Pride on a plate revisited
With Gay Pride weekend here, it brings to mind one of the first articles I wrote for Metromix, "Pride on a Plate," about gay-friendly restaurants (or as I so cheekily put it, where "'family-friendly' doesn't necessarily mean highchairs and Happy Meals"). The 2003 article holds up pretty well today: Of the eight restaurants mentioned, only three -- She She, Buddies, and The Room -- have closed. Tweet, despite a brief flirtation as a dinner spot, has reverted exclusively to the breakfast/brunch menu we first described. As for the rest: Ann Sather, Jin Ju, Las Mananitas, and Firefly are still among the town's faves. If I were writing the list today, I'd be sure to include Boystown's Adesso, HB...Home Bistro, pan-Asian siblings Pingpong and Wakamono, Andersonville's Hamburger Mary's, Ole Ole, and Anteprima, and well, so many others. But to get a real sense of how much dining options have improved for same-sex couples over the years, you need to read Rick Karlin's excellent article for the Chicago Free Press "Memory Lane: Chicago's hottest gay dining spots over the years." Chicago history buffs and foodies alike will get a kick out of it.