Avoid the Wrigleyville Crowd: Andersonville

The Cubs were shut out for the 5th time this season – losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 even thought the Pirates traded away Jason Bay yesterday.

Before the game, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I ate lunch at the best brunch place in Wrigleyville – Uncommon Ground. They have strong gourmet coffee, great brunch cocktails and great food.

After the game, we met some friends at Marty’s (1511 W. Balmoral Ave.) – a martini bar in Andersonville. Marty’s was a good pre-dinner drink bar and served 6 ounce ($8) and 10 ounce ($13) martinis.

For dinner, we ate at Anteprima – an Italian restaurant located at 5316 N. Clark St. We stopped by without a reservation and seemed to be seated pretty quickly. The host made sure we knew that tables were receiving their checks soon and that we should be seated shortly. The service and food were great and Andersonville is a great way to escape the crowded bars of Wrigleyville.

Andersonville: is about 16 blocks North of the entrance of Wrigley Field. To get there, fans should take the #22 Clark St. bus from the corner of Addison St. and Clark St. to the heart of Andersonville at Foster Ave and Clark St.