You've probably had this thought yourself: If there's one thing the stretch of Clark Street near Wrigley Field needs, it's more beer. Well, the Crobar folks had the same idea. Taking up the old Heaven on Seven on Clark location, Überstein has managed to come up with a fresh angle on the rather crowded bar market; as you might have gathered from the name, the space has gone German. Nestled among a few hundred Irish, sports, trendy and more sports bars, the big beer garden stands outs in the crowd.

Inside it's decorated like, well, a German restaurant: beer-hall bench-seating, blue-and-white tablecloths lining the many tables, and white walls with wood trim that give the place a plastic, old-world farmhouse kind of feel. The bar has big, ceramic taps for the beer, and shelves full of steins hang throughout. There's even oompah music playing, just to keep the noise up.

The menu is full of German standards—various sausages ending in "wurst," along with schnitzel and big Bavarian pretzels—but the real focus is on the Munich-brewed Hoffbrauhaus beers. Original, dark, weiss, and a seasonal choice are all served cold and, if you're game, buy the liter for the Deutschlander who wants to drink his or her heritage. But let's not forget where we are. There are plenty of shot specials (Jagermeister is German, after all) to keep the neighborhood's real pastime—drunken revelry—alive and well, even among the beer-indifferent. And with nine (count 'em, nine) plasma-screen televisions, you won't have to worry about missing any games.

Centerstage Reviewer: Mac McCormick