Chequers of Lagrange, La Grange

With its dark-wood storefront facing old-fashioned street lamps and the upstanding lines of the brick train station across the street, Chequers falls right into line with the village feel of downtown LaGrange. Once inside, however, it's clear that the village the pub means to evoke is somewhere deep within England: beer-battered fish and chips sizzle from the kitchen, Newcastle foams from the taps, and in back stands a red phone booth rumored to have birthed Dr. Who, Queen Elizabeth, and Winston Churchill on the same cold, gray day. On chilly nights, fireplaces burn in both the dining room and the English garden, where up to 50 carousers can gather around the 50-inch plasma TV.