On the Beat with Eric St. Vaughn and Lisa Marie Varon at The Squared Circle

Last night, I enjoyed an evening in The Squared Circle.  No, I was not involved in a wrestling match, but I was watching wrestling with some wrestlers at a wrestler’s restaurant.  Even with all of that wrestling, this story isn’t really about wrestling.

This story is about The Squared Circle, a fantastic new restaurant on the near north side of Chicago.  It is owned by Chicagoan Lisa Marie Varon, a wrestler currently with TNA Impact Wrestling.  Varon is a multi-time champ in wrestling and fitness competitions, too.  More importantly, she is not a figurehead owner.  She is very “hands on” and visible at The Squared Circle.  She is also extremely sweet and fun!

Matt Parker and I met our friend Eric St. Vaughn of Resistance Pro Wrestling shortly before WWE Raw started.  The weekly wrestling show was being shown on most of the flat screen televisions at The Squared Circle.  Shortly after we arrived, Varon recognized us from several other events, gave us a warm greeting and actually joined us for a bit.

We started our meal with an appetizer of pizza wontons.  Our server highly recommended them and rightly so.  They were light and tasty.

ESV enjoyed his Long Island iced tea, while Matt and I were pleased with the quality of the Coke.  Believe it or not, fountain Coke can vary from place to place.  The Squared Circle served an excellent Coke.

For our main meal, we dined on the thin crust grilled chicken pizza.  It was cooked to golden-brown perfection.  There are also many other intriguing pizza options, including a deep dish pizza called The Squared Circle.

Halfway through the night, two other wrestlers we know, Matt Knicks and Chris Castro arrived with a couple more friends.  We chatted for a while and were joined by Varon again.

We finished our meal with a heaping plate of nachos.  They were fresh, crisp, spicy and delicious.  They also came with chicken or pulled pork.

The Squared Circle is not just limited to pizza though.  Cheese stuffed burgers are a main attraction there.  For the lighter side, there are a few excellent sounding salads.  Fries, Jonny corn, garlic mashed potatoes and white truffle mac and cheese pretty much round out the menu.

As we were leaving, we got ESV’s thoughts on his experience at The Squared Circle.  Near the end of the interview, we were joined by a surprise guest…Varon herself.

While Varon and the wrestling connection were the first draw to get us to The Squared Circle, the restaurant passed our test and we will definitely be returning.  Aside from the outstanding food, the atmosphere was lively without being crazy.  The service staff was very helpful and friendly.  This is exactly the type of place I would love in my neighborhood.  At about twenty minutes from my home, it is definitely worth the drive and I will be back.

Varon has been a winner many times inside the squared circle during her long and successful career.  Now, however, Varon appears to have a winner in The Squared Circle.