Not the most optimistic response from a bartender to the question, "How's it going?," but it's the one we got at this small, posh, and swanked-out hotel bar. Which isn't to say that InnBar is a boring place to be, with its all-white walls, tables, leather chairs, and couches bathed in a futuristic purple glow from the almost-blinding lights behind the bar. To the right, the windows are barely blocked from view by dangling crystal beads for shades, which reflect the aforementioned eerie purple like sparkling diamonds off the coast of brightly violent, violet seas. Then there's the obligatory hi-def television by the bar which plays 'whatever you desire,' whenever you desire it. So, is InnBar truly boring, as its bartender seemed to imply? No, but it is really small.

The appropriately seasonal drinks, on the other hand, are much more significant. "Winter Sparkles" come in chilly flavors of Ice (Pama, champagne and pineapple), Snow (gin sour mix, grand marniiner and champagne) and Frost (Malibu, ruby red and champagne), $8 each and $10 for a flight of three. Martinis and cocktails include Apple Pie (vanilla vodka, sour mix and apple pucker), Frostbite (blueberry vodka, Pama and pomegranate liqueur), Junior Mint (vodka, creme de menthe and creme de cacao) and Oatmeal Cookie, each a hefty $12. Beers include the usual suspects, both domestic and foreign, bottled at prices of $5.25 and $6.25, respectively.

It's true that you don't come to the InnBar to get nipple-erections from all the excitement, but if you want a place to relax and look cool, the InnBar, conveniently located in the Inn of Chicago, is perfect (and as it so happens, anything but boring).

Centerstage Reviewer: Benjamin Andrew Moore