At Iguana Cafe, you can drink coffee. You can order tiropita, a Greek cheese pie. You can get crepes filled with Nutella. And you can log onto the Internet because, at $2.95 for 20 minutes and another dollar for an hour, wireless Internet access is on this eclectic restaurant’s menu too. Wireless hotspots are no longer simply the domain of Starbucks and other coffee shops. Restaurants are offering the service too, on the off chance you might want to sift through your e-mail or instant message while waiting for your entree. Or perhaps while eating it.
Iguana Cafe, 517-19 N. Halsted St., 312-432-0663, www.iguana-cafe.net, features a comfort food menu with a Greek accent. We liked the tiropita ($4.95), a nice balance between the brittle flaky phylo dough and its creamy smooth cheese filling. We also enjoyed the Greek sandwich ($6.95), an exceptionally flavorful vegetarian sandwich concocted from feta, baked zucchini, cucumber and tomato on crusty French bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. We found the carbonara bowl ($7.75)–pasta, ham, green peppers and mushrooms in a white sauce and covered in cheese–a bit bland, though very comforting on a rainy day. Other menu items include crepes, wraps and desserts.
Fireplace Inn, 1448 N. Wells St., 312-664-5264, www.fireplaceinn.com. The big thing at this Old Town restaurant is the barbecue baby back ribs. A full slab will run you $21, a half slab, $18. Add to that barbecue chicken, Texas beef ribs, Alaskan king crab legs, shrimp, steak or lobster tail for something a little, um, heartier. Or heart-attack-ier. Also on the menu–fish, burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups and rib house side orders such as the double baked potato ($3.50). And feel free to peck out some e-mail as you put away all of that meat–wireless service here is gratis. Just remember to wipe your fingers off first or you’ll end up with a keyboard sticky with barbecue sauce.
Bistro 110, 110 E. Pearson St., 312-266-3110, www.levyrestaurants.com. Don’t hesitate to tote your ordi portable (French for laptop computer) to this French Mag Mile restaurant, which offers free wireless service along with its steak and pomme frites ($26.95). Menu items also include mussels steamed in white wine, shallots, butter, garlic and herbs ($10.50), snails in garlic herb butter and a pastry crust ($9.95) and chicken and sauteed spinach with a morel mushroom cream sauce ($23.95).
State Restaurant and Cafe, 935 W. Webster Ave., 773-975-8030. This new Lincoln Park hotspot almost compels you to use a computer while you eat. Desktop computers dot the bar waiting for you to use them at no charge. Laptops are yours to rent for just $5. And Wi-Fi? Free. The food at this Internet cafe cum restaurant cum sports bar is pub fare with aspirations — fried calamari ($8.95), steamed mussels ($10.95), nachos ($6.95) and burgers round out a menu that also includes rack of lamb ($24.95), filet mignon ($24.95) and sea bass ($17.95) encrusted in cornmeal sitting on a ragout of leeks, peppers and potato.
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