I moved to Chicago for the bars.

In 2005, I had just returned stateside from a four-year stint working (and drinking a lot of sake) in Japan. As part of my search for a place to settle down, I took a week-long trip to Chicago. My first night in town, I drank $2 whiskey shots during Punk Rock Monday at Delilah’s in Lincoln Park. On the second night, I met the tamale guy and played endless games of Tetris at Club Foot in the Ukrainian Village. The third night, I met my future ex- fiancée at Disco Night in the backroom of the Big Horse in Wicker Park. The fourth night, I drank PBR and belted Prince songs at Hidden Cove in Lincoln Square. By the end of the week, I didn’t want to leave. Ever.

Three years and many drunken evenings later, I’ve become a fixture on the Chicago bar scene. I’m just as fond of having a shot and a beer at a hole-in-the-wall dive with the ubiquitous Old Style sign out front as I am drinking top-shelf liquor muddled with organic fruit by a “mixologist” instead of a bartender. I’ve shared shots of vodka with toothless old men in Albany Park and sipped champagne with suits at VIP soirees in River North.

I’m always on the lookout for my next favorite bar, and now I’ll be sharing my discoveries with you. Every week in this space, I’ll bring you interviews with the owners and bartenders of your favorite Chicago spots, profiles of great bars you’ve never heard of, and reports from newly opened watering holes worth your attention. Chicago is a city with a bar on almost every corner, and I won’t be satisfied until I’ve had a drink at each one.

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