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Jarvis (Red)

Garish neon gets traded for tree-lined streets.

Thursday Jan 20, 2005.     By Patrick Corcoran

Lifestyle Feed

One thing I like about the Jarvis L stop is that you step off the train to find a definite lack of garish fast food signs, replaced by homes on tree-lined streets. Among the most residential-looking of the Red Line stops, the Jarvis stop drops you in the middle of a quiet part of Rogers Park, just west of the lake. If you don't know someone in the area, it may be hard to find a reason to go there. But just because there aren't a lot of obvious destination-worthy venues doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. If you don't believe me, read on.

Safety rating: Kind of remote, and Rogers Park has its share of crime, so bring a friend. Not that there are gangbangers on the street corner, but better safe then sorry.

Panhandler rating: Not a beggar in site.

In-the-know spot
Under the Table Books
The first thing likely to jump out at you (literally) at this local used book hole is Rocky, the owner's friendly, although not particularly small, dog. Once Rocky calms down, you can get to browsing, and an ample library awaits. It is amazing how a store that could fit into one of Borders' bathrooms can deliver so many unexpected hits, but Under the Table does just that.

It has a shelf upon shelf of biography and history books, featuring notable moments from the past galore. The fiction section delivers some unheard-of offerings from classic authors like W. Somerset Maugham, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Saul Bellow (no pretentious first initial from this Chicago-bred Nobel Laureate, thank you very much.) An unlike some used books stores, Under the Table's prices are such that you can stockpile weeks of good reading for less than $15.

Arena for the a.m.
Big Star Cafe
Eating in Big Star Cafe is kind of like a sitting in the kitchen of someone who is much cooler and more inclined toward savvy interior decoration than yourself. Everything in the coffee house and cafe, from the coffee mugs to the wide range of light fixtures playing across the ceiling and walls, is remarkably individual and unique. The midnight blue ceiling meshes nicely with the maroon-painted heating ducts and the wooden floors. The postcard-sized playbills of Spanish-titled productions (among them "El Muchacho Allegre" and "Hay Lugar Para …Dos") scattered over one wall typify the inventive decorations.

The soups and sandwiches are made fresh each day, so there is no one set menu. The cafe really shines with its coffee drinks, which range from your standard coffee beverage to a dozen or so specialty drinks with names like Guadalatte and Lucky Cat. My personal favorite is the Tortoise, an espresso brew mixed with Ghirardelli flavor, cocoa, steamed milk and caramel. Like the animal for which it is named, I was moving slowly after this one.

Sure bet for shopping
Harvest
1447 W. Jarvis
This corner gift shop advertises itself as "An Emporium of Adaptive Reuse," a fancy description that doesn't really say a great deal. After all, the same could be said of my medicine cabinet. So what is Harvest? It is, first and foremost, a great place to find a gift for that person on your list who is impossible to shop for, thanks to Harvest's something-for-anyone stock. Surprises lurk on each shelf, from three-foot nutcrackers to china bells to globes. You won't necessarily find what you had in mind before walking into the store, but it is hard to walk in and out without buying some sort of figure, doodad or decoration. Harvest doesn't really sell anything that you need, at least not the way that you need bread and water. What it specializes in is the stuff that you have to have, kind of like the beer and potato chips to go with that bread and water.

Place to be seen solo
Korner View Grocery
1500 W. Jarvis
(773) 262-0990
Hours: 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

It seems to be an unwritten but strictly adhered-to law of Chicago that every L stop has a couple of good corner stores. To that end, the Jarvis stop offers up the Korner View Grocery, the perfect stop if in you don't want to slog through the snow to Jewel, or if you just need a snack to tide you over until the next meal. Making itself distinguishable from the its competitors with stark white lettering against its black awning (which fits perfectly in a freshly snowy landscape), his bodega has the surprisingly wide range of wares that I have come to expect from my local grocer's.

In addition to the cigarettes (though without the beer to match), cold sodas and unfathomably large candy choices that a corner store wouldn't be whole without, the Korner offers up broom and mop sets as well as frozen vegetables. If you're out of cash, don't sweat it; this one also takes credit cards.

Where to chill
Jarvis Beach
Highlighting Lake Michigan as a place to hang out in Chicago may seem like kind of a cop out, but Jarvis Beach is not your typical city-run lakefront attraction. Unlike its more popular counterparts on the South Shore and North Avenue, Jarvis Beach could use a little attention (and attendance). This modest strip of sand and lake water gives credence to the "less is more" adage. With only a few hundred feet of shoreline interrupted by a giant mass of boulders in the middle, Jarvis Beach is not big enough to be overrun by people, making it the ideal quiet place to gather your thoughts and simply stare at the lake, with a bench available for just such an activity.

There are no playgrounds, guard towers, bicycle rental kiosks or concession stands at Jarvis Beach. There is hardly much of anything, at least by Chicago standards. Its seclusion is guaranteed by three large yet quiet apartment buildings protecting the beach from the hustle of Sheridan Avenue. Only a quarter mile or so form the Jarvis L, this stretch of lakefront is an easy walk any time of year.

Cheap eats
Jarvis Grill and Wok
You never know exactly what to expect when you see an old-school 7UP sign hanging above the entrance to a restaurant. At Jarvis Grill and Wok, it's fair to say you can expect a lot…literally. A small, two-room diner with seating for around 30 eaters, this Rogers Park restaurant is the sort of place that stays in business forever without ever getting too busy. Its comfortable atmosphere is replete with old-fashioned hot dog and gyro posters and linoleum tile floors.

Its menu gives diners 23 sandwich choices, with standard grill fare like BLT, Polish and Italian sausage and Philly steak. Everything is cheap: All but one of the sandwiches are under $4 if purchased solo, and when served with fries and drink, the most expensive is a whopping $6.09. The Wok part of the restaurant comes into play on the right side of the bi-fold menu. Ten Japanese dishes (shrimp teriyaki, bul-go-ki and crab Rangoon, among others) are a compelling alternative the sandwiches. Although slightly more pricey, the wok meals are not going to break the bank. Go ahead: try and spend $10 here!