Hidden Gems

Free Wine and beer tastings: Check out Armanetti’s on Lincoln Avenue

If your paycheck isn’t nearly as large as you’d like it to be (like me) and you occasionally like to branch out and discover new beers and wines that appeal to your tastes (like me), I’ve got a place for you to explore this weekend.
Armanetti Beverage Mart has free beer samples on Friday nights from 6-8 p.m. and wine tastings on Saturdays from 2-6 p.m.

On the day I stopped by, Steve Parnes, the amicable owner of the establishment for less than a year, had four different wines to taste — from Italy, Portugal, Spain and California — with prices ranging from $4-$20 per bottle, should you find something you can’t leave without. With a huge selection of beer and nearly 800 varieties of vino, you’re sure to find something that piques an interest. And if you have questions, you need only ask Parnes for an answer and then some.

In addition to wine and beer, distributors will often have a representative stop in to serve up samples of scotch, whiskey, sake or rum, and Parnes, who knows the names of most patrons who walk through the door, has plans to begin doing expanded tastings with food pairings in the near future.

“I have a retail background, but I love talking to people about wine and spirits because it’s about having a good time,” Parnes says. “I’m like the liquor store that doesn’t know it’s a liquor store. I want to be about variety and customer service. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve got to go above and beyond with people, and I like it that way. I want people to let me get to know them so I can steer them in the right direction and give them new ideas or find something they’ll fall in love with.”

Armanetti Beverage Mart is located at 3530 N. Lincoln, just south of the Lincoln and Addison intersection. Call (773) 529-0288 for more information on the tastings.

— Trent Modglin

Talking environment with ‘Green Drinks’

Apple Pucker and St. Patrick’s Day beer are common green drinks, but this event is about much more than having a few cocktails. Twice a month, the ecology movement leaves the board room and enters the bar room with “Green Drinks,” a gathering where young professionals can eat, drink, network and learn more about ecological topics.

Every meeting also has an hour-long topical lecture. Hopefully, with time, the green movement won’t be thought of just as a “trend.” In the future, we will do everything in an Earth-sustainable way without even thinking about doing it “green.” It will simply be standard practice.

I spoke with Peter Nicholson, executive director of Foresight Design, which manages Green Drinks.

“When we started up four and a half years ago, there were just 15 organizations like this in the United States,” Nicholson says. “Today there are 40-50. We’re all about connecting here, as people have found jobs, relationships, and of course, information, about sustainable design.”

One of speakers on the night I went, on the topic of sustainability, quoted Winston Churchill: “First we shape our buildings, then they shape us.” It’s very true in the building of eco-friendly cities. Green Drinks is also a great place for joining the movement and becoming more aware of green activism. A table with pamphlets from numerous organizations, including the Sierra Club, is present at every meeting.

Green Drinks is held at the Jefferson Tap & Grill, located at 325 N. Jefferson. Log on to www.foresightdesign.org/greendrinks or e-mail greendrinks@foresightdesign.org for more information.

— Paul M. Banks

 

‘Pennybear: Stop Touching Me’ At the Apollo Theatre

“Pennybear: Stop Touching Me” goes where many sketch shows won’t — beyond the surface and into the deepest, darkest, and most hilarious reaches of the characters’ psyches.

Pennybear’s characters are on the verge of emotional catastrophe. The audience gets to watch them fall apart.

“Pennybear: Stop Touching Me” benefits from an acting-based, theatrical approach. The result is the best of both worlds: The multi-dimensional, conflicted characters of theatre living in the imaginative, funny world of sketch.

“Pennybear: Stop Touching Me” starts a six-week run at the Apollo Studio Theatre on Sept. 30. Showtimes are Sundays at 8 p.m. Running time is approximately 75 minutes. Ticket prices are $12 and $8 for students.

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