This self-proclaimed "ultimate dive bar" has taken over Twisted Spoke's old Lakeview digs, leaving its predecessor's signature cycles out front but going with a more relaxed vibe inside. Many times, "dive bar" conjures up pejorative visions of a tavern: ill-attended, poor beer selection, skeezy surroundings. Brody's has none of that, making its subtitle a curious decision. Sure, the place hunches so close to the Red and Brown L lines that you can see sparks fall from passing trains, but filling the place with the rumbling of steel wheels and bathing it in red neon lights doesn't make it a dive.

Take the food, for example. The eats fly well above the range of traditional bar fare. St. Louis-style or baby-back ribs (both $17) cap the menu, and the selection of sandwiches, such as salami or pulled pork, is in the $8 to $9 range. The beer and liquor selection further pushes the bar out of dive territory. Brody's has 20 taps serving everything from Miller Lite to Fat Tire, not to mention Jack Daniels and Maker's Mark. Pints follow standard Wrigleyville-area prices ($4 to $5 for upper-tier drinks), but Brody's offers different specials almost every night of the week.

Brody's back room is undergoing a remodel so it can host live bands, a project that should be finished by late fall 2007. Until then, the bar's alternative-rock soundtrack, two flat-screen TVs and pleasantly talkative (and apparently all-female) staff provide plenty of entertainment.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kent Green