The Chaser - Chicago

01/11/12

The Ogden: Tip-off Time at the United Center’s New Sports Bar Neighbor

Blackhawks fans walking from their parking spots to the United Center for last night’s game peered with interest into the windows of The Ogden (1659 W. Ogden Ave.), a new upscale sports bar and restaurant that is currently in soft-open mode...

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01/06/12

Seven Places To Drink Cheap But (Mostly) Good Canned Beer

Holidays wipe out your bank account? Tired of dropping $20 (not including tax and tip) for only two drinks? Option one: Cut your losses and move to a dry county. Option two: cheap beer, or “old man cans,” as some bars like to call them...

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12/29/11

Playing Host on New Year’s Eve? Three Mixologists Share Festive Drink Recipes; Plus: Three Hot NYE Bashes

Some people treat New Year’s Eve as the party of parties, a no-brainer occasion for a blowout night on the town. (If that’s you, skip to the end of this post.) Other people, like me, prefer to bypass the cab wars and ring in the year with friends at a house party...

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12/22/11

Room 13: Speakeasy Slated to Open Mid-January in Lake View (We Think)

About a week ago, I received a cryptic email that said there “may or may not” be a new bar opening near the corner of Sheffield and Belmont in January. Huh? The message continued, “There definitely won’t be prohibition-era slot machines, décor, music, and cocktails...”

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12/15/11

Saddle Up at Derby, Lincoln Park’s Racing-Themed Bar Opens Tomorrow

On Friday, the old Charlie’s on Webster will make its debut as Derby, a new bar that endorses three of my favorite things in life: horse racing, bourbon, and Kentucky. Derby is another project from the folks at Big Onion Tavern Group (404 Wine Bar Co., Jack’s Bar and Grill, the Irish Oak), and word has it that a couple of the silent investors have a special affinity for the South...

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12/08/11

Highball Lounge: A Blast from the Past in River North

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Highball Lounge, which opened the week I was out of town for Thanksgiving. Judging by the photos taken by our Scene on the Scene photographer last Saturday, it has become an overnight hit...

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12/01/11

Impress Your Holiday Party Hosts With These Expert-Approved Bottles of Wine

Choosing a bottle of wine as a hostess gift for a holiday party is never my finest moment. There I am, wandering the aisles of Binny’s in a sequined dress, desperately scanning labels to find something that won’t get me laughed out the front door. Was merlot the wine the guy hated in Sideways? Finally, I settle on one with a pretty label and a not-too-cheap price...

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11/22/11

5 Black Wednesday Parties for Grownups (or Adolescent Adults)

Black Wednesday is to bars what Sweetest Day is to Hallmark: a pure marketing maneuver. What once was a night for city transplants to journey back home to their families—and for everyone else, a chance to hit the grocery store for last-minute cans of cranberry goo—has become a night to party hard and kick off the holidays with a beer-and-a-shot bar special because it’s Black Wednesday! (Whatever that means)...

Posted at 11:54 AM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (0)

11/16/11

The Anthem: Seventies-Themed Sports Bar Soft Opens Tonight in Ukrainian Village

If you squint your eyes, you can almost see Ashton Kutcher and the gang from That ’70s Show leaning against a high-top table at The Anthem, a new Ukrainian Village bar that soft opens tonight. (The official opening is tomorrow.) There are a few modern marvels...

Posted at 02:28 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (1)

11/10/11

TR Napa Valley and Eduardo’s Enoteca: Two New Teensy-Weensy Bars in the Gold Coast

Earlier this week, my editor coined a term in response to the opening of two new pint-sized Gold Coast watering holes: “pocket bars.” Can we officially call it a thing?...

Posted at 01:09 PM in The Chaser | Permalink | Comments (2)