Friday, January 7, 2011

Neighborhood Favorite: Tiny Lounge

When we first started this blog three or so years ago, we would periodically spotlight our favorite local spots. We've sort of fallen off that wagon, so in the spirit of all things local, we thought we'd blog about one of the cooler spots in our 'hood: Tiny Lounge. I've been to Tiny Lounge a few times with friends, but over the summer I bought a Groupon for half off food and drinks at Tiny, and it expires next week. So, John and I met our friend Jim there for cocks and apps (yuppie speak for "cocktails and appetizers") to catch up and talk about our respective Christmases. John and I both had cocktails, and Jim had beer. And while my mojito sort of tasted like its main ingredient was hand soap, John's esprit de corp (some fancy schmancy drink with cognac in it) was good and strong. For a bar, Tiny has really great food. We had a pizzetta margherita, which was essentially a mozzarella and tomato flatbread, as well as "tiny" burgers and some pork ribs. I can't believe that some of the better food I've had in awhile came from a bar.

Tiny Lounge is just that: tiny. And it gets pretty crowded. It was standing room only when we left around 8:15. Also, there was a really good mix of people there -- we were about the median age in the bar, but there were some younger "kids" as well as a few tables of people our parents' age. We will definitely be hitting up Tiny Lounge more regularly!

A view of Tiny Lounge from Lincoln. It's very
nondescript - there's not even a sign - so Jim had a hard time finding it!


The bar

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Getting My Om On

In furtherance of my New Year's resolution (and my goal to try as many different yoga studios as possible), I tried out a new (for me) yoga studio in River North called Yoga House. I saw on their web site that they are offering a free week of yoga during January, and the studio got great reviews, so I thought I would give it a try. The story of the studio is actually pretty neat -- it's located in the gallery district near the Chicago Brown Line stop. Apparently the owner used to own an art gallery in the same space but decided to close the gallery and open the studio. However, despite the business change, there's some pretty neat art on display. The space is very warm and welcoming, with original wood floors, beams and a loft ceiling. It has a very urban feel, especially since you can faintly hear the el go by.

I took a Vinyasa class that was wicked hard, and the instructor was awesome. This was probably the first yoga class I've attended set to music by P-funk and Chaka Kahn, but the music went with the flow of the poses. This wasn't snobby or pretentious like I hear some city studios can be -- the staff and all of the other class attendees were very friendly. I'm definitely going to use my week of free yoga to the fullest extent, and will add this studio in my rotation.


The lofty studio space.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Currently Reading...


I've been laughing myself to sleep lately reading Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman. If you love poop humor as much as I do, then this book is for you! Silverman's "memoir" chronicles her life, beginning with her childhood (and teen years) battle with bedwetting. The book talks about Silverman's constant struggle with depression, and tells the story of how she became famous. Of course all of the historical information is mixed in with jokes about poop and pee (my favorite part). I don't normally read nonfiction - I need fiction to escape from my crazy day - but this book lacks seriousness, which is exactly what I need. Thanks, Niel, for the awesome Christmas gift!