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Don't be put off by its pretty exterior.

Thursday Nov 06, 2008.     By Centerstage Chicago Staff

Travel + Tourism Feed

Here's how you know you're at the right stop: 1. The train station looks like a cross between Cinderella's castle and a prop from a Savoy opera. 2. People en route to the United Center gaze out windows looking slightly bewildered. 3. The mismatched scent of a dozen ethnic restaurants converges on the platform's edge. If that sounds a little confusing, relax! You're at the Ashland L stop, where sports legends and culinary maestros collide, and where one can grab a hefty bite and work off the calories in a few-block radius.

Best of the nightlife
Transit
If you're looking for a dance club, Transit is a great choice. Since it's located off the beaten path, parking won't be too much of a problem. That's good, because you'll need to save your money for the cover, which can range anywhere between $10-$20 depending on the night and the time. You'll have plenty of time to fish for bills, as the Friday and Saturday crowd basically necessitates some time in line.

Right off the main area is the brand new Marquee room, which, despite looking like Anne Rice nightmare, boasts one of the coolest full-length mirrors on the circuit. Wrapped in flamboyant hieroglyphics, the colossal mirror deepens the impact of the intimate, dimly lit dancing space. Enriched by dark, cherry oak banquettes, crimson drapery and slightly raised dance-pods, the Marquee Room reinvigorates the five-year-old dance club. Also off the main room is the Light Bar, a small room with a funky black and white glowing bar.

Good for groups
Cobra Lounge
If Jack White, the deathly pale, stringy-haired front man of the White Stripes opened a bar, Cobra Lounge would be it. Outside, the cement block and barred windows suggest an auxiliary prison while inside it's strictly black and red. The bordello red, high-gloss paint, low slung vinyl chairs, black lacquered tables, and chipped brick walls conjures a sophisticated Detroit rock city.

Instead of resting your eyes on endless ESPN highlights, check out the oil portrait of a skeleton smoking; if it's early, pop a few bucks into the jukebox and pick a track off the Detroit Cobras latest album. Later in the night, you'll be treated to a roster of rock, courtesy of the house DJs.

While rockin' out, skip the PBR, and order up the champagne of beers, Miller High Life, for $1.50; on Sundays, bourbon lovers should check out the $3 Makers Mark and Ginger Ale. You can line your stomach with a standard roster of bar eats like buffalo wings, wraps and quesadillas until 1 a.m., but if you're truly a rock star, you'll fork over $24 for the 8-ounce seared Cobra Filet.

Cheap eats
Ina's
Ina adds a little something special to everything she creates. Instead of plain ol' pancakes, Ina whips up a stack of whole wheat oatmeal delights, just begging for a silver-dollar-size pour of syrup. Hash browns arrive chock full of vegetables, onions and garlic. The stars of this show, however, are Ina's "eggs your way." The dish comes with three eggs and your choice of two fillings, ranging from herbed cheese and spinach to chorizo, bacon or andouille sausage. If you have a seriously hearty appetite, add some of Ina's potatoes. That should hold you off until dinnertime.

Where to chill
La Luce
Bar none, the best lasagna in the city. Oh, but there's more. La Luce harkens one back to a time when chefs knew that going out for dinner was something special and took the time to make sure that patrons felt they were being taken care of. Everything at this breezy West Loop haunt smacks of time-honored perfection: soft, downy chairs; simple, unpretentious artwork (lots of maps); al dente egg noodles; and a tomato sauce that is simply unbeatable.

Exuding romance, dimly lit booths stifle all outside conversation as couples share saucy, tomatoy confections brought out by servers who know when to keep their distance. Even if you happen to be sitting at one of the restaurant's cramped tables, acoustics are such that even the most conspicuous seat has much in the way of privacy and ignoring other chowhounds is simply a matter of gazing into your partner's eye. And, if that wasn't lovely enough, nothing at La Luce costs much more than $20, truly the sine qua non d'amore.

In-the-know spot
Keenan O'Reilly's Pub
Until recently, this spot was probably known in the neighborhood as simply "that bar on Ashland with the Special Export sign." But thanks to the help of some of the regulars (who chipped in their own beer money), Keenan's is now the proud owner of a plastic banner that tells you the name of the place you are drinking the night away.

On the inside, Keenan's feels kind of like the basement of your high school friend whose cool parents would let you drink in their house. It's a bit musty, there's a constant whirring of the beer fridge in the back and you can't get any draft beers.

Aside from a few beer signs strewn about the front room, there's not really any decor, but it's still a pretty comfortable—and cheap!–place to throw a few back. When you get bored, head to the back for free darts and cheap pool, or throw a few rocks on the bowling game in front.