The Fishy Rose of the Orient

It isn't really clear where Tokyo Marina's name came from, aside from the fact that its sushi is plucked from the deep blue. There are no photographs of majestic yachts or paintings featuring gale-stiffened sails in this no-frills sushi restaurant. Its decor more resembles a cafeteria than a harbor-themed restaurant (or even a Long John Silver's). The sushi here is decent and reasonably priced, though the entree dishes are a tad on the skimpy side. Fortunately, a variety of rolls are available that are reasonably priced (for sushi), like the tasty French maki roll for only $4.50. Tokyo Marina is great for an inexpensive sushi dinner without all the bells and whistles. However, if you're like me, sushi is not a good option before embarking on a drunken bar crawl down Clark Street.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Global Flavors: Truly American!

If you take the Red Line to Argyle Street, you'll find a bunch of South East Asian restaurants, groceries, and shops. And then there's this bakery, which is an interesting fusion of Asian and European styles. You can get yummy Asian buns filled with sausages or barbequed chicken, or you can indulge in cookies, eclairs, and scrumptious pieces of cake. In what's truly an American melding of flavors, owner Peter Yuen not only apprenticed in classical baking in Hong Kong, but he also studied at the French Pastry School here in Chicago. This bakery combines the best of his talents. It's a great place to pick up a quick, cheap snack, or when you need to impress a dinner host with a fine dessert. Just make sure you try out all the worldly flavors La Patisserie P has to offer.

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Shopping • Uptown

What Used To Be

My meal at Il Fiasco (the former name of the soon-to-be-reopened establishment 'Tapas Las Ramblas') could not have been less of a disaster. Most Italian restaurants try to give you your money's worth by serving you an industrial size portion a la the Cheesecake Factory, but not at the Fiasco: my meal was manageable and made with quality ingredients. Aside from the yummy food, I had the good fortune to visit on ½ price wine night. The bargain basement prices belie the quality, which seems to be a theme at this restaurant. In addition to being open until 1:00 am on weekends, they offer nightly specials (½ price wine Mondays and Tuesdays, $5 sangria night, and more). The service was excellent and so was the table right next to the open window looking out onto Clark Street. The passing pedestrians serve as eclectic scenery for a neighborhood joint that stands out in the best way.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Framed

If only I had space on my wall for that vintage medical diagram of the brain. It would look so great next to the antique map of Peoria. Or maybe they just look so good together because Foursided is really good at what they do. Their custom framing and display techniques could make an old boot look like a work of art and I'm sure that if you had an old boot you wanted put behind glass they could take care of you. Everything in the store is so aesthetically pleasing and old-looking in the coolest way, even the stuff that isn't actually old. Amongst antique typewriter keys and custom collages you'll find some of the prettiest and funniest paper gifts in the city. If you don't already know where you're buying this year's Christmas cards, may I suggest Foursided. It's a great place to get something framed and an even better place to get something to get framed.

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Shopping • Uptown

Joyous Constructions

Of all the improv/sketch theaters in Chicago, none best capture the original go-fuck-yourself improv vibe that defined the city’s comedic heyday quite like The Annoyance Theatre. Started by improv comedy god Mick Napier, the Annoyance is best known for silly, satirical, over-the-top revues like “Co-ed Prison Sluts,” horror spoof “Splatter Theater,” and current pro wrestling/comedy show “Body Slam: The Rise and Fall of C.A.W.C” Recently re-opened in Uptown, The Annoyance fights a location battle, waiting as the neighborhoods around them continue to transform, for as of now, the theater is still just a little too far north for your average Chicago comedy connoisseur. Yet with Second City, I.O. and Comedy Sportz creating a laughter stranglehold on the near north side, the Annoyance’s location may soon seem a stroke of genius. As the Annoyance Theater continues to grow with the surroundings, one hopes they don’t remain avant-garde for long.

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Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • Uptown

Enough to Excuse Colonialism

Gallery District sandwich and a drink: $11 + a guilty conscience. Gargantuan Banh Mi, shrimp spring rolls, Thai iced tea and train fare to Argyle: $10 + a bag of leftovers. One bite into the delectably spicy, sweet, tangy, chewy, crunchy sandwich suddenly makes the French colonies in Indochina look rosy. Well, maybe not, but Banh Mi's heavenly union of eastern flavor and the western baguette definitely warrants the trek to Vietnamtown. Aside from the sandwiches, patrons can also pick up a number of items a la carte, like shrimp puffs, freshly baked loaves, sugar cane juice, and mysterious tasty blobs wrapped in banana leaves and string. Be sure to check out the surrounding shops, too. Need some lemongrass? Gyoza wrappers? A cheap wok? A fly swatter? You won't be disappointed.

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Restaurants • Uptown

O Le Banh Mi!

The three most important sandwich experiences in a person’s life should include a philly cheese steak, a milanesa torta, and a banh mi sandwich. A banh mi sandwich is a singularly unique fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisine, combining the classic baguette with a savory meat and toppings mixture that span the taste bud’s imagination. At the end of the little strip of Vietnam on Argyle, Ba Le has the freshest and highest quality ingredients in their banh mi sandwiches. If you want to explore more than just the sandwich, they have a variety of Vietnamese treats available along with their own brand of delicious paté. For bubble tea fanatics who like to enjoy the drink north of Cermack, you’ll love the varieties available here, made with fresh fruit.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Just a Blob

In a pre-Starbucks America, perhaps Dollop was just another run-of-the-mill coffee shop, complete with well-worn furniture, well-brewed coffee, and well-educated staff members. But since this Buena Park mainstay has retained these essential characteristics in the wake of a newer, more sterile hegemonic ideal of coffee purveyors, it deserves attention and accolades. As a regular coffee drinker, I appreciate their rotating selections of complex brews, ice cream flavors, home-made pies and other delicacies. Although the food and drinks in a café should be enough to merit a visit, Dollop satisfies in its setting as well. There are plenty of seating options—from tables and chairs to droopy couches and armchairs. Literature abounds; I find myself perusing back-issues of National Geographic magazine (of which there are hundreds) nearly every time I visit. The clientele tend to belong to Uptown’s unsung indie-alternative scene. Dollop is a perfect reminder that, although places to buy coffee are plentiful, the actualized notion of the “coffee shop” is not.

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Coffee • Uptown

Hillbilly Fantasies

Carol's pub is only a block away from one of Chicago's most famous cemeteries, St. Boniface, and it is a fitting mausoleum to the dying art of the honky tonk bar. Carol's houses one of the most famous karaoke night in Chicago, where locals from Lincoln Park and Lakeview alike can belt out their best George Strait. Once upon a time, this bar was known for its litany of characters, but Lakeview's rapid gentrification has produced more of an "insert-any-college-name-here" sweatshirt and jeans crowd. Beers here are moderately priced, like any average bar in Lakeview, but the pitchers are probably the best deals. While Carol's might have evolved into a place where yuppies get down with their hillbilly fantasies, the bar still retains its patina of authenticity thanks to the colorful wait staff. You'll either love it or hate it, depending on where your priorities lie.

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Nightlife • Uptown

Profiles Theatre

Nestled between Lakeview and Uptown, the Profiles Theater is practically hidden between various furniture stores and fast-food joints. Upon entering the theater, an intimate stage is revealed, bordered by two sets of seats offering an undisrupted view of each performance. The Profiles Theater is inundated with a talented team of directors and actors who often touch on socially taboo subject matter such as murder and child abuse. Oh and be prepared because and they won’t shy away from nudity either. It is a true diamond in the rough. If you’re looking for a genuine, gritty theater experience, then you must visit the Profiles Theater. Warning: during the winter this theater is freezing, so it’s best to keep your coat on during the performance.

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Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • Uptown

Aragon Ballroom

It seems people only mention the Aragon to bitch about the sound system, but there is more to it than that. Dance halls (yeah, it was a dance hall—ask your Grandma) were once considered places of ill-repute. Women were seduced. Alcohol was illegally distributed. There may have been prostitution. Say it ain’t so! The Aragon was built in 1926 to save the reputation of dance halls. Duh-du-du-DAH! It was classy. It epitomized the time of big bands, crooners, and elegance. The interior resembled a castle courtyard complete with gold-leaf columns, palm trees, and stars (twinkling lights in the ceiling). It was billed as “the most beautiful ballroom in the world.” Well, eighty years later, the interior has been renovated to shine again and the reputation is forever tarnished. We know about Al Capone’s escape route, the waterlines in the basement from a 1958 flood, and the transitions from discotheque to roller rink to bingo hall. There have been so many fights that it snagged the nickname ‘Aragon Brawlroom.’ Still, this is history. So, the next time you drop dough on a concert and find the sound less than pleasing, take a look at your surroundings. This is Chicago, baby.

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Landmarks • Uptown

Cafe Too

Café Too is a project of the not-for -profit Inspiration Corporation. The staff is led by a professional chef and host who train adults who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, to work in the hospitality industry. They are trained in food preparation, management, and service. Inspiration Corporation also provides assistance with job placement and helps train its student/clients in job interview skills. The on the job training program through Café Too serves breakfast and lunch every weekday, brunch on weekends, and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The prices are quite reasonable, with brunch entrees in the $4-8 range, lunches $5-$9, and most dinner entrees priced less than $10. You’re not getting cafeteria fare for that price either. For dinner one of the menu’s staples is Uptown chowder, a fragrant and flavorful mélange of potatoes, corn and other vegetables in a creamy base. A dinner salad features ten grilled shrimp perched atop a bed of baby greens and lightly dressed with an Asian inspired dressing. Brunch and lunch options are even better. Huevos rancheros arrives on a large plate piled high with fresh tortilla chips and black beans topped with fried eggs.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Holiday Club

Holiday Club advertises itself as a swinger’s club straight out of Sinatra and Martin cool, but the lounge area in the back is the only element of the era. The dimly lit bar boasts two sections. Through the entrance is the dimly lit dining area overflowing with over five tv screens blasting a variety of sports. The full-service bar offers weekly drink specials such as $7 bucket of minis. Not only are the drinks good, but so is the food. Their BBQ chicken wrap is quite tasty along with their typical junk food menu of cheese fries, pizza, quesadillas, and chicken kabob. Holiday Club serves Sunday brunch consisting of the liquid variety: mimosas and Bloody Marys. The other room acquiesces to the lounge atmosphere containing an abundance of booths and another bar. On certain nights of the week, the bar hosts karaoke so people can make fun of the vocally challenged. If karaoke isn’t enough, the bar’s jukebox plays a nice mix of indie and mainstream tracks to really get the party started.

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Nightlife • Uptown

La Amistad

Now that the CTA Brown Line Montrose stop is closed for repairs for the next 12 months, it’s time for us Ravenswood denizens to get off our butts and support our neighborhood eateries who will be losing quite a bit of foot traffic in the next year. While popular places like Beans and Bagels, Margie’s, and Glenn’s Diner seem to have loyal clientele that will hang in there during these cold winter months, more under-the-radar places like La Amistad may not be so lucky. La Amistad is pretty much your run-of-the mill storefront taqueria, no frills, no Mexican fusion, just the usual: tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. The food is better than the average neighborhood taco stand, and, if you’re looking for authentic Mexican fare in Ravenswood, this is your best bet. It’s clean, welcoming, reasonably-priced and BYOB–and features daily rotating dinner specials for about $5, including the curiously named “Polish Platter” for weekend brunch. How can you beat that?

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Restaurants • Uptown

Pho 777

If I had a Vietnamese friend, I would ask her what the hell “pho” means. It seems about half of the Vietnamese places on Argyle are named pho something. So what’s the difference between Pho 777, Pho 888, and Pho 999? I couldn’t tell you, but I do know that Pho 777 has me hooked. The menu has a wide selection of authentic Vietnamese dishes, most under $10. What interested me were the special noodle bowls that feature titillatingly tasty ingredients. Last time I brought along a friend who was especially psyched for the tripe—which has a texture that calls to mind the small bumps on a tongue—but even she was pushed to her limits of exotic food exploration. The bowls also contain transparent pink things that could be the “connecting tissue” advertised on the menu, and Vietnamese meatballs, all served with Thai basil, bean sprouts, and an assortment of spicy sauces. Any adventurous foodie whose curiosity is piqued should be thoroughly satisfied.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Graceland Cemetery

Okay, Macy’s has taken over. Marshall Fields is no more. On the local news, Chicagoans have expressed their shock, anger, and depression. Soon, however, we must move towards acceptance. What better way to handle our grief than with one last visit? No, not the store—the man himself. He’s buried in Graceland Cemetery, you know. The park-like grounds are beautiful in any weather—blanketed with multi-hued leaves, snow, sprouting flowers, or lush green grass. Stroll beneath the massive oaks, elms, and maples and take in the interesting memorials to the deceased, including the Statue of Death on Dexter Graves’ plot (1789-1844), the boxed-in life-sized statue of little Inez Clark (1873-1880), or the Memory monument of Marshall himself (1835-1906). If you can’t get enough, sign up for a tour and learn about the lives (and deaths) of architects Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham, railroad car manufacturer George Pullman, meatpacker Phillip Armour, and a mayor or three.

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Landmarks • Uptown

Crew

You know how it is; sometimes you just want to drink some beer, watch the game, and hang out in your jockstrap. Yet, you still want the camaraderie of a local sports bar. At Crew, you can have it all. Touted as Chicago’s premiere gay sports bar and grille, Crew offers more than 50 beers, tons of televisions (including a 96 incher), and the occasional Frat Boy Fridays Jock Strap contest. (Enter and you can win up to $300.) While the menu touts the ultimate sports bar comfort food—wings—it also offers an array of salads, zucchini chips, mini burgers, veggie wraps, and more. Sign up for the beer passport and sample every brew to become a Beer God—it gets you an extra four ounces for every pint ordered for the next year. Oh, if sports aren’t your thing—no worries; just show up for brunch or one of the Project Runway screenings.

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Nightlife • Uptown

Big Chicks

Uptown’s most egalitarian bar, where gays and straights, dykes and soccer moms, gym bunnies and khaki wearers, all mingle has a secret. Big Chicks offers the best dinner deal in town. The bar food is a cut above what you might expect, which could be because it shares the kitchen with the highly rated Tweet restaurant next door, and bargain priced, too boot. However, the real deal is on Monday nights when the bar offers up a burger and a choice of fries or a salad (baby greens, no less) for a mere buck. Veggie burgers are a couple of bucks more. On Sundays, Big Chicks does even better, putting out a buffet-style dinner for free. The fare may range from sub sandwiches and side salads to fried chicken and barbecue. Of course, the understanding is that you’ll by something to drink, and not just snarf up the food. The bar is smoke free until 9 pm, has a great outdoor patio, and features an incredible collection of art.

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Nightlife • Uptown

Pho Xe Tang—Tank

There are 253 items on the menu at Tank, more formally known as Pho Xe Tang (which may or may not translate to Tank). But don’t let the long list or the green drawing of a tank on the menu scare you off. Basically, there are only a few items you need to consider. While I’m sure chao long doi (Vietnamese sausage, pork liver, cooked pork blood, and heart congee) and ruot heo xao khom (pork intestines stir fried with pineapple) are mighty tasty, we always stick with the pho. This dish of Vietnamese noodles in beef broth, served with bean sprouts, fresh basil, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and lime wedges, is fantastic. Plus, it’s really fun to say. Friends swear by No. 39—sliced beef, brisket, flank, soft tendon, tripe, and meatballs. But we keep it simple and go for No. 47—sliced beef. Wash it all down with a smoothie fruit shake or BYOB (no corkage fee). Still hungry? Try the dessert of “sweetie green beans with shredded seaweeds.” Let us know how it is.

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Restaurants • Uptown

Hopleaf

Beer lovers have found their heaven at this Belgium bar in the heart of Andersonville. Its brick walls, spacious dining room, and friendly staff make it the perfect place to sit and have a drink. It has over 30 beers on tap, and don’t even think about asking for a Miller Lite. You can find brews that are usually only found on the other side of the Atlantic such as Kwak, Leffe, or Rodenbach. Not a beer drinker? Hopleaf has an extensive wine list in addition to the usual cocktail offerings. The menu is far from the usual pub grub with items such as rabbit stew or duck salad, but the food is slightly over priced. However, I recommend the crab cakes which pair nicely with a Leffe Blond. The place can get pretty packed, particularly on the weekends, so come early to grab a seat. Or, if you’re partying with a crowd, reserve the private party room on the second floor. A variety of drink and food packages are available.

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Nightlife • Uptown