Got stuck with work - so so so sorry to miss this! need cocktails!

Good times last night. I'm glad so many people were able to make it out. It was great catching up and having a few beverages together. In the end, there was no 'official' dinner. Several people ordered food at Scofflaw and left it at that, which seemed to work out fine.

The new cocktail menu is very approachable. I ordered a couple of them and tasted a few others. I really liked the Winter Provisions (Old Overholt Rye, Byrrh, Benedictine, Spiced Chocolate Bitters), the Del Boca Vista (Ramazzotti, Combier d'Pamplemousse, Luxardo Maraschino, Lime, Grapefruit), the Special Sweater (Scofflaw Old Tom Gin, Punt e Mes, Spiced Coffee Liqueur, Lemon) and the Swizzle 10 (Barbancourt 4-yr rum, Branca Menta, Brovo Chocolate Liqueur, Coconut, Lime). And the Winter Citrus Punch the crew created for us was tasty, too. The only one I really didn't like was the Pinetopper (Letherbee Gin, Combier d'Orange, Jeppson's Malort, Herbsaint), which was way too bitter for my palate but this was a drink that I'm guessing fans of bitter cocktails will absolutely love.

Anyone interested in doing this again next month? If so, I think we should switch up the location so that it might be more convenient for some other LTHers to attend . . . and maybe a place where we'd have more walkable options for food afterwards. Any suggestions?

=R=

last night was a blast. thanks, ronnie, for organizing. maybe some place up in andersonville next month? i'm unfamiliar with most of the bars/restaurants that have opened in the last couple of years....

Great idea and a nice kickoff for it. I'd vote for Sportsman's w/Leghorn/Tatoca takeout or a takeover of Analogue for future options. Thx Ronnie!

boudreaulicious wrote:Great idea and a nice kickoff for it. I'd vote for Sportsman's w/Leghorn/Tatoca takeout or a takeover of Analogue for future options. Thx Ronnie!

i've never heard of Tatoca, and google doesn't pull anything up- what is it??

justjoan wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Great idea and a nice kickoff for it. I'd vote for Sportsman's w/Leghorn/Tatoca takeout or a takeover of Analogue for future options. Thx Ronnie!

i've never heard of Tatoca, and google doesn't pull anything up- what is it??

Jen is referring to Tatoco, 949 N. Western.

I don't think it's been mentioned previously on LTHForum. Da Beef has an entry about it on his taco blog.

--
edc

I'd love to do one at GNR Ward 8. The food menu there is limited but very good, or there's Peckish Pig next door for a more comprehensive menu.

A fun time last night, glad I came into the city - enjoyed the drinks and the conversations with folks I already knew and folks I had not met yet.

Id be up for another one of these for sure - anything south towards the Eisenhower(or even the Stevenson) is more do-able for me obviously.

boudreaulicious wrote:Great idea and a nice kickoff for it. I'd vote for Sportsman's w/Leghorn/Tatoca takeout or a takeover of Analogue for future options. Thx Ronnie!

Excellent suggestions. Starting at Analogue would certainly mitigate some of the issues we could present as a larger group.

Does Leghorn no longer run out of food at 4 pm? Bite Cafe is also near Sportsman's.

nr706 wrote:I'd love to do one at GNR Ward 8. The food menu there is limited but very good, or there's Peckish Pig next door for a more comprehensive menu.

That was my thought for the next one . . . mainly because, aside from it being an outstanding bar, Ward 8's location is completely different from Logan Square, which might make it easier for any LTHers who couldn't be there last night to attend the next one. In addition to Peckish Pig (where I personally haven't had good experiences), there are a few places on the Chicago side of Howard Street, as well as a bunch of places on Clark Street, which isn't a terribly far walk from Ward 8.

=R=

Yeah, I said Peckish Pig has a more comprehensive menu. I didn't say it was particularly good.

Badou isn't that far for some of Rogers Park's best Senegalese food, though.

nr706 wrote:Yeah, I said Peckish Pig has a more comprehensive menu. I didn't say it was particularly good.

Badou isn't that far for some of Rogers Park's best Senegalese food, though.

Hehe gotcha.

As for Badou, it's excellent and a great place to have a byo, group meal but it can be very slow there, which may not make it an ideal fit for a weeknight dinner that would follow a 90-120 minute cocktail session.

=R=

If you wind up at Ward 8, I'd be happy to host a group in my Pit Room (next to Rub) for a post-drink BBQ session (we have seating for 24 in the pit room). The Pit Room is where I host BBQ classes, and anyone with BBQ interest could see Chicago's only AN Bewley Smoker - and I'd serve you piles of smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, & Ribs.

As an aside, anyone who is a member of BBQ Brethren (http://www.bbq-brethren.com) - we're hosting a private BBQ Brethren lunch at Rub on January 24th from 1030am-2pm...

jimswside wrote:Id be up for another one of these for sure - anything south towards the Eisenhower(or even the Stevenson) is more do-able for me obviously.

Cool. I like it. Maybe one at The Duck Inn sometime down the road?

=R=

Evanston/RP is tough for me on Thursdays since I'm usually at a client on the far south side.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Great idea and a nice kickoff for it. I'd vote for Sportsman's w/Leghorn/Tatoca takeout or a takeover of Analogue for future options. Thx Ronnie!

Excellent suggestions. Starting at Analogue would certainly mitigate some of the issues we could present as a larger group.

Does Leghorn no longer run out of food at 4 pm? Bite Cafe is also near Sportsman's.

nr706 wrote:I'd love to do one at GNR Ward 8. The food menu there is limited but very good, or there's Peckish Pig next door for a more comprehensive menu.

That was my thought for the next one . . . mainly because, aside from it being an outstanding bar, Ward 8's location is completely different from Logan Square, which might make it easier for any LTHers who couldn't be there last night to attend the next one. In addition to Peckish Pig (where I personally haven't had good experiences), there are a few places on the Chicago side of Howard Street, as well as a bunch of places on Clark Street, which isn't a terribly far walk from Ward 8.

=R=

we've gotten takeout from Leghorn and eaten at sportsman's a bunch of times with no issues. And Tatoco was good--and they ran the order across the street for no charge. Very nice people.