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Flounder's cheap Miller Lite and tacos for less than two bucks fit the pre-film bill perfectly.

Monday Sep 17, 2007.     By Dana Kavan

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Drink of the week: A pitcher of Miller Lite at Flounder's on a Tuesday night.

The damage: $7, discounted from $10.

Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? As much as I'm all for progress, I've grown a little tired of the new mixologist trend taking over the cocktail scene at chic restaurants and lounges. Do I really need my vodka infused with cherries, elderflower, honeysuckle, ginger, watermelon and pickle juice (okay, I've yet to see the latter)? When it comes down to it, these elaborate concoctions that sound like soap scents generally taste pretty good, but you can't deny the comfortable ease of a straight-up beer bar. And Flounder's is nothing if not a pint place. I'm not talking about a spot with an extensive list of brews, but a pub that pours lots of light lagers for dirt cheap. Knowing my boyfriend and I were already going to have to shell out 20 bones to see "The Bourne Ultimatum" across the street at Webster Place, Flounder's pretense-free environs, minimally adorned beer garden and discounted Lite pitchers fit the pre-film bill perfectly. And, unless you count Stoli Razz, there wasn't an infused liquor in sight.

How it went down: Decoding the flavor profiles of Miller Lite would be pointless; anyone over the age of 21 with a tendency to tipple knows what it tastes like. Its mild (read: nonexistent) flavor makes it a highly sessionable beer that goes down fairly smooth and refreshing when served ice cold. That means it's a good pick when splitting a pitcher between two people who only have an hour before movie time.

With pint number one in hand, we scanned the menu. Between stick-thin fries sprinkled with bits of fresh garlic, chicken wings dripping with buttery buffalo sauce and nachos doused with refried beans, cheese and a tangy, deep-red salsa, the menu packs in more delicious-sounding finger-foods than I've ever seen. When our waitress told us about the $1.75 taco special, though, we were sold. Stuffed with your choice of beef or chicken, the tacos, made with tortillas big enough for a burrito the size of a forearm, came with the typical toppings and a zesty lime flavor; just one each tackled our hunger nicely, especially since we were saving room for popcorn.

Would I want to become a regular? If I lived within walking distance of Flounder's, I'd no doubt find myself stumbling home from it often. While it's not exactly a destination place, it certainly will lure me back when I'm in the area, if for no other reason than it now runs its tacos special daily. Now that's progress I can get behind.

Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.