Logan Square

Logan Square is laden with taquerias of all kinds, from tried-and-true favorites to hidden gems. Bring a big appetite and a light wallet for a multiple-mile jaunt down Milwaukee Avenue. This whole trip should ring in at less than $20. 1) Start with tasty tacos inside a small grocery store at Tierra Caliente #2 (2556 W. Armitage Ave. 773-486-5936) . The carne asada, made from freshly carved flank steak, is grilled until it's nicely charred on the outside but still moist on the inside.

A proposal to erect two signs on Milwaukee Avenue in the landmarked Logan Square Boulevards District has hit a roadblock. VisualCast, an outdoor advertising company, sought approval to put up two signs measuring 60 feet long and 20 feet tall on a vacant five-story building in the heart of Logan Square. But the Permit Review Committee of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday issued a preliminary decision to oppose the application for signs at 2616-18 N. Milwaukee Ave. City officials said the signs would adversely affect the district landmarked in 2005.

Boiler Room 2210 N. California Ave. 773-276-5625 For a good deal any night of the week, hop off the train at the California Blue Line station, walk right into this low-key pizza bar and ask for the PB&J special: A slice of pizza, a PBR tallboy can and shot of Jameson, all for $7.50. Logan Theatre 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-342-5555 Head to this recently restored Art Deco-era movie theater for art films and mid-run mainstream flicks at several bucks less ($7, or $5.50 for matinees)

Get ready to head over to two new Chicago farmers markets set to open soon with night hours. Chicagoans will be able to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers at the markets weekly in Logan Square and Uptown, according to the mayor's office, which announced the additions and farmers market schedule on Tuesday. The Logan Square market at Kedzie and Milwaukee Avenues will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning June 26 through Sept. 4. The Argyle market at Argyle Street and Broadway will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays starting June 27 through Sept.

Some churches get charitable during the holiday season by organizing canned food or toy drives. Others open their doors to the public and serve a hot meal. The Logan Square branch Messio Dei celebrated its holiday spirit by encouraging Logan Square residents to stop by and have their portraits taken, free of charge. The portrait event was hosted this weekend at Logan Square Auditorium, and while the church also offered the same service for underprivileged residents last year, this year it was open to anyone.

FOR TEQUILA Masa Azul 2901 W. Diversey Ave. 773-687-0300 This Latin-inspired bar and restaurant on the border of Logan Square and Avondale may be small, but it packs an impressive collection of artisanal tequilas, from unaged silver to super-aged anejo. For tequila fans searching for something new, a seat at the bar here is the gateway to experimenting with other Mexican-made spirits such as mezcal or sotol. When you stop by, be sure to say “hi” to RedEye's Best Bartender of 2012, Jenny Kessler.

Chicago native Carmen Marron was working as a guidance counselor in Phoenix when she decided to make a film addressing the experience of Latino teenagers. "Go For It," the dance drama that she wrote, directed and produced herself, was released earlier this year by Pantelion Films, a division of Lionsgate. It comes out on DVD Sept. 27. We caught up with Marron by phone from her home in L.A. to talk about her film projects and the state of Latino film. Why did you feel that it was important to set "Go For It" in Chicago?

Logan Square's diagonal thoroughfare carves out the perfect path for a night of bar-hopping. This itinerary starts near the California stop on the Blue Line and heads northwest before doubling back to make the most of two bars with late-night licenses. 1) Start your night with a couple of cheap beers at Cole's Bar (2338 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-276-5802) , where you might be lucky enough to catch a band rocking out in the back room. 2) Right at the Fullerton/Milwaukee split, Helen's Two-Way Lounge (2928 W. Fullerton Ave. 773-227-5676)

A drinking game becomes a lot more intense when the red queen is literally holding a heart. That's what Blaise Sewell thinks, and now he has a fully funded Kickstarter campaign to prove it. “Zombie Shuffle,” a 52-card deck with its own set of rules, surpassed its goal on the crowd-funding site this week, and now Sewell hopes the game will become as popular as any other card game that's played at parties. “I hope the future of Zombie Shuffle is that everyone knows the rules,” he said, adding that the game's rules can be adapted to a standard deck.

It's time to put Logan Square's latest bookstore on the map. Uncharted Books , located just north of the square at 2630 N. Milwaukee Avenue, is the brainchild of Tanner McSwain, an erstwhile McGraw Hill employee who left his job to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. The idea of starting a used bookstore had always been in the back of McSwain's head, and he said it was always more as a distant fantasy than a plan. "I didn't have much experience [with bookstores] besides hanging out in them constantly," he said.

Not to be outdone by neighboring 'hoods Bucktown and Wicker Park, Logan Square now will have its own beer festival as well. The Logan Square Beer Fest , set for Sept. 21 at Logan Square Auditorium , is a new event that organizers Dave Watts and Marcus Osacky said will spotlight 20 breweries, most from the Midwest. "We're looking for each brewery to bring one of their regular seasonal beers and a specialty beer like a collaboration or cask-conditioned or barrel-aged beer, something you could only get at this fest," Watts said.

It's been more than a week, but the April Fool's Day prank pulled off at Cole's Bar is getting somewhat of a second life. The bizarre craft cocktail menu bartenders at Cole's dreamed up might have only been noticed by patrons who stopped by April 1. But a photo of the wacky menu was posted to Chicago's subreddit Sunday, giving their gag a second wind. “The neighborhood has been making the shift towards fancier drinks,” said bartender Joey Pasterski, who helped fellow mixologist Paul Karner execute the idea.

We asked you last week to vote for the "classic" 1993 movie that you would want to watch with us at Logan Theatre for our first Big-Screen Blind Spot Movie Night. It was super close, but we've finally declared a winner... "Dazed and Confused" Join us on April 16 at Logan Theatre for a ridiculous night of pre-show games and a screening of the 1993 comedy. Bonus: If you bring along a newbie who has never seen the movie, we might have something special for you and your newb friend.

A drinking game becomes a lot more intense when the red queen is literally holding a heart. That's what Blaise Sewell thinks, and now he has a fully funded Kickstarter campaign to prove it. “Zombie Shuffle,” a 52-card deck with its own set of rules, surpassed its goal on the crowd-funding site this week, and now Sewell hopes the game will become as popular as any other card game that's played at parties. “I hope the future of Zombie Shuffle is that everyone knows the rules,” he said, adding that the game's rules can be adapted to a standard deck.

Review: Billy Sunday 3143 W. Logan Boulevard 773-661-2485 Rating: !!!! (out of 4) Already hot Talk about pre-opening hype: Before Logan Square's Billy Sunday had shaken its first daiquiri, Details magazine named it one of the five best new "high-end cocktail bars" in America. No pressure, right? Luckily, the two men behind the project had some experience under their belts. While he may not be a household name - yet - head bartender Alex Bachman made a splash on the Chicago cocktail scene at Avondale's Yusho , where his food-friendly...

Though it was the food menu from Charlie Trotter alum Matthias Merges that first grabbed headlines when Yusho opened in Avondale in 2012, beverage director Alex Bachman's cocktails soon earned praise of their own. With the opening of cocktail bar Billy Sunday (3143 W. Logan Boulevard) on January 24 at 5 P.M., the spotlight will shine squarely on Bachman's drinks. The 50-seat bar will serve approximately 14 cocktails ($8-$10), with two tonics on a draft system similar to that of Yusho.

After 42 years, the old El Cid taco place near Congress Theater in Logan Square is being reinvented. Owner Jose Gonzales, who was born and raised in Cuba, bought out his business partners to pursue a new venture close to his heart: Paladar (2115 N. Milwaukee Ave.), a family-run Cuban restaurant and rum bar. Gonzales has been working with a student of Nitza Villapol, known as the Julia Child of Cuba, to create a menu that's “authentic with a twist.” Think black beans with apples, three different takes on plantains, ropa vieja sliders (shredded beef with peppers and onions)

Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. We all love certain ones, but here at RedEye we love all of them...and we can prove it. Introducing the RedEye 'Hood Tour. For the next few months, we're going to bombard some of our favorite hoods in the city and bring a good time with us.  First up? Logan Square. Did you see our Logan Square guide yet? Go look at that. I'll be here. .... Back? Ok, great! Pop by Logan Bar and Grill on Thursday, April 26th from 6-8PM.

Review: Fat Rice 2957 W. Diversey Ave. 773-661-9170 Rating:  !!! ½ (out of 4) Heating up Adrienne Lo and Abraham Conlon made their mark on Chicago's dining scene as the creators of underground dining club X-Marx. Hosted monthly at different restaurants, these pop-up dinners often featured overly ambitious-sounding fusions such as "Greeknamese" and "Japtaliano. " And yet, when I first tried the food two years ago -- hamachi collar and sushi rice risotto, miso-parmesan dashi -- I was bowled over by how playful and smart the cross-cultural connections were.

Some churches get charitable during the holiday season by organizing canned food or toy drives. Others open their doors to the public and serve a hot meal. The Logan Square branch Messio Dei celebrated its holiday spirit by encouraging Logan Square residents to stop by and have their portraits taken, free of charge. The portrait event was hosted this weekend at Logan Square Auditorium, and while the church also offered the same service for underprivileged residents last year, this year it was open to anyone.