This week we look east to Burlington, Vermont. Vermont is home to Ben & Jerry's (yeah!), Phish (ugh!) and the Magic Hat Brewing Company. We've been fans of Magic Hat for quite a while, owing to their inventive brews and off-beat sense of humor, both reminiscent of Three Floyds. more ›

Calling all bad girls. If you want to knock around girls on roller skates, then the Windy City Rollers are looking for you. Storming into Chicago in 2004, the WCR became Chicago’s first all-female flat track roller derby team. WCR consists of four league teams, and one all-star team that plays in competition with other leagues. They are a member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. And aside from putting on a good, sporty... more ›

"This place feels like Northside," we remarked to our dining companion as we sat down at the Five Star Bar & Grill on 1424 W. Chicago Ave. Despite the rock-and-roll-inspired decor (which was strangely matched with the weapons-inspired overhead lamps), we felt like we could have been dining on N. Damen — same frat-boy atmosphere, same mediocre selection of standard bar fare, and same feeling as we left of "did we really just spend... more ›

If bars were ranked on a four-star scale, Five Star would get three big gold ones. Located at 1427 W. Chicago, Five Star is a relatively new addition to the neighborhood. Opened in May, the spot already draws a trendy, but laid-back crowd. The place is casual enough to wear jeans and Chuck Taylors, but upscale enough to show up in an after-work suit and tie and fit right in. The window-lined front wall provided... more ›

Chicagoist first heard about Fan Si Pan when paging through an issue of Time Out Chicago a month or so ago and wanted to try it out but forgot about it and got busy and you know the drill. This weekend we didn't have much going on so we decided to walk over and give it a try. Fan Si Pan is a really cute little Vietnamese restaurant that opened 3 months ago right near... more ›