If a nightspot is going to be christened with an outrageous name, the mood better live up to the moniker.
Unfortunately, Whiskey Dick’s–a new North Woods-themed lounge by nightlife impresario Dion Antic–falls short. On opening weekend, the scene was limp and certainly no match for some of the other gleefully low-brow hangs cropping up in the city.
The new Lincoln Park bar also has an identity crisis: It wants to be a guy-centric lodge. But Antic, who brought us Liquid Kitty and Harry’s Velvet Room, can’t resist trying to make it urban and swanky. We’re all for upscale lounges and low-brow kicks, but the $4 cans of Busch are a perfect example of why the two concepts don’t mesh.
Decor: Two mounted animal heads flank the bar, one of which has a horrified expression. (Perhaps it just watched someone pay $4 for a can of Old Style.) A mod, carpeted front room with a pool table leads back toward a Tim Allen-esque area, with plastic antler chandeliers, big leather sofas and a smattering of rock posters.
The upstairs is decidedly more funky. The walls are covered in swervy jewel tones and the high-backed, pew-like booths are lit by tiny blue votive candles. When the finger-licking menu rolls out (in a month or so), eating barbecue off paper plates in the dark up here should be fun.
Crowd: Strictly Lincoln Park: jeans-wearing office dudes and lycra-bound cuties. If there’s any evidence that this place could pan out, it’s that they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Music: DJs spin Heart, Bowie, Rolling Stones and other WLUP-FM fare. The manager, a Kid Rock lookalike, has banned hip-hop and dance music.
Drinks: As we said, the prices are steep (a pint of Guinness clocks in at $6), though the management tells us the bar is thinking about dropping the beer to $3 a can. Cocktails start at $6.
Conversation starter: The most time and energy in the club appears to have been spent decorating the men’s bathroom, which is completely plastered with porn–some featuring members of the band Kiss.
Bottom Line: A confused concept with over-price drinks. If you want to see the North Woods embodied in a bar, you’re better off heading to Grizzly’s Lodge (3832 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-281-5112). We did.
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Whiskey Dick’s Radio Lounge
2625 N. Halsted St.
773-404-5487
