I have a soft spot for places named after matronly ownership: Christina's Place, Margie's Pub, Marie's Liquors & Pizza and so on. While lacking a certain sense of mom-esque warmth, Helen's Two Way certainly holds its own as far as tough tavern love is concerned.

Allow me to paint a picture: Helen's is what would happen if you dropped Carol's into Logan Square, upped the grit factor, added in a bunch of untrusting looks when you walk through the door, lowered the prices on Old Style and sucked all the fun out of the karaoke night.

"Two Way" refers to the bar's two entrances—one on Fullerton and one on Milwaukee, but the "lounge" reference is beyond me. If you ask me, I'd call it "Helen's Two Way Inn." (Get it?) But moving on, this is a grizzled, old-timers spot for sure: The night I dropped in, everyone was on a first-name basis (except for me), and a dog wandered in and out of stool-legs before clunking down beneath the pool table. There's even a stage should any aspiring musicians want to share a tiny amount of floor space.

Frosty drafts (accent on frosty—the mugs are nice and cold) of Old Style will set you back a grand total of $1.25, knocked back to a buck on Mondays and Thursdays. In true Chicago roadhouse tradition, if you want something else on draft, you better hike down to Quenchers—it's Old Style, and only Old Style, in here. If you're looking to get all fancy-pants, turn to the three boxes of Franzia wine sitting behind the counter.

Centerstage Reviewer: Karl Klockars