Neighborhood: Andersonville

Art lovers around the world know the paintings of Frida Kahlo, haunting self-portraits, Aztec inspired symbols and fearless feminist images. Very few, however, get to enjoy this Mexican painter’s other creative gift - her culinary skill. Chicago sisters Marlene and Lidia Benitez are changing that. Their restaurant, La Cocina de Frida, pays homage to Kahlo’s art and prepares delicious meals using her original recipes. The simple elegance of the food and décor will impress any date, especially an art lover.

As you make your way up Clark Street in Andersonville, look for the brown awning that simply says “Frida.” Notice the many versions of Frida’s paintings on the walls, and the beautiful portrait of her with calla lilies, painted by her husband Diego Rivera. If the weather’s hot, proceed to the cool, shady patio. If not, stay inside and enjoy the art and the brightness of the pink and orange room. Most tables seat two and the quiet, modestly-sized dining room allows for long conversations. Service is friendly, but never intrusive. Order a cerveza or wine from the full bar. I enjoyed the margarita, served in a pint glass with salt.

As Frida probably knew, a shortcut to the heart of a man or a woman is through the stomach. Start your meal with an appetizer like the guacamole de Frida with queso fresco, or the ceviche, a simple, addictive mix of shrimp, avocado, tomato and red onion ($8). The crimson salsa is smoky hot but won’t scald your tongue; spices are used wisely here. Offer your date some corn comfort food with the popular tamales ($2 each), baked fresh here every day.

Many dishes give you the option of steak, chicken, shrimp or beans and cheese. The Mexican cheeses nicely balance the spicy dishes. Vegetarians and others will appreciate plentiful, unique vegetables like the traditional grilled cactus salad, pickly yet crunchy, flecked with white cheese. I ordered La Bomba de Frida, an explosion of chorizo, ham, pork, pineapple, red and green bell peppers, crowned with melted manchego cheese and cilantro, with tortillas. There was plenty to share, so I sampled and traded with my dining partner, who enjoyed the special carne in chipotle, chicken with a white sauce of Chihuahua cheese smoked chipotle peppers, with a side of beans and cactus salad.

You can finish your meal on a romantic, traditional note with a thick slice of flan ($4). The creamy caramel flan sits in a light cinnamon sauce with a cherry on top. Or warm up with a big mug of hot cocoa; the original food of love from Mexico.

In a city with hundreds of good Mexican restaurants, La Cocina de Frida is a great one.

Do you wish that you could take your sweetheart to exotic foreign places? Do you dream about sharing coffee and cake in Vienna, Russian tea in St. Petersburg or Thai iced tea in Bangkok? Then, do you wake up and realize that you can’t afford to leave the city?

Yeah, me too.

At times like this, I take my date to Kopi Cafe, on Clark Street and Berwyn in Andersonville. Billing itself as “a café for travelers,” Kopi brews a wider selection of tea and coffee than any café I’ve encountered. The affordable, tasty menu spans several continents and breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Clocks on the wall tell you the time in Katmandu and Tokyo as Jalan Jalan Boutique sells clothes, jewelry, bags, incense and travel books in the back of the shop. Stop in for a cup of tea or coffee or enjoy a full meal, most for less than $10 per person.

Taking its name from an Indonesian word for “coffee”, Kopi Café serves up coffee in all its forms - from simple espresso to fluffy Viennese coffee, Thai iced coffee and frozen espresso treats. Traditional and trendy teas abound here: Darjeeling, red roobios, gunpowder green, anti-oxidant rich white tea, and many healing herbals like Women’s Libertea with dong quai and licorice root. My favorites are white teas with blueberry, strong black Russian tea with sour cherry preserves and yerba mate, a naturally caffeinated South American herb tea. The ultimate shippable indulgence here is Thick.Hot.Sipping,Chocolate, a melted dark chocolate indulgence like a French chocolate pot or the cioccolata I lived on as a student in Florence.

Brunch gets crowded and noisy at Kopi, but with good reason. Brunch items range from old-fashioned croissants, scones, eggs and lox to experimental dishes like Breakfast Pizza of the Future, topped with scrambled eggs, vegetarian sausage and cheese. Crepes and healthy fruit smoothies, including the lychee mangosteen start your day off right or help you recharge after a late night out. No matter how busy brunch gets, servers stay friendly and keep the tables and floor spotless.

The lunch and dinner menu features Greek, Italian, French, Mexican and American inspired soups, salads and sandwiches, making Kopi a good pick if you and your date each want a different cuisine. If you like cheese, split a cheese platter or enjoy the Chevre Chaud salad with crisp goat cheese baguette toasts on a big bed of mixed greens and tomatoes. A unique Greek salad includes a block of feta and tomato pesto with olives and greens. Sandwiches range from Black Forest ham and smoked salmon to Tofurkey sausage and black bean burgers. Panini selections include Caprese Pesto and The Elvis, a fried peanut butter and bananas sandwich.

If you have room for dessert, check the glass cake cases for flourless chocolate cake, carrot cake, fresh cookies and brownies, and puffy yellow Lemon Blossom cookies. You can start or end a date pleasantly at Kopi, which stays open late, or relax in the afternoon on the cushions by the low tables in the front. Peruse the travel books from Jalan Jalan and imagine your next trip to Australia, Brazil, Belgium or Vietnam. Even if you’re on a budget, maybe saving up for your next journey, Kopi encourages you to try new flavors and dream big.

Andersonville offers all kinds of bars, but my favorite for a casual night out is Simon’s Bar. Tell your girlfriends to come as they are and not fuss with high heels or dresses. The jeans and tennis shoes crowd here comes for drinks and conversation, not to dress and impress.

Look for the neon light shaped like a fish with a Viking helmet and cocktail and the Swedish flag. Mingle at the long dark wooden bar or relax at tables and wooden benches along the walls. Try the comfy couches in the back by the gas fireplace and the jukebox, which is loud enough to enjoy but not won’t drown out your conversations. Bands sometimes play here on weekends but the occasional cover will not be more than a few dollars.

Simon’s has the old Swedish charm that made Andersonville unique. My favorite drink here is glogg, the traditional Swedish red wine punch strengthened with vodka and infused with plump raisins and slivered almonds. Glogg costs only $4 here and comes with a gingersnap. No drink warms you better on a snowy night. With fruit, nuts and antioxidants it almost seems healthy. The bar offers a broad selection of flavored vodkas and microbrews like Goose Island and Red Seal Ale, but drink prices remain reasonable. Don’t count on bar food here but enjoy do drinks after dinner at any nearby restaurant or a cocktail before a play at Annoyance Theatre or the Neo-Futurariam.

Impress your friends with the history of Simon’s. This bar dates from 1934. Before that, there was a speakeasy at this location. The small wooden booth near the front door was a booth for cashing checks in the Depression, after many customers lost faith in the banks. Faith in beer and liquor has stayed strong here, though. The yellow murals on the walls have said “Wilkommen” to generations of neighbors and friends.

As so many Chicago neighborhoods gentrify and cocktail prices become downright insulting, it’s comforting to know that some watering holes remain the same. I’ve enjoyed Simon’s Bar with my friends and met some good people there. The place feels as comfortable as a living room for drinks and conversation. The bar stays full, not because of advertising or trendiness, but because its patrons honestly like it and bring their friends. Hang out as long as you want, because here you can afford it.