Hoosier Mama Pie Company (West Town)

1618 1/2 W. Chicago Avenue

OH SHIT.
PIE. PIE. PIE. PIE. PIE.
This is what I thought when I went most recently went to Hoosier Mama Pie Company. Pie is a dying dessert. You don't see it on menus much anymore. But a whole place devoted to the delectable dessert? YES. AND YUM. AND DOUBLE YUM.

Once you walk in, and smell what they are baking, oh my gosh. It's exhilarating. Invigorating. Enchanting. I never thought pie could be enchanting, but it is. It really is. The actual kitchen takes up more space than the seating area does and the place is so small that even the address is cut in half at 1618 1/2 Chicago Avenue. There are only three tables in the shop so when Becca and I wanted to sit down to eat we couldn't because they were all occupied, with more people walking in by the second. A couple sat in the little nook by the window and had clearly finished eating a while ago. They seemed to be exchanging some type of love language that I suppose can only take place in a pie shop so we resorted to sulking back to Becca's VW Jetta to consume our treats.

Pie. Glorious, magical pie.

Size constraints aside, let's get onto the eating part, which is the most important. I got a slice of chocolate cream pie and Becca got chocolate cream pie with bananas. We quickly started devouring these gargantuan, honkin' slices and then, the food silence happened. It's when whatever you're eating is so freakin' delicious and you're stuffing your face and you can't even stop enough to breathe let alone speak. The chocolate, the thick cream, the shaved curls of chocolate, the crust; superb. Every day they have 10 different kinds of pie to choose from, which include the classics such as apple and banana cream, but, there's also bourbon-pecan, fat elvis, and passion fruit meringue pie, to name a few out-of-the-ordinary flavors.

The shop! Mmmm

The couple in question.

You can also order pies ahead of time for pick-up (they require 2 days notice), which might be their more popular option since their storefront is not conducive to hanging out.

Get a slice of pie and a cup of coffee for $5. As my mom would say, "That's a deal at twice the price!"

NOTE: They are closed Mondays!

Very Best Vintage (West Town)

1919 W. Chicago Avenue

 I have wanted to visit this thrift store ever since I moved to Chicago five years ago. I never made it until this past Saturday when I was in the area. Very Best Vintage is colorful, adorable, fun, and a vintage-loving gal's dream, which would be my dream. I'm the 'gal' in that sentence.

After one run-through of the store I had picked up an armful of items to try on, including dresses, a few tops, and a skirt. Everything was appealing. Vintage shopping and thrifting can be overwhelming to the average lady or fella, but this is one of those stores that handpicks items from other resale shops or thrift stores and puts them all in one spot. The clothing was from the mid-1950s to 1980s. Tons of dresses filled the racks, which was surprising for being a smaller store. There was also a trunk full of scarves, which are my absolute most favorite-of-all-time item to buy at thrift stores. I actually had to cut down for a while because I kept buying them and buying them. So when I see a trunk full of them I geek out.

Black and yellow black and yellow black and yellow.....shift dress

Super unique items. A few housewares. Cute accessories. I want to go back and buy it all or just make that store my bedroom/house.

Unfortunately, there is only one tall rack of men's clothes. So if you're a dude, this shop isn't really worth a visit. But if you're looking to get your lady a little somethin' somethin', then come on down!

They also have an Etsy page! Or "like" them on Facebook! Or follow them on Tumblr!

Music Box (Lakeview)

3733 N. Southport Avenue

The cushy seats, the organ player, the ghost. Featuring independent films and classic movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Birds, and City Lights, the Box, as I have always called it (no one calls it that, I have actually never ever called it that) is absolutely my favorite movie theatre in Chicago. If you are a movie freak, you need to go here.

Built in 1929, the theatre was considered one of the smaller movie houses in the city at the time. Whereas other 'movie palaces' housed at least 3,000 patrons, the Music Box's main theatre capacity maxed out at 800. A second theatre was added in 1991, which I have only been in once, and is decorated like an Italian garden. It is what I would want my at-home theatre to be if I ever had one so I could gobble gelato and talk in a fake Italian accent while watching my movies.

Notable screenings include the monthly Rocky Horror Picture Show where people dress up and go nuts and the yearly Music Box Massacre around Halloween, which is 24 hours of horror films. People are serious about that one. They bring sleeping bags. Others include The Sing-A-Long Sound of Music, Sing-A-Long Grease and the yearly screening of It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street the week before Christmas.

Another cool event that the theatre participates in is Turner Classic Movies' Classic Film Festival. Traveling across the U.S. to feature 10 classic films, each movie is presented by a TCM host and special guest. My friend Katie and I saw Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds where Tippi Hedren and Ben Mankiewicz chatted it up before the screening. Tippi Hedren is an adorable elder lady and had some fascinating stories about working with Hitchcock. Last year, Katie and I saw Seven Brides for Seven Brothers for the same festival.

Tippi Hedren and Ben Mankiewicz talking about Hitchcock's The Birds

I have gone here with friends, I've taken dates here, I've gone here by myself, and I always have a grand experience. There is nothing like seeing an old movie the way it is supposed to be seen. I am such a movie person and to have access to a stellar theatre like this one makes me giddy. If they ever show Singin' in the Rain here, I will lose my s*it.

Oh, the ghost thing. I've been here a bunch of times and I never heard about the theatre harboring a ghost. Whitey, the theatre manager's, ran the Music Box from 1929 to 1977. He was a totally friendly dude and his family lived two blocks away from the joint. So the night before Thanksgiving 1977, Whitey came back to close the theater, "fell asleep on the couch in the lobby and never woke up." The Music Box website says to say hello to the ghost if you see him. I'm not going to talk to a ghost! Are you crazy??

Above: The organ player, Dennis Scott
Below: Popcorn, mmmm

Chicago Music Exchange (Lakeview)

Holy hell

If you are a music person of any caliber, whether you sing in the shower, are a professional blues guitarist, love when your walk matches the beat of the song you're listening to, or you don't quite understand why you like Katy Perry but you listen to her anyway because her songs are gosh darn catchy---you need to go to Chicago Music Exchange. Since 1990, the Exchange has been supplying Chicago with pretty much anything you would need to be a musician. Everyone on staff is a musician, and attractive, if that helps get you to this store.

3316 N. Lincoln Ave

I walked in here on Saturday floating on air as I glided past the register, euphorically staring at the hundreds of guitars on the walls. The space is enormous and loft-like with comfy couches, some velvet, and some situated around a drum kit. Orderly guitars hang in rows on every wall, of all colors, of all sparkles, of all shine, all kinds, just waiting to be played. I was pulled out of my ax shock and heard some guy say, "Hi. How are you?" I looked at him for a second because I forgot where I was for a moment. I exchanged pleasantries with him and he let me know that if I needed any help with anything to let him know. Oh, he actually worked there, he wasn't just a guy saying 'hi' for kicks.

Prettyyyyy

I hung out in the acoustic guitar room for a bit, marveling at its wonderfulness, and checked out some of the ukuleles since the one I paid $30 for surprisingly (sarcasm) broke a few weeks back. I am absolutely going to buy one from this store. The same guy who said 'hi' to me when I first walked in came to check on me and asked if I was still doing okay or looking for anything in particular. What an incredibly helpful, nice gentleman.

I kept wandering around the store and saw a 16-year-old kid going to town on a guitar in one of the little practice rooms, turning up the amp to an extremely audible level so everyone in the store could hear his guitar riffs. You're gonna be a star, kid! I eventually met my friend Nick in the drum shop next door who was geeking out over a clear drum kit. It looked totally and completely cool. The drum shop was small, but mighty, and from what I overheard the sales dudes telling my friend, it sounded like they knew what they were talking about, too.

It felt like you could hang out at the Exchange all afternoon or even throw a mad party. Or you could just sit down, enjoy some music, try out guitars, read one of the many books they have on music legends, album covers, lyrics and more!

Also, I found out from their website (Chicago Music Exchange) that they have a store dog, which was NOT present when I visited. This absence means I am going to be visiting a lot more, not only for the instruments, but for TEDDY!

Teddy!!!

UPDATE: 3/29/12 I bought my new ukulele. It's a little Fender wonder and it sounds like buttah. The dudes there were incredibly nice, helpful, and found me a box in the basement to transport my new lovey in!

Golden Angel Pancake House (North Center)

A pancake angel descends from heaven.

This 24-hour diner is a perfect example of a dive. It's not like one of those diners that are on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where it's actually really cute inside and the chef moved from Nicaragua to grace our hungry American mouths with his exotic take on waffles. Nope. No frills. No whistles. No lasers. It is straight up diner food.

Golden Angel Pancake House 4344 N. Lincoln Avenue

Golden Angel Pancake House is a diner dream come true: wood paneling, vinyl seats, colored blocks suspended on the walls, stained glass, old waitresses with perms, old people sitting at the counter. It looks like there hasn't been a decor update since 1975. I went with my friend Katie on Saturday morning for breakfast AKA hangover cure. She ordered pancakes, scrambled eggs, and devoured accordingly. She was also pleased as punch when one of the busboys filled our coffee cups before we even sat down: "I love diner coffee!" she exclaimed. I ordered my staple of french toast with hash browns and sausage. But listen, the french toast at Golden Angel is orange. Not orange as in citrus-flavored, but orange colored. I don't know why it is orange in color but whatever batter the chefs use send me into a yummy heaven. It's soft in the middle and almost creamy. What a wonderful thing to eat.

A glorious feast.

The prices here are cheap, but I added too many sides onto my breakfast so it was probably the most I have ever paid at this joint. I have only ever gotten breakfast here and that is all I recommend. The guy sitting next to us ordered pork chops at 11:30 IN THE MORNING. I bet the chefs didn't have any pork chops in the back and had to run to the Jewel down the street because nobody would ever order pork chops from that place, let alone at 11:30 IN THE MORNING.

So if you're a foodie, do not go here. You will get mad and write a mean Yelp review. But if you love diner food and feeling like you're stuck in the seventies, check out this establishment. It is one of my favorite in the whole city. Breakfast is absolutely one of my most happy-inducing meals of the day, and sometimes the simple form of it is the most satisfying.

Smoque BBQ (Irving Park/Avondale)

3800 N. Pulaski

Sometimes I can't put into words how I feel when I get excited about food. Instead, what comes out is sounds: chirpy humming, long "Mmmmm"s, short "Mmmmm"s, maybe a bit of laughter, a giggle. Or, a small dance in my chair occurs where I wiggle my butt back and forth. Well, Smoque BBQ gave me a major food high.

Order first and then take a seat to wait for the delicious wave to hit you. I ordered the sliced brisket sandwich with macaroni and cheese and cornbread. Oh boy. I drooled over my food for a good two minutes before diving in. I always eat the sides first so I started with the mac and cheese. DANG. OH DANG. Packed into a tiny, round tin, the creamy mac and cheese was somewhat of a cheesy dream.

Insert Homer Simpson drooling sound.

I do not have anything to say about the cole slaw. Not a fan of the stuff in general. I want it to be lettuce so badly but it's not. My fellow eaters put some cole slaw on their sandwiches, which seemed to make them pretty happy.

The cornbread, also in a round tin, was wonderfully moist but after a while I decided I could no longer wait to taste the brisket. It was time. This stuff hangs out in a smoker for 14 hours before ending up on my plate. FOURTEEN HOURS. I could drive all the way to New York in my imaginary '76 Chevy Corvette that I own in my mind while blasting Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker's Greatest Hits, because it's just a great driving album, by the time that meat is cooked.

Billy Bru chowin' down on some goods.

My first bite made a smile spread across my face.. The bun: soft. The meat: juicy. The sauce: thin and tangy. As I chowed down on my velvety brisket, I was transported to a BBQ heaven where the napkins never end and the BBQ sauce flows like gold.

The whole place is fairly small and fills up quickly. It's incredibly welcoming, with one of the owners standing near the register chatting with people and seating everybody. As soon as you walk in it smells you're in your friend's backyard during summer and grilling up a meat storm.

Dining with me were some friends and some family who all devoured their meals. Everyone was happy. And when everyone leaves happy you know it was a good meal.

"You had me at meat tornado." Ron Swanson

 And then Dairy Queen for dessert because it's all about the simple things.

Laurie's Planet of Sound (Lincoln Square)

4639 N. Lincoln Avenue

In 2010, Rolling Stone named Laurie's Planet of Sound #11 out of the 25 best record stores in the country. In the country!!! That means, tucked away on the Northwest side of the city, is a special, rare, delicious gem in my Lincoln Square 'hood that I don't want anyone else to know about. I should tell everyone else about it, though, because it is kick ass. Between new and used vinyl, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, and books, Laurie's has some of the best collections of most record stores in the city.

Who got it? I would like to know so we can hang out.

The place, simply put, is cool. And rad. It is also quaint and welcoming. Every time I walk in there I have to ask the staff what music is playing over the speakers because I always dig it. I thought I was fairly up on what new music is coming out but Laurie's is a few steps ahead of me. The joint is also silly and goofy, which is right up my alley, because of all the random movies and album they stash. You could spend at least an hour sifting through all the goodies. Can you just look at the album covers below for a sec?

Dreamin' of mullets

If you're not into records, do not fret, they have a pretty decent used DVD selection, too. They usually only have one of a certain film (duh, because of the 'used' thing) but I've picked up a number of cheap movies from there despite that. Also, just want to say, Adventures of Pete and Pete and Pee Wee's Playhouse are among the fantastic merchandise that I saw on the shelves. And even if you aren't into records, they are fun to look through and see how men confidently wear mullets and women sport painted on eyebrows with no shame.

The staff is knowledgeable about music and you should not be afraid of them or feel like you are being judged. At least that is what I read in some Yelp! reviews about people who are clearly insecure with themselves or their purchases. Own up to your Paul Bogush, Jr. purchase, man! Don't act like you're not "dreamin' of love" either, because we all know you are.