Hopleaf in Andersonville
I used to come here with my boyfriend. We both loved the place. It’s packed, but not too crowded to move around. When you need space, there’s always one magically free table upstairs where the cash-only bar is friendly and quick.

What I love about this place since we broke up is a little fact I pretended not to notice before: It’s a haven for hot guys. Right in the middle of Andersonville. For me it’s close to home, and it has that relaxed, neighborhood feel. There will be no bar fights here. It’s a happy, mellow, easy-to-talk-to crowd.

Hopleaf is a true beer-lover’s bar. They offer tons of microbrews from across the U.S. and Europe, with a healthy variety of interesting choices like Belgian ambers and ales on tap. Ask about the Lucifer amber, which always makes me smile, and before they pour you a goblet, they’ll probably pour you a taste. My go-to drink is the Leffe Blonde, but try the Kwak because it’s rare, or the Chimay Red because all of my friends love it.

When the owners bought this place 15 years ago, it was a liquor store. They slowly turned it into a bar. But it’s also one of the best restaurants in Chicago. The secret is the Toasted Nueske ham sandwich. With such an unappetizing name, it’s easy to see how they’ve kept the lid on this one. Served on pumpernickel bread, which I normally harbor a great distaste for, and coupled with apple-tarragon coleslaw, this sandwich has “keep reading” written all over it. But trust me — don’t. A friend recommended it, and I’m unlikely to ever try anything new again. Thank goodness I had eaten there plenty of times before because the meatball sandwich, when offered, is good, too.

Please be forewarned: Every time we put our name in for a table, the wait time is shockingly long. I don’t know if it’s good karma or good beer, but tables seem to be ready before we know it. And in the end, it’s always worth the wait.

— Jessica Kelmon

A taste of all things Asian at Kitchenette
In a city like Chicago, there may just be too many good restaurants to go around. I know that seems an odd thing to suggest, considering the wait times for a table at some of your favorite places on the weekends, but on occasion you stumble across a quality restaurant, sometimes new and sometimes not, that isn’t busy at all but should be. The kind of place people need to know about.

For me, that place is Kitchenette. When you hear that name, you wouldn’t think of a broad mix of Asian cuisine, but that’s what you’ll find at 3811 N. Ashland (773-244-9300).

The only problem I found with the place was a location that, while heavily traveled by car, isn’t all that distinguishable in a rather nondescript part of the North side near the Ashland and Irving Park intersection. In other words, Southport or Wrigleyville, it’s not.

Anyway, the interior of the six-month old restaurant is modern but simple, the service is good and the food is excellent. Offering an incredibly wide variety of Japanese, Thai and Chinese selections, it was difficult to make a decision when the waitress arrived. We settled on the pad thai, the cashew chicken and a large side order of chicken fried rice that was easily the hit of the day. Calling in to pick up the fried rice on the way home from work is something that will happen soon.

Most everything on the menu is reasonably priced between $4-$7, excluding the sushi specialty entrées, and the appearance of the food, served on oversized square plates, makes you feel like you’re downtown and should be paying three times what you are.

— Trent Modglin

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