ALL BOTTLED UP: The Hot Spot
<<--The spot: Nothing says-OK, screams-summer like the bright green, yellow and orange hues at this compact (and jam-packed) Logan Square brunch favorite, The Hot Spot, where easygoing servers deliver fresh, homey concoctions. But The Hot Spot doesn't turn off its megawatt charm during the week, you know. So skip the fast food joints and stale diners, and check out its take on the "ultimate" grilled cheese ($6.75), which makes its case with three types of cheese, sliced tomato and ham on sourdough bread; a half-pound sirloin or turkey burger ($7.50) that includes three toppings of your choice, with options like sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and avocado; or a hefty chopped cobb salad ($8.50). To top it all off, sandwiches and burgers come with a choice of hand-cut potato wedges, pasta salad or coleslaw.
The bottle: BYOB at lunch? Oh, do you dare? Well, with June's increasingly warm temps, how can you resist? Plus, the Hot Spot's hanging lights, which punctuate the air over a large bar at the front of the restaurant, just cry out for afternoon cocktails-or at least a beer. Swing by nearby (and 24-hour) Foodsmart (2901 W. Armitage Ave.) and pick up a six-pack of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss ($5.99), a seasonal, fruity-but-not-too-sweet beer with flavors of blackberries, elderberries and loganberries. Go ahead-we won't tell. -- Allison Knab, metromix special contributor.