The last time we went to The Boundary it got so noisy we had to shout our conversation. The music was so loud everybody had to raise their voices to speak over it. There was no question of enjoying the game. Sports fans sometimes like to discuss what they’re watching. Not here, not then. The Boundary seemed more interested in being a hip lounge with really cool music cranked way up.
Things have improved at The Boundary. Now you can have a conversation. But you still can’t listen to the game. There are 14 top quality hi-def TVs surrounding the massive central seating area and none of them plays sound from the broadcast. Thumping dance music still prevails, albeit at a less obnoxious level.
In the clean, well-kept men’s room a hi-def TV is strategically placed over the urinal so you won’t have to miss a minute of the action. Yet when I went to the bathroom the TV was not tuned to any sporting event, even though the Northwestern vs. Missouri game was in full swing (instead, I got to ponder a human interest story about children’s art) which is an indication of where The Boundary is at. Although it presents itself as an upscale sports bar, and has all the ingredients to make it work, it really doesn’t care much about sports, except as a backdrop, a conversation starter. The Boundary wants to be a singles bar, a hang-out for neighborhood yuppies, and thinks it might use sports to lure them in. And it’s right.
All two thousand square feet of its cavernous showroom-like space is filled with happy, chattering customers enjoying the roomy booths, the mile-long bar, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cozy flagstone fireplace, and – in the summer months – the sprawling sidewalk café, but very few of them are actually watching the game. Northwestern vs. Missouri in the Alamo Bowl was an unexpectedly exciting game. Hometown boys, Northwestern, were taking it to heavily favored Missouri, angling for a major upset. But you’d never have known it at The Boundary where hardly a peep was heard from the crowd. They must’ve been enjoying the music.
The food at Boundary is standard bar fare with a few creative twists. The burgers are better than average. And the beer selection runs to more than two dozen well considered bottles, although the selection of drafts is somewhat limited. The décor is upscale suburban, much in the style of a RAM Brewery or a Gordon Birsch, a proven template for attracting young, affluent singles, especially those eyeing a nice McMansion with two shiny SUV’s in the driveway, and an abiding interest, perhaps, in style over substance.
True sports bars, those with authenticity, are patronized by people who have a passion for sports, people who care about the outcome of a game, people who like to discuss it, and people who want to hear it. In a real sports bar hi-def TV’s are nice but not necessary. In a real sports bar thumping music doesn’t take precedent over the main event.
At The Boundary the trappings are all top-notch. It’s clean, cool and comfortable. The food is good. The service is adequate. Yet it lacks a heart for sports. Its heart is elsewhere and sports are just a pretext for taking you there.
The Boundary
1932 W. Division
773-278-1919 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: M-F 11am-2am; Sa 10am-3am; Su 10am-2am (kitchen open till 1 am nightly)
Features: Outdoor Dining, Late Night Dining, Fireplace
Avg. Price of a Meal for Two Including Drinks and Tax $55
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