Dec 14
Burt’s Place
He may have started (and then sold) Pequod’s years ago, but it’s Burt’s own Place that turns the conversation of pizza, well, deep. Not every pizza maker knows how to acutely place a pan-sized sausage patty in the middle of the pie, nor do they have the exact combination for caramelizing the crust. Then again, it is the humble digs of Burt’s Place that has us dining in instead of taking out. Flanked by ham radios, vintage newspaper clippings and vinyl seats in a Morton Grove two-flat, Burt and his wife make guests feel at home. Just do like you would with your mother-in-law and call ahead.
Burt’s Place
8541 Ferris, Morton Grove
(847)965-7997
Audience choice:
Lou Malnati’s
805 South State, (312)786-1000
3859 West Ogden, (773)762-0800
439 North Wells, (312)828-9800
1120 North State, (312)725-7777
958 West Wrightwood, (773)832-4030
1850 Sherman, Evanston, (847)328-5400
loumalnatis.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Dusty Groove America
Walk into the door and you are trapped for two hours. Easily. Crate diggin’ at its finest. It’s a comic book store for beat fiends, vinyl junkies and urban music aficionados that #OCCUPYLADYGAGA.
Dusty Groove America
1120 North Ashland
(773)342-5800
dustygroove.com
Audience choice:
Reckless Records
26 East Madison, (312)795-0878
1532 North Milwaukee, (773)235-3727
3126 North Broadway, (773)404-5080
reckless.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Johnnie’s Beef
Chicago is packed with places that have Italian Beef on their menu, but only a handful serve sandwiches worthy of the name. And of these Johnnie’s reigns supreme. The beef is tasty, the bread crust crunchy, the juice flavorful. Johnnie’s fries are just greasy enough to round out the meal. The ambiance at Johnnie’s is wonderful, too. In a world full of places that pretend to be what they are not, Johnnie’s remains true to its original design: enter in the east, wait in line, give your order to the crabby, overworked guy behind the counter, pay your money and a few moments later you are handed your food by another crabby, overworked guy and ushered out the west door. Spartan picnic benches are provided for those who prefer to dine on the premises.
Johnnie’s Beef
7500 West North, Elmwood Park
(708)452-6000
Audience choice:
Portillo’s
100 West Ontario
(312)587-8910
portillos.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Nisei Lounge
Ancient, updated and off the clustered Clark Street path, Nisei Lounge has been diving since 1951 and, despite new owners, remains a true Wrigley wonderland. Competitive prices and a complex crowd of habitués and stumblés give us more good on game day than twenty TV sports bars ever could. You might miss the ruckus and the grub (although you can order in), but a stellar beer selection and jukebox bring Nisei full circle.
Nisei Lounge
3439 North Sheffield
(773)525-0557
Audience choice:
Cubby Bear
1059 West Addison
(773)327-1662
cubbybear.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Photo: Kristine Sherred
Jack’s Bar & Grill
Baseball means summer, summer means patios, and if Wrigley ain’t your scene but you still want to eat and drink and root with like-minded North Siders while the weather holds out for you and the Cubbies, the Southport Corridor answers that call. Basic pub food with a homey twist, decent beer list, flatscreens galore, plenty of outdoor seating—Jack’s is far enough from Wrigley that you can actually enjoy yourself but close enough that an influx of fans will stop for a celebratory beer after the game. It’s tough to separate Lakeview’s torrent of upscale pubs with pretty patios from one another (it doesn’t really matter—they’re all owned by the same conglomerates anyways), but, like the divier bars on the list, Jack’s has a loyal following of hoodsters, too. They’re just younger.
Jack’s Bar & Grill
2856 North Southport
(773)404-8400
jackschicago.com
Audience choice:
Harry Caray’s Tavern
700 East Grand on Navy Pier
(312)527-9700
harrycaraystavern.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Photo: Kristine Sherred
Bobtail
It’s easy to make a decent milkshake: Add good ice cream to good milk and you have delicious, right? Well, Bobtail takes it to the next level, with perfectly thick milkshakes and ideal proportions of flavors, fruit and ice cream. In a chocolate banana shake, for example, you taste the banana and chocolate equally. But their real crowning glory is their malt. Bobtail’s tastes exactly like a malt ball. No grit, no powdery taste, just that amazing malt and ice cream.
Bobtail
2951 North Broadway
(773)880-7372
522 South Lake Shore at Buckingham Fountain
(312)786-1014
bobtailicecream.com
Audience choice:
Portillo’s
100 West Ontario
(312)587-8910
portillos.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Village Eyecare
Lafont? Got ‘em. Lindberg? Got ‘em. Prodesign Denmark? Got ‘em. Tom Ford? Got ‘em. The collection that Village Eyecare carries (and the team/staff that helps select frames for you) is what makes people who don’t need to wear glasses, wear glasses. In an era where Nerd Chic is the new “it” in fashion, VEC keeps it funky. They un-nerd the nerd.
Village Eyecare
1243 South Wabash
(312)663-4250
1116 West Taylor
(312)829-6173
villageeyecare.net
Audience choice:
Eye Spy Optical
3350 North Lincoln
(773)477-2670
eyespyoptical.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
The Edit
Morgan Gutterman cements Bucktown’s hold on its title as the shopping destination for the hip and fashionable with her new store, The Edit. Bringing in a variety of imported, hard-to-find pieces, many of which hail from Down Under, Gutterman is exposing Chicago to style on a whole new level. Brands such as Sass & Bide, Bec & Bridge, Keepsake and Rachael Ruddick stock the store’s racks, as do locals like the designers behind the bold and colorful pieces from POUND Jewelry. With personal shopping, one-on-one styling and private parties to boot, we highly recommend visiting, albeit with caution—this one’s dangerous on the pocketbook!
The Edit
1917 North Damen
(773)252-3350
shoptheedit.com
Audience choice:
Violette
2031 North Damen
(773)235-7150
vivelafemme.com
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Wright-Way Rescue
How much is that doggy in the window? Who cares when money can buy you love from one of the adorable mutts (or cats) from Wright-Way Rescue. Adoptions run $280 for pooches and $115 for the kit and caboodle, but when you consider how much care the Niles-based no-kill shelter gives to their adoptees, it’s a drop in the water bowl. Wright-Way organizes extensive temperament tests and gives each critter a full bill of health before finding them a forever home; plus, they reserve your pet with approved application. Check out the mug shots online and just tell us it isn’t the best dog show ever.
Wright-Way Rescue
7136 West Touhy, Niles
(773)353-9931
wrightwayrescue.net
Audience choice:
PAWS Chicago Adoption Center, 1997 North Clybourn, (773)935-PAWS, pawschicago.org
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 14
Genesis Art Supplies
Art supply stores were meant to be savored and explored, full of packed shelves of sketch pads and paper, paint tubes and brushes to touch, gaze at and muse upon. If the store is too orderly, mere efficiency pushes out the daydreaming. And if the place is too cluttered, the frustration of trying to find something soon pushes out all inspiration. Genesis is the perfect balance of chaos and order, abundance and reasonable possibility. Clearly a place owned and staffed by people with artistic sensibilities, it is more than just a place to buy supplies: It is a place to gather ideas and make those preliminary mental sketches for future projects.
Genesis Art Supplies
2417 North Western
(773)292-2990
genesisartsupplies.com
Audience choice:
Blick Art Materials
42 South State, (312)920-0300
280 South Columbus, (312)443-3923
1574 North Kingsbury, (312)573-0110
1755 Maple, Evanston, (847)425-9100
dickblick.com
Best of Chicago 2011
