines world news events (from a left-of-center perspective, generally), and creates memorably humorous moments with smart-humor-based sketches. It’s an intensely schizophrenic experience, with emotions running the gamut. Like Chicago’s reputation as the home of culinary innovators, the Neo-Futurists regularly dapple in experimental, post-modern, multi-media flights-of-fancy. The cost is unbeatable—tickets range from $8-$13, based on the roll of a dice, meaning that a patron would pay less than 50 cents for each play. If theatre is what you crave, grab a plate and gorge at this all-you-can-eat buffet of well-made dramatic cuisines.

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Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • Edgewater / Andersonville

NFT Approved Mall

If the words “mall” and “indie” were meant to be mortal enemies, then the idea-makers behind Andersonville’s new Galleria never knew such distinctions. Located on a busy strip of Clark, Andersonville feels like Lincoln Park all grown up, with eclectic taste in European design and artisan goods. Housing more than 90 different independent artists, the Galleria has everything from handmade jewelry to splatter paint silk-screened t-shirts (do we need more ironic t-shirts? The answer is yes). Browsing through the two intimate levels feels more like discovering than shopping. Two helpful shop attendants in the front of the store will assist you with any items of interest. Decorating on the cheap is easier than ever because the Galleria has an excellent photography gallery and a vintage booth with quirky items like crochet antlers that will have your friends Ebay-ing faster than you can say “copycat.”

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Shopping • Edgewater / Andersonville

Pasticceria Natalina

Have you finished those tin-foiled covered chocolates from your Halloween basket yet? Good. Now, time for some grown up treats. Pasticceria Natalina just opened up in Andersonville and, I can attest, the food is “Ahhhhhhhhh…” (Translation: With the very first taste, the heavens open up, sunbeams spotlight you and an A cappella choir sings the joys of discovery.) The small space looks to be 80% cooking space, 15% customer space and 5% display cases. You’ll want to focus on the display cases. We’re talking rose water- or pistachio-rice pudding, honeydew gel, almond paste cookies (with almond paste imported from Sicily), fig cookies, fruit tarts, anise-flavored pizzelles, and made-from-scratch, filled-when-ordered cannolis. Yum. Of course, I don’t know the name for my favorite item. I just point to the pastry-boat-filled-with-custard-and-topped-with-strawberries-thingee, lick my lips and try to keep the drool off the glass. (I’ve been warned.) Besides the food, the place offers a real small village shop charm. The owners are a husband and wife team (Natalie and Nick) that can be found cooking, creating, baking, filling cannolis…and smiling all the way. Stop in and say hi—and, while you’re there, would you grab me one of those pastry-boat-filled-with-custard-and-topped-with-strawberries-thingees?

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Marrakech Treasures

You work hard and need a vacation. Imagine yourself in Marrakech. The snow-capped Atlas Mountains serve as a backdrop to the Moroccan city. You stroll through the Djemaa el-Fna, an open-air market in Marrakech’s old city. Sample the wares of the orange juice sellers, pose for photos with a snake charmer and weave yourself between magicians and acrobats entertaining the crowd. Later, visit the souk and take in the mouth-watering aromas of the delicious foods. Settle yourself beneath a Henna lamp and sample slow-cooked meats and vegetables pulled from tagines. Push away from the wooden table and shop for vases, antiques, urns, wrought-iron screens… Wait! You can’t be traipsing to Morocco right now! What are you thinking? You’ve got mouths to feed, trash to take out, dogs to walk. Responsibilities, man! Responsibilities! Have no fear. You can still get that Moroccan shopping fix, just visit Marrakech Treasures. As you enter, Moroccan-born owner Nadia Rahmani will call out a hearty hello, and common colors like blue, red and yellow will lose all meaning. Suddenly azure, vermilion, and saffron make sense to you. Congratulations–you just found the gateway to Morocco. Who knew it was just a step off an Andersonville sidewalk?

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Shopping • Edgewater / Andersonville

Gethsemane Garden Center

Cruising along Clark Street at the border of Andersonville and Edgewater, it’s impossible to miss the colorful block-long spectacle of foliage on the east side of the street. Azaleas, geraniums, orchids, hydrangeas, lilies, pepper plants, poinsettias, perennials—Gethsemane Garden Center has just about every flora your heart could desire. On weekends at Gethsemane, the human traffic rivals the teeming plant life, and it can be quite an adventure navigating around the flower beds and herb trays. Better to go on a weekday, when the helpful staff can attend to you without distraction, where you won’t have to dodge and duck to find a planter or potting soil, and where you can park yourself in the middle of a sea of brilliant colors and experience a quasi-pastoral moment. How rare are those in urban environments? Gethsemane seems to recognize the tenuous nature of such an experience in a citified setting, and they’re prepared to arm you with all the accoutrements of building a better urban garden—or at least a better apartment window ledge display. The gift shop, attached to the greenhouse, is stocked with yard and garden goods, from wind chimes to weatherproof furniture to bird baths and beyond.

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Shopping • Edgewater / Andersonville

m.henry

If I ever take risks in my meal-ordering, it’s during breakfast. More often than not, the leap of faith is not worth it. The sensitive morning stomach, the overabundance of coffee—elements that make any baked asparagus omelet or coconut French toast regrettable. Recently at m.henry, an Andersonville breakfast and lunch spot with an attached bakery, I treaded carefully out on a limb. Fannie’s Killer Fried Egg Sandwich, composed of two over-medium eggs, gorgonzola, tomato, bacon and thyme on top of toasted sour boule (with accompanying house potatoes), sounded too good to pass up. And kids, if I may articulate, it was totally worth it. m.henry’s vibe is hip and urban, but rustic elements keep it grounded; old windows and doors create neat nooks throughout the bakery and restaurant space. The place is usually packed and loud, but the food—blackberry “bliss” cakes, tofu scrambles, “juciful” jerk chicken—makes a visit worthwhile. Besides, what more do you and your dining companions need to communicate other than “This is SO good!” Which is exactly what I exclaimed. About 500 times.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

The Writers WorkSpace

Question: You’re at your desk hammering out the great American novel. Which of these scenarios is most conducive to creating the next Oprah’s Book Club pick? A. Your roommate playing Guild Wars B. A telemarketer asking for “the lady of the house” C. Your neighbor’s home renovation project Opting for D., none of the above? Grab your laptop and head over to The Writers WorkSpace. Writers Amy Davis and Pat Cronin founded the members-only studio to provide a distraction-free environment for fellow scribes and other related professionals. Amenities include Wi-Fi access, laser printer and photocopier usage, a resource library, a conference room, a lounge, and a kitchen with complimentary coffee and tea. Special events also feature local movers like publishing guru Jotham Burello and author Esme Raji Codell. Memberships cost $70-$125 monthly. Mention NFT to waive the $65 initiation fee.

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Landmarks • Edgewater / Andersonville

Gethsemane Garden Center

I have always known Chicago was a mixing pot of diverse cultures, languages and people, but never before did I see it as vividly as my stop this spring at Gethsemane Garden Center in Andersonville. Plants bring the world together, apparently. Through word of mouth I had discovered this place and its reputation as the best place for live plants in the city. When I actually went, I was more surprised by the clientele than the high quality and large selection of their flora. I swear I heard at least six different languages while I was there; English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Thai, and others I could not even recognize. Things get up close and personal at Gethsemane, the aisles are packed tight as patrons try and grab their Peonies, Mexican Oregano, Citronella scented Germaniums, or a terracotta pot imported from Germany. Gardening advice is dolled out not only by the knowledgeable staff, but from patron to patron . . . just make sure they speak English before you ask.

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Shopping • Edgewater / Andersonville

Haus

Got art? That’s a simplified version of Haus owner Greg Steffens’ quest to “make art an integral part of life.” The classy compact shop that adorns Clark Street reflects that mantra, feeling more gallery than market. There’s jewelry, ceramics, wooden bowls, scarves, all of it handcrafted from regional artists, but don’t be confused—this is not your grandma’s craft show. Each piece is displayed with a minimalist approach that allows the item to really shine. (Remember, think gallery.) Yet, no matter how much you appreciate the item for the aesthetics, don’t forget—whether it be vase, chair or mirror—they are made to function. And don’t you deserve that? So, go ahead! Drink coffee from a cup that inspires. Adjust your tie in a mirror with character. Display flowers in a vase that doesn’t need them. Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

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Shopping • Edgewater / Andersonville

Hamburger Mary's

My vote is in for the best burger in 2007. Premature? Maybe…but hands down, Hamburger Mary’s lives up to its moniker. The Bleu Boy Burger may cost $9.95 but the bleu cheese and bacon just add girth to this full sized meal. They also serve a variety of starters, salads, sandwiches, and the like. A bit of an anomaly, Hamburger Mary’s allows you to enjoy their menu in a diner-style setting. But the difference is that they also offer a fully stocked bar with seating and all. Then I found out that there is another lounge area upstairs. This place is certainly not short on entertainment. Wednesdays offer “Maryoke” with $3 well drinks and no cover. Sundays feature “Gong Show Karaoke” and they pull out all the stops on Thursday nights with their “Paper Dolls Drag Revue.” So, the word is out. Part bar, part restaurant…always entertaining. This is sure to be a new Andersonville hot spot.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville

Jukebox at Simon's

You know what I hate? Those wall-mounted Internet jukeboxes that are so ubiquitous at bars now. Sure, they’re great if you’re jonesing to hear an eleven minute track of ambient noise by Brian Eno at three in the morning, but it’ll cost you one additional credit. The solution is to go to Simon’s, where the jukebox is real and, if you like indie rock, has some pretty great stuff on it. The other night my brother and I really wanted to hear the Hold Steady song about the girl and guy who “kicked it in the chillout tent” after ingesting too much hallucinogens. We walked in and lo and behold, somebody had already flipped to the Hold Steady album on the jukebox. A mere two quarters later and it was only a matter of waiting. Unfortunately, the queue for songs was so long that we had left the bar before sweet gratification could ensue. In the meantime, though, we heard some decent songs.

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Nightlife • Edgewater / Andersonville

Huey’s Hotdogs

We all have that one friend who becomes oh-so-particular Whiney McWhinester when it comes to dining. A full two minutes to be seated! Where’s the lemon for my water? Food should be served between mildly hot and kinda hot, this is obviously just sorta hot. Aren’t you tired of her? If so, go to a no-nonsense neighborhood joint and really piss her off. She’ll have to stand in line to order (a seat yourself place, egad!). Don’t let her see the veggie dogs and garden burgers, steer her toward the chili-laden dogs and the chili-cheese fries. Sit inside (where she can bitch about being close to the foosball table) or, in the summer, on the sidewalk patio (there’ll probably be another bitch tied to a nearby parking meter). They’ll announce that your food is ready over an intercom and she’ll roll her eyes. She’ll even complain about the décor—although mustard-yellow and ketchup-red provide the perfect backdrop for a hotdog place. Basically, she’ll hate every moment and you can enjoy a great inexpensive meal. By the way, why are you friends with a prima donna like that anyway? Forget her; take a real friend to Huey’s.

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Restaurants • Edgewater / Andersonville