Deep in the shadows, nestled in between towering skyscrapers, covered by a thick mist...this is the description you would conjure when thinking of bars located in the city where Batman dwells, Gotham City. Fortunately for the citizens of Chicago, Illinois and the world, the bars used in the film "The Dark Knight" are very welcoming and offer great pints of beer. If you are not familiar with "movie magic," the city of Chicago is where the majority of the filming was done for the "The Dark Knight" film. Many familiar Chicago landmarks, buildings, streets and establishments were used to create the look and feel of Gotham City. Chicago was unofficially Gotham City. With this in mind, BeerBin.com created an event that invited guests to drink at the Chicago Bars that were used in the film. Basically, guests got a chance to drink in Gotham City Bars. The two Chicago Bars we visited were Berghoff and Twin Anchors.

Both bars are true Chicago establishments and now thanks to the wonderful film, will be part of movie history. Berghoff is what remains of the famous Berghoff Restaurant. Located in the heart of Downtown Chicago, the restaurant was one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved restaurants. Although the restaurant as it was known is closed, the building is still open for business. Beer and food can still be found at the Berghoff. The German Dishes and Berghoff Beer, along with the beautiful wood facade, create an ambiance typical of an old Chicago restaurant. One can see why director Christopher Nolan chose the Berghoff as the setting for an important scene with Commissioner Gordon, Sal Maroni and the Chechen. This scene establishes what the mob is willing to do in order to restore "mob order" (i.e., set the Joker loose) and the scene also reaffirms what Batman does best (i.e. work outside of a corrupt system in order to bring justice. Case in point by obtaining the "evidence" necessary to draw a warrant for the arrest of Sal Maroni, the Chechen and their men; an arrest which Commissioner Gordon is more than happy to oblige to while they enjoy their meal at the Berghoff). Thanks to "The Dark Knight", the owners of the bar created a special drink to celebrate their movie stardom: the Dark Knight Bar Special. It's a stein of Dark Lager with a shot of Bourbon. Batman would be proud.

The Twin Anchors Restaurant is another great Chicago establishment. Located in the historic Old Town neighborhood, the Twin Anchors is another one of Chicago's oldest restaurants. Known primarily for their BBQ Ribs, Twin Anchors Restaurant has also been known as a former hang out to the great, late, Frank Sinatra. You can see why Twin Anchors is considered a "Must Visit" when in Chicago: delicious food, along with an above average beer selection and a great neighborhood ambiance... all recipes for success. In addition, now they can claim to be the bar where Two-Face starts to extract his revenge on those he feels wronged him. In a pivotal scene, Harvey Dent, now known as Two-Face, tracks down one of the corrupt officers who betrayed Commissioner Gordon's trust and in doing so, set up the events that would transform Harvey into Two-Face. The corrupt officer is sitting at the bar when Two-Face approaches him and let's his "lucky coin" decide his fate. Thanks to "The Dark Knight" you can enjoy a free beer if you bring in your movie stub (so save your Dark Knight movie stub). Reason enough to check out Twin Anchors.

Based on the response we received from the Dark Knight Bar Night event, you can expect us to relive the Gotham City experience again. Keep checking BeerBin.com periodically as we will keep every citizen posted on when we will visit Gotham City again.

Berghoff is located at 17 West Adams Street, in the Loop, Downtown area of Chicago, IL, USA. Phone: (312) 427-3170. Website: http://www.theberghoff.com/

Berghoff is Highly Recommended by Gonzalo

Twin Anchors Restaurant is located at 1655 North Sedgwick Street in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, IL, USA. Phone: (312) 266-1616. Website: http://twinanchorsribs.com/

Twin Anchors Restaurant is Highly Recommended by Gonzalo

BAR REVIEW: Miramar in a suburb north of Chicago named Highwood, IL.

Generally, I try to avoid the Suburbs when it comes to drinking or dinning. The City of Chicago has plenty of restaurants and bars to keep me satisfied. From time to time though, you hear of restaurants in the Suburbs worth venturing out to. Miramar Bistro, Bar & Banquets in the suburb of Highwood is worth leaving the confines of the city for. Located conveniently by the Highwood Metra Station on the corner of Highwood Avenue and Waukegan Ave, Miramar catches your attention from the moment you set eyes on it.

This corner restaurant is a cross between a French Bistro and a Cuban Bar. White rectangular tiles adorn the walls and Parisian-style taps await you at the bar. Beer wise, Miramar has a small but distinguished beer selection. It brings a joy to my soul to see Goose Island Beer outside the City of Chicago, and Miramar pours a nice glass of Goose Island 312. Speaking of pouring, the bartender pours a great glass of Stella Artois. There is a right way to pour Stella Artois and most bars ignore the pouring method outlined by Stella Artois, but Miramar comes the closest. A perfect head on every Stella Artois chalice!

Another beverage you should try at Miramar is a Mojito. Very few bars I have visited in the States make a great Mojito. Miramar does its Cuban influence proud by serving an excellent Mojito!

Of course, the food is worth trying as well. Miramar is after all a bistro first, and a bar second. Few restaurants do such a great job of mixing all the elements of a wonderful evening quite like Miramar does. My only complaint, if any, is that Miramar is located in Highwood instead of being conveniently located in the River North area of Chicago. Trust me though; the trip up north to Highwood, Illinois is well worth it.

Miramar Bistro, Bar & Banquets is located at 301 Waukegan Avenue in Highwood, Illinois, USA. Phone (847) 433-1078. Website: http://miramarbistro.com/index.html

Miramar Bistro, Bar & Banquets is Highly Recommended by Gonzalo

A fair representation of the nightlife scene of Chicago, Illinois is on display at the Rush/Division Area. Locals and out-of-towners gather to drink and celebrate any occasion at the area in and around Division Street and Rush Street. A lot of the hip, trendy restaurants can be found on Rush Street, while the late-night bars are found on Division Street. By late-night, I mean the parties don’t stop till 5 a.m. on Saturday nights. The Rush/Division Area is practically the only area in Chicago that boasts plenty of late-late-night bars (the other area is the Greek town area).

The Rush/Division Area offers you plenty of drinking options. Favorites like Mother's Too, Finn McCool's and Butch McGuire's are found on Division Street. The reason I list these bars as "favorites" is because they offer you more than just the standard "light beers" and Guinness. Goose Island beer, Hacker-Pschorr and some other surprise brews are found at these favorite bars. Of course though, if you are visiting the Rush/Division Area, chances are you are not necessarily worried about what kind of beer they have on tap. You are more interested in the "eye candy" at the bars. Well, fear not reader, the beautiful people of Chicago and the world converge at the Rush/Division nightlife scene. People from all walks of life gather to have fun and make mistakes in the Rush/Division Area

When the music fades and the sun begins to rise, be ready to get a serious case of "the munchies." Some bars in the Rush/Division area have kitchens that stay open late, like Dublin Bar & Grill, but for the most part be ready to munch on gyros, hot dogs, burgers or pizza. This food is readily available to you at the late-night food establishments of Division Street.

My suggestion on how to make your Rush/Division Area experience that much more enjoyable: rent a Trolley from Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co.. There is something special about renting a Trolley, filling it up with booze and cruising the streets of Downtown Chicago as you embark on your next drinking destination. You might be wondering why you would want to rent a Trolley when all the bars in the Rush/Division Area are easily in walking distance. Well my answer to you: Why not?

Trolley or no Trolley, a good time will be had by all at the Rush/Division Area.

BAR REVIEW: Crossroads Public House in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, IL

One of the newest bars to join the Lincoln Park drinking scene is Crossroads Public House. Located on Clark Street, north of Wrightwood Avenue, this fresh bar has all the makings of a great drinking establishment: decent beer selection, good food specials, TV's, Videogames and plenty of opportunity for chatter with the locals. Crossroads Public House is so new, that it has the "new car smell."

The most fantastic drink/food special I have ever seen across Chicagoland is found at Crossroads Public House. They call it the "Ultimate Friday Deal." For $20 you can eat and drink all you want from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on every Friday. Granted, the special is only for a limited time, but what a special! Pizza, Pasta, Corn Dogs, Tater Tots, Miller Lite, Well drinks and more are offered all for $20 on Fridays. It basically breaks down to around $5 an hour for unlimited food and drinks. A cannot miss deal, catch it while it is still around.

Crossroads Public House is located at 2630 North Clark Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Phone: (773) 248-3900. Website: http://www.crossroadspublichouse.com/

Crossroads Public House is Recommended by Gonzalo

BAR REVIEW: DeLux Bar & Grill in the River West neighborhood of Chicago, IL

From the mastermind behind the infamous (and former) Lincoln Park bar known as Parkway, comes a local city bar with the friendly atmosphere of suburban bar: DeLux Bar & Grill. Situated in the up and coming neighborhood of River West on Milwaukee Avenue, DeLux Bar & Grill offers plenty of incentives for you to keep coming back for more. The food menu is one of the main reasons why this local River West bar has found a special place in my heart. From the finger-licking good Chicken Wings to the Sloppy Joes to the Buffalo Chicken Wrap, DeLux offers you the typical bar food, but adds an important ingredient: flavor. All the food items at DeLux taste good sober or wasted.

Now as for the beer menu, DeLux offers mainly bottled beers. The only draft beers DeLux offers (currently) are Guinness, Newcastle and Blue Moon. Having only 3 draft beers may cause a problem if you want fresh tasting beer. Fortunately, the 3 beers they do have on tap are fan favorites.

When I visited DeLux on a Sunday, I noticed how there was more than 1 NFL fan base present. Of course you had your Chicago Bears fans, but you also had Cleveland Browns fans, Dallas Cowboys fans and New York Jets fans. This melting pot of fans creates a unique football environment at DeLux. Each fan base stakes its claim in one area of the bar and they proceed to cheer their team and jeer your team.

DeLux Bar & Grill is located at 669 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Phone: (312) 850-4008. Website: www.deluxchicago.com

DeLux is Recommended by Gonzalo

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BAR REVIEW: The Local Option in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL

One of the great beer bars in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL is THE LOCAL OPTION. Ever since a new owner purchased it in October of 2006, the bar has gone through some changes. When you walk into the bar now you may notice how it no longer has that "dive bar smell" it once had. You will also notice how the bar is a little bit brighter, not just because of the new paint job, but because of the neighborhood bar aura it now emits. The Local Option has been a Lincoln Park staple since the late 1980's, but for the most part it was a staple of the nightlife. With the new changes, the bar now feels like a local gathering place through out the day.

I'm almost forgetting to mention the biggest change of the bar: the impressive beer list. The Local Option went from having your typical light beers on taps to having an impressive import selection on tap. From the micro brews to the Belgium ales, The Local Option has become a haven for beer drinkers. They did manage to keep their delicious food menu, which was one of the reasons to visit the tavern. So not only do they have a fantastic beer menu, they have a delicious food menu, a powerful combination for any pub.

The Local Option is located at 1102 W Webster Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. Their phone number is (773) 348-2008.

The Local Option is Highly Recommended by Gonzalo

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BAR REVIEW: Rockit Bar & Grill in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, IL www.rockitbarandgrill.com

No other Downtown Chicago bar mixes the hip factor of a new nightclub with the trendy factor of a new restaurant like "Rockit Bar & Grill" on Hubbard Street. This bar and grill brings everything that makes going out fun and exciting into a cool warehouse-type space in the River North neighborhood. You go to Rockit to see and be seen. The 2 floors that make up Rockit are filled with young professionals, trendsetters, established professionals and drinkers. Each floor has its own bar and vibe. The 1st floor has the restaurant vibe since you can sit down and enjoy a fantastic meal. The 2nd floor has the lounge vibe since you can play pool or crowd around the lounge seats. As far as the beer selection goes, it has your standard favorites accompanied with some unique selections. My suggestion: order a glass of Honker's Ale and the Rockit Burger off the Entree Menu. Yes, the Rockit Burger comes with a steep price of $19, but if you had to pay around twenty dollars for a burger, the Rockit Burger gets my vote. The combination of Goose Island Honker's Ale and a Rockit Burger makes you crave more even after you are done!

A great destination if you are in the River North area of Downtown Chicago, Rockit Bar & Grill does what a Chicago drinking establishment should do: provide you with a good time!

Rockit Bar & Grill is located at 22 West Hubbard Street in Chicago, IL. Phone: (312) 645-6000. Website: www.rockitbarandgrill.com

Rockit Bar & Grill is Highly Recommended by Gonzalo

BAR REVIEW: BREHON PUB

When you come across the northeast corner of Wells Street & Superior Street, you will notice an old fashioned Chicago building with a distinct Irish coat of arms hanging outside the building, this is the location of the River North neighborhood pub known as Brehon Pub. One of my first impressions of the pub was how it felt like I was in a "Chicago South Side Irish" pub. The decor inside is typical of a laid back pub you go to hang out in. The servers make you feel welcome and the beer keeps on flowing. I was very impressed to see that they offer Fat Tire on draft (you usually only find Fat Tire in bottles). In addition to Fat Tire, they have the Irish Trio (Guinness, Bass and Harps) and the standard beer found in Chicago bars. Brehon Pub does a great job of offering everything you would need to keep yourself occupied while hanging out: various wide screen TVs, a pool table, darts and plenty of character found through out the bar and the crowd. But do not confuse these offering as gimmicks, because as their slogan says: "Brehon Pub, serving Guinness not gimmicks since 1980."

Brehon Pub is located at 731 N. Wells Street in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, IL. Phone: (312) 642-1071. Website: www.brehonpub.com

BREHON PUB is Recommended by Gonzalo