Nhu Lan Bakery, lemongrass tofu banh mi, #10

The marinated tofu on this Vietnamese sandwich eats like the juicy ribeye shreds on a Philly cheese steak and displays a lemongrass flavor punch that’s more satisfying than the usual pork pate.

2612 West Lawrence
(773)878-9898
nhulansbakery.com

Best of Chicago 2009

Berlin Wall at Western Brown Line

When the city was offered a piece of the Berlin Wall for permanent exhibition last year, it didn’t take much thought to figure out where to put it. Since January, the graffiti-covered block of concrete that once divided East and West Germany has found its home at the Western Avenue Brown Line stop in the Lincoln Square neighborhood known as “Germantown.” On display twenty-four hours a day, it’s the perfect landmark to guide wayfarers home after a night of drinking at the Brauhaus.

Best of Chicago 2008

Timeless Toys

With rocking horses, stuffed animals and wooden blocks, you can play in a perfect paradise at this Lincoln Square treasure. Timeless Toys specializes in classic toys made of wood or fabric. The store carries puppets, Brio train sets and European-designed toys. Not that we care about celebrities, but Brad and Angelina shopped here for their dozen or so children, and probably liked the educational and interactive aspect as much as we did.

4749 N. Lincoln
(773)334-4445
timelesstoyschicago.com

Audience choice: (Tie)

Toys R Us
3330 N. Western
(773)525-1690

Uncle Fun
1338 W. Belmont
(773)477-8223

Best of Chicago 2008

Lincoln Square’s Pigeon Man

It’s a sad twist of irony that Joseph Zeman, better known as “the pigeon man of Lincoln Square,” spent his last moments at St. Francis Hospital after he was accidentally struck by a car last December. The man resembling a modern day St. Francis of Assisi could often be found sitting on a fire hydrant at Lawrence and Western with a flock of pigeons perched over his body for hours at a time. A man of few possessions and a quiet existence, he had only a laminated copy of his Chicago Tribune profile story when the accident took his life. 

Best of Chicago 2008