Good wine; good martinis; good beer; all in one?

My wife and i are headed out for a well-deserved night out tomorrow night. We're driving in from the SW burbs, and going to Spring for dinner, and Hot Chocolate for dessert. I'm looking for a place before dinner we can go to for drinks. Criteria are: good wine; good martinis; good beer selection; not overbearing--something loungy would be fine. We're driving to dinner so anywhere in b/w is good, but preferably no further south than the southloop; east of the Kennedy; not too much further north than Wicker Park. Thanks in advance...

I would suggest the Violet Hour. I think that it'd fit in very well with the overall level of dining you are at with Spring and Hot Chocolate.

It's right down the street from Hot Chocolate. There are various threads about it on this site and others, but suffice it to say that if you haven't gone before, you'll be happy. They are known for their cocktails, which are fantastic, but I've had friends who have sampled some wines from their list and were quite happy. I know they have beer, and I'm sure that the people behind TVH made sure that their wines and beers were up to par. I'm not a big beer or wine drinker ever since I got into cocktail culture, but I've not heard anything bad about their beer/wine list. They do not do light beer though.

Also, Bluebird which is right next to hot Chocolate. Also, the drink selection at Spring is pretty fantastic.