After a show at Second City or Zanies, stop in to Corcoran's, where the low prices and quality fare will keep a smile on your face. The grill and pub offers 10-ounce beef, turkey and veggie burgers ($7.75), an array of sandwiches ($6.95-$9.95), fish and chips ($10.95), salads ($5.95-$7.50) and plenty of greasy appetizers, including nachos, mozzarella sticks and more. If your heart can't handle all of those tasty fried onion rings and beer-battered fried fish and chips, no worries; the cardiology unit at the Northwestern hospital is a short cab ride away.

During warm weather, the pub's outdoor seating on Wells Street provides prime space for people-watching and shooting the breeze. The bar also has a patio with more outdoor seating hidden behind the bar. Patrons can enjoy beer, many martini offerings ($9.50) and more than a dozen kinds of red and white wine, and count on regular food and drink specials throughout the week.

Sometimes, though, eavesdropping on others' conversations can provide the best entertainment. Some lawyers boozin' it up on an 80-degree mid-September afternoon were debating the best arguments to defend a woman, charged with a DUI, in court the next day. "Don't drink anything tonight, okay? No tequila!" one of them told the woman by cell phone before he and his pals enjoyed another round of drinks.

Centerstage Reviewer: Mary Susan Littlepage