Neighborhood: Uptown

Chicago’s oldest Thai restaurant, Siam Café cooks up a wide-ranging menu of traditional Thai dishes. If you want to treat a date to some spicy, old-school Thai food, bring them here.

You can start a meal with pork or chicken sate in peanut sauce or the fresh, spicy spring rolls with cucumber, bean sprouts and egg. Salads include the traditional Papaya Salad with your choice of salted shrimp or crab. The Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee are sweet but not cloying, and arrive in round ceramic cups. All of the rice and noodle dishes and entrees cost less than $10 and portions give you enough for two meals. If your date likes to share, you can try several dishes. The cook will accommodate your request for more or less spice. Many wait staff totally ignore or disbelieve my request for spicy food, but Siam Café understood.

The Sweet and Sour Chicken came with large slices of pineapple, tomato, green pepper and onion in a tangy brown sauce, sweet but not too sweet. I really enjoyed the wide rice noodles and fresh basil in my Pad Kee Maow, which I ordered hot with tofu. The dish had plenty of red peppers and crisp seasoned tofu. If your date likes seafood, they can enjoy many shrimp dishes like Kao Pad Kra Paow (with holy basil and jalapenos) and Kao Nam Mun Hoi (with mushrooms, green onions and oyster sauce) and cuttlefish, mussels and sometimes red snapper and pomfret. Siam Café is the first Chicago Thai restaurant I’ve found that serves my favorite soup, the spicy pink Yen Ta Fo with shrimp, wide rice noodles and vegetables. Vegetarians can easily get tofu or vegetables only in most dishes. If you have a weekday off, try the $6.50 lunch buffet from 11:30am until 2:00pm.

The unassuming Edgewater storefront houses a quiet dining room decorated with wooden statues and plants. Many customers order take-out, but I prefer the cool, quiet dining room. Service is polite and you are never rushed to finish a meal. You have plenty of time to savor your appetizer, enjoy your main course and sip Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. The large comfortable booths invite you to sit and converse. When I visited, the only noise was from a family watching Thai TV in the back of the dining room, which added to the welcoming atmosphere.

There are no desserts or alcohol on the menu, but neither is really necessary here considering the large portions and spice. If you or your date live Devon (north) Western (west) Lake Shore Drive (east) and Diversey (south), you can order take-out. Otherwise, Siam Café is well worth the trip for a savory meal in a mellow setting.

This unassuming storefront on Broadway near Argyle holds one of the hottest, sweetest Thai restaurants in Chicago. Curries and hot pepper dishes are unflinchingly spicy and the pastry case offers house-made Thai desserts. Almost any Thai restaurant will serve pud see ew and pad prik king, but how many mix their own lychee ice cream and bake coconut dumplings and thin, crisp wafer cookies? Bring your friends to Thai Pastry to share dishes, eat family style and split the delectable desserts.

The menu includes the usual rice, noodles, salads and soups: pad thai, pad prik king, crying tiger (spicy beef), red, green and yellow curry. There are plenty of appetizers to share, including: satay, shu mai and fried bananas. The peanut sauce on the Rama chicken has a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Basil, peppers and other vegetables are fresh and flavorful. Tofu and brown rice can be substituted in most dishes. Seafood dishes abound and specials change weekly; ginger tillapia or fresh sautéed perch for $13.95 are a few good picks. Most entrees range from $5 to $10.

The hot and sour seafood soup mixes green mussels, tender squid, and shrimp with basil and bell peppers. The kang pa red curry tasted spicy but not overpowering with Thai eggplant (lighter and crunchier than the Japanese variety) bamboo shoots and seedy little green peppers swimming in lush golden broth. Pud see ew is savory sweet with brown sauce and fresh carrots. Portions of pad thai and wide noodles with broccoli are generous and just saucy enough.

Tall glasses of Thai iced coffee and Thai iced tea mitigate the spice of the hot dishes and you can also order coffee, a pot of tea and soft drinks. Thai Pastry is BYOB.

Remind your friends to save room for dessert. You can try some of the pastries, many filled with cream, coconut or fruit. The house-made ice cream comes in parfait glasses or by the carton to take home. Coconut, green tea and mango are available and my favorite is lychee, light and creamy with chunks of the sweet white fruit.

Delivery and carryout are available and super cheap with the $6.50 lunch specials. If your coworkers like Thai food, try this menu on a weekday between 11am and 3pm. Delivery is available between Devon, Lake Shore Drive, Diversey and Western and it’s well worth a trip to Thai Pastry for lunch. You could also come here for a happy hour dinner after work. Popular but never overcrowded, Thai Pastry is relaxing with lime green walls, soft Thai music, and doll-house size models of Thai restaurants by the entrance. Service is friendly and substitutions are no problem.

Leave the cold Chicago winter behind and take your friends to Demera for excellent Ethiopian food and drinks! This Uptown restaurant is on the corner of Broadway and Lawrence, right by the Lawrence Red Line stop and the Aragon Theater, Riviera and Green Mill.

Demera is warm, from the spiciness of the berbere sauce to the paintings of Ethiopian temples and musicians on the walls and ceiling. The sunny colors of the curtains and African tablecloths and the actual warm temperature of the spacious dining rooms melts away the cold outside. Ethiopian music plays softly in the background. Service is fast and friendly and drinks are available from the full bar at the back of the restaurant .

Ethiopian cuisine lends itself to eating with a group of friends because all meals arrive on 20 inch pieces of spongy injera bread. The manner of eating is to tear off pieces of injera bread with your right hand and use the bread, rather than utensils, to eat the meat and vegetables. It’s easy to share meals or get a combo plate of four different dishes on one piece of injera. Combo meals are $14.50 -$15.50 and large enough for two or more to share, including a small house salad with lettuce, onions and bell peppers.

Demera offers a variety of vegetable, chicken, lamb and seafood dishes and a buffet lunch from noon to 4pm on Monday - Friday. About a third of the menu is vegetarian with dishes like gomen (collard greens), garbanzo beans and lentils. Coffee is presented with incense and Ethiopian honey wine ($5) nicely compliments the spicy items. I enjoyed the shiro, ($14) mixed beans with rue seed, bishop’s weed and spicy berbere sauce. The traditional, tasty doro wat ($12) features chicken drumsticks and a hard-boiled egg in berbere sauce with a side of mild homemade cottage cheese. The menu helpfully labels dishes as spicy or mild and by spicy, it means “four stars.” A nice milder meat dish is the yebug alicha ($11.50), lamb with garlic, ginger and turmeric. If you have any room for dessert after the generous portions of lunch or dinner, you can order the Missionary’s Delight - ice cream with chocolate sauce or mango juice for $2.50.

Whether Ethiopian cuisine is new to you or you are already hooked on injera bread (as I admit I am) you will enjoy the food and drinks at Demera. As the menu explains, the name demera comes from a bundle of twigs that are lit on fire on the Ethiopian September holiday of Meskal celebrating the finding of the true Cross. Meskal has been celebrated in Ethiopia for 1600 years. The delicious menu and bar here give you and your friends reason to celebrate.

Yes, they oblige to all the health codes and are very sanitary, but that is probably the only glue that binds this place to every other shop in town. Many of their artists have been around for years, and the moniker of “We Tattooed Your Dad Here” is very accurate, since they are also the oldest shop in town. It’s little wonder this place always seems to have a healthy batch of customers in and out of the chairs!

Of all the places I have ever ventured into for a tat, the Tattoo Factory is the only place in the city I would ever recommend outside of a convention. This is a straight forward place to go, without any of the nonsense or hype that has stained the other shops in town. If you are looking to have a genuine piece of unique skin art crafted by truly gifted artists, this is definitely the place to go. People looking for generic flash, tramp stamps and goofy cartoon characters they will later regret need not apply.

That sweet, sweet scent of green soap and the humming of a thousand bees tantalizes the senses as you first walk in the door, with beautiful artwork gracing every crack and crevice. Yes, there is plenty of flash up there, but I personally think it’s there to give you an idea more than just as something to merely pick off the wall. In spite of the word “Factory” in their name, this shop operates as anything but. These guys (and ladies!) all have their different specialties, so be sure to speak up about what preferences you have.

If you have no idea what you want, feel free to browse through the books, then discuss with an available artist of what you like about it, so they can see how they can personalize it for you. Simply pointing and saying “I want that” is likely to get you pointed to the door, or at the very least a heavy sigh or an eye roll - would you do that to Van Gogh or Dali? The folks working here deserve no less.

Those looking to get a piercing done will also find this be the best place to go! Folks working here have been doing piercings on all parts of the anatomy for many, many years - one guy in particular, Hank, for nearly twenty! Jewelry is available in various gauge sizes and designs, depending on taste and placement.

So yes, come on down to Uptown and get your body transformed into a living work of art!

While smaller in capacity to its sister venue down the street, the Aragon, and not quite as beautifully decorated, the Riv is still a pretty cool place to catch a show! It's pretty similar to the Congress in just about every sense of the word, with its dingy charm, balcony seating and overall capacity. It tends to fill up a lot tighter since they take on even more popular acts of varying styles, and like the Aragon, it's right next to the Red Line and all those wonderful places to eat and drink at. They also offer a coat check, so dress like it's the summer underneath those warm trench coats, since it gets really hot in there, even in the dead of winter!

Just like any other place that's all general admittance, it is always a good idea to get there as soon as possible to stake your claim, whether you want a balcony seat or a good spot in front of the stage. Late arrivals are generally subjected to getting stuck along the side lines, however the vantage points are really not too bad. Also, go ahead and bring a disposable camera and snap a few pictures. Just remember that anything more than five feet away really won't show up all that great, so capturing the moment is pretty much a hit or miss, and only if you get right up in front of the stage.

There are a few down sides to the Riv that can deter folks from going. For one thing, the bathrooms are located down in the basement, so when ya gotta go, you may want to make a bee line right before a set ends to avoid the crowds. It's also dirty, and I mean really dirty, with a tendency to flood, so do not wear your favorite shoes. Strangely, there are bathroom attendants, but one begs to ask what exactly they are attending to. Also, the place really does need a rehab, and it looks like at one time they were making an honest attempt but just stopped. I truly hope a portion of the money filtering into this place will go towards a fresh coat of paint. The security is pretty tight, so it can take a while to actually get inside, but they're pretty lenient once you're in. Finally, there is no in or out, which is understandable due to the size of the place.

Overall, the Riv really is a good place to see a show, if that is all you are there to do. Every other aspect of the evening should be done elsewhere.

The Green Mill just oozes with history, with Jazz enthusiasts from ALL walks of life, from homeless talent to urban hipsters and just about everyone else, all congregating at this landmark lounge. Pass the thresholds and enter into a bygone era of bebop and jazz that was once a speakeasy for Al Capone and has hosted some of the world's most influential artists.

Jazz bands perform nightly, with Friday nights featuring the house band that allows folks to come on up and join in, many times famous notables in the scene. Amateurs are more than welcome to join in, but just be sure to get down there early to register. In fact, it is well advised to get down there before 8pm to ensure a great seat up front by the stage. Sunday nights also host the famous Poetry Slam The Green Mill invented, driving in folks from all over to speak their minds about current events and more.

The bar staff is well versed in classic drinks like Manhattans and Martinis, as well as more contemporary concoctions. In spite of the fact spots near the bar are hard to come by, the staff are very good about getting orders out quickly, which is a rare talent! Patrons are very friendly, so striking up a conversation with complete strangers is easy and relaxed, as bar trolls are kept at bay.

Be advised to avoid running a tab here, as the only card they take is American Express. Non smokers are also forewarned the place is usually very packed, especially later in the evening, and almost all of the patrons are heavy smokers. Another word of caution involves the cardinal sin at this establishment: guests seated up front who speak or even whisper to each other during a performance, be it a band set or slam. It is no secret management will publicly correct these infractions, as it is seen as a major sign of disrespect to the artists. Therefore, folks are well advised to keep their thoughts to themselves and to turn the cell phones completely off. Just keep that in mind and enjoy the experience!

One of the most beloved and notorious venues in Chicago, the infamous Aragon Ballroom hosts a large variety of concerts, sporting events, dance parties and performances, cloistered within a stunning layout unlike any other. While some of the facade may be a bit dated and well-admired, the brilliant scheme within the confines hearkens to a midlevel Spanish courtyard, as its original intention was for formal ballroom dancing.

Upon entering, guests are directed to climb the sweeping dual spiral staircases, leading up to the main level. At that point, early entrants are encouraged to climb one more set of stairs to the mezzanine, where a small amount of seating is usually available within the turrets gazing at the stage below. The imagery is absolutely breath taking, making folks feel as though they are actually standing outdoors on a warm, starlit evening, even in the harsh Chicago winters.

For quite a number of years, Uptown has been known to be a rather seedy part of town and is only now in the beginning of gentrification. Because many people were insecure about traveling to the location, it limited the styles of music that chose to perform at the Aragon. During the 80s especially, the majority of the performances were up and coming rock and metal bands, including METALLICA, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. It is because of those bands' (and others) rowdy audiences the Aragon earned the dubious moniker "The Scaragon Brawlroom", which still holds true today for many heavy acts.

Thanks to the neighborhood changing and the venue's restoration efforts, lots of different styles of music are making a comeback to the Aragon, bringing with it a large variance in audiences. There are a few rules to live by at this venue, no matter what performance people are there to see, so be sure to note the following:

No matter what time of year it is, this place can get HOT when it gets crowded. Use the coat check!

The seating and the mezzanine areas in general are highly coveted, especially later in the evening when folks start to wear down. Save that spot no matter what!

At the end of the show, everyone tends to herd like cattle down those winding stairs, meandering their way to the ground level. Folks who want to leave in a hurry really should skip the encores.

The bathrooms start out clean and shiny but end up filthy and disgusting by night’s end, in spite of the staff‘s best efforts. Just a forewarning.

People go there to see and be seen. It's certainly not for the acoustics!

Before hitting a show at the Aragon Ballroom or making it a jazzy evening at the Green Mill, be sure to check out this authentic Chinese restaurant located in the heart of Uptown. Outside of Chinatown itself, the Silver Seafood is the best place for Chinese food in the entire city, featuring some of the freshest seafood around, many times right out of the tank. It’s little wonder why locals insist upon making this their must-hit dining spot!

Don’t let its outward appearance fool you, because once you step inside, this seemingly small Chinese joint opens up as wide as the ocean itself, capable of handling all those repeat hungry customers. The lighting is a bit on the bright side and the decor isn’t exactly extravagant, but because the food is simply that good and unique, the Silver Seafood proves to be a great place to break the ice before that big night.

So, while she ain’t pretty, she sure is good, and its close proximity to the Uptown scene makes it a standout among the gritty burrito joints and Vietnamese restaurants dotting the landscape.