Puerto Rican Style

Finding tasty Puerto Rican food served in a beautiful setting used to be nonexistent in Chicago, but that all changed the minute Coco's opened its doors on Division Street in the Humbolt Park area. Ever since then, it's been all love. The old San Juan decor is what really makes Coco's stand out. It encapsulates the true essence of the island--beauty, passion, and life. And they have an excellent menu. They serve many traditional dishes just like mom used to make such as Mofungo, a stuffed plantain dish and Asopaos, a stew served with tostones. And if it's music you're looking for, a live salsa band plays on the weekends. It's a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered.

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Restaurants • West

Shirk and Save

When I was finishing grad school, I spent most of my day doing work at the Star Lounge because they had free wi fi and regular jazz music. After I graduated, I spent most of my time hiding out at the Star Lounge from my students and responsibilities because the place isn't usually crowded and is out of the way enough that nobody looks for me there. This place has been there for my conscientious and not-so-conscientious times regarding work. It's really relaxed and, because their macchiatos are so good, it's easy to go here and lose track of time. Have I mentioned the bathroom? There are over a hundred color swatches glued to the wall to make a cityscape. Recently, Star Lounge started roasting its own coffee, which means the guys behind the counter are super psyched to talk about their product and you realize they're really trying to do something for the neighborhood and, because they are involved in the politics of the coffee trade, are making sure the products they're producing are leaving a positive impact. Oh, did I mention the coffee is bottomless? I don't know if I'm supposed to pay for a refill because they always just give me more.

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Coffee • West

Dear Flying Saucer

Baby, I'm sorry but we're done. Shh, it's okay, don't cry, you're great; it's not you, sweetheart. I swear, it's all my fault. It's just that we've grown apart and I don't really know you anymore. Sometimes I'll wait upwards of forty five minutes on a weekend for a table, only to be seated and then wait another fifteen minutes while the waitress seats herself at a table of friends and gabs on and on with them. Meanwhile, all I want is some coffee and a menu. Baby, I wish you the best of luck and maybe you're going through some personal issues. I mean, you used to really care about having vegetarian options and now there's some crass piece of bacon on top of your hashbrowns. Did you get a tramp-stamp tattoo, while you were at it? Sorry, that was mean-spirited. In any case, babe, I've gotta get going and don't bother calling.

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Restaurants • West

Provender

Sweet potato hash. That's it, that's the whole review. Get the sweet potato hash. Later, after you've devoured it and unbuttoned your jeans, look in your wallet book and see that it cost you next to nothing to have that awesome breakfast, which means you can afford more coffee or one of their fantastic, Southern desserts. Feed is hands down the most awesome weekend brunch. Especially in the summer when you can sit in the back patio that feels like someone's backyard. I haven't gone here for any other meal because the menu is pretty meat heavy, but I imagine anything they cook is fantastic. I mean, are there really other meals that matter besides brunch anyway? You get to sleep in late, roll out of bed, and eat an amazing meal before you roll back into bed again and wait until it's time to go out that night.

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Restaurants • West

Dat's Crazy

Despite the sunburn and mosquito bites acquired on this day trip, I think I fell in love with the Garfield Park Conservatory. I thought this was going to be an allergy hell, but I didn't even need to take a sudafed and go to sleep after seeing a billion plants; maybe all those ferns cleaned the air or something. The Conservatory is separated into rooms based on climate and has some outside gardens and walking paths--even a super fancy Monet Garden. My favorite room was the Desert Room where everything looked really fake--somehow sticks were growing out of succulents and everything that looked dead was flowering. Crazy. There are waterfalls and fish ponds and, although you aren't supposed to touch everything, nobody stops you from touching the plants or letting the koi fish suck your fingers. I even touched the "sensitive plant" so much I don't think it will ever open again. The only disappointing part was seeing how great their vegetable and herb gardens were growing and then coming home to my short tomato and pepper plants. I imagine it changes seasonally so I'll probably have to go again--especially once that winter depression starts up again.

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Landmarks • West

Food For Thought

Located a block south of its titular park--Humbolt--on Chicago's near West Side; Humboldt Pie offers denizens of Ukrainian Village, Humbolt Park and Logan Square an affordable, walkable and pleasantly large space to grab an afternoon bite or late-night caffeine blitzkrieg. The spot is open 'til midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 the rest of the week. Humboldt Pie offers a long list of foodstuff to quell the appetite of carnivore and vegetarian alike. I recommend the California Pepper or Humboldt Salad. Ditto the dazzling menu of thin crust pizzas and coffees. Hey, nothing like being the only coffee/pizza spot in town! Sure, you can find better pizza but only if you want to wait in line. And really, who even expects pizza at a self-proclaimed coffee and sandwich stop? Not bad, Humboldt Pie, not bad.

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Coffee , Restaurants • West

Windy City Rollers: This Saturday!

A roller derby match might just be the world’s most perfect date. Women get to watch other women show amazing displays of athleticism, and men get to see chicks in fishnets. Top that off with outrageous personalities, jammin’ music, and the most unusual acts for half-time entertainment, and you’re in for a much better time than just dinner and a movie. The Windy City Rollers, fresh off an amazing 2007 when they kicked butt at the World Flat Track Derby Association national tournament, have moved their regular season up to allow their travel team to compete more during the summer. The monthly interleague bouts start Saturday, January 26, when the Double Crossers look to defend their title as winners of the Windy City Rollers Ivy League Cup. They face off against The Fury, while the Manic Attackers battle the Hell’s Belles. Check out windycityrollers.com for all the action.

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Landmarks • West

Feed

Over the past year, Feed has emerged as one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. The roadside chicken shack is perfectly out of place on the corner of Chicago and California in Humboldt Park, and the over-the-top décor screams Wall, South Dakota. This place is seriously charming. Name one other BYOB joint with stuffed jackalope heads, chalkboard menus, and framed portraits of chickens adorning the walls. While Feed does kitsch well, it does comfort food even better. When I took my sister there for the first time, she took a couple bites of the juicy rotisserie chicken, dropped her fork, and with a “Holy Crap!” exclaimed it the best she had ever tasted. I’ve paired the chicken—and pulled pork sandwich, chicken fried steak, or hamburger—with mac-n-cheese, fried green tomatoes, beet salad and fried okra. But my standard sides to go with my “usual” (1/4 white chicken, white meat) are the mashed potatoes and gravy and the collard greens. Sidle in, order at the counter, eat up and bus your own table. Welcome to your new favorite dining destination: a place where you drop less than 10 bucks on a full meal of down-home, finger-lickin’ southern comfort grub.

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Restaurants • West

Lalo’s

Everywhere I go lately, all I hear about is Lalo’s. Softball teams’ post-game get-togethers, birthday festivities, tequila aficionados’ “meetings” (aka those wasted people in the corner booth); everyone wants a piece of this Mexican action, and with good cause. Although it is a chain restaurant, it’s not a chain in the same way Taco Bell is a chain, which is always a good thing. Lalo’s actually has twelve locations in the Chicago area, each striving to serve the most authentic Mexican food in town, with a menu ranging from staples like tacos and enchiladas to less popular fare, including sopes and the “Lalo’s Special,” a delightfully unhealthy combination of steak, eggs, and refried beans. Be forewarned that the portions are not fit for wimps; not one of the six people I went with finished their meal, and we had two six-foot tall, meat-eating champions at the table. Try one of the nine variations of margaritas Lalo’s is famous for, or all of them if you’re a real rockstar. For the wusses in-house, they also serve Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial. As an added bonus, el mariachis sing while you eat; don’t forget to tip.

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Restaurants • West

Garfield Park Marketplace

So you need to go shopping, but you don’t want to waste a nice day at the mall, Target, or god-forbid, Frank’s Nursery and Crafts. Don’t fear, child-desperately-seekingfresh- air, head to the Garfield Park Marketplace, now open for the season. Step inside the wrought iron gates and a new world opens up—one of colorful horticulture and little shops hidden in brick alcoves. This open-air bazaar was a little empty during a recent visit, but the festivities and vendors are sure to increase as the temps do. When the Market is in full swing during the summer months, you can enjoy a strolling lunch, pick up baskets of organic produce, or purchase quilts, soaps, lanterns, and masterpieces created by local artists. For now, the CityScape portion of the Marketplace (the area featuring garden-related items) is in full bloom. Just take a quick stroll through the heaps of hydrangeas, towers of tulips, and legions of lilacs and your thumb will turn all shades of green. And you can pick up some dirt, flowers, plants, flowerboxes, or gardening equipment to bring a little bit of Garfield Park home with you.

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Landmarks • West

Garfield Park Conservatory

When you feel like the whole world’s been paved over, take a break from the asphalt jungle and head on over to four and a half acres of unadulterated nature. Stroll past leafy aroids and a lagoon ornamented with glass lily pads by artist Dale Chihuly. Take a seat on a bench overlooking a pond swarming with koi fish. In the children’s section, experience the germination process by peering into a giant fenestrated seed. Make sure to check out Chris Garofalo’s installation of “recripocally prickly” sculptures suspended over a bed of cacti in the desert house. During the warmer months, wander outside and spiral along a labyrinthine path. I’m particularly fond of the Monet garden, a loose re-creation of the garden at Giverney, France, as well as the brand new city garden, with wheat undulating in the wind and a bridge snaking along a pond.

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Landmarks • West

California Clipper

Private banquettes, suffused red light, bingo night, an owner who buddies up to everyone, an amazing country singer who looks more like a dominatrix, what more would you want in a bar? The dilapidated street and the weathered storefront make you think of another era, a simpler time when the local watering hole was just that, somewhere to quench your thirst. The place is so real—once an hour a guy passes through selling homemade tamales. Subject to the forces of gentrification, the first wave of artists that hang out here may not be around much longer. Catch it while you can.

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Nightlife • West