As my stalwart colleague Nick Phillips noted a few weeks ago, Foam -- the long-awaited coffeeshop/bar on the corner of Cherokee and Jefferson -- is now open for business. I dropped by on Saturday night and was really impressed by the vibe and atmosphere at the non-smoking establishment.
Festive music -- at a volume loud enough to be heard, but not so loud that it drowned out conversation -- played in the background. (Spoon! LCD Soundsystem!) A small raised stage near the front door was the perfect size for a gentle singer-songwriter performance from Tawaine Noah, who performs under the name Union Tree Review. The old-fashioned decorations in the place -- including a vintage Coke cooler and the real kind of soda, in bottles! -- were nice touches, but the beer selection was also excellent without being snobbish; I had a Goose Island, a Chicago beer that's quite tasty. A steady stream of people dropped by to chat, draw, read and just hang out -- which is exactly the type of place that side of Cherokee needed, and why I'll be back.
Follow Foam on Twitter here.
