July 23--Your grandma probably likes to tell you nothing good happens after midnight. Proving her wrong (sorry, Grams): the bartenders at Rec Room, a retro dance club/faux house party opening tonight underneath Henry's Swing Club in River North.
By club, I mean a curiously cool version of a '70s basement, with tufted leather couches, vintage glassware, a wood-paneled jukebox jerry-rigged to play songs for free and a fridge you can raid -- here it is -- at the stroke of midnight, for free, to grab pizza, Popsicles and fried chicken from County BBQ. (The barbecue restaurant, Rec Room and Henry's are all owned by DMK Restaurants, the group behind the eponymous burger bar.)
Hours are limited -- Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (3 a.m. Saturdays) -- but the space will have room to dance and plenty of drinks, from canned Miller High Life and Milwaukee's Best to bottled cocktails to punch bowls. After two hours of downing Feel the Beats (white rum, blackstrap rum, Dark Matter coffee, blueberry, lime) and Sunset Limiteds (gin, sloe gin, orange curacao, lemon), you'll be ready for the food.
Rec Room (18 W. Hubbard St., 312-955-8010, rec-room-chicago.com) opens Thursday, July 23 at 10 p.m. Table reservations are available (5-person, $700 minimum; email recroom@dmkrestaurants.com or call 773-397-3002 to book) but not required. Walk-up bar is cash only.
mconrad@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @marissa_conrad
