Yes, I have been going out way too much the past few days. I can't help it. I keep running into people that seem interesting and they want to grab a bite or, as the case would be at Paddy O'Splaine's last evening, a bite and a few beers. What am I supposed to do? Say no? Please, if nothing else going on a date with someone gives me something to do and often a funny story or two (ask me some time about the attractive and seemingly normal red head that turned out to have just gotten out of an institution - yeah, I really know how to pick 'em).
By now you should be starting to notice a trend in my restaurant reviews: I pretty much only go if they have some kind of ridiculous special. Like $1 Schlitz or half off an entire menu. Well, last night was no exception: $2 domestic bottles of beer, half off all pizzas, and free pool. Unbelievable! Whoever said Chicago was expensive spent way too much time going clubbing because I have to tell you that I've never seen deals like this anywhere else I've lived or traveled...well, except maybe Hungary but I couldn't speak the language so that was a pretty major drawback to meeting locals out. Back to Paddy O'Splaines...
The pizza was tasty but by no means incredible. I make a better pizza (which, for those who haven't tried it, I probably make the best pizza in the world) and domestic bottles pretty much limits you to crabby Miller Lite or similar derivatives. But come on - $2 beers and $6 for a pizza? It's like going out at the Town Tap in my home town of 4000 people again. Well, except for the decor was a little more upscale (but nothing special) and the girl I was with was cute and interesting - not a lot of those hanging around Columbus that are single and my age.
Atmosphere: 3 (nice but kinda sterile), Price: 5 (but only on a Tuesday night), Food & Drink: 3, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vines on Clark
Monday night I headed to see a hysterical improv show with someone and before we went we stopped and grabbed a bite at Vines on Clark. What and awesome idea that was! It turns out that Mondays are half off all food and $3 for any drink!
Don't worry Kate's Pub in Seattle, you are still my favorite place for happy hour food, but this was pretty incredible. It wasn't quite as cheap as Kate's, but the food was significantly better and I was able to get a Guinness for just $3. I love the $1 PBR at Kate's, but I have to say that Guinness might be more than 3x better - so this is a better bargain.
Fortunately for Kate's, it retains it's number one spot on my list but I think it owes that to my somewhat dull date. I'm going to head back there when the weather is warm, sit outside, and bring along someone leggy and funny next time. Then Kate's may be in trouble.
Atmosphere: 4 (this will definitely be a 5 when the weather is nice), Price: 5 (but only on a Monday night), Food & Drink: 4, Overall: 5 (0-5 point scale)
Don't worry Kate's Pub in Seattle, you are still my favorite place for happy hour food, but this was pretty incredible. It wasn't quite as cheap as Kate's, but the food was significantly better and I was able to get a Guinness for just $3. I love the $1 PBR at Kate's, but I have to say that Guinness might be more than 3x better - so this is a better bargain.
Fortunately for Kate's, it retains it's number one spot on my list but I think it owes that to my somewhat dull date. I'm going to head back there when the weather is warm, sit outside, and bring along someone leggy and funny next time. Then Kate's may be in trouble.
Atmosphere: 4 (this will definitely be a 5 when the weather is nice), Price: 5 (but only on a Monday night), Food & Drink: 4, Overall: 5 (0-5 point scale)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Reviewing Restaraunts Now, Too
I plan to continue the fantastic concept of tracking Macs vs. PCs in the various cafes around town, but I've decided that in my exploration of the city, I should also start saying a few words about the other fun eateries and drinkeries (is that even a word?) that I go to in Chicago. Granted, there's probably a hundred other people doing this but it's my creative outlet so backoff! I'm doing it!
My first review: Glunz Bavarian Haus. I was first attracted to this place when I was wondering by on a Monday and saw a sign outside that said: "$1 Schlitz and $3 bratwurst." To a true blue Wisconsin boy, that's the same thing as putting up a sign that says, "Naked, hot chicks and free sex." Seriously, how could anyone resist.
So I did some searching and found someone to go with me. I used the old Gregg Myer line: "It's kind of like losing money by not going."
The two of us had three beers and each got a brat. For the mathematically challenged among you out there, that's a total bill of $12! $6 bucks apiece for a good night of beers, brats, and conversation with someone interesting. As to the food and drink, Schlitz is, well, Schlitz, and I wasn't super impressed with the brat but it was still tasty.
And the other bonus to this place: It's about 4 blocks away from my apartment. I'm starting to love Chicago and it's not even summer yet!
Atmosphere: 4 (they'd get a 5 with an outdoor bier garden), Price: 5 (but only on a Monday night), Food & Drink: 3, Overall: 5 (0-5 point scale)
My first review: Glunz Bavarian Haus. I was first attracted to this place when I was wondering by on a Monday and saw a sign outside that said: "$1 Schlitz and $3 bratwurst." To a true blue Wisconsin boy, that's the same thing as putting up a sign that says, "Naked, hot chicks and free sex." Seriously, how could anyone resist.
So I did some searching and found someone to go with me. I used the old Gregg Myer line: "It's kind of like losing money by not going."
The two of us had three beers and each got a brat. For the mathematically challenged among you out there, that's a total bill of $12! $6 bucks apiece for a good night of beers, brats, and conversation with someone interesting. As to the food and drink, Schlitz is, well, Schlitz, and I wasn't super impressed with the brat but it was still tasty.
And the other bonus to this place: It's about 4 blocks away from my apartment. I'm starting to love Chicago and it's not even summer yet!
Atmosphere: 4 (they'd get a 5 with an outdoor bier garden), Price: 5 (but only on a Monday night), Food & Drink: 3, Overall: 5 (0-5 point scale)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Perfect Cup in Chicago
It turns out that The Perfect Cup is not the perfect place to be online. Actually, it's a pretty nice place with a good wi-fi connection, but there's hardly anyone in here on a computer. I was actually in yesterday, too. I was the only one on a computer yesterday and today there's a girl running one of those mini Asus laptops (which happens to run Windows). So neither side gets a big boost today. 1 Mac and 1 PC.
Running Total: 18 Macs, 16 PC's
As the cafe itself, pretty nice...Well not counting the screaming baby that was in here about 2 minutes ago. Fortunately, the mother was a very considerate person and bundled the little joy up and took him out as soon as he got antsy.
The baristas are extremely friendly (and one of them is quite cute), the coffe is good (again) and reasonably priced, and there's plenty of seating. However, I'm not a big fan of the jazz playing over the speakers. I just can't get into a jazz. It's a bunch of guys sitting around proving how musically talented they are. Seriously, does anyone else think that jazz is the musical equivalent of masterbation?
I guess the bottom line on The Perfect Cup is that it's a nice place but nothing about it really excites me. So far my favorite Chicago cafe is The Grind. Tomorrow I'm heading down to Wriggleyville to review Cafe Avanti - that's where my friend Dressler hangs out. We'll see if that can show The Grind who's boss.
Atmosphere: 3, Price: 3, Coffee: 3, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Running Total: 18 Macs, 16 PC's
As the cafe itself, pretty nice...Well not counting the screaming baby that was in here about 2 minutes ago. Fortunately, the mother was a very considerate person and bundled the little joy up and took him out as soon as he got antsy.
The baristas are extremely friendly (and one of them is quite cute), the coffe is good (again) and reasonably priced, and there's plenty of seating. However, I'm not a big fan of the jazz playing over the speakers. I just can't get into a jazz. It's a bunch of guys sitting around proving how musically talented they are. Seriously, does anyone else think that jazz is the musical equivalent of masterbation?
I guess the bottom line on The Perfect Cup is that it's a nice place but nothing about it really excites me. So far my favorite Chicago cafe is The Grind. Tomorrow I'm heading down to Wriggleyville to review Cafe Avanti - that's where my friend Dressler hangs out. We'll see if that can show The Grind who's boss.
Atmosphere: 3, Price: 3, Coffee: 3, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Back to The Grind in Chicago
So far my favorite within-walking-distance coffee shop is The Grind (which is just up the street from me). I'm not going to re-review the place, not much has changed since last week, but an interesting development in computer counts. Last time I was here Mac won a crushing victory. However, when I first walked in today, there were 4 PC's up and running and only 1 Mac!
But the competitive landscape has shifted sharply in just the few minutes it took for me to get my coffee, put too much honey in it, and then make it spill all over the counter by overflowing it with half-and-half. As I right this, we now have 4 PC's and 4 Macs in operation. That's right, like Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, Mac has stepped it up.
Running Total: 17 Macs, 15 PC's
One quick note about The Grind's food. I had a Feta cheese and Spinach pie. It was awful. I mean, really bad. It would have been overpriced had it been free. So it was outrageous at $3. I may give their bagels a shot some day, but for now, avoid the food.
But the competitive landscape has shifted sharply in just the few minutes it took for me to get my coffee, put too much honey in it, and then make it spill all over the counter by overflowing it with half-and-half. As I right this, we now have 4 PC's and 4 Macs in operation. That's right, like Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, Mac has stepped it up.
Running Total: 17 Macs, 15 PC's
One quick note about The Grind's food. I had a Feta cheese and Spinach pie. It was awful. I mean, really bad. It would have been overpriced had it been free. So it was outrageous at $3. I may give their bagels a shot some day, but for now, avoid the food.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Fair Trade Coffee House in Madison
In one fell swoop, PC has come close to evening up the trendy coffee shop computer challenge. It turns out that UW-Madison students are a bit more PC oriented than I've seen so far. Here's the totals for today: 9 PC's and 5 Macs.
Running Total: 13 Macs, 11 PC's
As to the coffee shop itself, not too shabby. I should come clean right now and tell you all that despite my wine glass swirling and sophisticated background (growing up in a luxurious double wide), I do not have the most discernible palette in the world. So you are almost always going to hear some variation of, "The coffee was good." I just don't really know - especially after I load it up with honey and milk. So pretty much just count on a score of 4 for regular coffee from here on out.
That said, Fare Trade's coffee was good and pretty reasonable at $2 for a medium sized cup.
The atmosphere was also tolerable if you're into a bunch of hot co-eds sitting at tables all around you. The only problem was there were too many of them. I had to stand around for a couple of minutes and wait for someone to leave before I could get a seat. It was also pretty loud with a lot of students working together. Lastly, I got gypped on the whole barista thing. I was served by a middle aged man, and about 5 minutes after I found a seat he was replaced by two leggy brunettes. Damn my timing!
In conclusion, if you're looking for a nice, quite place to sit and work, skip this coffee house. However, if you're looking to meet a study group or a date, this is a pretty decent spot to go.
Atmosphere: 3, Price: 3, Coffee: 4, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Running Total: 13 Macs, 11 PC's
As to the coffee shop itself, not too shabby. I should come clean right now and tell you all that despite my wine glass swirling and sophisticated background (growing up in a luxurious double wide), I do not have the most discernible palette in the world. So you are almost always going to hear some variation of, "The coffee was good." I just don't really know - especially after I load it up with honey and milk. So pretty much just count on a score of 4 for regular coffee from here on out.
That said, Fare Trade's coffee was good and pretty reasonable at $2 for a medium sized cup.
The atmosphere was also tolerable if you're into a bunch of hot co-eds sitting at tables all around you. The only problem was there were too many of them. I had to stand around for a couple of minutes and wait for someone to leave before I could get a seat. It was also pretty loud with a lot of students working together. Lastly, I got gypped on the whole barista thing. I was served by a middle aged man, and about 5 minutes after I found a seat he was replaced by two leggy brunettes. Damn my timing!
In conclusion, if you're looking for a nice, quite place to sit and work, skip this coffee house. However, if you're looking to meet a study group or a date, this is a pretty decent spot to go.
Atmosphere: 3, Price: 3, Coffee: 4, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Starbucks in Chicago
PC was a no show in today's Mac v. PC cafe cage fight. Of course, mine was the only Mac in the room but a score of 1 to 0 means that Mac won by an infinite margin.
Running Total: 8 Macs, 2 PC's.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know, you expected a review of some trendy neighborhood cafe and here I am at the corporate giant. But in my defense, I did live in Seattle for the last 5 years. So that means it's sort of like my hometown coffee shop. Well, there's that and the fact I had a $20 gift certificate to Starbucks and I'm without much income at the moment (starting a new business has a tendency to do that to a person).
For those of you that don't follow corporate news, Starbucks is really struggling right now and I figured out a couple of reasons why. First and foremost, their barista's. For better or worse, if you want to bring people into your store, hire the hottest people you can find. What I saw at this Starbucks was a 60 year-old man, a pudgy 20ish girl, and a pimply faced college student. Seriously, just hire some leggy blond and put her in one of those sexy Starbucks aprons.
Secondly, they don't have any internet! Okay, that's not true, they do have internet but you have to pay for it! So you don't see any college students or solo entrepreneur's in their working. Instead, you have a bunch of stay-at-home mom's chatting to each other or old, retired men reading the paper. Not exactly a growing demographic in today's economic environment.
Third, I feel like I'm an extra in a Stepford Wives movie every time I walk into a Starbucks. They all have that same cheesy, I want to be trendy look about them. It's kind of like walking into your typically American Irish Pub that has so much "Irish" crap on the walls that epileptics have to be careful to not go into a seizure when they order a pint. If you really want an idea of what a neighborhood cafe is like, check out The Grind or the Chocolati Cafe in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. Both of those are cool places because they don't try too hard to be hip.
However, for all their problems, I will say that they easily have the best coffee around. I'm always amazed when I go into a Starbucks at how good their coffee is. And if I ever do want to order some fluffy drink, like a tall, skim, vanilla latte, I know that Starbucks will make the best one in town.
So hate 'em because they're a corporate giant. Hate 'em because their decor makes you feel like you're an extra in the Stepford Wives. Hate 'em because they hire ugly baristas. Hate 'em because they try to make you pay for internet. But you've got to love how great their coffee is.
Atmosphere: 2, Price: 3, Coffee: 5, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Running Total: 8 Macs, 2 PC's.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know, you expected a review of some trendy neighborhood cafe and here I am at the corporate giant. But in my defense, I did live in Seattle for the last 5 years. So that means it's sort of like my hometown coffee shop. Well, there's that and the fact I had a $20 gift certificate to Starbucks and I'm without much income at the moment (starting a new business has a tendency to do that to a person).
For those of you that don't follow corporate news, Starbucks is really struggling right now and I figured out a couple of reasons why. First and foremost, their barista's. For better or worse, if you want to bring people into your store, hire the hottest people you can find. What I saw at this Starbucks was a 60 year-old man, a pudgy 20ish girl, and a pimply faced college student. Seriously, just hire some leggy blond and put her in one of those sexy Starbucks aprons.
Secondly, they don't have any internet! Okay, that's not true, they do have internet but you have to pay for it! So you don't see any college students or solo entrepreneur's in their working. Instead, you have a bunch of stay-at-home mom's chatting to each other or old, retired men reading the paper. Not exactly a growing demographic in today's economic environment.
Third, I feel like I'm an extra in a Stepford Wives movie every time I walk into a Starbucks. They all have that same cheesy, I want to be trendy look about them. It's kind of like walking into your typically American Irish Pub that has so much "Irish" crap on the walls that epileptics have to be careful to not go into a seizure when they order a pint. If you really want an idea of what a neighborhood cafe is like, check out The Grind or the Chocolati Cafe in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. Both of those are cool places because they don't try too hard to be hip.
However, for all their problems, I will say that they easily have the best coffee around. I'm always amazed when I go into a Starbucks at how good their coffee is. And if I ever do want to order some fluffy drink, like a tall, skim, vanilla latte, I know that Starbucks will make the best one in town.
So hate 'em because they're a corporate giant. Hate 'em because their decor makes you feel like you're an extra in the Stepford Wives. Hate 'em because they hire ugly baristas. Hate 'em because they try to make you pay for internet. But you've got to love how great their coffee is.
Atmosphere: 2, Price: 3, Coffee: 5, Overall: 3 (0-5 point scale)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Grind in Chicago
Unbelievable! There are exactly 6 Mac users and 2 PC users and that's before I even open up my Mac. That means it'll be 7 to 2. Day 1, round 1 goes to Mac in a landslide.
Running Total: 7 Macs, 2 PCs, 0 linux boxes
As to the cafe itself, it's pretty decent. I'm a bit of a snob after living in Seattle for 5 years so my first working cafe experience in my new residence of Chicago is a pleasant surprise. I really expected to see a guy named Chuck with a mustache and Cubs hat on serving up Folgers coffee and offering it to me for a $1 with the purchase of a hot dog.
What I actually got were two cute barristas that were very friendly and sweet, a cozy atmosphere, and a pretty decent price on a large coffee ($2.14). I didn't partake in any of their food, just a coffee, but their menu looked appetizing - though not as good a deal as the coffee. Mostly sandwiches and some breakfast bagels. I will definitely give their food a taste some day and let you know.
The atmosphere was also good. The place is small so with just 12 people the place seems packed. In fact, I ended up sharing a small table with a random stranger. This is a plus in my book because next time maybe it'll be some really cute stranger and I can impress her with my wit and mad programming skills. I'll definitely blog about that if it happens.
As to the coffee, it was good. Not as good as Chocolati's coffee in Seattle, but then again, I expect that the pierogies in Chicago will be far superior. Mmm...a coffee and pierogi shop...how good would that be? The search has begun...
Atmosphere: 4, Price: 4, Coffee: 3, Overall: 4 (0-5 point scale)
Running Total: 7 Macs, 2 PCs, 0 linux boxes
As to the cafe itself, it's pretty decent. I'm a bit of a snob after living in Seattle for 5 years so my first working cafe experience in my new residence of Chicago is a pleasant surprise. I really expected to see a guy named Chuck with a mustache and Cubs hat on serving up Folgers coffee and offering it to me for a $1 with the purchase of a hot dog.
What I actually got were two cute barristas that were very friendly and sweet, a cozy atmosphere, and a pretty decent price on a large coffee ($2.14). I didn't partake in any of their food, just a coffee, but their menu looked appetizing - though not as good a deal as the coffee. Mostly sandwiches and some breakfast bagels. I will definitely give their food a taste some day and let you know.
The atmosphere was also good. The place is small so with just 12 people the place seems packed. In fact, I ended up sharing a small table with a random stranger. This is a plus in my book because next time maybe it'll be some really cute stranger and I can impress her with my wit and mad programming skills. I'll definitely blog about that if it happens.
As to the coffee, it was good. Not as good as Chocolati's coffee in Seattle, but then again, I expect that the pierogies in Chicago will be far superior. Mmm...a coffee and pierogi shop...how good would that be? The search has begun...
Atmosphere: 4, Price: 4, Coffee: 3, Overall: 4 (0-5 point scale)
Blog Purpose
As a budding entrepreneur I frequent a lot of cafes to do my work. If I didn't, I would turn into some kind of strange recluse. I'd probably start appearing in public in some sort of caped costume and slippers. I'd be that weird dude at the grocery store mumbling to himself as he tries to slip through the under 10 items line with 11 items in hand.
So to keep my sanity and prevent the above unpleasantness from entering my neighborhood, I get out to my local coffee shops for at least a couple hours a day. Now there are lots of people writing reviews about cafes out there so why this blog?
Well for one, I need a break from work once in awhile and writing some cafe review can be a good distraction. In other words, this isn't about you, it's about me. Secondly, I am constantly amazed at the number of Macs I see when I'm out. Microsoft likes to tout that they own 95% of the PC market but from what I've seen of laptops, Mac owns about 75%. Granted, hanging out in trendy little community cafes may skew my demographic slightly, but it's still impressive.
So here is what this blog will do:
So to keep my sanity and prevent the above unpleasantness from entering my neighborhood, I get out to my local coffee shops for at least a couple hours a day. Now there are lots of people writing reviews about cafes out there so why this blog?
Well for one, I need a break from work once in awhile and writing some cafe review can be a good distraction. In other words, this isn't about you, it's about me. Secondly, I am constantly amazed at the number of Macs I see when I'm out. Microsoft likes to tout that they own 95% of the PC market but from what I've seen of laptops, Mac owns about 75%. Granted, hanging out in trendy little community cafes may skew my demographic slightly, but it's still impressive.
So here is what this blog will do:
- Give a brief review on the cafe I'm in.
- Give a count of Macs vs. PC in said cafe.
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