Welcome to Lincoln Square!

Welcome to Lincoln Square!  This entryway greets visitors at the intersection of West Lawrence Ave. and North Lincoln Ave.  If you’re driving, take it slow.  There’s much to be seen, and the road is narrow.  If you’re strolling, take your time and enjoy. 

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Links Hall celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2010.  Week after week, Links Hall presents a mix of dance, theater, and performance art in the midst of boisterous Wrigleyville just blocks from the Cubs stadium.  Check their website for the schedule of frequent workshops, classes, and performances.

The Den Theatre, located in a second floor loft in Wicker Park, hosts interdisciplinary performances in its gallery, black box, and 100-seat theater spaces.  Complete with bar and cafe, the Den is becoming a hub for young artists.

Local, National, and International Artists populate these venues...sometimes with WILD stuff!

Defibrillator, also known as dfbrl8tr or dfb, functions as part gallery and part studio to present performances by artists of all kinds: up-and-coming, established, international, and local.  Their eight different series focus on “decidedly heterogeneous” work and range from discussions to installations to controversial performances.

The Chopin Theatre hosts numerous theatrical productions each season by Chicago companies like House Theater and The Hypocrites whose acclaim only continues to grow.  Additionally, this Wicker Park artistic mainstay curates I-Fest.com, an international solo performance festival.

The Hamlin Park Field House Theater tpresents evenings of dance, regular classes, and workshops by smaller Chicago dance companies including artists-in-residence the Chicago Moving Company and its contingencies.  Look for shows on Thursday and Friday evenings, as this Roscoe Village field house is closed the rest of the weekend.

Chicago’s northwest side has a neighborhood that’s quaint and residential and still replete with incredible restaurants and delightful shops.  Lincoln Square is home to families, long-time Chicagoans, and a growing number of hip young people.

Welcome to Lincoln Square!

As you turn south onto North Lincoln Avenue from Lawrence, the scenery immediately changes.  The street seems almost too narrow for cars (it’s just wide enough for parking and one-way traffic).  Here you’ll find the actual square; Giddings Plaza is centered around a bubbling fountain surrounded by benches and trees.  In the summer, you’re likely to find a musician or two playing as part of the Summer Concert Series.

Good food is all around in Lincoln Square!  Stop in at the Chicago Brauhaus where the neighborhood’s German heritage takes the form of delicious food, steins of cold beer, and traditional music and dancing.  Nestled in a seemingly unassuming block of Lincoln Ave, Bistro Campagne is one of the city’s best French restaurants, serving up authentic dishes learned in small towns and rural areas of France with infallible cozy elegance.  On the same block, you’ll find award winning Japanese at TANK sushiwith an enormous menu of small and large plates as well as traditional and signature maki.

Just try walking past this banana eclaire from Cafe Selmarie without drooling (just a little)

Family fun in Welles Park

In the summer and fall, keep an eye out for the Folk and Roots Festival brought to you by the Old Town School of Folk Music (maybe you can drop in for that banjo lesson you’ve always talked about taking).  Welles Park is a great place for families, particularly when the Chicago’s Midnight Circus performs during Circus in the Parks every autumn.

Lincoln Square is conveniently located off of the Damen and Western stops on the Brown Line.  For more information about Lincoln Square, visit the Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.lincolnsquare.org.

Raw and Roasted Coffee Beans

Intelligentsia coffee can be tasted all over the city at restaurants and cafes, but no one brews it quite like the company’s three locations (two in the Loop, one in Lakeview).  They have award-winning beans in many varieties to suit any coffee lover’s tastes, and the hip, plaid-clad baristas are extremely knowledgeable about their many products.  Don’t be afraid to ask a few questions as you wait for your single crop seasonal V-60 pour over.

Metropolis Coffee Company on the city’s far north side was recently named Chicago’s Best Brew for 2012 by KRUPS.  The Metropolis Cafe draws an eclectic crowd of artists, business people, and neighborhood families.

Intelligentsia's roastmaster checking the beans

Asado Coffee Company owner Kevin Ashtari roasts beans inside his coffee shop in a custom built manual 12-kilo roaster.  Each 12 oz. cup of coffee, madefrom a small batch of Ugandan Bugisu beans purchased from local co-op Crop to Cup, is brewed with care in a porcelain pour-over.

The Dark Matter Coffee roasters moved recently around the corner from their Star Lounge Coffee Bar in the Ukranian Village. Their small batch roasts are available all over the city at cafes, restaurants, and independent grocery stores.  Keep an eye out for upcoming tours and seminars available at their roastery.

Bridgeport Coffee Company aims to be more than just a place to grab a cup of joe.  They’re fiercely invested in their south side neighborhood, and strive to make the community better. Their wholesale roastery is just a mile away from their retail location.

Chocolate Raspberry Tartufo and Pistachio gelato from Bellezza Gelato Caffe

Paciugo Gelato & Caffé has locations in East Lakeview and Lincoln Square, and lucky are its neighbors.  With an enormous list of flavors, about thirty of which are freshly made on any given day, Paciugo offers tastes to please anyone: rose sangria, black pepper and olive oil, chocolate orange saffron, and so many more.  They have options for the more epicurious (durian fruit), classics (cookies and milk), dairy-free sorbets, even soy-based and no sugar added flavors.

 
Lakeview’s Bobtail Ice Cream Company makes its nineteen flavors on site, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.  Their specialty scoops include Signature Sunset (Merlot ice cream with dark chocolate chips) and the Lakeview Barhopper (Dutch cocoa ice cream blended with whiskey).  Make a flavor suggestion, and if they create it, you’ll get a free pint.

 
Looking into the freezer at Black Dog Gelato in Wicker Park, you’ll think they’ve outdone themselves each time you come upon a new flavor.  Goat cheese cashew caramel, sesame fig chocolate chip, and Mexican chocolate–it seems like it can’t get any better, and then you notice the whiskey-spiked gelato bars been dipped in creamy milk chocolate.  Decisions, decisions…

 
Bellezza Gelato Caffeuses fresh fruit, whole nuts, and whole milk to make their award winning gelato and sorbets.  Along with about twenty gelati and four sorbets, Bellezza brews up some delicious coffee and espresso drinks.  Consequently, their affogato sundae offers you the best of both worlds: a scoop of your favorite gelato with a shot of rich, steamy espresso poured over it.

The Chrysanthemum at In Fine Spirits made with locally produced Koval Chrysanthemum Liqueur

In Fine Spirits has an enormous menu of drinks including cocktails, beers, and wines.  The focus here is on small and local distilleries and seasonal ingredients to bring you some exciting flavor combinations you can’t find anywhere else.  Try the Dead Meadow (recently named one of the city’s top 20 cocktails by Chicago Magazine) made with bourbon, rye, walnut bitters, and apple brandy, or the Blue Buck Rose with blueberry rooibos River Rose gin, lemon, simple syrup, and Barritt’s ginger beer.  The environment could not be more relaxed, so sip at ease.

Taverna 750 in Boystown is just off noisy Halsted Street and mixing up some fancy drinks, any of which include their housemade ingredients like lemoncello, grapefruitcello, pistachio, and star anise liqueur.  Let them burn some rosemary in the glass before you sip their Fall of Pompeii: Nollet’s gin, Green Chartreuse, housemade grapefruitcello, lemon juice, and simple syrup.  The lights are low, and everyone is relaxed.

The Whistler will occasionally have a small line out front.  The small Logan Square bar makes it worth the wait.  Occasionally host to performances and art exhibits, the Whistler draws a creative crowd, and one that has good taste in drinks!  Try the Elk’s Own with Old Heaven Hill Bonded Bourbon, 6 Grapes Ruby Port, Cynar, lemon, egg white, and walnut liqueur rinse, or the award winning Four Points with rye, Bénédictine, sherry, and sweet vermouth, also with a walnut liqueur rinse.

Make sure to check out The Violet Hour in Wicker Park.  It’s quiet, warm, and you can trust the bartenders to choose an incredible cocktail experience for you.

Stylish soup at Green Zebra

In West Town, Green Zebra’s sleek interior represents the new face of contemporary vegetarian cuisine–creative, sumptuous, and stylish.  The menu will thrill any avid eater with items like the chestnut and truffle tremor agnolotti with forelle pear butter,  roasted fennel, and celery leaves and mustard and caraway spaetzle stroganoff with hon shimeji, smoked cipollinis, dill, and creme fraiche.  You must have dessert here (pear tarte tatin, blue cheese ice cream, balsamic, pear chip) and perhaps just a sip of dark hot chocolate with thai Basil, coconut, and cinnamon whipped cream.

Mana Food Bar in Wicker Park offers a wide range of inspirations and flavors, from bi bim bop to tofu bulgogi to mac and cheese to caponata.  It’s a comfortable setting, and all of their dishes are available in small or large portions, so you can either have one entree or make a meal of small plates.  Head in between 4:00 and 6:00pm for their daily special: two mana sliders (brown rice and mushroom burger with spicy mayo) and any beer for just $7.50.  You can even take your meal to go.

Out of this World Bread Pudding from M. Henry

M. Henry is a Chicago breakfast destination, and they have an incredibly vegan and vegetarian friendly menu.  The standout dish has to be the Vegan Epiphany: organic tofu scrambled with red & green peppers, baby spinach, yellow onions and spices, served with yuba and house potatoes.  You certainly can’t leave without trying the Out of this World Breakfast Bread Pudding with warm blackberries and peaches.  The only question: half or full portion?

East Lakeview’s Falafill is perfect for vegetarian fast food.  You can choose from falafil wraps, sandwiches, and bowls, and you’ll get a trip to their beautiful toppings bar.  Try the roasted beats, the minted cabbage, the garlicky cauliflower, Jerusalem salad, tabouleh, and plenty of hot pink pickled turnip.  Each month they offer a gourmet wrap created by one of the city’s top chefs.  The price is right, too: all options are under $10.

Vermillion offers stylish, more upscale dining in River North.  With a combination of Indian and Latin influences, the flavor-packed menu serves up small plates and entrees as well as their favorite “truckstop dhabafare” like Methi-sarson-palak Paneer with Indian cottage cheese and seasoned mustard greens, spinach, and fenugreek or Punjabi Chole with spicy garbanzo beans with chaat and ginger.

Photo courtesy of the Center for Neighborhood Technology

North Pond sources directly from nearly twenty different farms, most of which are located in the Midwest.  Recent James Beard “Best Chef: Great Lakes” nominee Bruce Sherman supports local farmers as much as possible and focuses on capturing ingredients in season and at the height of their flavor.  With transparency about the road from farm to table at the top of his list, Sherman crafts some extraordinary menus including a five course seasonal tasting service with stylish, minimally described dishes such as “Escolar, Olive” (Florida escolar escabeche, black and picholine olives, escabeche sorbet, herbed crumbs).  Located at the edge of a pond in the middle of Lincoln Park (the actual park, that is), North Pond scores high with just about anyone.

North Center’s Browntrout offers fine dining in a casual setting with a focus on sustainability and agro-consciousness. Check their website for an up-to-date menu as they change it frequently in response to the season, freshness, and availability of certain ingredients.  All seafood comes from natural waters or sustainable farms, and all meat is grass-fed and free-range.  Their rooftop garden provides the restaurant’s herbs for dishes like their Gunthorp Farms pork porterhouse with black beluga lentils, bacon, sage & rye bread pudding, braised cabbage, and bacon red wine jus.  They also have extremely reasonable prices and regular weekly specials (Wednesday $35 three course tasting menu, Sunday 50% off all bottles of wine, and more).

photo courtesy of supafly

With 116 environmental policies in place, Uncommon Ground was recently named the greenest restaurant in America by the Green Restaurant Association and the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition.  The fryer oil powers all restaurant-affiliated vehicles, solar energy heats their water, and they boast the first organic rooftop garden.  Offering contemporary comfort cuisine, Uncommon Ground fills their menu with seasonal, local, and organic ingredients.  The pumpkin ravioli are always in demand, and you should make sure to try the seasonal pizzas, salads, and egg scrambles.  This is an extraordinarily beautiful venue for a party, not to mention their excellent drink menu (each Agripolitan ordered promises a tree planted).  You’ll even encounter local live music in the evenings and art all day long.

If you’re curious about more of the city’s incredible green dining options, contact the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition at www.buygreenchicago.org.

look out for this stamp, courtesy of the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition

Starved Rock just as the snow is melting

Located just 94 minutes from downtown Chicago, this beautiful state park offers tons of activities to suit any day-tripper’s fancy.  Depending on the season, you’ll find ample bird-watching, fishing, and even hunting throughout the park.  Starving Rock is also home to 200 different species of wildflowers, and with plenty of hiking and trails, you’ll get to see all of them.

Join the Walker’s Club that departs from the lodge every Thursday at 9:00am, or if you come on the right weekend, they offer themed guided hikes like Winter Wilderness Weekend, Wildflower Pilgrimage, and Fall Colors Weekend.  If you decide to stay the night, you’ll have plenty of cozy cabins to select from as well as several on-site restaurants in which to dine.

Door County, Wisconsin

On the way to Cave Point County Park in Door County, WI

About 230 miles from Chicago, Door County has an enormous range of appealing activities.  Numerous parks offer hiking trails and bike paths, or check out the limestone sea caves at Cave Point County Park.  You’ll also get to see one of the last five beaches in the world covered in white limestone rocks on Schoolhouse Beach on Washington Island (just a ferry ride away).

Depending on your mood, your interests, and the time of year, the Door County Visitor’s Bureau’s website (www.doorcounty.com) offers suggested itineraries along with information about local businesses, attractions, lodging, and dining.

Biking Lakeshore Drive

Lincoln Park

This is Chicago’s most popular bike path.  Flat and easy to ride through, Lincoln Park has beautiful fields, sandy beaches, quiet lagoons, the Lincoln Park Zoo (free entry), the Lincoln Park Conservatory, and the Notebaert Nature Museum.  The bike path is clearly marked and makes for a smooth five mile ride through Chicago’s north side that will last about two to three hours.

The only Bahá'í House of Worship in North America is in Wilmette!?

Millenium Park/Grant Park/Chinatown

Ride through Millenium Park and Grant Park downtown to see some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.  This route includes sights like Cloudgate (aka “the Bean”), Buckingham Fountain, Crown Fountain, and the Pritzker Pavillion. You’ll have an incredible and unobstructed view of the skyline and Lake Michigan.  Head south toward Museum Campus to see the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, and continue on down to Chinatown for a well-deserved meal.  This eight mile ride will last about three to four hours and is of moderate difficulty.
Lakefront to the Baha’I Temple

This is a long and challenging ride, but incredibly rewarding.  You’ll start in the city and ride up a long the city’s eastern edge through many bustling and historic neighborhoods.  Stop in Rogers Park or Evanston, or ride through the Northwestern University campus.  The end point lies in Wilmette at the incredible Baha’I Temple.  This ride covers fourteen miles and will take you about three to four hours…one way.