What began as a perfectly innocent trip to another Chicago sports bar ended with an epic, Homeric struggle of will. Between who, you ask? The evening pitted my friends and I versus the hopelessly attractive bartenders, who were shamelessly and gloriously trying to flirt their way into getting us to buy more drinks. They almost succeeded. Had two out of three of us not been working men, we probably would have stayed another day-and-a-half. As one of my comrades put it, "She's so hot, I would have eaten cat poop if she served it to me."

The decor relies on a European racing theme, so don't expect to find any peons to the greatness of any NASCAR drivers. The menu features some standard bar food, but also boasts Eastern European items that will delight the enlightened sports fan. As such, the prices for the food are a little more expensive, with appetizers in the $8-11 range and a little more for dinner items. There's plenty of room to sit down at the bar, but there is also a back room with pool, darts and what appeared to be classic movie posters. Service is very friendly, as one of the bartenders brought a candle to the dark corner of the bar where we were sitting.

Motorcycle riders should come to the Player's Club on Tuesdays, where like-minded road warriors gather for a brief get-together before hitting the streets for a ride around the city. The bike of choice is Ducati (a lot of said apparel is in the bar), but all are welcome.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jon Graef