GoodFunk - Chicago
Goodfunk is the latest offering from Bonhomme Hospitality, which also brought to Chicago signature dining and drinking establishments like Porto, Bambola, Kashmir and Coquette. Says Bonhomme Hospitality founder Daniel Alonso, "We put the fun in funk. Natural wine bar & cafe with piquettes, pet nats, co-ferments, clarets & pintxos."
Pet nats?
We'll explain: pet nats are sparkling wines that pre-date the “traditional method” used in Champagne; it's bubbly wine bottled before the end of the initial fermentation, creating a softly fizzy, sometimes lightly sweet, and usually hazy liquid because it still contains unfiltered yeast particles. Sounds easygoing and fun.
In fact, as with other Bonhomme Group offerings, much about Goodfunk sounds easygoing and fun.
Eater Chicago reports, "Perched inside the 109-year-old Great Lakes Building overlooking the Chicago River, GoodFunk aims to become a beacon for downtown drinkers looking to break their routine with an ever-changing list of unadulterated, unpretentious micro-batched wines from around the world," says Colin Hofer, director of wine and education, who eplains, 'We’re using the word *funk* as a descriptor of eccentricity, not the odor of funk."
The menu at Goodfunk is very focused, mostly on small plates, finger food that you nibble while you imbibe, chat and heck, if you want, dance a little. The food is casual, with selections like olives and pickles, jamon iberico and tomate toast, conservas (the spectacular tinned fish of Galicia, like sartines and octopus), as well as seasonal cheese and artisanal salami. If you have a bigger appetite, there's a double cheeseburger.
And there's wine, lots of wine, featuring many natural wine selections one rarely sees in Chicago...or anywhere.