LTH Cocktail Hour: Brasserie Jo, June 5 (o.b.o.)

Well fancy that...

In another thread, G Wiv wrote:If possible I try to arrive in advance of my dining companions as I find Brassiere Jo's bar quite convivial.

and I said to myself "haven't you been thinking it's about time for another LTH Cocktail hour?"

and I came back to this thread to be find the original seed of the idea of Brasserie Jo:

Aaron Deacon wrote:But let me toss out Brasserie Jo. They have a very nice selection of beer and wine, a very appealing bar area, and on Tuesdays they pass a little gratis tarte flambee between 5 and 7. Went there last night for the first time, and if I still worked in Chicago, I can see stopping in for an after work tipple with some regularity. Not at all crowded either.

So there you go...

Is next Tuesday too soon? I can't do the following (6/12).

Let's see what interest is like, and if need be, we can tweak the date. Obviously Tuesday isn't required, but there's nothing wrong with free tarte flambée.

I can do this coming Tuesday. It would be two LTH events in one day (the other being the Evanston Lunch Group), but what the hell... Many fellow AmeriCorps*VISTAs during my term counted on the Tuesday free tarte flambee, so Brasserie Jo provides a valuable service to many communities as far as I'm concerned.

I can do this. What time?

leek wrote:I can do this. What time?

It's pretty close to my office, so I could get there by about 5:30.

Convivial? Count me in.

Best,
Michael

OK. 5:30. We can celebrate my first day on my new workout plan. The plan is to, in fact, work out.

(if I tell enough people I actually have to do it)

One more bump -- all and sundry (particularly the sundry) are invited to join us for some merriment at Brasserie Jo tonight around 5:30. The more people who RSVP here, the more pressure Lee will have to live up to her new plan

Brasserie Jo
59 West Hubbard, Chicago, IL
(312) 595-0800

leek - I'm in the same boat on the working out schedule and I actually went this morning. Only for 45 minutes, but I went and it counts.

Might try to stop by for a cocktail tonight, we'll see how my plans for the rest of the day go.

Heck of a nice happy hour. Thanks for planning it, Joe. You're two-for-two.

We had a moderate, but lively turnout. Joe, myself, leek, happy_stomach, trixie-pea, and PIGMON took over the sunny corner of Brasserie Joe's welcoming bar. We snacked on gratis tarte flambe and a charcuterie plate while tossing back a few cocktails and beers.

This is the Brasserie Jo Burnt Caramel Manhattan (rye, bitters, burnt caramel, orange oil). To me this tasted like an orange-flavored manhattan and smelled like an orange lollipop. Not bad, but not good either:



A much tastier Tripel Karmeliet:



The varied charcuterie plate was good, but not memorable, a few of the items tasted like they've been subjected to long, unfriendly refrigeration. I think the whole plate would have tasted better after 90 minutes at room temperature. The highlight was the salami and cheese (a mild, buttery cheese, akin to a gouda or harvarti--I didn't get the name):



happy_stomach and germuska attentively listen to PIGMON:



A good time was had by all. Thanks, Joe. Looking forward to the next happy hour, no matter who plans it.

Best,
Michael

As a follow-up, I actually didn't work out on Tuesday (went to the orthopod instead) but I did work out this AM.

eatchicago wrote:Heck of a nice happy hour. Thanks for planning it, Joe. You're two-for-two.

Well, it is fairly self-serving after all -- but thanks! And thanks to all who came out for a good time. I'll agree that the manhattan was not nearly as interesting as it sounded on the menu. I enjoyed my Two Brothers Cane and Ebel more than I even remembered, though.

eatchicago wrote:Looking forward to the next happy hour, no matter who plans it.

Let me just remind everyone that "plan" is strong language here. All I did was pick a place and tell people I'd be there. Lo, the LTH magic works again