Hidden Gems

Brainstorm: A graphic experience
Brainstorm is less like a typical comic book or video store and more like a clubhouse in which anyone can feel welcome, take off their coat and stay awhile.

Comic book stores are numerous in Chicago. The transactions are fairly standard — enter store, walk around, pick up a comic-type product, silently pay the nameless worker at the counter and exit the store. However, when Robert Kimmons and Matt Fagan, the co-owners of Brainstorm, opened their store in 2003, they knew they wanted to be different.

“Anyone can just put a sign in the window and sell something. We wanted to be able to talk to people and get to know them,” Kimmons says.

Brainstorm, located in Wicker Park, is a haven for comic book enthusiasts and beginners alike. Whether you are the proud owner of Captain America No. 1 — which, incidentally, is worth $125,000 — or simply think “the Flash” is someone who should be arrested for indecent exposure, you are welcome. The workers at Brainstorm will gladly talk to you about your first comic or your 100th.

You are also encouraged to open up the comics and thumb through them to see if you would like to buy them.

“We make it so they can come in, relax, take their time, read through comics and talk about Wonder Woman or whatever,” Kimmons says.

Brainstorm is not just for lovers of comics, action figures or gaming. It also houses a delightful cocktail of well-known and little-known films and television series available for rent.

“Brainstorm is unique in being a full-service comic shop with a subscription service and has thousands of videos,” Fagan says. “We have a lot of things that are appealing to everyone.”

So, if you have ever dreamed of a world where Judd Nelson, Spider Man, the Green Lantern and Alfred Hitchcock live in harmony, just step into Brainstorm. It is a unique store where any level of comic book or film lover can feel at home.

Brainstorm is located at 1648 W. North Ave.
— Megan Green

 

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders
If the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder’s walls could talk, they would have plenty of stories to tell.

In addition to serving some of the best food in Chicago, the building that houses this unique dining establishment (2121 N. Clark Street) holds some historical significance.

“The building is said to have been here since the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” says one of the oven grinders’ servers, Matt Jannotta. “It is also rumored to have been the building where Al Capone held his meetings and hid out.”

Al Capone and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre are not the only draws to this unique establishment. The food is out of this world.

The simple menu boasts almost entirely Italian style dishes, which include and antipasto plate complete with ham, salami, turkey, mushrooms, green peppers and olives. The menu also features Italian-style sandwiches called oven grinders, served up on an Italian roll with various toppings. The Meatball oven grinder, complete with baked Italian meatballs, brick cheese, fresh tomato sauce, fresh green peppers, Romano cheese, garlic oil and Italian spices, is one to write home about.

The most popular menu item is the famous pizza pot pie. This unique creation on the outside looks just like a regular Southern-style chicken pot pie, but on the inside it is a mouthwatering dish filled with Italian spices.

“You can’t get pizza pot pie anywhere in the country,” Jannotta says. “It is something that is completely ours, and that is why I think so many people keep coming back.”

The Oven Grinder does not accept reservations or credit cards, so get there early and bring cash. Call 773-248-2570 or visit www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com.
— George Vlahos