photo: Benjamin Andrew Moore

A visit to Harry Caray's Tavern will surely revolve around drinking beer, eating unhealthy food and watching the game on one of the nine trillion hi-def televisions stationed all throughout the compound. Seriously, we're not exaggerating. You know how there are cigar bars that offer a little food and drink on the side? Well, this is a TV bar that does the same. There are possibly more TVs than people, even on game day when it's packed so full of coeds (not your average Harry Caray types, we might add) you'll have flashbacks to your college days. It's not uncommon to see one, two, sometimes three collars popped on the same person, and mini-dresses shorter than Danny Devito himself. The decor is reminiscent of an indoor golf course with the fake green grass on the floor, only 1000 decibels louder. All in all, it's a rather eclectic mix of unique and terribly typical.

The food isn't the quality of, say, Harry Caray's steakhouse downtown, but it is pretty fantastic for sports-bar food. Appetizers run you $4-$7 and include some outstanding buffalo wings, chicken tenders and crispy calamari. The burgers, though, are even better (not to mention plentiful, with 14 choices altogether), ranging from $7-$10. Less advisable but still pretty good is the pizza, including the chicken vesuvio (asiago, potatoes, peas, oregano and sliced garlic), the BBQ chicken (smoked gouda, sweet baby Ray's BBQ sauce, red onion and cilantro), margherita (vine ripened tomatoes, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil) and a build-your-own option.

It's true that Harry Caray's Tavern isn't the best bar you'll ever go to—the tastes are better than the sights and sounds—and it's doubtful Harry Caray himself would visit regularly (were he alive), but nonetheless, it does its job and does it well. It even has Chicago's biggest HD-TV. Someone call the Guinness Book of World Records!

Centerstage Reviewer: Benjamin Andrew Moore