Beverly’s going green: Irish flags are flying, cut-out clovers are popping up in windows, and shamrock lights are sprouting all over the place. That can only mean one thing: It’s time to prep for Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade (details at metromix.com) with a trip to the home of the South Side Irish.
Beverly Bakery
10528 S. Western Ave. 773-238-5580
We’re not sure what we like better about St. Pat’s Day: all the sweets or all the suds. With the opening of this bakery last summer, it got a lot easier to snag both on the same street. The husband-and-wife owners offer homemade cookies, muffins and cupcakes, full breakfasts, sandwiches on homemade bread and an assortment of coffee drinks. On parade day, pop in for a corned beef sandwich with a pickle and chips ($5), or drop by earlier this week and stock up on Irish soda bread ($3.49) and shamrock cookies (98 cents).
Sean’s Rhino Bar
10330 S. Western Ave. 773-238-2060
We love when it’s time to open this bar’s front windows on to Western Avenue. (Spring is just around the corner, right?) There’s nothing better than a cool breeze and a cold one. This hang plays host to after-work regulars, college students home for break and plenty of South Side Irish (and wannabes) on parade day. Grab a bite from the bar menu, and wash it down with one of the daily drink specials; Sundays it’s $4 Absolut Peppar bloody marys.
Heads up: Just down the street is the old Fielo’s (10352 S. Western Ave.), soon to be a new restaurant, though details still are hush-hush.
Beverly Arts Center of Chicago
2407 W. 111th St. 773-445-3838
Whether you’re looking to flex your creative powers or your muscles, this cultural center has something for you. From yoga, music, dance, art and theater classes to performances on the 400-seat main stage, find it here. You can even catch a flick; right now’s the tail end of the Seventh Annual Chicago Irish Film Festival, which wraps up Wednesday with a closing reception at Cork & Kerry (10614 S. Western Ave.). Find more fest details at metromix.com.
My Sister’s Knits
9907 S. Walden Pkwy. 773-238-4555
We love how Beverly makes you feel like you’re part of a close-knit community (pun intended). Stop in this shop, and you’ll get a warm greeting from owner Carol Oprondek and her two golden retrievers. The tiny storefront with a kitchenlike classroom in back offers an array of funky yarns and accessories, plus classes in basic knitting and crocheting, or construction-oriented workshops in purse and sweater making. Get to know your fellow knit pickers at 7 p.m. Fridays, when Carol hosts “open knit” night.
World Folk Music Company
1808 W. 103rd St. 773-779-7059
Got a yen to play? Sign up for private lessons ($17-$19 per half-hour) in almost any instrument, including the bodhran Irish drum, hammered dulcimer or Irish whistle. Group classes also are available; we think the 10-week Rock Band Class sounds pretty cool ($135). Weekend nights, check out the concert series ($15-$25) featuring folk, jazz and more. The 120-seat concert hall boasts a recently enlarged stage and new graduated seating for a better view.
– – –
WHERE’S BEVERLY?
This ‘hood is roughly 87th Street on the north, Ashland Avenue on the east, 107th Street on the south and Sacramento Avenue on the west.
———-
kmbudell@tribune.com
