#21 - Try 12 New Restaurants in Chicago

**1 - Summer House Santa Monica
1/7/19 with Nicole Garton

I managed to grab lunch with Nicole for Chicago Restaurant Week at Summer House, a gorgeous, space that I've always wanted to try but didn't want to spend the money. Well, thank you Restaurant Week because I learned that Summer House is really reasonable. While my $24 Restaurant Week lunch included an amazing butternut squash soup (I know, so basic, but I'm a sucker for soup), a great turkey burger with shoestring fries, and dessert, I could have gotten the soup and turkey burger for under $24, which means that an actual, one-course lunch only would have been around $15, with tip. Plus, the staff is cheerful, the space is bright and summery, and it just has a nice vibe. Can't wait to go back!

Goat dumplings
I LOVE DUMPLINGS

**2 - Duck Duck Goat
1/9/19 with Elizabeth Pearson and Michael Bigelow

As soon as I realized Restaurant Week was coming up, I found a list of the best places to try, and there I read, Duck Duck Goat was doing a $24 dim sum menu on the weekends. Um... WHAT. I LOVE Stephanie Izard and I LOVE dim sum. I made reservations immediately. I After amazing experiences at Girl and the Goat and Little Goat, plus my love of Asian flavors, I was SO stoked to try Duck Duck Goat. I was getting back from a conference the night before, so I could be sure to get plenty of sleep and then enjoy some dim sum with 3 other lucky people.

And then I checked my schedule. I was getting back from my conference THAT day. I panicked. I went to change my reservation. NO MORE AVAILABLE. Nooooooooooooooo!

Then, something happened. That something was the polar vortex. You didn't know a polar vortex could do good, did you? But it did. Due to the terrible cold in Chicago this year, Restaurant Week extended a week. And my delightful coworker, scratch that, REAL FRIEND, Stephanie Souvenir snapped up a reservation for me... but she made it for 1:30pm. And that day, I had the Whaddayaknow Trivia Tournament of Champions. At 1:00pm. I went to find another reservation. No luck. This was not meant to be.

And then, Stephanie said she looked again and there WERE earlier reservations. Once last try, and, SUCCESS! 11:00am! I texted my trivia team, and Elizabeth and Michael, were all like, HELL YES (or something like that).

So we went to brunch fully expecting to study over our delightful meal. But no. We could barely speak to each other the food was so good. And it felt like it wouldn't be enough, but then, somehow, it was. It was the perfect amount of tasty bites. We took our time, enjoyed our meal, and then quizzed each other on musicals on the Lyft ride to the tournament.

Delightful.

Possibly the best dessert I've ever had:
Seasame doughnuts with a seasame whipped cream

**3 - Dancen
1/9/19 with Ashley Russell and Chris Zann

So I did the Duck Duck Goat thing and then the Whaddayaknow Trivia of Champs thing and then some post-tourney celebrations and socializing, and then Ashley demanded food, and he wanted Korean food, and specifically Korean food at this spot he'd heard about. It was quite out of the way, but damn, thank you, Ashley!

We entered this weird little spot with a huge bar/grill and a few tables with a few people at them. Ashley and I both had eyes bigger than our stomachs and ordered food enough for five people, some of it too spicy for Zann, so it was like two people trying to eat four meals. It. Was. Good. All of it.

I went home with plenty of leftovers and was curious if it had been the drinks in my system that made the food so good. I warmed them up the next day for lunch, and nope, even leftover, everything was awesome. I will definitely be going back.

*4 - Two Lights Seafood & Oyster
4/11/19 with Laura Masters

It's hard to give this place an honest rating because I had a frustrating day, and all of that was relieved by the company. I was so happy to spend some time with my friend after many months of only seeing each other in groups or not at all.

We had some nice, light cocktails and split a few different dishes: some octopus, a crab dip, and a lobster roll. All were nice.

The rest of my joy of this night was lots of time catching up with my dear friend!

5 - Labriola
7/17/19 with Stephanie Punda, Sarah Hardin, Shaun Cooley, Danielle Arens, Maureen McGonagle, John Washo, Scott Vandermoon, Sabrina Wilson, Leanne Surmin, Stephanie Souvenir, and Gale Stewart

Another lovely staff retreat with DePaul! This time Stephanie Punda made a reservation to have us try the real "best deep dish in Chicago." Turns out, I think I really  just don't like deep dish. I like Lou's the best because it's the least deep dishy. Gimme dat Detroit style, New York style, or woodfired any day. But enough with the deep dish. It's heavy. It's bready. It's not that flavorful.

I said what I said.

Other than that, the salads were tasty and the ambiance was much nicer than most of the deep dish chains in the city. It was fine.

*6 - Francois Frankie
8/1/19 with Laura Masters

Laura made us another fun reservation prior to a show (Come From Away--HIGHLY recommend) at a very new restaurant in town, Francois Frankie. It's a playful French restaurant with a carousel bar, which rotates incredibly slowly, making a full revolution every 88 minutes.

I had some great wine and Laura and I both tried the French onion soup and then shared a few smaller plates. The French onion soup was soooo good. The broth was flavorful and soaked into the croutons perfectly. The melted cheese on top was toasted just enough and was the most creamy cheese I've ever had on a soup. Then, we shared the hummus platter, which was presented like a seafood tower and actually had more crisp veggies than we needed. The garlic shrimp was quite a delight, arriving in a hot skillet and brimming with crispy garlic goodness.

Everything was great and just in soup and sharing two other small plates, were were stuffed.

We did, however, come back after the show for more drinks and were lucky enough to meet the owner. It was fun to be able to rave about our whole experience, including the servers by name.

I will totally come back.

*7 - Cochon Volant
8/19/19 with Chris Zann

We'll, I'm free now. I work wherever, whenever, so that also means I can go whenever, wherever, which means I can lunch wherever, whenever, with whomever, so I had my first remote working lunch with my best of buddies, Zann. We classed it up and went to Cochon in the Loop. I had a fantastic BLT and ice tea. Zann had a Cuban. It was the perfect lunch to set the tone for my new, free life. He even pointed me to a cool spot to work for the afternoon: Revival Food Hall. I'm pretty stoked to connect with friends and explore new places in this very delightful city of ours.

*8 - Chicago Q
8/21/19 with Clint Ruch

Yep, two lunch dates with two good buddies in one week! This time I met up with Clint at a nice barbeque spot on the near north side. I had a delightful pulled pork sandwich and coleslaw, snacked on the homemade chips, and pickles, and had yet another delightful iced tea. I certainly shouldn't make it a habit to have my lunches at such nice places, but goodness, was it ever nice to splurge on good food and good company in the middle of a work day twice in one week.

*9 - Cafe Kanela
11/7/19 with Nicole Garton

As Nicole has a new work space in Old Town, we tried out a new lunch spot in Old Town. Cafe Kanela is rumored to be the best breakfast in Chicago. I can't vouch for that (Tweet is pretty spectacular), but I did have a fantastic lox-bagel breakfast, and Nicole loved her food too. Plus, it was pretty laid back for a late lunch on a weekday. Definitely worth going back!

#26 - Visit 52 New Buildings in Chicago (Fail)

I'm sure those of you who are taking the time to read this think this is a strange item to add. However, every time I enter a cool space in Chicago, I think, "Wow. This city has limitless amazing spaces." So I made it a list item to see them. Not all of the following are amazing. But some really are.

Outside of The Pink Squirrel & Deadbolt

However, this was a really tough list item to track. I remembered at the start of the year but slowly forgot this was one of my list items. So it's possible I hit it and just don't remember other buildings I visited! And part of the point was to take pictures to show the range, and I definitely didn't do that. Oh well!

1 - 2412 N. Milwaukee
1/9/18, with Stephanie Souvenir and Denisse Ocasio
This building spans a few addresses and houses several businesses. I walk by it weekly on my way to host trivia. It's not what I had in mind when I wrote this item, but I'm counting all of the buildings. This building houses both The Pink Squirrel and Deadbolt, which I wrote about in my post about going to 12 new bars. It's a pretty basic one-story business, but the spaces within it are really different and well designed.

2 - 5625 N. Broadway
1/13/18
Again, not the space I was imagining when I went to Northside Toyota to get my oil changed. Their garage is a huge indoor space. It was a frigid day, and even though the two garage doors were constantly opening, heaters were coordinated to blast just the right amount of heat to keep it comfortable. I couldn't believe how many cars they fit in such a tight space. There was constant movement. And so much light from above. Really quite a lovely space that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed.
n I came up with this list item, but the first where I was aware of being in a new space. It was actually quite fascinating once I took notice.

3 - 1100 W. Bryn Mawr
1/13/18
While waiting for my oil to get changed, I ran down the street to get some food. Nookies Edgewater was right there, so I gave it a try. This space is way different than Nookies Too. It has a more modern, upscale vibe, though the service felt more like a slow-paced diner. Lots cooler spaces out there, but big enough that it didn't feel overwhelmingly busy and rushed.

4 - 5050 N. Sheridan
1/15/18
I tried out Crossfit at Primary Crossfit. A big, open, Crossfitty-type space.

5 - 2524 N. Orchard St.
1/16/18
I was assigned to observe my class at St. Clement's School in Lincoln Park. It was exactly what you'd think: an old, urban, Catholic school. But with a gym with a TON of sweet equipment.

6 - 2607 W. 17th St
1/16/18
I went to a fundraiser at Lagunitas Chicago for 826 Chicago. What a really cool space. I've been to a lot of breweries, but this. was. huge. It's playfully painted all the way through. When you walk in, you're greeted by a host and a loooonnnggg underwatery hallway with the chimes from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory song. There are a few event spaces. We were in the bar area, on the third floor, but the third floor hallway windows overlook another space, a huge, purple game room where another event was taking place. The bar looked like a cozy bar, except the windows overlook the warehouse floor and all the brewing space. It's like being in a bar in a treehouse above a sea of beer. Then, there are catwalks all the way through the warehouse space where you can wander and watch people checking the giant casks, packing things, fixing things... Really a brewery wonderland. This is the kind of new space I had in mind when I made this list item. So glad I now know of yet another amazing place to visit and take visitors here in Chicago.

7 - 1102 W. Webster
1/25/18 with Nicole Garton and John Washo
We deviated from our usual happy hour spots this week, including a stop at Local Option with Nicole & John. It's definitely a bit craft beer, dark references (lots of 666s around the bar) pretentious but also great beer options. The server asked me what kind of beer I like, and I said whiskey, and he said they only had Maker's Mark and Jameson. So apparently they're not whiskey snobby. Or they're so whiskey snobby that that's what the owner likes so that's all there is. Either way, I made do.

8 - 2728 W. Armitage
1/30/18 with Drea Stoit
Chicago Restaurant Week at Table, Donkey, Stick with Drea Stoit! Detailed here.

9 - 1800 N. Lincoln
2/13/18 with Nicole Garton and Stephanie Souvenir
Another 2 Bar Tuesday in the books! Laura Masters made the suggestions but couldn't make it to join us. The happy hour drink specials here are decent $5 bubbles and drafts. The food looked interesting but was a little more than I was looking to spend. The space was very modern and clean. Lots of lines and low, almost 70's style decor. I really liked one wall that had keys hung on it like an old timey hotel. I would definitely go back for the ambiance.

10 - 1612 N. Sedgewick
2/13/18 with Nicole Garton
Second stop for 2 Bar Tuesday with just Nicole. The bar itself was my kind of bar. A little divey but still interesting. I think it's a rugby bar, which could be good or bad. Not an impressive space but a bar I'd like to return to.

11 - 2357 N. Milwaukee
2/15/18 with Laura Masters and Beth Jager
Always gotta grab one more week when out with Laura Masters!

12 - 401 N. Morgan
2/23/18 with Laura Masters, Megan Morrison, Missy Liebs, and others
Tickled Pink Gala!

13 - 4229 N. Lincoln
3/13/18 with Leanne Surmin and Drea Stoit
Oops. Misplanned 2 Bar Tuesday but wound up in a new place!

14 - 737 W. Wrightwood
4/23/18 with Norris Narsa, Angela Howard, Edric Cruz, Jessica Ornelas, and Ahmed Atia
What a cool little event space for such a bittersweet event: Wishing Norris and Angela best wishes on their journey to life on the west coast. I miss them dearly!


15 - 108 N. Green
4/2/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Theresa Chen, and others
A night out watching the NCAA Men's Basketball final.

16 - 113-125 N. Green
4/2/18 with Laura Masters and Alan Lee
A pop over to Fox Bar after a tough Michigan loss. What a cool space. Really beautiful and pockets that vary in look, from bright and spacious to small and cozy.

17 - 1851 W. Addison
4/10/18 with Missy Liebs and Holly Zann
I love this bar.

18 - 1055 W. Argyle
4/19/18
Pho. Yum.

19 - 1604 W. Chicago
4/22/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Missy Liebs, Megan Voss, Megan Daly, Stephanie Loring, Brandon Loring, Scott Jensen
Brunchin' at Beatnik with some of my favs!

20 - 724 W. Wrightwood
4/27/18 with Nicole Garton
We stopped at Burwood Tap on a walk further north just to see what it was like. It was a bigger space than I thought. It had a combo cabin-dive bar vibe, which I dug.

21 - 2728 N. Milwaukee
4/27/18 with Nicole Garton and Stephanie Punda
When transitioning from happy hour into a night out, it's always best to stop for dinner! We stopped at Renaldi's After Dark this week. It was fine. Actually I really liked the space. We went to the bar side, which is dark and small but has a large bar in the middle with stools circling. Then, upstairs, there's a little lounge that they've decorated interestingly with space for live music. I dug the space. Not the pizza.

22 - 1901 N. Clybourn
5/16/18 on recommendation from Leanne Surmin
My first trip to the chiropractor. I love this space. If I had an office not on a campus, I'd love to be a redesigned, old Chicago building with old hardwood floors and bare, brick walls. Such a pretty space.

23 - 150 N. Dearborn
5/17/18
Petterino's for a DePaul School for New Learning alumni night


24 - 3166 N. Clark
5/26/18 with Nicole Garton, Stephanie Punda, Leanne Surmin, Stephanie Souvenir, and John Washo
Wing Woman Night lunch at Ceaser's Killer Margaritas

25 - 815 W. Van Buren
6/7/18 with Matt Specht, Dave Merrill, Christian Kopp, Stephanie Souvenir, Nicole Garton, Stephanie Punda, Maureen McGonagle, Gale Stewart, Scott Vandermoon

Loved the Google Chicago spaces

25 - 320 N. Morgan
6/19/18 with Justin Phillips, John Washo, Leanne Surmin, Maureen McGonagle, Gale Stewart, Sarah Hardin, Scott Vandermoon, Rees Grant, Stephanie Souvenir, Stephanie Punda, Courtney Griffin, Nicole Garton
Such a cool trip to the Chicago Google Headquarters. I LOVED the local graffiti-type art. Gorgeous. Just a really cool space.

26 - 1200 W. Randolph
6/19/18 with Robin Heggum
We saw Roxane Gay!

27 - Unsure
6/19/18 with all the folks listed above at Google.
We had part of our summer retreat the Brailsford and Dunlavey offices in Chicago. The conference room was small, but the views were incredible.


28 - 1307 S. Wabash
6/24/18 with Laura Masters, Nicole Garton, and Jerry Munk
We had dinner at Lobo Rey.

29 - 1454 S. Michigan
6/23/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Eileen, Nicole Garton, and Jerry Munk
After dinner, we had a stop at Vice District Taproom in the South Loop. We played Taboo. I enjoyed the space in that it was a comfortable place to hang out and there were chalkboards everywhere. I wish they had fresh pieces of chalk for easier writing, but I enjoy a place that lets its guests leave their mark.

30 - 5358 N. Clark
7/8/18 with Ryan Groth
So happy to have a little Sunday Funday with my SD buddy Ryan. We hit up a few spots I knew but then also stopped in Replay in Andersonville to take advantage of the open windows on a gorgeous day. We did not take advantage of the free game play but maybe next time!

31 - 12  S. Michigan
7/15/18 with Grace Bagunu
We popped up to Cindy's in the Chicago Athletic Club. The inside was cool but I was expecting a bit more from the "rooftop" everyone raves about. It's just a balcony, though granted, a balcony with a beautiful view.


32 - 212 N. Green
8/3/18 with Nicole Green
A stop at the new Ballast Point location that I had no idea existed until Nicole came to town with some beer-knowledgeable friends. I don't really drink beer anymore but I had a taster or two in honor of my former San Diego life where I did drink beer.

33 - Unsure
8/22/18 with Rebeca Matus and friends
I was in a church somewhere on Ashland(?) for Rebeca's wedding. I can't seem to find the exact location. It was the only church I was in all year, and it was incredibly beautiful.


34 - 820 W. Lake St
9/1/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Megan Daly, Beth Jager, Missy Liebs, and Scott Jensen
I hit up Momotaro for Masters' birthday with some delightful company. What a gorgeous space. We were seated upstairs where we could look through the glass wall to the staircase and down at the bar. I didn't take any photos but I should have! The dinner details are here.

35 - 3123 N. Clybourn
sometime in September with JJ
A trip to the emergency vet with JJ: she's fine.

36 - 1136 W. Lawrence
11/9/18
A fun night out with Souvenir!

37 - 1550 N. Fremont
12/1/18
I got to meet Stephanie Izard in a Williams Sonoma that looks way bigger on the inside than the outside!

38 - 2936 N. Southport
I went to a show with Michael Bigelow at The Athenaem. The space itself was not as nice and as I thought. I wish it had the old theater specialness, but it just seems like a run-down theater.

39 - 108 N. State St.
12/6/18 with Laura Masters, Missy Liebs, Megan Morrison, and Carrie Kalita

#24 - Try 12 New Restaurants in Chicago (Fail)

1 - Nookies Edgewater

1/13/18
I rarely go out for breakfast, but I like that I started this item in January with a start-of-the-day meal. I was at Northside Toyota getting my oil change, and it was going to be a bit, so I went down the street to grab some food. I've been to the one of the other locations, Nookies Too, mostly after many drinks in my 20's. This Nookies location is a bit more like a restaurant than the others. I had the corned beef hash and some ice tea. Both were enjoyable but nothing to go back for. I did like the option of tomatoes as a side. Still, a nice treat to have a meal out!

2 - Table, Donkey, Stick
1/30/18 with Drea Stoit
One of the best events in Chicago is Restaurant Week. People who have never lived here often do not know how flipping phenomenal the food is in this city. I mean, it's consistently rated as one of the very best foodie cities in the world. We even have Alinea, which I will never be able to afford to go to. Hell, I can't afford many of the top-notch restaurants in Chicago... except during Restaurant Week. I've had some very memorable meals. This year, Drea and I went to Table, Donkey, Stick. I liked it fine. But I also did a bad job making choices.

For my first course, I had the duck liver mousse. That was fantastic. Really smooth and flavorful.

For my second course, I had some kind of chic pea salad kind of thing. I didn't really get it, but it was fresh and filling.

For my third course, I ordered the pork shoulder. That was my mistake and completely my fault. When Drea was deciding what to order, she asked the server about the pork shoulder. The server said it was really good and described it as tasting more hammy than you might think. Well, I hate ham. Always have. So I asked her to clarify. Because I like prosciutto and many things ham-adjacent, but I do not like ham. She said she thought I'd probably still like it then. I didn't. It was so hammy. Like, not so hammy that I didn't eat it. I did. But the whole time I was thinking, yeah, this tastes a lot like ham. And I don't like ham. So that's my bad.

Their wine list was short but the server was super knowledgeable, so I was very happy with my wine. And when I'm happy with the wine and 2 of the 3 courses, hey, that's a good meal.

Plus, it was nice to catch up with Drea as we've only seen each other in busy groups since I've been back. It was a lovely choice for Restaurant Week!

I took no pictures of my food.

3 - Maggiano's
1/23/18 with Maureen McGonagle, Gale Stewart, John Washo, Scott Vandermoon, Nicole Garton, Leanne Surmin, Stephanie Punda, Sabrina Wilson, Shaun Cooley

I've been hearing about Maggiano's for over a year now. Apparently it's Moe's favorite restaurant and we lunch there regularly during work retreats. But I'd never been.

It was definitely much fancier than I was expecting. I had the chicken piccate. Um... yum. I probably could have done the lower-cal version of something as it was quite buttery, but for the bites where I could forget about the guilt.... delicious.

Plus, we spent the whole meal talking about cats and I didn't have to drop a dime. Delightful.

4 - Hei Yen
4/19/18

Thanks to a promotion with Heartful Editor, I was able to quit my regular gig hosting trivia with Whaddayaknow. Honestly, I flippin love hosting trivia and working for Whaddayaknow, and the only reason I stepped down was because the hours are just too rough on me. Since gigs don't start until 7/7:30pm and I finish my full-time job around 5:00pm, I just always felt like I was wasting those in-between hours and those extra 2 hours felt more like 4-5 hours, which makes for a very, very long day. However, if I can ever swap my schedule around, I will totally pick back up with trivia again (if Dan will have me).

Because I finally had my Thursday evenings free, I was able to check out Third Thursdays on Argyle. I'm not really sure if this is an ongoing thing or was just a trial run. It's supposed to be several businesses that have deals on the 3rd Thursday of every month. I decided to check out Hei Yen. I had some pho. It was good. I still like a few other places down the street better, but I will totally go back there to try other things, particularly as I heard a woman at another table raving about some dish they have that she can't find wherever she's from, so she comes back every time she's in town. I'm not sure I got the discount, but hey, new place, yay!

5 - Beatnik's
4/22/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Missy Liebs, Scott Jensen, Megan Daly, Megan Voss, etc.

Masters was back at it again with the organizing of fun events. She got us a reservation at Beatnik's, and there must have been 25 of us there. Yes, we were one of those annoying giant brunch groups. And we had nothing to celebrate except brunch together.

Masters and I split a bottle for mimosas and I had the smoked salmon toast. I tasted a few other things. The food was very good, but the portions were very small, so for the price, there are better brunch spots. But the ambiance, whoa. This place is gorgeous. So overdone to the point that it's perfection. I really, really enjoyed the space. And the company.

6 - City Winery
6/29/18 with Robin Heggum


7 - Lobo Rey
6/23/18 with Jerry Munk and Nicole Garton

Nicole, Jerry, and I headed down to the South Loop for a food truck fest and to meet Masters and the gang. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the fest was at capacity and not letting anyone else in. But... we were also pretty far into our Sunday Funday, so we really needed some food. We met the gang at Lobo Rey and had some Mexican food that was decent but the service took forever. I'd consider going back and giving it another shot as the space was really cool and Masters and Alan rave about it, but I wasn't super impressed.

8 - Beatrix
7/22/18 with Tara Edberg

Tara was in town and we were able to grab dinner. Since she was staying downtown, I did a little Yelp search for something reasonably priced by high rated near Michigan Ave... yes, those places to exist! I found Beatrix, which had more ratings for brunch but also looked good for dinner. The vibe had more of a brunch/lunch spot because there's a coffee/pastry shop in the the entry way, but the seating area was nice and trendy.

I had some wine and the cheese ravioli. It wasn't as much food as I was hoping for, but everything was really good. And it's not that the portions were unreasonable, but without any decent side options, it was a weirdly small amount in just getting one dish, and it would have been weird to get two. There were some apps, but we weren't really in the mood for those.

So overall, it was fine.

9 - Momotaro
9/1/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Missy Liebs, Scott Jansen, and Megan Daly

We hit up Momotaro for Masters' birthday. The drinks and service were excellence. The big shocker for me is that the best thing I think we had was the friend rice. The sushi, salads, and soup were good, but the fried rice was a game changer.

10 - Roanoke
11/15/18 with Laura Masters and Beth Jager

Masters made us reservations for dinner before I went off to see Miss Saigon with work buddies. They had a prix fix menu for theater goers, so we jumped on that. I had a beet salad, huge, tasty steak with potatoes, and panna cotta ice cream. Super good.

11 - Pueblo
12/6/18 with Laura Masters, Missy Liebs, Megan Morrison, and Carrie Kalita

Pueblo is tucked in a mall that is tucked into a huge building on State Street. I had no idea there was even a mall there. None of us had ever been, so we went for dinner before going to see The Play That Goes Wrong. The service was slow and the food was overpriced--though in a touristy area, so that makes sense--but everything was tasty. I likely won't go back, but I wasn't disappointed.

#25 - Try 12 New Bars in Chicago

1 - The Pink Squirrel

1/9/18 with Stephanie Souvenir and Denisse Ocasio

Before I moved away from Chicago, I had a tradition with friends called Three Bar Thursday. Every other Thursday, we would pick a neighborhood and go to three bars we'd never been to before. It forced us to explore the city and we found some real gems. 

In November, I started it up again with a little modification. It's now Two Bar Tuesday and happens the second Tuesday of each month. Three bars is a bit aggressive for someone my age, and Chicago now has happy hour, so Two Bar Tuesday is no longer a late-night activity.

In January, I met up with Steph Souvenir and Deni Ocasio to Logan Square. We started at The Pink Squirrel, a small, new bar on Milwaukee. It was a delight. It has a retro diner vibe with a wide menu of craft cocktails (all $10) and one item on the food menu: turkey club. What I didn't know is that there's a mini bowling alley in the bar, two lanes with a candlepin-like thing going on. They're still working out what/how to charge, but on slow weeknights, you can bowl for free. All of the drinks we tasty and fun, and I would love to go back! 

The Pink Squirrel

2 - Deadbolt

1/9/18 with Stephanie Souvenir

Bar two from Tue Bar Tuesday in January (Described above) was Deadbolt, The Pink Squirrel's neighbor. I imagined it as a hipster joint but was actually more genuinely cool than I thought it would be though it's definitely more of a late-night joint that showcases DJs, so on a Tuesday at 7pm, when they open, we were the only ones there besides the bartenders... for 2 hours. Still a cool spot.



3 - Kubo
1/13/18


I took myself on a date to Sketchfest at Stage773. (Shows are hit or miss, but the tickets are so cheap, it's worth trying a few. I loved The Comedy Dance Collective and may try to see them again sometime.) After, I took myself for a drink. I was going to stop across the street at a favorite spot of one of my friend's, Cooper's... but it was gone! Tragic, yes. I decided to check out the new place that took it's spot, Kubo. I sat at the bar and had a glass of wine. The selection is way better than Cooper's. One of the staff (maybe one of the owner's) suggested I come back for dinner sometime, so I took a look at the menu. It's a Filipino place (also with American-style options), and I'm really curious to go back! 3/3 in new bars in the new year!

4 - Lagunitas
1/16/18

I used to volunteer regularly with 826 Chicago. Now, I just can't seem the time to make it work. It could be due to the location. It's not easy to travel south-west/north-east in Chicago, but it probably has more to do with me working 4 jobs. Either way, I got an invitation for a fundraiser at Lagunitas Chicago, and I could make it. I've never been to Lagunitas, and it's definitely a fully functioning, gigantic brewery, but the event was held in a bar area, so I'm counting it.

In general, Lagunitas Chicago is an amazing space. I describe it in detail in another post, so I won't here. It was a nice event: $10 suggested donations for tickets, $6 beers, and free food from a variety of Chicago vendors. I even had my first vegan Gyro. It was just okay. I hope to make a trip back to explore the rest of Lagunitas as it's a huge space with a lot going on.

5 - Local Option
1/25/18 with Nicole Garton and John Washo

After over a year of walking by Local Option, which is just down the street from where I work, I stopped there for happy hour with coworkers. There is a decent selection of decent beer, but I haven't been much into beer since leaving San Diego. I asked for whiskey and they had Maker's Mark and Jameson. Definitely a beer bar. But I made do just fine. It's tough to describe the ambiance but my best effort is a combination of beer elitist, demonic, and divey.

Sedgewick Stop hurricane

6 - The Kennison

2/13/18 with Nicole Garton and Stephanie Souvenir

A 2 Bar Tuesday stop! It had a decent happy hour: $5 bubbles and draughts. The food menu looked pricier than I was interested in at the moment, but I really liked the vibe. I would definitely go back and sit at the bar.

7 - Sedgewick Stop

2/13/18 with Nicole Garton

The second 2 Bar Tuesday stop after the above. Nicole and I both liked this spot. The only reason we didn't stay longer is that it was Fat Tuesday and they were having a... thing. I mean, I'd love to see a burlesque show at a rugby bar on a Tuesday night, but the $20 cover was a little more than we were looking to spend. I do hope to go back!

8 - The Heavy Feather
2/15/18 with Laura Masters and Beth Jager

What's a night with Laura Masters without trying one more place? Masters, Beth, and Alan came and played on the bar team for trivia as I hosted at Paulie Gee's, so of course we had to go get a drink after. We were heading down Milwaukee when Laura suggested The Slippery Slope. It wasn't quite the right timing for Slippery Slope, so we headed upstairs to The Heavy Feather.

What a cool little spot. Super seventies lounge vibe with great craft cocktails. I would love to sit at the bar there one night, have the bartenders do their magic, and chit chat the night away.

9 - Monty Gael's

3/13/18 with Leanne Surmin and Drea Soit

This was an accident. It was 2 Bar Tuesday and I was all psyched to try 2 new places, so Leanne and I walked there from work, and right as we were about to go in the door, I remembered I'd been to that bar before. I looked around and realized we were actually in my old neighborhood and when I'd picked the places I thought it was further west on Montrose. Oops.

So, we went across the street to Monty Gael's. There had been another bar in that spot when I'd lived in that area, but it'd gotten replaced with Monty Gael's. They had a delightful happy hour that gave us plenty of time to Yelp a second bar because, again, I used to live in that neighborhood, and at that time had been newly single and tried every bar in the North Center area.

10 - Kitsune Restaurant and Pub

3/13/18 with Leanne Surmin and Drea Stoit

Not Fox Bar but the lobby of Soho Club

Well, as described above, I kinda picked 2 bars for 2 Bar Tuesday that I'd already been to, so Kitsune was a bit of an improvisation and not quite a bar but more of a very tiny restaurant, even though the title does say "pub." The food looked great, but we just had fun cocktails. I would love to go back and eat sometime.

11 - Fox Bar

4/2/18 with Laura Masters and Alan Lee

I checked out Fox Bar for a 2 Bar Tuesday but decided to save it for a later date. But then, Michigan played in the MEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, which was completely unexpected. So I went to watch with Laura, Alan, and friends. While the game didn't give us much to celebrate, we still decided to have one more drink, as is standard of a night out with Laura. (At this point, it seems like I'm teasing, but I LOVE my random nights out with Laura where we explore new places!)

Laura said Fox Bar was right across the street and then wasn't sure if we could get in because she wasn't sure if it was a part of Soho Club. I had no idea what Soho Club was and what I was missing out on, but good news, you do not need to be a member of Soho Club to get into Fox Bar. It is this really tiny room on the second floor of the lobby area. Swinging doors. Great music. A pay phone. Awesome cocktails. Even on a Monday night, it had a nice vibe. I'd love to go back... but I imagine it gets packed at any reasonable time to go.

12 - Wooden Nickel

4/10/18 with Missy Liebs, Stephanie Souvenir, and Holly Munk

Another successful Two Bar Tuesday! Lots of gratitude to Nicole who found these places... and then couldn't come along after all.

The Wooden Nickel has a decent location and a happy hour (half-off drafts), but wasn't ideal for those of us who aren't big beer drinkers and weren't hungry. I'm not sure if I'll go back but I wouldn't be made if someone else suggested it.

Melissa, me, and Holly about to fully dive into our new favorite bar.

13 - Kite String

4/10/18 with Missy Liebs and Holly Munk

We'll call this a baker's dozen... and likely many more to come as it's only April.

This is the Two Bar Tuesday champion so far. What a great find. Thanks, Nicole! It's a new place, very small, only 4-5 high-top tables plus the bar. Cute neon kite above the bar. And what. A. De-LIGHT!

For drinks, they have a full bar, plus "bubblers." You know, those things that used to be full of lemonade at the roller skating rink and are still at a lot of pool concession stands? When we were there, there were four different pre-mixed cocktails bubbling around in there. I know what you're thinking, "Pre-mixed? Gross." But you're oh so wrong. They were delightful. I started with the bourbon horchata, but I believe by the end we'd tried them all--passion fruit punch, hibiscus negroni, limonada maragrita--and invited The Melissa. They were all tasty and quite quite strong.

They also have great little Mexican-style snacks: chips and dip, taquitos, and and alfajores. I know again, you're like, "Okay." The chips include both homemade corn chips AND beet chips, which were SO good. The dips, all flavorful and I can't remember which was my favorite. For taquitos, think the rolly machine at 7 Eleven, but then flavors like pork & pineapple and seasonal vegetable. The alfajores were from Lucilla's Home Made Alfajores down the street.

Why do I know what everything tastes like, because in the middle of the menu on the wall it says "ENTIRE MENU $20." So we were like, um... yes please. And tried it all.



Also fun, it's apparently already a Tinder meetup spot, so if you're lucky like us, you might be quite tipsy on your bubbler drinks, look over to see a couple making out at the bar, in the middle of this very tiny bar, and ask your friends, "Wait? What day and time is it?" And they'll reply, "Tuesday, 8 o'clock." And you'll lose yourself in the wonder of this life.

THE ENTIRE MENU IS $20

________________________________________________

And it continues... but with briefer reviews

13 - Burwood Tap
4/27/18 with Nicole Garton

After the regular happy hour spot, we stopped at Burwood Tap. I liked it. I would like to go back place.

14 - Renaldi's After Dark
4/27/18 with Nicole Garton and Stephanie Punda

Meh.

15 - Theater on the Lake
6/5/18 with Laura Masters, Missy Liebs, and Holly Zann

Gorgeous view. Mediocre food, drinks, and service.

16 - Drawl
6/5/18 with Laura Masters and Missy Liebs

One of my new favorite sports in town. Whiskey bar with great bartenders and decent food.

17 - Waydown
6/19/18 with Nicole Garton, John Washo, and Stephanie Punda

I dig this rooftop bar in Fulton Market. Cool space, great drinks, fine views.

18 - Vice Brewery
6/23/18 with Laura Masters, Alan Lee, Eileen, Nicole Garton, and Jerry Munk

19 - The Green Lady
6/28/18 hosting trivia for Dan Burns

Cool spot for people who like beer and great spot for trivia on Thursdays 

20 - Replay (Andersonville)
7/8/18 with Ryan Groth

When a friend is only around for one day, and it's a Sunday, Chicagoans gotta show off their neighborhood with a Sunday Funday! We hit a few spots, but I'd never been to Replay in Andersonville. Huge open windows on a nice day plus free game play!

21 - The Monkey's Paw
8/7/18 with Drea Stoit and Stephanie Souvenir

Cool little spot. I hope to go back.

22 - The Boxcar
9/3/18

My new fav local spot. So great.

23 - Fort Willow
10/23/18 with Stephanie Souvenir, Danielle Arens, and Delaney Cherveney

2BT! Really cool space in a really strange part of town. Great happy hour if you can get there in time: you buy your first cocktail and the house buys the second. Super interesting cocktails.

24 - J9 Wine Bar
10/23/18 with Stephanie Souvenir and Laney Cherveney

We were planning on another spot for our second stop of the night and then ended up here. Great little spot. There was a free wine tasting of awesome Lebanese wines. We had a great cheese plate and a glass each and rounded out a nice little night!

25 - Navigator Taproom
10/27/18 with Chris Zann, Holly Zann, Ashley Russell, JP Palmares, Drea Stoit, Dan Burns, Jerry Munk

What a great time with so many of my favorite people celebrating someone's 40th!

26 - Innjoy
10/27/18

Best night ever? Maybe!

27 - Sparrow
11/20/18 - with Laura Masters, Missy Liebs, Megan Morrison, Beth Jager, and Stephanie Souvenir

Another 2BT! This time as a pre-party for my birthday. Sparrow was a great spot. Cuban bar with a great vibe and awesome happy hour specials.

28 - The Albert
11/20/18 with all of the above

Stop 2 for the night: the hotel bar in the new hotel EMC2. I dug the vibe. The server was also really great with us, even calling over the bartender to make sure he was putting int he right drinks for us. My only complaint is that I wish there were books everywhere, but it's just that one wall.

29 - Bellwether Meeting House and Eatery
11/20/18 with all of the above

Stop 3 (it was my birthday): super weird spot. Kind of a clubby vibe but then also not? Weird people. Weird music. Decent food and drinks.