Destination taverns

OUT&ABOUT
Celebrities
have feasted
on the saucy
ribs at Twin
Anchors.
Destination
taverns
For a splash of character
with your brew, consider
raising a glass at these historic
Chicago-area watering holes.
Despite its movie-star cachet, Twin
Anchors Restaurant and Tavern, located on a quiet corner in Old Town on
Chicago’s North Side, hasn’t gotten too
big for its bootlegger history and loyal
neighborhood clientele. The nauticaltheme tavern opened in 1932, and during his heyday, Frank Sinatra often
entertained friends in the red leather
booths (Ol’ Blue Eyes memorabilia
hangs on the pine walls). More recently,
Conan O’Brien, Jack Black, Michael
Shannon, Joan Cusack and the AllAmerican Rejects have come here to
nosh on the signature barbecue ribs.
Even if you’ve never visited, chances
are you’ll recognize Twin Anchors.
Two popular movies—the Batman
thriller The Dark Knight and the romantic comedy Return to Me (starring
Minnie Driver and David Duchovny)—filmed scenes here. Records
show that the Schlitz Brewing Company donated the bar during World War
I. The building is even older, dating to
8
Midwest Living June 2011 OUT & ABOUT
1881, and has housed a tavern since
1910. Preserving the bar’s history—and
the recipe for the tangy sauce that
Frank loved—is what Twin Anchors is
all about.
Twin Anchors, 1655 N. Sedgwick St.,
Chicago (312/266-1616; twinanchors
ribs.com).
Irish Times
The bartender’s brogue isn’t a put-on;
owner Martin Lynch was born and
raised in County Galway. Since Irish
Times opened in 1991, patrons have enjoyed Irish beers and authentic family
recipes at this yellow-brick, Metra
trackside establishment in Brookfield
(12 miles west of the Loop). Most of the
servers are Irish, too, pulling 25 kinds
of brews and slinging beer-battered
fish-n-chips, hearty shepherd’s pie,
Guinness beef stew, and bread pudding
made with—what else?—whiskey sauce
and caramel.
Summertime beckons patrons outside into the leafy beer garden, but
writer Kit Bernardi
photogr aphs: bob stefko
Twin Anchors
Twin Anchors
“starred” in the 2000
film Return to Me.
year-round, the kid-friendly, ramblingroomed pub charms with a hodgepodge decor: antique pews, model
ships over fireplaces, seascape paintings, Tiffany lamps, glassy-eyed stags
and artifacts from Ireland. A newly remodeled Cozy Irish Cottage Party
Room combines antique lacquered
tables with overstuffed couches that
look as though they were poached
from comfy living rooms. Whether or
not you live in Brookfield, Martin
wants his guests to feel at home.
Irish Times, 8869 Burlington Ave.,
Brookfield (708/485-8787; irishtimes
pubchicago.com).
The Hideout
You won’t find a nameplate announcing you’ve arrived at this workingman’s
bar on Chicago’s gritty Northwest Side.
Just look for the Old Style sign above
the dive’s dingy door. Wedged between
factory warehouses on Wabansia Avenue, the juke joint is a 100-year-old,
dilapidated public house catering to an
unpretentious crowd. After immigrants
built the bar in two days, bootleggers
and bookies ran the place for years; today, neighbors jaw over $3 beers and
groove to live music. Rock bands pack
The Hideout’s back room, the retrocool Chinook Lounge (cover charged).
On the website, the owners say The
Hideout isn’t your dad’s bar—it’s your
granddad’s bar when he was young
and crazy. But it’s also a place for literary readings, poetry jams, and wintertime soup and bread suppers. Because
in the city of big shoulders, a tough-­
tender spirit pairs best with a cheap,
old-school pint.
The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia
Ave., Chicago (773/227-4433; hideout
chicago.com).
Midwest Living June 2011 OUT & ABOUT
9
Out&About/Taverns
Village Tavern
Located along an old fur-trader route
between Chicago and Wisconsin, Long
Grove’s Village Tavern has been a wayfarer’s watering hole since 1849. Not
much about the landmark has changed
during its 162 years of continuous operation—other than its temporary stint
as an “ice cream parlor” during Prohibition. And the arrival of the 1893
World’s Fair grandfather clock. And,
you know, electricity and indoor
plumbing. But you get what we mean.
Owned by the Ullrich family for
three generations, Village Tavern (35
miles northwest of Chicago) continues
to attract folks from miles around to its
roadhouse dining room. Many come
for the all-you-can-eat fish fry, broasted
chicken dinners, family sing-alongs
and Octoberfest. Regulars stop in for
the wine list representing some of the
world’s best vineyards and the impressive choice of craft beers and microbrews that complement standard eats.
But ultimately, patrons return for the
reliably friendly conversation that
drew fur traders here generations ago.
Village Tavern, 135 Old McHenry
Rd., Long Grove (847/634-3117; village
tavernoflonggrove.com). n
Village Tavern
serves old-fashioned
broasted chicken—
and craft beers.
Midwest Living June 2011 OUT & ABOUT
11