Skip to main content

The Sober Sommelier by Aaron Lawlor

Search This Blog

The Sober Sommelier has moved! Check out my new site!

The Sober Sommelier Blog has moved to www.aaronllawlor.com.

Please continue to enjoy coffee responsibly and keeping reading about Chicago's best coffee spots on my new site!

Popular Posts

Volumes Bookcafe: A B+ for Bookworms and Social Butterflies

by Aaron Lawlor aaronlawlor@gmail.com It’s Saturday night and I just left a send-off party for a friend’s son who is deploying to Afghanistan. It was a nice event, but big crowds give me more anxiety in sobriety than they did when I was still drinking and still in politics. So, I reached for my phone and found a coffee shop on Yelp that is open late enough to get caffeinated and finish some work. I settle on Volumes Bookcafe in Wicker Park. The weather is crummy…again…and I’m wondering if I am living in Seattle or Chicago as I find a parking spot on Milwaukee Avenue. I plug the zone number into the Chicago Parking app as I walk south and cross the street at Honore. The neighborhood is bustling with people congregating at local bars or standing single-file waiting to get into Jeni’s Ice Cream (a Sober Sommelier-approved sweet spot). Volumes Bookcafe is an instant favorite. The name is a clear descriptor of what I find when I walk in - a bookstore and cafe. And, I always

Ipsento 606: A Sober Sommelier A-

By Aaron Lawlor aaronlawlor@gmail.com Fresh off my therapist’s couch, my head (and schedule) is clear to launch into some work over a cup of coffee at Ipsento 606 in Bucktown. It’s a cool and damp spring day, but I decided to walk over on the 606 anyway. This three-mile, rails-to-trails reinvention is one of my favorite parts of living west of the Kennedy. With spring in bloom and the Chicago Marathon in sight, the 606 is coming alive with runners, walkers, and bikers sauntering along this beautifully landscaped and well-maintained path. It’s a short walk, but the chill is cutting through my jacket and hoodie combo as I take the 606’s Milwaukee exit and cross the street halfway between North and Armitage. Ipsento 606 greets you with an airy, inviting feel. A chill, trance-inspired soundtrack plays lightly in the background and a playful conversation between Ipsento staff adds a warm ambiance as I walk up to the counter. It’s noon, but Ipsento isn’t playing host to many lu

Dept. of Coffee and Social Affairs: Cute Name, B+ Rating.

By Aaron Lawlor aaronlawlor@gmail.com I'm getting a later start than normal. Sometimes sobriety comes with wild-ass dreams that I either didn't have before or don't remember from when I was in active addiction. Needless to say, last night's tossing and turning is requiring an extra cup of coffee to get my morning started. I have to be in Lincoln Park later, so I settle on t he Department of Coffee and Social Affairs at Halsted and Diversey. It's in my caffeination rotation for a few reasons: 1) the coffee is strong and the snacks are tasty, 2) the people who work here are super nice, 3) funny tip jars crack me up (Today's option offered two jars: "World Domination" and "World Peace". I chose the latter, twice.). I order my standard, a bottomless drip coffee, and opt for the medium blend they are brewing today. I'm digging around for my punch card that is normally parked in my wallet when the barista gives me a heads up that

Powered by Blogger