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Sedgwick (Brown/Purple)

Down to earth digs touting beer gardens and cake batter.

Friday Jul 22, 2005.     By Amy Wilschke

Lifestyle Feed

This Old Town stop will always have a special place in my heart, which may or may not be due to the explosion of shopping, eating and nightlife this area is known for. The stop is in perfect proximity to nearly everything, from the beach and downtown to more shopping and eating farther north, and is a great area if you're less into consumerism and more into bike riding.

Panhandler rating: Few and far between.

Safety rating: The actual station is a bit sketchy, but everything along North Avenue is perfectly safe.

Dinner-date destination
Flat Top Grill
Asian-inspired dining with a bit of Country Buffet thrown in, this cheerful, funky-fun, do-it-yourself stir fry joint is perfect for a first or fiftieth date. Flat Top is comparable to the popular Mongolian Barbeque (but better, and less chain-y); you fill your bowl with your favorite fixins and chill out (hopefully while sipping on something) as the chef cooks up your concoction on, surprise, a flat grill. Even the pickiest of eaters will find something they enjoy: regular rice to numerous kinds of noodles to veggies and meats and spices and sauces galore. And at about $14 for a bottomless bowl, you're guaranteed to go home thoroughly satisfied, no matter how uncultured your taste buds may be.

The staff at Flat Top Grill is friendly, though your server will start you off the slightly canned "Have you been here before?" The seating is arranged in half-booth half-stool tables along the walls, and the place isn't huge, so you may end up waiting for a few very worthwhile minutes. The atmosphere is upbeat and lively, as opposed to dim and romantic, with many decorative distractions, just in case your dream date turns out to be comatose. A full bar with creative cocktails like the Horny Monkey ensure you'll be able to keep at least yourself amused in the event of a romantic dud.

Good for groups
North Park Tap
What drew me to North Park Tap was the beer garden, that magic place that makes me feel like I'm doing something less alcoholic than just sitting around knocking them back. Unfortunately, it was closed for a private party, so I opted for the next best thing, a table by the large open windows. Not a prime place to arrive at before 10 p.m., North Park Tap pumps up the volume to a conversation-stifling level in an effort to draw an earlier crowd.

The rather attractive staff is friendly and accommodating, but the bar food, which includes appetizers, salads and sandwiches, are run-of-the-mill. The appetizers, such as the stuffed potato skins and primo guacamole, are overpriced, limited in portion size and not nearly as tasty as they boast. Still, North Park Tap is comfortable and a good place to hang with a group of friends, especially if they meld with the young and preppie crowd: guys in white baseball caps and button-down shirts and gals wearing trendy tank tops and pointy heels. Besides the aforementioned party rental, North Park Tap offers daily drink and food specials, a late-night menu and a self-contained bar and a TV system in the beer garden. On a hometown pride note, North Park Tap sponsors 10 local sports teams, a nod to its pleasantly neighborhood spirit.

Where to chill
Olde Towne Ale House
Don't let the extra "e"s fool you: This isn't a tourist stop on your seventh grade trip to Salem, Illinois. I've never been to a more relaxed (to the point of being soothing) Chicago bar to hang out at. It's fairly dark, with that broken-in quality of home, and decor that houses the curious and bizarre, rather than to the historical parephenalia you'd expect. We're talking super eclectic, collector-type stuff such as doll's heads, erotic pictures and the like. Though the crowd ranges from young hipsters to more seasoned Ale House aficionados (and even a local news reporter who rolled up on his bike to watch the game and throw back a few cold ones with the commoners), everyone seems to exude the same chill attitude.

This may or may not have something to do with the drinks being cheap—at least for Chicago. I don't know of any places around—good places, that is—where you can get a mixed drink for $4.50 that doesn't come in a Dixie cup. And better still, no slobbery drunks trying to strike up undesired conversation. Everyone is well-mannered and relatively quiet, unless I just didn't stay long enough. One very noticeable feature of the Ale House is the ease in which one can carry on a conversation with his or her bar mate. No shouting, lip-reading or excessive hand gestures needed. The music is low-key enough to be soothing, as opposed to the in-your-face, get-up-and-dance-or-you'll-be-crushed-underfoot style of other local bars. In a nutshell, I'm going back, and I think you should, too.

Cheap eats
Savories
Nothing says summer like a raging caffeine addiction. The name Savories sounds like it would be a ritzy, posh joint, but it isn't, and that's a real perk. Snuggled in a nook of the tree-lined street of North Wells, this coffee house is a great place to take a break from the heat. Savories offers a wide variety of hot and iced coffees, teas and other cold drinks such as Arizona beverages and assorted pop, along with a nice (can we say savory?) selection of breakfast foods, sandwiches and other homemade treats, at a price that's a treat as well. A half sandwich and soup combo runs about $6.95, while an exotic cup of iced, coconut-flavored coffee is files in at less than $2.50.

A group of worn in-couches and ample pillows occupies the front area by the windows, and the rest of the space houses plenty of tables and chairs and the "kitchen" area, complete with microwaves that scream '80s and Tupperware and other kitchen necessities strewn about, as if you are literally sitting in someone's kitchen instead of a public coffee shop. To add to the homey feel, one need not feel uncouth about engaging in whatever conversation topic springs to mind, say, for example, the Chicago Police Department sex offenders' Web site. Old and young alike converse, as does the superbly friendly staff, which once again proves the magnificent powers of the world's most popular beverage. Besides water, of course.

No wallet needed
Cold Stone Creamery
This fantastic little chain seems to be popping up everywhere lately, and with good reason: It's an ice cream lover's heaven. A modern twist on the traditional ice cream parlor of yesteryear, Cold Stone's myriad flavors and original concoctions are enough to make even the ho-hum vanilla-eaters crave the stuff at 2 a.m. For the more adventurous eater, flavors vary from the old stand-bys to wild creations like Berry Berry Berry Good (sweet cream ice cream with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries) or Birthday Cake Remix (cake batter-flavor ice cream with sprinkles, fudge and brownies), which reach a new to-die-for level when served in a waffle bowl. At $4 to $6, depending on size, you can afford to nurse that addiction all summer long.

The cozy Wells Street creamery is nestled among the cute storefronts of Old Town and has an outdoor seating area that is perfect for taking a shopping break and watching others hustle around in the heat. A unique note: Not only does the staff hand-create every concoction by mixing toppings with ice cream on a cold stone slab, it sings cheerfully while doing it. Usually the ice cream masters will sing after receiving a tip, but sometimes they'll burst into song just for the heck of it.