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Dinner and drinks abound every Monday at Witt's...and neither will cost you much.

Monday Sep 01, 2008.     By Erin Brereton

Lifestyle Feed

So earlier this year, I took this writing class at Second City, which ended with all the students putting on a show.

You might not think a 10:30 p.m. performance in an attic would be very exciting, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that some of my classmates and I have been meeting informally since the class ended to try to get another show together.

And when I say "informally," I mean in a bar, where we actually tend to do more talking about writing funny scripts than actually writing funny scripts. We typically meet in Old Town out of habit, but last week, we decided to venture out somewhere else in this great city to pretend-work.

Because we are all fans of the Monday-night deals at our usual watering hole, Corcoran's, we chose another bar with Monday-night specials—Witt's, in Lakeview, which has half-price food and $3 import pints on Mondays.

It's on Lincoln, but because the sign is more of a funky logo, I somehow managed to drive by three times before realizing where it was. (I like art, too—but I also like clear signage!) I was glad I finally did find it because: A) Five of my highly funny friends were sitting in the beer garden out back and B) all that driving had made me thirsty, and I had a bunch of one dollar bills in my pocket I was ready to spend...on...beer!!

Witt's interior is not unlike your typical North Side neighborhood bar: Tables, TVs, people drinking while sitting at the tables and watching the TVs. In summer, the beer garden is a huge selling point: There is ample seating, and because it is fenced in, it feels kinda private, unlike some of the city's more sprawling, loud beer gardens. Which, don't get me wrong, can also be a sprawling, loud good time. But when you're trying to dork out and read comedy sketch scripts in a public place, let's just say you're thankful for whatever privacy you can get.

And unlike some neighborhood bars, Witt's menu actually has a large number of options. The unhealthy appetizer standards—like mini-burgers and the delicious orbs we call onion rings–are there, thankfully. But the menu also has almost a dozen interesting salads, sandwiches and hearty entrees.

I ordered a Blue Moon and a cheese pizza. (And even though my drink was only $3, I'm happy to report that Witt’s didn’t skimp on the orange slice.) Guinness fans, note that the black stuff is on draft and included in the special, too.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable evening. Partially because of the constant jokes being tossed back and forth. Partially because it was finally cool enough to sit outside this week without roasting.

And—let's be honest—partially because everything I ordered was dirt cheap. Because the food is half-off, we couldn't believe the bill was correct when it came. Were the four mini-burgers (which actually looked quite large) really less than $4? Was the cheese pizza I ordered (which had a wonderfully tangy sauce and a ridiculously large amount of cheese) really just $5? After two Blue Moons and a pizza—half of which I still had to take home—I owed less than $20.

Satiated with food, liquor and laughs, we all wandered off to our respective homes. (Despite knowing most of the people for more than six months, I still have no idea where most of those homes are. Except for the one guy who I highly suspect is homeless.) Witt's is a little out of my way, but the Monday food and drink deal is so inexpensive I might be back. After all, if a journey ends with $5 pizza, I'm usually up for the trek.

Hungry for a beginning-of-the-week deal? Check out Witt's at 2913 N. Lincoln, call (773) 528-7032 or visit http://www.wittschicago.com for more information.

Erin Brereton is our resident urban cowgirl on a bi-weekly search of life on the cheap. If you know of an epic happy hour that she missed, do clue her in.