Dec 15
Phoenix Bean
There’s no “tofu for sale” sign here, just an unassuming factory-like door on the west side of Broadway, just north of Uptown. Through it, orders are placed directly from the entryway to the tofu-making line in the next room. Owner Jenny Yang sniffed out the discreet spot, literally smelling it while walking down the avenue several years ago. She ended up purchasing the business, which supplies many Asian restaurants. Phoenix Bean, a small tofu factory in the Edgewater neighborhood, sells freshly made firm and soft tofu, as well as bean milk, soy milk and bean sprouts at hard-to-beat wholesale prices. Touting themselves as one of the first tofu producers in Chicago, the company, which was already thirty years old when Yang bought it, prides itself on using non-genetically altered soy bean products.
Phoenix Bean
5438 North Broadway
(773)784-2503
Best of Chicago 2011
Dec 09
Contemplation Point at Foster Beach
It’s that ring of rectangular rocks on the beach at the end of Bryn Mawr. Find a spot as close to the middle as you can and go for it. Necking here is like committing PDA for the spirits of horny North Side sweethearts past. And at least one of you gets a sweet view of the lake.
5200 North Lake Shore
(312)742-5121
chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches
Best of Chicago 2010
Nov 11
Edgewater Produce
As if gas prices weren’t bad enough, now taking a trip to the grocery store is enough to kill a monthly budget. But before you start sacrificing meals, consider Edgewater Produce. The quality of a farmer’s market with the value of a dollar store, this North Side goldmine lets you stock up on the best fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, canned goods and more for less than the cost of your monthly gym membership—and just as healthy, too.
5509 N. Clark
(773)275-3800
Best of Chicago 2008
Nov 11
Metropolis
At Edgewater’s Metropolis they claim that “Respect is at the core of our coffee philosophy, and taste is paramount.” Respect is given to the land, to the farmer and eventually to the consumer. All of which leads to a fair and tasty cup of Joe. Those are morals to drink to.
1039 W. Granville
(773)764-0400
metropoliscoffee.com
Best of Chicago 2008
Sep 26
Bark Bark Club
Bark Bark Club owner Patti Colandrea adds a more inspired element to the pet boutique concept. In addition to the norm (grooming, specialized products, obedience classes, cat sitting) the Bark Bark Club holds events that have a purpose (a benefit for search and rescue dogs, for example). Oh yeah, and we’re tickled silly over the name, too.
5943 North Broadway (773)989-8807
Audience choice: None
Why would I have a pet boutique? I have a pet cat, however.
Best of Chicago 2002
Sep 26
Devon Avenue
Enclaves of ethnicities have driven Chicago throughout its history, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of Devon Avenue, one of Chicago’s most strikingly unusual streets that runs a gamut of exotic culture. Heading west from Western, Devon acts as a sort of little India (or little Pakistan), with retail outlets like House of Sari and Sari Palace sitting among an impressive run of Indian and Pakistani restaurants, not to mention the local population of traditionally garbed natives of the subcontinent. Move a little further west, and the writing suddenly becomes Cyrillic in nature, denoting an extensive Russian population. Farther west still, you might notice the black suits, hats and beards that are telltale signs of a Hassidic Jew population. All this within the space of three miles. In a city of neighborhoods, Devon Avenue represents one of the greatest multicultural swaths Chicago has to offer.
Best of Chicago 2002
