Darkstar Video

From Bettie Page’s burlesque to “Killer Klowns” to the twisted mind of John Waters, weird and wild movies are in abundance at Darkstar. Owner Mike Edwards stocks a bunch of flicks under “Cult” because “they’re things you can’t find another category for.” If it’s sex you desire, rent “Inflated,” a collection of blow-up doll films, or “Venus in Furs,” which the San Francisco Examiner labeled, “Trippy as hell.” To learn about the forbidden—the things your parents warned you about—spring for “She Shoulda Said No,” “Reefer Madness” or “The Cocaine Fiends.”

4355 North Lincoln
(773)665-7827
(This business is now closed—2011)

Best of Chicago 2010

Koam Enterprises

If you’re a merchant, sift through stacks of shiny gift bags and cardboard jewelry boxes to stock your shop. There are display cases and supply shelves, plaster-cast hands and earring trees. It’s a little slice of heaven for retailers. Koam’s hours are hit or miss and the wares are arranged in a haphazard way, but the shopkeepers can guide you through the maze.

4912 North Lincoln
(773)907-8197

Best of Chicago 2010

Carola’s Hansa Clipper

As you walk past the Brown Line on Lincoln don’t blink, or you might just miss Carola’s Hansa Clipper, one of Lincoln Square’s best-kept secrets. Enter under the Bitburger sign and green awning of this miniscule storefront, and you’ll be rewarded with a hassle-free and economical slice of Germany. The beer selection isn’t very large, but the all-German tap features heady brews like Radeberger, Warsteiner, BBK, Bitburger and Stiegl that you’re unlikely to find even at a gastropub. Add to that wood paneling, half-liter stein servings, a very eclectic jukebox and the fact that your group can almost always find seating, and before long you’ll want to make Carola’s a regular spot.

4659 North Lincoln
(773)878-3662

Best of Chicago 2010

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

Fortunato
In spring 2002 Chef/owner Jennifer Newbury’s Fortunato opened quietly, but forcefully, in the increasingly popular Division Street stretch of Ukrainian Village, bringing with it a much-needed breath of fresh culinary air. Newbury (a veteran of Sole Mio and Club Lucky) now turns out her own no-nonsense Italian fare in a new space that’s spare, sleek and infinitely comfortable. But the friendly confines are simply a nice bonus—the marquee feature is Newbury’s impressive artistry, which turns your basic fritto misto (usually a stingy mix of fried foods) into a bona fide experience, frying up zucchini, green beans, artichokes and even smelts in a light, yet satisfyingly crunchy, tempura-like batter. The homemade pastas tend toward wonderful, and come in half orders so you can munch a tasty tagliatelle with fresh ‘shrooms while enjoying a rolled pork loin interspersed with bread crumbs, proscuitto and spinach and the accompanying rosemary-seasoned spuds. And don’t leave without tasting the addictive house cocktail, a mix of prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) and a simple syrup that is infused with black pepper, clove and purple basil. Classic, unpretentious fine dining in an up-and-coming area: What more could you want?

2005 West Division
Fortunato is closed

Audience choice: Flying Saucer and Tournesol (tie)
Flying Saucer, 1123 North California, (773)342-9076
Tournesol, 4343 North Lincoln
Tournesol is closed

Best of Chicago 2002

Old Town School of Folk Music
Founded in 1957 during the American folk-music boom, a half-century later the Old Town School of Folk Music chugs on, teaching music, dance and theatre classes, holding concerts and conducting seminars—even though it switched the majority of its operation to a building on North Lincoln Avenue four years ago. Roger McGuinn, Bonnie Koloc and John Prine all passed through the gentle halls of the school, and an uncountable number more have been taught to play-for fun-the instruments they’ve always wanted to play. Kid-friendly and smoke-free, the Old Town’s concert space also offers one of the only family-oriented music venues in the city.

4544 North Lincoln (773)728-6000

Best of Chicago 2002