Wine, Cocktails, and Beer Aplenty in Chicago

Chicago has a wonderland of bars and restaurants opening that are focused on wine, beer, and cocktails. And the food at these fresh-faced bars is just as noteworthy, especially when lobster BLTs, po’ boys, and sausages are involved.

Wine

Technically Coppervine offers a heck of a lot more than just wine, but since proprietor Don Sritong hails from the Just Grapes wine business, and since the restaurant is decked out like a chic wine cave with nifty oenophile touches scattered throughout, Coppervine has the essence of a venerable wine bar. More so than any restaurant in Chicago, Coppervine pours ample consideration into the art of food and beverage pairing, making this the city’s preeminent pairing palace. With consulting chef Michael Taus in the kitchen compounded by Sritong’s beverage mastery, it’s a match made in heaven. The menu is the first of its kind to actually list pairing suggestions for each dish, including a beer suggestion, a cocktail suggestion, and a wine suggestion. For example, a piquant bowl of Thai chile-spiced popcorn is suggested with a glass of 2011 Yealands Sauvignon Blanc, a Port Brewing Wipeout IPA, or a tequila-based WWPSD cocktail. Another standout is the Maine lobster BLT with truffle mayonnaise, ideally matched with 2010 The Pairing White, Tripel Karmeliet, or the Modern Man’s Manhattan. The intricacies involved in the pairing process are thorough and impressive.

Cocktails

Cocktails and Cajun food collide at Logan Square’s pint-sized new bar, Analogue. Robby Haynes and Henry Prendergast are alums of The Violet Hour, so they bring plenty of cocktail cred to the bar, where the order of the day is creative freedom, lack of pretension, and... music. Several cocktails comprise the heart of the drink list, such as the Good Morning, Captain with Ed Hamilton Jamaican Gold, blackstrap molasses, tobacco, and a whole egg; and the Radio/Flyer made with Yahara Bay V bourbon, lemon, smoked brown sugar, and pumpkin bitters. Analogue also offers a shot of the day. On the food side, New Orleans native Alfredo Nogueira heads up the kitchen, turning out chicken and Andouille gumbo, smoked fish dip, biscuits, roast beef and ham po’ boys, fried chicken sandwiches, and more. Since the bar is all about creative freedom, music played a large role in its inception. Tony Lazarra designed the sound system, and at night the bar features a DJ Wednesdays through Sundays, with much of the space transformed into a dance floor.

Beer

Brand new to the Wicker Park booze scene is Links TapRoom, an all-American bar focused on craft beer and sausages. With 36 American beers on tap, four cask beers on beer engines, 40 in large-format bottles, and 10 by the can, this is a wonderland for American craft beer. The bar also leaps into the modern age with DigitalPour screens that display the beers on tap, the brewery name, glassware, how much remains in the kegs, and more. Beers are made to pair with sausages, and Links does not disappoint with their array of links, from the Chicago steak and ale sausage to the three-chile chorizo and even a vegan sausage made with Portobello mushrooms, black beans, and tamari. Other beer-friendly comforts include hot pretzels, cheese curds, and “buried alive” fries doused with sausage, hot peppers, bacon, sharp cheddar, and jalapeños.

Coppervine
1962 N. Halsted Street, Chicago
(773) 935-1000
Website

Analogue
2523 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
(773) 904-8567
Website

Links TapRoom
1559 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
(773) 360-7692
Website