Named after owner David Miller's mother, Kathryn Moon, this cabaret and bar is more kitschy than kitten. The tawdry decor, including velvety vintage prints, paintings of flesh-flashing ladies and brick-impressioned panels, couldn't be any more sexy. Or maybe that's just Rachel Heller, the bar's saucy mixologist who doles out perfect pours of black and blue's all night. Perhaps it's because Blue Moon and Guinness are the only beers on draft, but nobody here is complaining. They're too busy singing along with the Beatles or mapping out their next big music gig.
Kitty Moon hosts live music almost every night of the week with a lineup as eclectic as a fusion restaurant's main fare. "Rock, blues, jazz...we get a lot of different acts," says Rachel. And if that's not novel enough for you, this corner bar on Clark belts out the opera, just for good measure. Aria-singing studs and starlets rock the stage without even shattering a glass. Rachel says the place gets packed on opera night. She pauses to arch her eyebrows and whispers, "it's a little scary."
Step into Kitty Moon on an off-night and it's a little less frightening. These quiet nights lend the space to a bar full of regulars. And while it might seem like any old neighborhood tavern, there's really something mythical about this place. Regulars know their music, so there's always something good wailing from the jukebox and lingering snippets of conversation are a notch above Cubs scores and who should win the next election. If you're lucky (or if Cake is streaming through the speakers), Miller might even dazzle you with a tune on his trumpet.
Centerstage Reviewer: Stacy Warden
