Besides his own
“Spin asked rocker and Wilmette native Pete Wentz to name his favorite spots in the Chicago area in honor of this summer’s Lollapalooza,” Luis Gomez reports for the Tribune. “Wentz, who will perform with his new band, Black Cards, at Lolla on August 5, of course named the bar he co-owns, Angels & Kings, but mostly recommended a few places off the beaten path.
“His favorite spot for dinner? ‘Chuck Wagon is my jam,’ said Wentz of the Wilmette fast food restaurant. Wentz said his favorite dive bar is Empire Liquors in Wicker Park and his favorite place to shop is the Belmont Army Surplus store in Lakeview.”
Um, Empire Liquors and the Belmont Army Surplus store are hardly “off the beaten path.” But that’s only the beginning of the problems with Mr. Wentz, the Tribune and Spin.
For example, how in the world is Empire Liquors a dive bar?
Dive bars don’t have bottle service or offer cocktails with names like French 77 (“Belvedere Vodka, Lemon Juice, Grand Marnier, Fee’s Orange Bitters. Topped with sparkling wine. Served in a champagne flute with a lemon twist.”)
(Metromix calls Empire “dive-bar chic,” which must have come from the publicity materials; it then goes on to note “Dark walls and dim lighting, concrete bar top, wall-mounted antlers, metallic walls with stenciling, Gothic archways and a herringbone slate floor create a raw yet sleek and contemporary environment that speaks to the neighborhood’s edgy personality.”
(Right. Faux edgy – if you’re from Wilmette.
(After all, the Empire website says that the bar’s location just footsteps from the North-Milwaukee-Damen intersection is on a “still gritty stretch.” If you’re from Wilmette.)
And then there’s this:
“Empire has partnered up with Lindsay McKay, feature celebrity stylist of the ultra-hot clothing boutique, TK Men, to dress all of the employees,” Chicago Scene reported in a press clip featured on Empire’s website.
Edgy!
Neither Wentz, the Trib or Spin bothers to mention that Empire’s owner is a Wentz’s partner in Angels & Kings either, but let’s let Spin and Tribune commenters take it from here.
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Anonymous:
“Uh, Empire Liquors is not a dive bar and the Biograph does not show movies anymore. Next you will be saying you really like the Chicago Sting.”
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Anonymous:
“Next time, pick a band from Chicago proper – not an expat.”
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Rick Kal at 4:48 PM June 22, 2011:
“In addition to everything mentioned in the comment before me, HOW IS EMPIRE LIQUORS A DIVE BAR? Also, Lou Malnati’s is not ‘off the beaten path.’ I used to stick up for Pete Wentz cuz ‘eff the haters’ but it’s getting so hard.
“My assumption is that Spin asked him to do this for them and he agreed, but he should have said ‘Man, I’ve been living in L.A. for years now, you should probably ask a different band who, ya know, lives in Chicago.'”
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Peter Doyle at 12:31 PM June 22, 2011:
“First off the Biograph is Lincoln not Clark. Reckless Records is on Milwaukee and Damen not Division and Milwaukee. Best shopping in Chicago is Belmont and Clark?? Try Bucktown/Wicker Park. Pete you’re more Hollywood than Chicago!”
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Finally, let’s take a peek at what some Yelpers have to say about Empire.
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“Shots/drinks are roughly $8 each (not too pricey)”
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“NOT INTO LISTENING TO LITTLE WAYNE”
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“Our group was there early. However, I had two other friends who showed up at 10:45 pm trying to get in. There was a line of about 20 people that they were in, but the bouncers refused to let anyone in, despite the fact that the bar was HALF EMPTY. It was a ‘space issue’ apparently. Really, they just wanted a line outside to look popular. And the line was not moving an inch, because ‘people had to leave before anyone could come in.’ Really, at 10:45?? I explain to the bouncer that my friends and I had just paid $450 to be in their bar for bottle service, so they need to let my friends in. He barely acknowledged me. It took a full half hour of arguing with the bouncer and proving the money that we had spent before they finally let them in to the empty bar.”
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“It was all $30,000 millionaires trying to impress each other with expensive drinks and bad haircuts.”
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“It is a shitty Loop bar transplanted into the heart of Wicker Park. The crowd sucks and the music is horrible. I really wish that bar could be replaced by something decent, because it is right across the street from Flat Iron and I wish a good 2am existed in Wicker Park. Oh well, maybe someday?”
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“The chicks are wearing cheap Forever 21 dresses and the dudes are straight out of the SNL digital short “Jizz in my Pants.” No one can hold their liquor; I am pretty sure ankles must be breaking on a regular basis there, because I see chicks tripping in their heels all of the time coming out of that place. I really hope the super cool owners have good insurance.”
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“We headed here on a friend’s birthday and the place was empty until about midnight, which I thought was kind of lame. But when the masses arrived they were all 21 year-old trixies and frat boys! I mean, if I’m going to go over to Wicker Park I expect those types to stay in their designated neighborhoods and not follow. Good grief.”
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“You’d be convinced your downtown once you walk into this joint.”
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“The girls will give you evil eyes if you look like you’re going to take their men and the men get really offended if you don’t want to talk to them . . . even if you’re nice about it.”
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“I’m not used to paying 7$ for a vodka and soda!”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on June 23, 2011