Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Articles Sections >> Arts + Words Bars + Clubs Dating Festivals Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Theater Travel + Tourism Who's Who > View All Ask Centerstage Cheap Thrills Green Thumb Weekend Warrior

Don't hang out with me; I've had a hard time finding cheap eats this week.

Monday Oct 16, 2006.     By Erin Brereton

Lifestyle Feed

Before I go to check out a cheap thrill, I'm usually pretty diligent about getting all the details. Websites can be wrong, deals change and restaurants run out of calamari.

But things have been kind of crazy lately. Work has been demanding; good friends have fallen on some not-so-good times; I've had guests in town almost every weekend; and I can't find my gloves, which isn't really dire but remains a chilly problem.

The only things I seem to have time for are marginal amounts of sleep and plenty of wine (and, if I've had too much wine, White Russians).

As a result, I've been winging it in my search for inexpensive outings, putting my trust in the Internet and various taverns across the city, which was, quite frankly, sort of a jackhole move on my part.

This week I planned to check out Plan B, a new lounge in Printer's Row (an exciting thing, because there really aren't that many lounges in Printer's Row) whose website promised nightly drink specials and free appetizers on Tuesdays.

A Tuesday night drop-by revealed that the kitchen has yet to become functional, so no apps found their way to my plate. That said, the staff was very nice and actually offered to make my starving friend a sandwich. But since we had doubts about the freshness of food in a place that had just told us they'd been trying for several weeks to get the kitchen open, we opted instead to roll down the street and join the kollege kids at Kasey's Tavern. Serving late and offering delicious pizza, I'd recommend it to anyone else finding themselves in Printer's Row with a need for a...well, a plan B.

With my first cheap thrill attempt thwarted, I decided to try to check out the appetizer buffet happy hour, once again, at Kitsch'n River North, 600 W. Chicago. Now held on Friday nights, this was my second attempt to attend; I went once before on the week they switched the apps happy hour from Thursday and Friday night to just Friday.

After the Plan B problems, I thought of calling to confirm, but the sign in front of Kitsch'n River North advertising the appetizer buffet and $4 cosmos Friday nights that I saw Friday morning as I left my gym (which is located downstairs) was enough confirmation for me.

After rounding up four friends, we arrived in a frenzy to make the 6:30 happy hour cut off—only to find the restaurant closed for a private party (and it wasn't for the five of us). So we drank elsewhere...for full price.

Determined to find myself a deal, I dragged my friend Emily out on Sunday night to the South Loop's Zapatista, which is, in my opinion, one of the city's best spots for Mexican food. That is also apparently Emily's opinion, because the waiter recognized her when we came in.

Zapatista serves $5 bloody marys and mojitos all day on Sundays (they're usually $8 and up). When I called to confirm, the host told me it was illegal to offer a special in Chicago for just part of a day. What? Why, then, had I been traipsing for days—actually, months—around the city in a panic trying to make pre-dusk happy hours? Oh, taverns, you can be cruel, cruel beasts.

I am happy to report we dined on excellent fare (a burrito for Emily; for me, a salad with jicama and oranges and fried plantains, yum yummerson). At first, the waiter told us margaritas were included in the deal; he later realized they weren't, but still only charged us $5 each for the first round.

My next drink was a $5 mojito; the first few sips were alarmingly sweet, but then I settled into a nice, thrifty buzz and ordered up a chocolate dessert in a corn tamale-like casing that took me about five minutes to figure out how to eat (but was delicious once I did.).

Although we couldn't quite make up our minds about the touchy-feely waiter, who told us all about his extensive break-up and hugged Emily—twice—the overall experience was good. In all, dinner, an order of guac, a dessert and two drinks cost me about $30—not bad.

Zapatista's a good time. Mojitos? $5. Human affection? Free. Who can argue with that deal?

Want to check out Zapatista's Sunday drink deals? Check this out or just stop by 1307 S. Wabash Ave.

Erin Brereton is our resident urban cowgirl on a bi-weekly search for life on the cheap. If you know of the mythic happy hour that she missed, do clue her in.