Unless you have impeccable night vision, Buck's (1700 W. Division St., Wicker Park) is probably not the kind of place you want to bring a good-looking date. It gets pretty dark inside the space formerly known as Carriage House. But if you're looking for an accessible good time and plenty of fried chicken, Buck's is your spot.

It has the same kind of slicked-up Southern roadhouse feel as a spot like Parson's, but here things are a little cozier (with way more Lone Star beer, too). There are some communal tables and plenty of couches in the loungey space in the front of the restaurant, the better for sharing a punch bowl with several of your closest friends, plus plenty of standard sit-down tables in the main, string-light-strewn dining room.

Here's what else we saw when we stopped in.