I've been super busy working on the new business among other things. I have been wanting to put this post up forever so here it goes. Here's a few of my favorite in Lincoln Square.My neighborhood has a lot of ethnic charm. I can walk a few yards away to an Irish bar, and across the street from that is a Bosnian restaurant. Walking toward Lawrence is a Korean BBQ.
On Thursday nights Provenance in the Square has free wine tastings. The owners and staff are lovely, friendly people just happy giving wine away on Thursday nights. They also sell gourmet food "stuffs". I buy grass-fed beef there for the reasonable price of $7.00 for four patties.
Speaking of wine, I love The Book Cellar which is a bookstore/cafe. It's nice to support our local bookstores too. Sometimes when I just want a glass of wine and a place to j
ournal it's a nice alternative to the ole bar funkiness.My neighborhood has the largest population of Germans in Chicago. I'm not huge on German cuisine but I love the yummy red cabbage/apple side dish. You can always find an eclectic mix of people at the Brauhaus dancing to the accordian filled pop. I've seen punk rock kids on the floor with their German grandma's doing the polka. Good times and good beer.
I miss the Meyer Deli which closed a while ago. It is supposed to re-open and be even better I'm told. I'm hoping the recent gentrification doesn't destroy it's remodeling plans. I got nervous when Potbelly's and Stonecold Creamery opened up a few years back. Well at least I can still buy gnombs at one of the older German gift shops. Their cuteness is like kriptonite on my wallet! Must buy cute gnombes!
My other random faves:
- Music in the Square on Summer Thursday nights. A bit of everything from folk to rock to polka. I love hearing Irish music live, which I also hear on various nights of the week at the Atlantic Bar and Grill or the Grafton
- Mertz Apothocary – the oldest Apothocary in the midwest. Great for shopping! Has everything I love—green products/cosmetics, herbs, and the best black licorice
- Harvest Time Foods – My grocery store. Romanian, Bulgarian, Asian, American, Greek, Mexican foods all in one place. They have the only cheese I can eat – it’s a Bulgarian brined sheep cheese. It’s yummier than that description sounds—really.
- The Davis Theater – $5.50 matinees. What more can I say.
- The Chakra Shoppe, which is right around the corner from me. Blanche Blacke is the fascinating proprietress. Since Healing Earth Resources went out of biz a few years ago this has been my little replacement. Lillian Lovlas is a wonderful healer there too who teaches some amazing Yoga Nidra classes. It's got a lot under one colorful roof—past life regression healing sessions, salts, oils, sage, incense, tarot decks, books and jewlery.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I've been in the neighborhood for five years. We'll see if I can still afford rent when the ole lease application comes around again. I may be doing a "Great things about Rogers Park" blog in the near future.
