Grizzly's Lodge - Wild Game Eats. Gator, Ostrich, Buffalo...

Grizzly's Lodge - 3832 N. Lincoln - Chicago, IL
Went to Grizzly's last night with the wife and a buddy. Just a quick rundown of what we sampled.

Food: Very eclectic, Blackened Gator, Ostrich Burger, Buffalo Burger, Venison Burgers. The also served some Game like entrees: Buffalo Meatloaf, Elk, Quail and Boar.

Drinks: Nice assortment of draft - Pabst Blue Ribbon, Three Floyds Scottish Ale, Flying Dog Pale Ale and Point Beer just to name a few.

Went on a Friday at about 7pm. Waited about 10 minutes for a seat (the place was empty). No big deal if the food's alright... The problem was that it wasn't really all that. I spent the earlier portion of my childhood out west (Idaho & Colo). The family ate Game prob 3 times a week, so I may be a bit biased… Their meat tasted like it had been frozen, thawed, and refrozen again. I also don’t think they scrap their grill very much; the burgers all tasted quite similar. Though you could tell it really was game and with no fillers ( I hope ). Overall the meats were pretty dry. The highlight was the mountain of tater tots they gave with the burgers… To be fair, the alligator appetizer was decent. And the beer of course was good. Can't go wrong with Beer.

To sum up, I’d only give it 1-1/2 stars out of 5.
http://www.grizzlyslodge.com/

Greasy Spoon wrote:Their meat tasted like it had been frozen, thawed, and refrozen again.

That about sums up Grizzly's for me. I love the idea of the place and I gave it a few chances to win me over, but I just haven't enjoyed a single thing from their kitchen.

Best,
Michael

Let's be honest here, the place is a dump and the staff really don't care. It is a smokey, smelly bar thinly disguised as a restaurant. When they first opened it was a novel and interesting place. Now, however, it is simply a neighborhood tavern, which is, of course, fine. They should stop pretending to be what they aren't and get down to being the corner dive that they've been for a very long time!

Drove by last night, windows are covered up. Phone disconnected.

Want an elk steak? Looks like you're going elsewhere.

The mystery: what took so long???

JeffB wrote:The mystery: what took so long???

They had beer on tap and free peanuts at the bar. That's enough to keep people in business for quite a while if you have a regular clientele.

Best,
Michael

Grizzly's has been out of business since the summer. Nothing looks like it is being built in there now. I'm guessing it'd be a heck of an overhaul to redo the interior.