Nightspotting 2.0

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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10/30/08

That’s the Ticket: Election-Night Parties and Specials

Move over, Black Wednesday. By our estimation, Tuesday, November 4th is shaping up to be the biggest party night of the year. Even if you didn't score a ticket to the official Obama rally in Grant Park, there are plenty of places to party with the politicos, no matter whom you vote for. Whether you end up celebrating a win or licking your wounds, you’ll want company. Get it, along with a multitude of drink specials, at these local bars—and keep reading for a quick Halloween heads-up. . .

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10/27/08

Weekend Photos: The Whistler, Logan Bar & Grill

This week, two newfangled neighborhood taverns in up-and-coming Logan Square: The Whistler, a hipster-bar-slash-creative- space from the guys behind the local label Whistler Records, and Logan Bar & Grill, a sibling to the longtime Bucktown staple Northside Bar & Grill...

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10/23/08

Pity Parties: Drink Deals for Every Day of the Week

The economy's in the toilet. Your mutual funds are tanking. And you can't sell your condo because the real-estate market has crashed. But just because we're in a tailspin doesn't mean you can't have a good time. Bars all over town are offering bailout plans of the drink-deal kind. Our day-by-day guide...

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10/20/08

Weekend Photos: Dirty Martini & Crescendo

This week, two newbies in River North: Dirty Martini, the happy hour hot spot with martinis on tap (yes, you read that right), and Crescendo, which opened on a high note earlier this summer before closing soon after, now under new management...

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