MillerCoors new brew Batch 19 Launches in Chicago

So I've been a horrible blogger the past couple of months.... I have a post-it of places I've been meaning to write about and once the post-it was full, I realized it was time to get back in gear. First things first, I thought I'd share the reason I have been very busy lately:

MillerCoors has launched a new pre-prohibition style lager called Batch 19. After a flood in Coors Brewery in Golden, a log book with recipes dating back to pre-prohibition was found and after a few trial runs, Batch 19 was born. The lager will have a limited release May 3rd in Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, D.C. and Milwaukee. You can find out more about the beer and where to find it here.

Below are a few pictures from the Batch 19 Launch Party in Chicago. It was held at the Chicago History Museum and was a great party, especially since the beer was so well received! Batch 19 is also on Twitter and Facebook if you'd like to follow the brand.

 

Drinks only at Paramount Room

I've been to Paramount Room for drinks before and loved the inventive cocktails and subdued atmosphere. So naturally when my friend Brian and I were trying to plan a dinner party, we decided it would be a good spot. I was very attracted to the bar because I loved how you walk in to a smaller bar and then once you head downstairs, the room opens up to this huge beautiful space.

As usual the cocktails were killer. The drink menu has been updated since, but I had a Pimm's cinnamon concoction that was dangerously delicious. We waited for a LONG time for appetizers and our waitress politely told us they would be on the house because of the delay. Appetizers were pretty good as far as bar food - skinny fries, homemade chips, tempura green beans. My friends gushed about the mussels. Everything was going great until the entrees came. Everyone in town raves about their famous $9 Kobe Beef Burger ($10 for a Kobe Burger and a Pint every day before 7pm) but I'm sad to report that they just didn't live up to the fame. Now for those of you who know me, I'm not a huge red meat eater anyways, so I polled the table for their opinion. Kobe or not, the burgers were just very average. There weren't many options on the menu, but I inquired about the Mahi Mahi and the waitress agreed it was a good choice. Wow, bad idea. When she set the plate down, I immediately knew what was wrong by the smell. It had turned. And this isn't battered or fried old fish. This was a plain old sautéed fish sitting there looking at me. I took a bite and my suspicions were confirmed. The waitress felt horrible and was very sweet about the whole situation, but come on. It was touted as the "Fresh Fish of the Day" on the menu. Really??

Paramount Room started as a great after work drink spot in my mind, but if their claim to fame burger isn't up to par, and the rest of the menu is so hit or miss, a drink spot it will stay.

On a more positive note, take a look at this place. Not what you'd expect for a basement!

New life at New Line

New Line Tavern is a new restaurant/bar in the West Loop that took over the former Powerhouse restaurant at Clinton and Lake. (No website yet, but this will do for now) Same layout, but they've spruced it up a bit and took the menu from fancy seafood/steakhouse to dependably delicious bar food. I've been there a few times since it opened and can successfully say it has made it to my happy hour arsenal. Every time I've been there the staff has been attentive, drinks are well made and the food is a little inventive, but still maintains the qualities of the bar food everyone loves.

Today I had the BBQ Black Bean Burger which had a great consistency as far as veggie burgers go and was perfection when paired with the pretzel bun. They were very accommodating about altering the items too which I really appreciate, so instead of fried I had hummus and pita. Although I did regret not upgrading to the New Line Fries which were deliciously sprinkled with asiago cheese.

Best part of all, this place is very affordable. Our big burgers with sides and a drink came out to $12 each. A great lunch or after work option. Just be careful after work - it's a small space so it fills up very quickly.

Crazy for Pops

So for most Chicagoans, this is coming extremely late. And as a serious champagne lover, I have no idea why it took me so long to go to Pops for Champagne. But anyways, I finally made my way over there for a birthday cocktail with a few of my favorite ladies and it was clear after our second bottle, we would all be coming back. We ordered a bottle of one of my absolute favorites (AND it's affordable!), Mumm Napa, and headed for the apps, which to our surprise were 37% off from 3:00pm-7:00pm! Sadly, I'll probably only order food at Pops when it's 37% off because the proportions are very tiny (we are talking the smallest slivers of cheese ever) but at least it all tasted good. Our second bottle was something of the Spanish variety and was forgettable, but all in all, Pops for Champagne was the perfect after-work escape. I highly recommend grabbing some girls and heading over there... just don't order food after 7.

New Bar - Bar Crawl

I owe this idea to my wonderful roomies! Last Saturday night we had no plans and decided to go out and explore some new spots in our wonderful neighborhood Bucktown. First stop People, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Milwaukee. The interior is decorated in a modern Spanish style, and the entire front of the restaurant has long wooden lunchroom-type tables. They had an interesting selection of beers, wonderful Sangria, and the menu left us salivating. Will definitely be going back for food sometime soon.

The next stop was just a little walk South on Milwaukee: The Crocodile Lounge. Despite the fact they ran a little too far with the theme (all green interior, crocodile print lights, etc.), we really enjoyed the crowd and the vibe. STEAL ALERT: You get a free small pizza (that is actually very good) with any drink order over $5! There is more of a club-y club in the basement, but the ground floor is a really cool bar. Not to mention I had a rare CELEB SIGHTING! Anyone that isn't into Top Chef won't appreciate this, but Steph Izard, the winner of Season 4, was sitting at the bar with a friend. To top it off, when I yelled at my roommate Steph to close my tab, Top Chef Steph turned around and looked at me like I was a crazy person. So some might consider us friends now... moving on...

Last stop was Rodan. I know it's been around for a while, but this was my first (and definitely not last) time there. For a Saturday night, it wasn't too crowded but there was still a pretty good dance party going on in the back. Fun music and good drinks - Lychee & Champagne. Enough said.