Spring brings Chicagoans and other animals out of hibernation. With a tough winter behind us and the first day of spring at hand, it seemed a good time for an animal-themed tour of the shops and restaurants in Lincoln Square.
Early afternoon
I started with Sunday brunch at Feed the Beast (4300 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-478-9666,) where paintings by local artists hang on the walls. They were out of the crab-cake eggs Benedict, which made me a little growly, but the classic eggs Benedict were so perfectly light and fluffy I didn’t mind too much. The menu also includes such indulgences as French toast stuffed with black raspberry and mascarpone cheese, and the Beasty — beef medallions and hollandaise on a mashed potato pancake.
After brunch, I started walking north along Lincoln Avenue, browsing in the neighborhood’s many gift shops and children’s stores, including City Mouse, (4657 N. Lincoln. Ave., 773-878-7400), which carries children’s clothing and shoes for babies through age 7 or so. The hip garments include baby onesies from Pluto — the brand, not the planet — featuring mock rock band logos like “Metallikid,” and “AB/CD,” and local designer Paul Frank’s Small Paul line of T-shirts emblazoned with an illustrated monkey face.
The area’s retail menagerie also includes the shoe boutique that has been in the Luscher family for 30 years, Salamander (4740 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-784-7463). There were no amphibians for sale, but plenty of European comfort shoes — wider and with greater arch support than typical U.S. brands.
Animals themselves can get pampered at Sit! Pet Boutique and Grooming Salon (2316 W. Leland St., 773-989-1202), where a full-service shampoo, haircut and nail trim runs $45-$70 for dogs (who also get their ears cleaned) and $60-$70 for cats (owner Emily Muceus — who’s also an attorney with a downtown law firm — swears she can get felines to hold still for it). Sit! also sells gourmet food, clothes, dishes and toys for four-legged friends.
Evening
All the walking has given me an appetite, and I stop into Jack Rabbit (Southwest Grill), (4603 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-9000). Formerly the Mexican restaurant Brioso, the month-old Rabbit still offers some of the same items from its predecessor’s menu. The food is spicy, like the wild mushroom quesadilla and the gulf shrimp mojo de ajo, which is served with jalapeno polenta.
For dessert, I wandered down another block to the Bad Dog Tavern (4535 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-334-4040), where bulldog statues sit on either side of a small fireplace in the front room and paintings of dogs playing cards hang opposite the flat-screen televisions over the long bar. Along with burgers named for canine breeds, the restaurant serves flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate is a no-no for dogs, but being able to eat it is one of the sweetest things about being a human animal.
