PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

As too many Wicker Park restaurants rise out of my price range, and Starbucks replaces Filter, the Earwax Cafe remains refreshingly the same. Don’t be disgusted by the name, which came from the record store in the same location on Milwaukee Avenue, near the North/Milwaukee/Division intersection in the heart of Wicker Park. The café is now a delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee spot. The Earwax Café makes a perfect place to relax with friends before a show at the Subterranean or after hunting for second-hand treasure at Myopic Books or Reckless Records.

Groups of friends can sit in one of the high-backed gold and red booths by the old circus posters of Ostrich Boy and the knife thrower and the golden horned dragon head on the wall. You can talk for hours over the bottomless coffee ($3.75) and eat breakfast at any time of day. Vegetarian or vegan friends can dine well on the meatless burgers made from soy, or black beans, tempeh (soy, barley and spices) and even a seitan chorizo burrito. I was impressed by the Reuben with seitan (wheat gluten) seasoned exactly like corned beef. I would recommend the chocolate soy shake with ribbons of chocolate syrup to anyone. Carnivores can go straight for the pulled pork sandwich ($7.50) or Jamaican Jerk chicken ($8.95) with mashed sweet potatoes and rice. Crunchy, gingery sesame coleslaw and seasoned thin French fries make excellent sides and the vegan carrot cake lets you claim that your dessert is socially responsible. Get all your daily servings of produce at once in the Garbage Salad ($8.95) with romaine, spinach, carrot, bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and honey mustard dressing.

There’s no wine or beer here, but a good selection of espresso coffee drinks and loose leaf teas like oo long, sassafras and medicinal teas to fight off a cold. The Blue Velvet berry smoothie and Peanut Butter Chocolate smoothie are fun and filling. If your friends need a good meal before or after hitting the nearby bars, Earwax Café is ready for you.

Be warned, Earwax Café is cash only. The flyers for local art and music shows covering the wall and the litany of graffiti in the bathroom keep it real. This is the type of humble punk art place that made Wicker Park cool to begin with. Look for videos to rent and independent magazines in the back and downstairs.