What to Eat This Week: Winter Tundra Edition at Chicago Restaurants
Bourbon & Beats at Drumbar
Nothing numbs the cold quite like bourbon. Fortunately, Chicago is a bourbon-happy city and Drumbar helps combat the winter blues with its Bourbon & Beats launching Thursday, January 9. The weekly wintry promotion puts brown liquor front-and-center, with a special bourbon-focused drink menu curated by resident mixologist Alex Renshaw. Expect a number of bourbon-splashed cocktails and a bourbon flight. The "beats" side of the ampersand is the handiwork of Greg Corner, spinning rock-heavy tunes into the night. Because nothing goes better with bourbon and hypothermia quite like ROCK.
Drink Your Pain Away at Sportsman's Club
Speaking of drinking yourself into a numbed stupor, you can do so easily at brand new Sportsman's Club, the latest in a seemingly endless sea of bars from Heisler Hospitality's Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner. The first in the duo's planned neighborhood tavern series, Sportsman's Club borrows a page from bygone Chicago taverns, bedecked with vintage-y decor and situated on the edge of Ukrainian Village and Humboldt Park. The crux of the drink list is classic-inspired cocktails curated by Jeff Donahue and Wade McElroy. Wines, beers, and an amaro machine round out the beverage program, and Sportsman's also offers a carry-out liquor program, convenient for customers who want to bring the party home with them.
(Photo: Sportsman's Club)
Beef Up at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap
Patty melts, nacho mac & cheese, and bacon-flecked chicken wings are the ideal medicine for a blustery winter's night. The January specials at Jake Melnick's Corner Tap have your name all over them, spelled out in cheese sauce. A 9-oz. Angus patty melt is pressed with Swiss and American cheeses, grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, and a side of Russian dressing because why not. The featured mac & cheese draws inspiration from another cheesy comfort classic, nachos. The "super hot nacho" mac & cheese is outfitted with wing sauce, crumbled chorizo, cheddar, diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, and tortilla strips. Then there's the bacon and cheddar wings, Jake's signature crispy wings pimped out with melted Carr Valley applewood-smoked cheddar, chopped bacon, and a side of ranch dressing.
Dig Into the Banh Mi Burger at Burger Boss
An American classic joins forces with a Vietnamese staple at Burger Boss for the restaurant's January special, the banh mi burger. The Vietnamese sandwich-inspired burger is offered at the restaurant's original Elmwood Park location as well as the newer Southport spot in the city. This spicy creation is just the kick in the pants this season needs, featuring an Angus beef patty with house-pickled carrots and radsihes, fresh cucumber slices, jalapeños, cilantro, and sriracha-hoisin mayo.