It's easy to paint anything within walking distance of Depaul University with the wide brush of being a MacFratty's or an O'verPricey. But there are a few places in the Lincoln Park area manage to have some class while keeping the prices reasonable. Matisse is one of them.

Management describes the establishment as "lounge-y, but still a neighborhood bar," but the lounge portion definitely trounces any inclinations of this being a local tavern. Low lighting and a smattering of flat-panel TVs populate the semi-subterranean location, coming together in what most people wished their dads made the finished basement into. I felt bad smoking in Matisse. It just seemed...clean.

Which is not to say that the drinks don't flow. With $3 beer of the month specials on Monday nights, a half-price wine menu on Wednesday and half-price mixed drinks on Thursday, it's fair to say Matisse is a decent place to get sideways for a reasonable price. The $5 mojito special on Sundays with the weekend brunch menu alone is reason to relocate your football destination.

All this would put Matisse in the category of "yeah, pretty good" if the menu didn't go above and beyond average bar fare. Sure, there are your standard burgers, wings and quesadillas, but there's also steamed mussels in a rosemary champagne cream sauce and a "baked brie" dish cooked with brown sugar, raisins and walnuts. Even the wings get special treatment with a basil-herb dressing in addition to the same-old bleu cheese.

An outdoor patio exists, if you want to enjoy the view of Diversey during the warm months, and staff is friendly in front of and behind the bar.

Centerstage Reviewer: Karl Klockars