Jimmy Fig's is the kind of place you go to blow off steam after work. They encourage you to bring your friends, but I'm sure no one would stop you if you came all by your lonesome and drank and ate the night away. Located in the Loop, right next to the Brown Line, there's plenty to like here and plenty go "ho-hum" about.

First, it looks like your typical (albeit spacious) pseudo sports bar—maybe even a cut or two above—with the bar to your right, tables strewn all over and TVs dangling from the ceiling high above you like a worm on a fishing line. Depending on where you're sitting, you might have a major crick in your neck after all is said and done. For interested men (and ladies, for that matter), the waitresses are all fairly attractive, to the point that you wonder if Fig's hired them that way on purpose. Speaking of service, it's not the best. Which isn't to say that they're a bunch of jerks just waiting to make your day even worse than it already was; rather, they're just really slow and really apologetic about it. (Each portion of the experience—getting the menus, getting your drinks, ordering your food, getting your food, getting your check, getting out of there—felt like a chapter in a novel. A long chapter.)

Still, the food is pretty good, even if it does take a while to get to you. Appetizers include some truly fantastic buffalo chicken fingers, nachos, cheese sticks and mini burgers ($6-$7.95). For something more substantial, Fig's seems to be particularly fond of the sandwich, either plain or panini, including a buffalo chicken sandwich, a chicken salad sandwich, Fig's cheesesteak sandwich and a smoked turkey panini ($8-$10). Don't forget the beer, though; it's fairly cheap (especially during Happy Hour) at $5 a bottle and, for domestic buckets, $15 for five. Dig in already.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Benjamin Andrew Moore