Good Drinks and Jazz

Hi all,

can someone give me an advice on where to go on a saturday and/or monday night for some good drinks - from beer to wine, from classic long drinks to decent cocktails. A place where, besides the drinks, they play some good live-jazz, would be even better. (Not too touristy, if possible.)

Thanks alot!

kai

The Green Mill is a classic Chicago club with great music and cocktails. Slightly out of the way but conveniently located off the Red Line Lawrence stop. Depending on who's playing, it can get crowded.

Pops for Champagne is another spot more centrally located in River North.

The Jazz Showcase has just reopened in the South Loop and has gotten good reviews for sound and sightlines.

The Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway
http://www.greenmilljazz.com/index.html

Pops for Champagne
601 N. State
http://www.popsforchampagne.com/

The Jazz Showcase
806 S. Plymouth
http://www.jazzshowcase.com/

I'll enthusiastically second The Green Mill, a great, historic room, although it can get very crowded on a Saturday night.

Other choices would be Green Dolphin Street, pricy, but with a nice location on the river, or Andy's - close to the loop.

Green Dolphin Street
2200 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-395-0066

Andy's Jazz Club
11 E. Hubbard St.
Chicago, IL 60611
312-642-6805

Thanks for the advice, sounds great!

Just one more thing: is it obligatory to have dinner as well, at those places? (and is the food any good?)
Or do they seat you as well if you just want to have a couple of drinks?

Thanks!

Dinner is not obligatory at any of the places above - in fact, I wouldn't expect much beyond bar food, if that, at any of them, with the exception of Green Dolphin Street (where dinner is optional, but having dinner there will forgo the cover charge).

Has anybody been to the Underground Wonderbar? I haven't, but it sounds cool.

10 E Walton
312-266-7761

Andy's actually does a full dinner seating. I've never tried it, but here's the menu. Note that the dinner tables have - by far - the best sitelines in the establishment, and by eating dinner, you get to stay on for the show. I generally listen to music rather than looking at it (unless you count that one incident in college), so I haven't felt like I was missing anything sitting at the bar at Andy's. But if you are among those who like to see the action, keep this in mind.

tcdup wrote:Has anybody been to the Underground Wonderbar? I haven't, but it sounds cool.

10 E Walton
312-266-7761

Been a bunch- the music is hit or miss and the drinks are expensive.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:Andy's actually does a full dinner seating. I've never tried it, but here's the menu.

No longer completely accurate with regard to the never having tried it part. Last night, Mrs. JiLS and I dined at Andy's Jazz Club. What can I say ... the music was fantastic! Actually, we had some traditional bar food (Buffalo wings) that were OK, in the way that anything deep fried and drenched in butter and hot sauce usually is (plus the blue cheese dressing was actually decent quality). A coconut shrimp appetizer tasted like it was fresh from a bag at Sam's Club; not one we would repeat. The highlight of the dinner, however, came in the form of Andy's pizza. This was actually a very decent example of the "cracker crust" style, with fresh mushrooms (I'd have bet even money they'd be canned, following the shrimp experience, but no) and cheese and sauce not overly applied. The crust had lots of scorch marks, which I realize is better on a bready crust pizza, but had its charms here, as well. Prices are rather high (both appetizers were in the $12 to $13 range), and we had also paid $10 apiece cover, but given the stellar music and decent food quality, it was worth it to us. I'm still afraid to try that quail dish, though ...

I'd be remiss (maybe I already am) if I didn't mention Thursday nights at Vintage, where LTH's own percussionist Jazzfood plays with his group when he's in town. The food's not fancy, but it's good, and as you might expect there's a nice wine list. Music also most Wednesdays and Sundays.

Vintage Wine Bar
1942 W. Division St.
Chicago
(773) 772-3400