With Girl Bar and Paris Dance gone the way of Anne and Ellen, the dyke disco landscape is feeling pretty barren. But there are options out there--sometimes it's just a matter of going to the right bar on the right night. Whether you're looking to keep the party going after the Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival (see sidebar) or just in the mood for a quiet pint, check out these spots.

T's Restaurant and Bar
Looking for a drama-free evening? This place will fit you to a T. Though this Andersonville hangout isn't a gay bar per se, lesbians have made the back bar into a sanctuary from dance floor melodrama. T's offers respectable bar fare, including a standout cheeseburger. Sunday afternoons you'll find the T's-sponsored lesbian flag football team huddled there to either celebrate or regroup with the $6 double pint special.

Star Gaze
When it comes to interior design, Star Gaze could be described as "lesbian (anything but) chic." The threadbare carpet has been patched with electrical tape and the buckled, '70s-era paneling looks ready to fall off the wall. The crowd of working-class Janes doesn't seem to mind. But what Star Gaze lacks in snob appeal its makes up for in sheer variety. It offers dart leagues, pool leagues, open mic poetry, karaoke, salsa dancing, weekend DJs spinning house and hip-hop-and a full kitchen, too.

Crobar
The newly remodeled Crobar is resurrecting Anthem Sundays, one of Chicago's biggest weekly gay dance parties. Around 1,000 people show up every week to shake it to house and techno. This week's DJ is Pete Crow. 9 p.m.-4 a.m. $20.

Berlin
Berlin's long-running lesbian night, Women's Obsession, is getting a makeover. Starting Nov. 26, Berlin will expand it to every Wednesday (instead of just the first three of the month). Drink $5 martinis and $2 shots with names so filthy we dare not print them. In December, Berlin will add weekly events such as free salsa lessons, open mic, Dykes on Drums and guest artists. 6 p.m.-midnight. $3 after 10 p.m.

Circuit
Get ready for erotic dancers, wet T-shirt contests and other titillations on the first and third Friday of the month. Chix Mix Productions, which has built a rep for its risque parties, presides over sexed-up theme nights like Spring Break and the Black Bra Party. DJs offer hip-hop, house, top 40 and salsa as women sweat up the cavernous dance floor. If you're looking to celebrate your inner butch, visit Circuit on the last Friday of the month when the Chicago Kings host a drag king party. Chix Mix nights: $5 before 10:30 p.m.; $10 after. Drag king shows: $8.

Big Wig
Blender, the new Sunday-night queer event at Wicker Park's Big Wig, includes S&M-leaning themes like School of Kink, featuring a professional dominatrix. Other events include Homo Reality, with a queer send-up of "Elimidate." Music varies week to week, from hip-hop to '80s. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. $5. 1551 W. Division St. 773-235-9100.

Chris LaMorte is a metromix special contributor.