Nightspotting 2.0 - November 2008

11/24/08

Weekend Photos: Bar DeVille & Wild Pug

This week we give thanks for two new watering holes: Bar DeVille (701 N. Damen Ave.), the new Ukrainian Village tap from Matt Eisler (Angels & Kings, Empire Liquors, Victory Liquors) and Kevin Heisner, with drinks by master mixologist Bradley Bolt, formerly of The Violet Hour; and Wild Pug, Uptown’s long-delayed ode to pups and Oscar Wilde (we don’t quite get it either) from the same folks as the neighboring Crew Bar + Grill. We also give thanks for a day off: Nightspotting 2.0 is on holiday this Thursday; check back next Monday for shots from the biggest party night of the year, Black Wednesday.

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11/20/08

Black Wednesday Bashes

Black Wednesday—a.k.a. Thanksgiving Eve, when all good nightlifers go on the prowl for one last hurrah before buckling down to a long weekend with the family—is upon us. But with the economy in a tailspin, will the so-called biggest party night of the year be more doom and gloom than gin and tonic? Not for those with plastic at the ready and a taste for cocktails. We rounded up the top crop of parties slated for November 26th.

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11/17/08

Weekend Photos: Tumans

Picture this: It's Friday night and your buddies have bailed. What to do when the weekend is upon you and you've got no plans? Our nightlife guru Sarah Preston recommends Tumans (2159 W. Chicago Ave.) in Ukrainian Village. Despite a facelift a few years back, this one-time grimiest of dives still offers dirt-cheap beer and a true Chicago icon, DJ Jesse De La Peña, on the turntables a couple of times each month. We visited the cozy corner tavern last Friday; check out photos...

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11/14/08

Once and Future Dives

The Best of Today . . .
From a hole in Vegas to a microscopic bar in our very own backyard, Playboy.com has compiled a list of the top ten American dives. As Steve Dollar writes in the article, "Nothing satisfies man’s tortured soul and restless craving for misadventure quite like the dive bar." We couldn't agree more.

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11/13/08

Check Back Friday

Nightspotting 2.0 will post on Friday, in time for a weekend update. Check in tomorrow for the latest from the nightlife front.

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11/11/08

Weekend Photos: The Zoo & Red Ivy

If you thought Twisted Spoke was wild, get a load of The Zoo (3369 N. Clark St.). Wrigleyville’s one-time biker bar (and, later, Brody’s on Clark) has been reborn as a nightspot that plays to the party animals. We spotted folks congregating at the watering hole on Saturday night. And you know what they say—“When in Wrigleyville”—so we ambled down the block to check out Red Ivy.

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11/06/08

Who Am I to Judge?

One of the perks of being a nightlife columnist is occasionally getting asked to help judge bartending competitions. This past Monday I sat on a panel for the Woodford Reserve Ultimate Manhattan Competition, hosted by Chicago Sport and Social Club at Angels & Kings. Along with four other judges—including Mike Miller of Delilah's and Bottom Lounge, and last year’s winner, Paul Stern of Suite Lounge—I sampled eight different Manhattans made by eight local drink slingers and judged the results based on presentation, creativity, and taste...

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November 2008