Martini Park

Martini Park

It’s not at all easy being LTHForum’s oldest-living bon vivant and boulevardier, thus it was that The Wife and I found ourselves at Martini Park for the second time in three days last night. I like this place; there’s always live music (last night: what seemed a Midwestern version of the Go-Gos), the servers are extremely nice, the drinks are imaginative, and the food is pretty good (though I would not go here for dinner; it’s a place that serves food to be eaten while drinking and flirting; it is not destination food).

My favorite comestibles were the salmon poppers:



These are eight balls of Scottish salmon, with some crème fraiche and roe on top and creamy cheese in the center – just the thing to add ballast to a boozy belly as you navigate your way through boisterous crowds. Plus, you get a lot of forks for your $16. With this snack, we had cucumber and pomegranate martinis, both ten bucks and very good summer drinks (heavy on fruit). I like it when cocktails contain ingredients I’d never keep in my cabinet, like, say, three types of pomegranate liquors.

Obviously, this place is not for everyone; it may not even be for me (though it announces itself as a “playground for grownups”); still, it’s a different kind of drinking experience (at least for us), and I, as usual, had a pretty good time.

Martini Park
151 W. Erie
312.640.0577

We're headed here tonight to see the band Bopology play (we're using them for our wedding and wanted to get to see them live). Any newer thoughts on this place?

I was just there last week, and this is exactly the kind of trendy see-and-be-seen spot I try my best to hate. For the most part, I failed. They have a number of good sparkling wines by the glass at only moderately outrageous prices, and the fruit-focused cocktails are quite good. Just about everything uses freshly squeezed juice.

The ubiquitous "kobe beef" sliders were much better here than elsewhere - mouth-wateringly juicy, in fact.

(disclosure: a good friend of mine is an investor with the group that owns Martini Park.)