Great bar snacks?

I will never make a bar fly, I'm afraid. High bar stools make my legs go to sleep and I never like to drink without something to eat, too.

Before the smoking ban, I typically preferred waiting for my table in a restaurant's foyer to the smoky confines of the bar. Now that the air has cleared, I'm more amenable to bars, especially if they serve something interesting to nibble on. Salty pretzels aren't going to cut it.

The other night, we had a half hour to kill and wound up in the bar at Bistro 110 (a place that doesn't get as much love here as it deserves). We snagged a couple of stools at the bar. I had a Lillet Blanc on the rocks and noted that several others at the bar were eating cones of frites.

"Hmm, I guess they serve a lot of those here," Himself remarked, and then a coneful appeared in front of us.

It was the complimentary bar snack, hot and crisp and served with a cruet of "ketchup oil" and a shaker of paprika. Perfect.

Bistro 110
312/266-3110
www.bistro110restaurant.com
110 E. Pearson St.
Chicago

LAZ wrote:Bistro 110 (a place that doesn't get as much love here as it deserves).

I have to agree with that. I used to love going to Bistro 110, and was there for lunch maybe three years ago (in the overly fussy white wicker front room -- I prefer the cavernous eating hall with, as I recall, big friendly murals). I haven't had dinner there in maybe 12 years or so, but I remember excellent wood-roasted chicken (not a dish I order often, but I liked it there).

During happy hour, Morton's in Rosemont serves complimentary mini-steak sandwiches at it's bar for the patrons to enjoy with drinks. It is simple fare: char-grilled steak with a touch of mayo on small rolls.