After receiving a tip from a Chicagoist reader, we recently visited Ukrainian Village coffee shop, Star Lounge Café. The space is open and welcoming, with pieces by local artists decorating the burnt orange walls. There is the usual mixture of tables and couches, but what stood out most was the actual bar at the front of the café complete with tall barstools and close-up view of the baristas at work. Continue walking back through the......

Former art teacher Dave Beckham was sick of “traditional liberal bastion coffeehouses” so he opened Conservative Café an uber-conservative, "pro-American" coffee house in Crown Point, Indiana Things found in Conservative Café include: Stacks of Ann Coulter books, Fox News playing on every television, T-shirts for sale that say, “Peace through Superior Firepower” and “Silly liberal...Paychecks are for Workers,” extended hours to accommodate Hannity & Colmes fans, and a “Radical Right” brew. Beckham was certain his......

We were wandering around Chinatown a few weekends back and picked up some beverages from the various bakeries we passed on Wentworth Avenue. Our grandmother regularly has these odd drinks on hand, but we'd never had the privilege of having these curious libations ever pass our lips. We decided to dive in and sample the following beverages.......

A wee exaggeration on our part: the two stores scheduled for shuttering are not literally across the street from other stores (the Country Club Hills store is four miles from the nearest one and the other in Elmhurst is a few blocks). The Trib offers a deeper meaning: "To people who live in more fashionable ZIP codes, the loss of a Starbucks might not be viewed as a wound to civic pride. But in......

Starbucks announced the first round of store closing across the nation, and Chicago came out unscathed ... so far.......

The Tribune reports today that Intelligentsia will no longer sell 20-ounce cups of drip coffee or espresso drinks, effective August 1. Company founder and President Doug Zell said the move is all part of Intelligentsia's larger plan to "focus(ing) on intensity of flavors and providing coffee in the way it tastes best," a philosophy that Zell has long espoused. Intelligentsia marketing director Marc Johnson, responding to a request for comment from Chicagoist, said that he......

The Tribune today listed Seattle's Best (you know, those cafés you tend to forget are located inside Borders bookstores) as having the best iced coffee in the city. In making such a bold proclamation. In doing so, they prove that one can apply words and phrases used for wine or beer reviews such as "fragrance," "bold but mellow," "smooth," and "nutty" and still not know what one's talking about. Coming on the heels of our......

Inspired by the Trib's list of preferred coffee houses (which Chicagoist couldn't help but disagree with) we put together our own list of favorite Chicago coffeehouses... Best for Food: Lovely Bakery in Wicker Park. Their homemade soups are creative and fresh and their Mollie’s Dollies are the best treat around to spend your calories-er, money on. Best Atmosphere: Sip on Grand Ave. Just when you think you've fallen in love with the inside, walk......

It's free iced coffee day at Dunkin Donuts. Here are Dunkin's Chicago locations, and while we stick with regular or French vanilla (we know, we know, diabetes juice, but it's so tasty), you can also get toasted almond, raspberry, hazelnut, coconut, chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, and blueberry. They're hyping "berry berry," which is made with the flavors of berries both rasp and blue.......

The Cubs have recently instructed Carlos Zambrano to cut the caffeine. While he admits to reducing his intake, he hasn't been able to quit cold turkey. Surprisingly, though, the club's caffeine prohibition has nothing to do with his crazy temper. The Cubs' medical staff believe that the stimulant is contributing to the Cubs ace's forearm cramps. And that means no more coffee or Red Bull for Z. Unless, of course, "caffeine" is a new euphemism......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Mythical Creatures The "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids" exhibit opening at the Field Museum today has got us wanting to saddle up our griffins to get there as quickly as possible. It mixes actual historical pieces, like that famous "mermaid" skeleton, with realistic sculptures of fantastical beasties.The whole thing is anchored by the exploration......

If you're cramming for a test, need a post-dinner pick me up or want a Paul McCartney CD between the hours of 5:30 and 8:30 tonight, you'll have to go somewhere other than Starbucks. Nearly all of the coffee chain's locations will be closed for a company-wide education and training session for employees. Dunkin' Donuts just happens to have a promotion running today and will be giving away free lattes. Our favorite quote in......

Help Me Wake Up!...

Coffee, flowers, paydays and whiskey--file under "awesome," Interrobang and Ankylosaur Steve Jobs unveiled the Macbook Air today, and it's reaaaaaally skinny--less than an inch thick--and pretty. Quick, somebody spot us $1,800 and we'll take it for a testblog. [Apple] Yesterday, someone stole a van full of dogs after the dogsitter driving it left it running. This morning, that van was found, and all the dogs are fine. [CBS 2] As long as we're talking......

Having tasted the Holy Grail of coffee in October, we were curious to see how some also-rans fared, in comparison. By chance we came across a second place winner from last year's Nicaragua Cup of Excellence while making our monthly bean run at our local coffee shop. Lot #2 from Donaldo Vanegas Cruz's La Unión Estate sold at the competition's auction for $8.15 per pound, which was one-sixth the price of the winning lot.......

There are precious few days left for your last-minute holiday shopping. If you're out to get a jump on the crowds, consider catching an early breakfast and shopping through the lunch rush by hitting one of these Near West Side joints. Le Peep: Somewhat Le Dull but at last visit, they did serve Lavazza coffee made in a French press. That is always a good thing. Wishbone: Tagged as "Southern reconstruction cooking," which sounds as......

Sixty years ago today, David Mamet was born, and we get a kick imagining the first word out of his mouth once he acquired the ability to speak being "fuck." To be fair, anyone who watches The Unit on CBS 2 Tuesday nights knows that Mamet doesn't need to swear to get his dialogue across. But sometimes it's just funner. In honor of Mamet's birthday we look back at one of his classic scenes:......

What? You didn't think you'd go a day without reading something from us, did you? Anyway, we were cleaning up our inbox when we came across a press release trumpeting the Monday opening of Uncommon Ground's new eco-friendly Edgewater location. The space at 1401 W. Devon will feature rooftop solar thermal panels, wood table tops made using reclaimed wood from Jackson Park, a 100-year-old art deco bar and eventually a rooftop will be utilized as......

When the weather turns, we tend to switch up our beer choices. Colder weather typically calls for heartier brews: monster ales, porters, and stouts. Now we love a good stout as much as anyone, but as someone with not a drop of Irish to be found in our genealogy, we like to explore the darkest of beers. Often, the sweet flavor and clingy, slightly sour finish in stouts comes from the addition of lactic acid......

So we picked up this morning's Onion, we're sorry, we mean RedEye, and spit our coffee after reading Dustin J. Seibert's column. Who is Dustin J. Seibert you ask? Yeah, we didn't know either, but his theory about women has absolutely entranced us. His theory? Women who aren't much to look at (and aren't bitter because of it) tend to compensate with solid personalities. And some beautiful ladies don't really need personalities to get what......

Don't forget to baste that turducken. Buy-backs at Goldstar Rory Lake's Karaoke Dreams The after-show mainstage improv sets at Second City -- Margaret Christmas morning shots at Inner Town Atomix Coffee Free Monday shows at the Empty Bottle -- Sarah Swanksalot helps us celebrate swanksgiving by turning the world on its ear.......

We're not sure if people are starting to come down with SAD already or what, but this week's Missed Connections were less outrageous than normal. Even so, there are a few people out there willing to put it all out there in the name of ... love? We begin with a simple reminder: Don't put your photo in your MC post. It is creepy beyond belief. Pair it with this text, and you're basically begging......

The Reader's Guide to Late Night Dining is now online, and there's the expected eclectic mix of diners, hot dog stands, taco joints, upscale pub grub, and places where only the fearless dare enter. Even better is that the range of offerings encompasses a wide stretch of the city and connecting suburbs (big love for Gene & Jude's Red Hots in River Grove!). If you're at the stage in life where "I'll sleep when......

$25,000 in new equipment and $75,000 in remodeling is all it will take for McDonald's across the country to begin serving specialty coffees. The Oak Brook-based company announced that it plans to roll out specialty coffees, smoothies and frappes at the company's annual analysts meeting yesterday. McDonald's President Don Thompson announced, "We want to move from beverages as an accompaniment to beverages as a destination," which is funny only to the extent that one can......

We must have a major case of Friday brain because it took us forever to figure out this photo by Katie Scully isn't completely abstract--it's actually just a different angle than we're used to. More coffee.........

Monica Eng at the Trib must be helping Chicago win its title of "most caffeinated" city; she tried 32 different coffees for a story in today's paper about which coffees taste the best. Coming out on top are cups of coffee from Metropolis, Intelligentsia, Coffee Beanery Ltd., Whole Foods, Cafe Colao, Illy, Peet's Coffee (our personal favorite), and Julius Meinl. She also recommends picking up the banana cream tart at Fox & Obel to......

The cover story to today's Sun-Times food section deals with inexpensive substitutes for fancy kitchen tools that you can find at the hardware store, which is something we've been down with since we started using the kitchen for more than beer-pong and a mechanic's station for bike repair. We typically use paint brushes to marinade roasts and meats, to butter pastries and to clean out the coffee grinder. We also have a mini-propane torch for......

Yesterday's consumption went something like this: 8:55 a.m.: large coffee; 12:30 p.m. Diet Coke; 3:30 p.m., one piece of dark chocolate; 5:30 p.m., large soy chai; 7 p.m., two Diet Cokes. And that was a light day. If our sad addiction is any indication of the habits of the city at large, we're not surprised that Chicago ranked highest in the nation in caffeine consumption. Although Seattle drank the most coffee, Chicago ranked tops overall,......

George Ryan starts his prison sentence today, and the Sun-Times and Trib have helpfully chronicled every move the former governor has made since last night. You know what that means: time for a Ryan Round Up! Olé! Yesterday, the 73-year-old released this statement to the public, again claiming innocence and thanking his family and legal team. At 5:50 this morning, Ryan left his home in Kankakee in a van driven by his son, George Ryan......

Last weekend we were at Bridgeport Coffee House restocking on their "Stockyard" blend when we noticed a blend we hadn't seen before, "Ravenswood Roast." We asked owner Mike Pilkington when he started making blends honoring north side neighborhoods. "I'm not" was his answer. He then explained that the "Ravenswood Roast" was part of a new fundraising arm of his wholesale business. The idea began in spring, when a customer came into the shop inquiring about......