20 AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2008
T R A V E L
AContemporaryEatery (with
VintageCachet): Room21
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Since 1982, restaurateur Jerry Kleiner has been
sniffing out remote architectural gems and re-
working them into twenty-first-century hot
spots.His latestsuccessstory isthatofresurrect-
ingAl Capone’sProhibition-era liquorwarehouse
and speakeasy (the site of Eliot Ness’s career-
boostingbeer bust in 1930) as a restaurant. The
restaurant’s name— Room 21— sprang from
the discovery of a secret escape tunnel during
construction. The narrow brick alley, still intact,
now leads upstairs to a private dining alcove.
Kleiner’s passion for using objects in a nontradi-
tional manner helps communicate the building’s
grandbordellohistory. Lush redwalls, sexychan-
deliers, and 1930s street-sweeper bristles hung
aswall artare thisChicagopioneer’s toast to the
WindyCity’s splendidpast. 2110SouthWabash,
(312) 328-1198,
At
Manny’sCoffeeShop&Deli
,
politicians, cops, andA-list noshers
wait in line for heaping delicates-
sen sandwiches doled out cafete-
ria style. Famous for corned beef,
brisket, pastrami, crispy potato
pancakes, and stuffed cabbage,
Manny’s has remained virtually
unchanged since 1942. 1141 South
Jefferson Street, (312) 939-2855,
****
The drive-in hot-dog joint
Super-
dawg
is as old-school as it gets.
Orders are brought out to the car,
à la
Happy Days
. Winking, 12-foot
hot-dog figures beckon hungry
passersby from the roof. And the
original menu — malts, burgers,
and dogs — hasn’t changed. ¶ Of
course, the backstory is as tasty
as the grub. In 1948, Maurie and
FlorenceBermanmarriedand then
opened a hot-dog shop inspired by
superherocomicsof the1940s.The
shopwas located at the end of the
streetcar line and across the street
from a public pool, so there was a
built-in customer base of families
and cruising teens. The building
received a bit of a neon face-lift in
the late ’90s, but the 1940s charm
remains. 6363 North Milwaukee
Avenue, (773) 478-7800, www
.superdawg.com
****
Famous as the second establish-
ment in the city to score a liquor
license after Prohibition,
Coq D’or
at the Drake Hotel
is a
vintage
boîte frozen in time. Red-leather
booths, wood-paneled walls, and
an old-time crooner belting out
cabaret tunes on the piano elevate
the status of a classicmartini. 140
East Walton Place, (312) 787-
2200,
****
Original Rainbow Cone
might
be a hike from downtown, but it’s
worth it. The family-run shop on
Chicago’sSouthSideservesdreamy
ice cream with a side of history.
Since 1926, throngs of locals have
waited in line for the infamousfive-
flavor rainbow cone, which boasts
layers of chocolate, pistachio,
strawberry, and Palmer House
(cherry-nut) icecream toppedwith
orange sherbet. Now run by the
granddaughter of founder Joseph
Sapp, the shop emanates vintage
integrity and has increased its of-
ferings to include sundaes, floats,
and draft root beer. 9233 South
WesternAvenue, (773) 238-7075
Diners,Delis, andDogs (andOneBar)
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Manny’s CoffeeShop&Deli
