Americas Bar
2308 W. Higgins Rd.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169

Tucked away in the courtyard of Barrington Square Mall Americas Bar is known as the perfect place between upscale & casual while still maintaining that neighborhood atmosphere.

Scenery: The exterior has a plethora of seating to hold a party of 60 to enjoy what’s left of summer or to join in on a round of Bags. The interior glows as soft blue light showers down on you. There is a massive bar that fills the floor with a five foot Statue of Liberty twirling in the center. On the opposite side there is a miniature dance floor surrounded by the DJ area & tables with chairs. There are flat screen TV’s so DJ’s can play videos while they spin. During my after work visit there seemed to be very little variety. It started off with your basic Top 40 but then gradually went into a lot of 80’s with some late 90’s pop tunes. When the DJ started at 10pm we went through it all over again. All the Top 40 songs we just listened to at six o’clock were in rotation again. It was like listening to the radio.

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Beat Kitchen
2100 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60618

After battling rush hour for 2 hours I finally made it to the Beat Kitchen. This quaint corner bar is in the Roscoe Village neighborhood that has a cute outdoor patio area. I didn’t have a chance to eat here, but they have an incredible assortment of items on their menu. Everything from appetizers, soups & salads to sandwiches, specialty pizzas & even dessert! They even have vegetarian options, which is fantastic for me! They have an extensive beer & wine menu at semi-decent prices. Every Friday, Saturday & Sunday the Beat Kitchen hosts Brunch from 11:30-4pm. Their menu has everything from French Toast to Empanadas. The backroom is where the Beat comes in. It’s a small area with an intimate stage. There was a bar but no bartender. I didn’t really care as much since I wasn’t there to drink, but if I was I’d be pretty peeved. There were a good 4 or 5 ceiling fans, but none of them were on so it was a hot mess for all.

Overall the sound & lighting were excellent; I will for sure be back to check out brunch & will absolutely come back for another show!

Blarney Island
27843 W Grass Lake Rd
Antioch, IL 60002

Hailed as “The Key West of the Midwest” Blarney Island really is “A Mile Away From Reality”.  I used to live in the Antioch area and had never been to Blarney Island, and honestly I am kicking myself right now! This place is so amazing. We pulled up to Port of Blarney and found volleyball nets outside. There is a bar and restaurant with seating outside on the dock. For a small fee you can launch your own boat for a day on the lake. To get to the island, if you don’t have your own boat, there is a shuttle service that varies in price depending on the day or event that runs every hour.

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The Ashland
2824 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

The Ashland your everything bar. It’s a chill bar, party bar, sports bar, your neighborhood bar. The outside patio is nice to sit back and relax on a fine Chicago summer night or play a game of Bags. You won’t miss the newly tagged graffiti on the outside that flows inside. The inside is your natural bar with local art splattered on the walls. On tap you will find Rouge Dead Guy Ale, Guinness, Magic Hat #9, and always a fav Blue Moon. The back room of The Ashland is the place to be with a private bar, comfy couches, Karaoke (with props!), Rock Band, & Wii. The ladies bathroom smells great with one of those timed air fresheners. You’ll find plenty of graffiti of permanent marker on the stall walls from drunken patrons. All in all I adored my time spent at The Ashland.

Keep on reading for their weekly specials.

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Richard’s Bar
725 W. Grande Ave
Chicago, IL 60610

After the disappointment of the Butterfly Social Club myself and a few others headed over to Richard’s. At a glance it seemed like a regular dive bar, but boy was I wrong! This place was great. The crowd was diverse, even with the old Italian men all gussied up in their fine suits and gold chains. Richard has several beer coolers full of cases of beer for the road. They have a bar list hanging above the bar. There was an awesome jukebox with all the favorites, the walls were complete with Rat Pack memorabilia & black & white prints of gangster films. The bar is fully stocked with everything from PBR to one of my favs Stella Artois. You can even order up a hard-boiled egg for only 75 cent a pop. Sweet! Richard’s is one of my new beloved neighborhood bars. If you are in the area stop by Richard’s and say hey!

Butterfly Social Club
722 W. Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60610

I first heard about the Butterfly Social Club through a good friend who found a clip about it on Metromix. This club was to exude organic quality from their décor to their eco-friendly menu. The interior was described as a living entity. It was a forest/hobbit hole growth in the middle of the city. There was hand sculpted walls & trees that also functioned as seating. All alcohol, juices, & tonics are certified organic or grown & produced in an eco-friendly environment. Their four bathrooms were each decorated as one of the natural elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Air. The club was also solar and wind-powered. Patrons could even help power the DJ booth by peddling on bikes. Guests who peddled were rewarded with discounts on drinks.

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Conga Room
800 W. Olympic Blvd.
Suites A160 & A260
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 749-0445

Dubbed the Latin House of Blues, the original Conga Room featured the best of the best in local and international Latin artists, bringing together thousands of patrons seeking great music, dancing, food, drinks, and atmosphere. The Conga Room is getting ready to re-launch this fall in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. The new location can be found at L.A. Live on Olympic Blvd. & Figueroa St. next to the Staples Center, ESPN, & Grammy Museum.

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John Barleycorn
Schaumburg, IL
5/30/08

Located just west of Woodfield Mall, Barleycorn opened their doors on March 14. I have heard mixed reviews so I figured I would check it out to see what all the hub-bub was about. I heard it was ridiculous to get into so I thought I would wait out the novelty of a new bar.

This place is huge! It has 2 stories filled with flat screen TVs on every wall, the lower level consists of bar to the left & dinning on the right. The second floor is a big dance floor with three monster bars, a 5 foot stage, and a dozen booths for bottle service along either side. There is an outdoor patio that will be very convenient this summer. The sound system & lights are superb! There is a catwalk that starts backstage & goes over head leading to the soundboard & DJ booth.

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Liars Club
1665 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL

After a long night at Mayfest we headed out to The Liars Club. This club was interestingly decorated with drawings of KISS, singing deer wearing friar hats, & 80’s alien porn on the TV’s. There was a vast variety of music from Johnny Cash to Madonna to Digital Underground. Too bad DJ Skips-A-Lot was on deck, but I’ll give him an A for effort. During the night I ventured upstairs to seek out the bathrooms & (in retrospect) wish I peed my pants instead. Just waiting outside the door you could test your gag reflex to the smell of urine. The floor was damp with I don’t know what & couldn’t get out of there fast enough. From what I hear the downstairs gentleman’s bathroom wasn’t much better. The urinal was broken (not wont flush broken) but shattered I might as well have pissed on the floor broken with no sink. Not a bad first of the night bar but definitely not a “break the seal” bar. I don’t think I will be back any time soon, not even for the $2.50 pints of PBR.

Clearwater Theater
96 West Main Street
West Dundee , IL

I have probably driven past this place a dozen times and never realized it was a music venue. It’s a restored vintage theater located right in the heart of downtown Dundee . I heard Age of The Fallen where in town playing a show & I had to check it out. You may remember them from our previous review. After paying a $6 cover I walked in to find a serious circle moshpit on the main floor. It was insane. This place is a great intimate venue with awesome lighting & acoustically dynamic sound system. I love the stage, it’s about 5 feet high and takes up most of the back wall. Because this was an all ages show only one of the bars was open & gated. You had to show an id & get a nifty green & white wrist band that said “Drinking Age Verified”. You could only drink in the barricaded area but it wasn’t so bad. There was plenty of seating & standing room available. Clearwater features a main stage and intimate listening areas: the pit/main floor, patio and private balcony. The bathrooms were clean with a good amount of stalls. The service was nice & the beers were reasonably priced. All in all I give this venue 2 thumbs up. I will absolutely be back to check out another show.

Check out Clearwater ’s website for upcoming events: www.clearwatertheater.com

They book Local, National, & Regional acts year round. Their spectrum of entertainment includes: music, comedy, karaoke, concert, performance packages and event planning.