Date Night

For a while now (it all blurs together these days, but it started back when we were dating) M and I have set aside Friday night as date night. Sometimes it's with friends, sometimes it's low key and sometimes it's a quick jaunt to Europe. I'm kidding.

Since this Friday night's "date" was watching the Gators slaughter Cincinnati, we went out on Wednesday instead. And THIS was our date.

Yeah, it is what you think it is. But before you call PETA or stop reading or throw up or do whatever it is you do when you see a dead duck, give me a second.

Calm now? Great.

We ventured up to the Northside of the city to try out a place called Sun Wah barbeque that we had read about. It's a traditional Chinese-style place, well known for its meats and cheap prices. And let me just say... while I do NOT especially like duck, this place was AMAZING. AMAZING. The meat is incredible and you don't feel like you're filling yourself with white rice all night (since I'm no longer eating white rice, I'm happy for that fact.) They serve you tea when you sit down (don't you wish every restaurant was so nice?) and the prices? Well let's just say that we ate like four different animals and didn't even pay $30. Sun Wah is a bright spot (ha ha, sun...get it?!) on a strip of less-impressive Thai and Chinese restaurants. Go.

But since we didn't BYOB to Sun Wah, we wanted to end the night with a nightcap. After the first place we tried turned out to be pretentious and crowded, we finally made it down to our local watering hole, Woodlawn Tap.

It's not very impressive from the outside (especially since you can't even really tell it's there...Starbucks is a little overwhelming) but man, it is everything GOOD that a bar can be. Originally opened in 1948, the bar claims that it serves people from Nobel Laureates to the local pipe layer. In fact, when we walked in, we were impressed by the fact that, while practically on the campus of the University of Chicago, the mix of people there was amazing: white and black, blue collar, white collar, old, young. It just feels like a good bar should feel. (Not to knock you DC- or downtown Chicago- but bars full of Hill staffers and lobbying assistants can't hold a candle to Woodlawn Tap). They still take cash only, they use the original cash register (you can kind of see one on the left side of the picture) and they serve hamburgers, fries and hot dogs for practically quarters. We didn't try them, but they looked good.

And the best part?

They can mix girly drinks, too! I know it's a bit sacrilegious (yes, that's spelled right, because I checked) to go to a place like this and order a Cosmo, but I just can't bring myself to drink beer. It tastes like pee. And I like to enjoy my drink, thank you.

Bottoms up, boys!! and...uh....Nobel Peace prize winners....