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A Great Place for a First Date
Finally out from behind the auspices of construction, Cafe Absinthe is a posh and romantic spot that delivers the goods when it comes to food and service. Beautifully decorated in red tones, the...
Finally out from behind the auspices of construction, Cafe Absinthe is a posh and romantic spot that delivers the goods when it comes to food and service. Beautifully decorated in red tones, the dining floor sits in front of an open kitchen. Two long banquettes line the room, with lots of tables for two. Our server was helpful, but just aloof as to not hover. The first course options are good openers for the well-prepared entrees (I recommend the filet, medium rare). Desserts were hard to resist, and I really tried my best, I swear. The room is cozy, despite its communal feel, and it is hard not to be impressed.
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Strange, or Just Pop Culture?
Strange Cargo has it's purpose in my life (when someone needs a PBR cap), but not one that is called on regularly, thank god. It's usually filled with lame suburbanites kids looking for things that...
Strange Cargo has it's purpose in my life (when someone needs a PBR cap), but not one that is called on regularly, thank god. It's usually filled with lame suburbanites kids looking for things that hearken back to a decade they missed. The prices are getting more and more expensive, since I first shopped there years ago, but if you can charge the prices, and people them, well, good for them. The staff is usually way too cool to talk to anyone but each other, which doesn't bother me as they all come across as members of the Audio-Visual Club in high school, but then moved to the city and got a studio in Andersonville, started dressing in clever t-shirts with iron-on's of your favourite 80's band and the low-top chuck taylors, and finished it off with chunky black glasses...oh, wait, I just described the inventory.
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Bittersweet is All Sweet to Me
Lovely, lovely cookies and cakes, tarts, pastries, and they offer cappuccinos (but no flavours). Bittersweet on Belmont, to the west of the Red and Brown Lines Station, is as cute as it is sweet. ...
Lovely, lovely cookies and cakes, tarts, pastries, and they offer cappuccinos (but no flavours). Bittersweet on Belmont, to the west of the Red and Brown Lines Station, is as cute as it is sweet. The decor's colour scheme makes me crave sugar-frosting on sugar cookies. And Bittersweet delivers...animal shapes, with bright sugar frosting. But expect to pay for the cuteness. I can't leave this bakery without spending at least ten dollars on cookies, and that's maybe five or six cookies. But you pay for the designs and the extra care spent on these cookies...and besides, if you have to spend a lot on cookies, you won't eat them as often. But if you are going home for the holidays, stop by Bittersweet to take something home to the family. They will be impressed, and you'll actually hear aw's. There are cute little cafe tables inside to have your cake and eat it, too.
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Not Enough Locations
So I took the advice of a roommate, and I started an account, my primary account at Corus Bank. I get interest on my free checking account because I have direct deposit, which is nice, though not...
So I took the advice of a roommate, and I started an account, my primary account at Corus Bank. I get interest on my free checking account because I have direct deposit, which is nice, though not that lucrative, due to my starving writer wages. The customer service is always nice, and they never seem to mind that I always forget my account number. The monthly statement includes copies of the few checks i write, and those are only for things that I can't pay online. The online services are free, and make online banking easy. My biggest complaint is that there are only four branches in the city, not counting suburban branches, which I am not about to visit. The downtown branch is fine, but the outside atm doesn't have a deposit function, which can be a pain when I don't feel like going in before my day job. I did get a nifty little car tool set for opening an account, because I had a referral from my roommate, and she got something too, but I can't remember what...as if this makes a difference. To sum Corus Bank up, a very good bank if you live or work close by a branch.
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It's Like Going to an Old High School Dance with Bouncers instead of the Principal
I really like the Logan Square Auditorium, it takes me back to the Fifties, but in a grimier part of a town like Detroit or Philadelphia, but instead of it being the Fifties when the Auditorium may...
I really like the Logan Square Auditorium, it takes me back to the Fifties, but in a grimier part of a town like Detroit or Philadelphia, but instead of it being the Fifties when the Auditorium may have been "newer", it is 2006, and the place is that permanently dingy white colour used to brighten the place up. Anyway, you have to go upstairs to get to this smaller-sized music hall that brings in various acts (e.g. I saw Electric Six, maybe that's why I think of Detroit...) There is a small bar in the back of the room, on the other side of the way one enters, but it's slow, so plan accordingly. The acoustics are not good, but not tremendously bad, and you get what you pay for, which is a sad statement considered today's concert industry, but Logan Square Aud is fun, low-key, cheap, and really, really smoky.
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Matchbox the
Category:
Bars
770 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, Illinois
(312) 666-9292
You have to drink in the Matchbox Once in Your Life
You have to drink in the Matchbox Once in Your Life
A tiny, tiny little wee bar on the corner of Ogden and Milwaukee is just what you need every now and then, or more so, depending on your liver's capacity. They offer the necessary, and then they...
A tiny, tiny little wee bar on the corner of Ogden and Milwaukee is just what you need every now and then, or more so, depending on your liver's capacity. They offer the necessary, and then they offer the unique. The unique being cocktails made with good, old-fashioned albumen, that's right, egg whites. I mean, who uses egg whites any more? And yet, the proof is in the pudding. The bartenders are sometimes inattentive, but it must get so boring paying attention to drunks all night, I don't blame them. The bartender's are however nice, and when you get a martini, you get everything in the shaker. Which maybe I don't need, but I always want it. Check out whatever the special is, it's usually tasty, even if it may not sound that way. The Matchbox is described by it's moniker, so be forewarned. I don't remember tables, maybe one in the back somewhere, but it really is just a bar, with not more than twenty seats...but then that may be being generous.
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Decent, Not Great Comics Shop
Chicago Comics is kind of like a beginner's comic book store; it's well-spaced, clean, brightly lit, and they have books and toys, too. If you have questions, there are people that work there, even...
Chicago Comics is kind of like a beginner's comic book store; it's well-spaced, clean, brightly lit, and they have books and toys, too. If you have questions, there are people that work there, even though I have never noticed them until I paid for something. But I don't usually seek out help at places like this. I mean who would need help unless you are looking for something specifically, but I'm not everybody. The comic selection isn't vast, but well-represented. The store probably benefits from the location on Clark Street, but it is definitely not hard-core, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, when it comes to the rather closed society of comic book geeks.
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Nicer than Chinatown
A lovely little storefront on Belmont, to the east of the Red and Brown Line Station, Shanghai Gallery offers a nice array of imports from China, such as the lovely chinese dresses that i love so...
A lovely little storefront on Belmont, to the east of the Red and Brown Line Station, Shanghai Gallery offers a nice array of imports from China, such as the lovely chinese dresses that i love so much, despite the fact they are not designed for buxom girls like myself. The prices are comparable to anything in Chinatown, but the atmosphere isn't quite so Chinatown, impersonal, overly crowded racks, digging through bins. Shanghai Gallery is pleasant and clean, the lovely girl behind the counter is nice, and the merchandise is mostly geared toward chicks. In addition to dresses and slippers, there are little purses and trinkets, as well as anything with an asian print.
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Home Depot
Category:
Building Supplies & Materials
1232 W North Ave
Chicago, Illinois
(773) 486-9200
I Don't Like to Use the Word, Hate.
I Don't Like to Use the Word, Hate.
No matter how many times I go into this Home Depot, I can never find what it is that I am looking for unless it's paint or toilets. It's infuriating because of the lack of logic, and I guess I need...
No matter how many times I go into this Home Depot, I can never find what it is that I am looking for unless it's paint or toilets. It's infuriating because of the lack of logic, and I guess I need a little logic in my Home depots. This one just bothers me, and I usually look forward to going to Home Depot, even if I have no good godly idea why I am there. Normally, I find my home and hardware stores soothing, but I find no peace at this store. No service either, they only seem to get me more lost. I drive over to the Home Depot on Clybourn when I need something from this chain, because it is really hard to find everything I need from the Ace on Ashland.
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