West Loop's Market Bar Finally Has Full Line Up

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Three weeks a go the buzz was humming about Market, the new West Loop sports bar that was opening on Randolph Street. Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams is supposedly part owner of the new venue along with two other Chicago restaurateurs. Unfortunately, on opening night the restaurant was serving food, but not beer, wine or cocktails, due to the lack of a liquor license. However, last week Market received the green light from the city and is making up for time lost by serving great cocktails to complement their terrific food.

Market is a multi-faceted restaurant and sports bar that offers guests traditional American classics with an aesthetic flair by Chef Joe Rosetti. The menu boasts a variety of appetizers, salads, specialty sandwiches, pizza, burgers and main dishes. Chef Rosetti’s cuisine is definitely above average compared to other recently opened luxury sports bar in the city. The “Mac and Cheese Muffins” and “Popcorn Shrimp” are must have starters. Their braised beef and BBQ pulled pork “Sliders” are not only very tasty, but plentiful. Sanwedges to try are “The Body Builder”, piled high with oven roasted turkey and “The Strip Club”, consisting of Chile rubbed chicken and peppered bacon. If you like turkey burgers, then try “The Herky”, served with avocado and thick cut turkey bacon and truffled fries. Folks are raving about the “Mustard and Maple Glazed Salmon” main dish and the giant chocolate chip dessert served warm a la mode style. There really isn’t a dish that is not worth trying at Market and you will forget that it’s supposed to be bar food.

Market’s main dining room is sports bar chic and has a casual vibe. The first floor features 20 42′ inch flat screen televisions and one 92′ inch projection screen. They have three outdoor places to eat and drink, including the Beer Garden, Rooftop Lounge and Sidewalk Cafe. The summer months should make this a great place to hang and enjoy great weather and food.

Market is located at 1113 W. Randolph in the West Loop. The restaurant opens for lunch at 11 am. Log onto www.marketbarchicago.com for more information. Watch Fete Select TV on www.efete.net for an inside look into the newest and hottest restaurants in Chicago.

Labels: chicago bars, chicago dining, chicago restaurants, dc crenshaw, fete select tv, joe rosetti, kenny williams, market bar chicago, west loop restaurants, white sox

The Real Deal on the New River North Sports Bar Bull & Bear

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Upscale tends to be the trend in sports bars these days. Or at least the hope is to attract a more sophisticated and trendy crowd that would typically choose a hipper environment to spend their Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights. The new River North sports bar, Bull and Bear, not only lures the hipsters, but attracts businessmen and women during the lunch hour.

The name Bull and Bear obviously recognizes two of Chicago's major sports teams, but also refers to the financial world and appeals to the CBOT crowd. The restaurant has a nice layout and designs, but can get a little too close for comfort when crowded. After talking with a few friends about the menu, I wanted to see if their food matched the upscale vibe. Well, let's just say that it didn't measure up.

The Bull and Bear menu has a ton of starters, salads, main courses, sides and short order options. There are a plethera of burgers and sandwiches to choose from as well as a few non bar food entrees. The "Onion Tower" and "Sweet Potato Fries" were typical. Nothing great, but nothing bad about either dish. The “Lobster Bisque” was deemed to be a signature item and would have been if it wasn't served luke warm. The "Double Cut Grilled Pork Chop" was a little dry and didn't live up to the waitresses billing, but my dining guest really enjoyed his "Pulled Hammy" pork sliders. We were graciously served with a sampling of all of their desserts, which consisted of a chocolate chip cookie draped in vanilla ice cream, cinnamon doughnut holes with three different dipping sauces, peanut butter bread pudding, and a "Thrilla in Vanilla" shake with Filandia Vodka and Godiva Dark Vanilla Royale. They were all savory, but I wouldn't necessarily have paired peanut butter and bread pudding together. The service started off sketchy, due to a mishap with my reservation, but the owner and waitress attempted to make up for it. Don't expect upscale service during crowded nights though, because it is still, however, a sports bar.

A unique feature to Bull and Bear are their 5 premiere booths with Personal Table Taps. Each booth has two taps (1 domestic, 1 import) that dispenses beer, which is recorded on a meter at the table. The goal is to allow guests to pay-as-they-pour and enjoy a no-wait standard of service. This feature should be a big hit for beer lovers.

Bull and Bear has only been open for about 3 weeks, so they may still be working out the kinks. Although they didn't meet my dining experience expectations for what they deem as an "exclusive luxury sports bar", I may give them another shot once the madd rush dies down.

Bull and Bear is located 431 N. Wells St. For more information log onto www.bullbearbar.com

Labels: beer table taps, bull and bear chicago, chicago bars, chicago dining, chicago restaurants, dc crenshaw, fete select tv, luxury, nbc chicago, river north chicago, sports bars

Moonshine's New Brews

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Mrs and I like hanging out in the Wicker Park area often for breakfast, brunch or lunch. That area has been bustling, since the revitalization period started to take place when I arrived in Chicago about nine years a go. We have some favorites on W. Division St. such as, Milk and Honey, Crust, and Smoke Daddy BBQ. But now I can add a new spot to our list of Wicker Park places that I had never tried before, Moonshine!

Moonshine, surprisingly has a cool and hip vibe that makes it a nice place to dine or watch the game. The menu consists of thin-crust pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers and few hearty entrees. While searching for a better brew to pair with its upscale bar cuisine, Moonshine decided to make beer in-house instead of looking elsewhere. Therefore they tapped brew master Reverend Bob Kitrell, a former Goose Island brewer, to handcraft quality beers with spirit and soul. Although I'm not much of a beer drinker, I thoroughly enjoyed the two brews that I gulped down, while watching the thrashing of Ohio State at the hands of USC.

Moonshine's current brews on tap are Sin City, Chronic, and Alpha Dog. The Alpha Dog went nicely with my fish tacos. Reverend Bob brews his beers primarily in the American tradition, using ingredients from the Midwest whenever possible. Drawing from his own experiences is what made him an award-winning Brew Master.
What makes Moonshine a great place to hang out is their music. There's nothing like kicking back a few, while listening to the DJ spin a mix of classic R&B and current hits. Good food, great brews and jammin music...nuff said!

Moonshine
1824 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL
www.moonshine.com

Labels: brews, chicago bars, chicago restaurants, food, moonshine

P Diddy is "Ciroc Obama"

The political discussions are not just happening on NBC, CNN or Fox, but also in bars and lounges. In-fact, Plan B Bar in Bucktown has it's own Barack Obama drink called the Ciroc Obama. P Diddy has actually proclaimed himself "Ciroc Obama", as an homage to the brand of vodka he represents and the candidate he is supporting.

The Ciroc Obama
2 oz Ciroc Vodka 1 oz Chambord Fresh squeezed lemonade, the pulpier the better. Rim a highball glass with sugar and fill with ice. In a shaker with ice, mix vodka and chambord. Strain into glass and top off with lemonade. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Plan B Bar and Kitchen
1635 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Tel: (773) 252-2680

Labels: chicago bars, chicago lounges, chicago restaurants, ciroc obama, ciroc vodka, cocktails, dc crenshaw, fete chicago, fete select, fete select tv, p diddy, plan b chicago, political drinks, sean combs