Food Blog

These first two were found at Patrick’s, a brand new River North bar. Patrick’s has taken over a spot previously occupied by a Leona’s, at Franklin and Erie, in the building with the climbing yuppies on its facade. They’re open until 4am, which is probably good for those clubbers going to and from the many nearby velvet rope type clubs I’m never allowed in (Sound Bar, Spy Bar, RiNo Bar etc.). Patrick’s has a big bottle selection too (but unfortunately no beer list yet).

1) Tripel Karmeliet from Bosteel Brewery in Belgium. Its recipe from 1679 uses three grains: wheat oats and barley. A huge head, fruity aroma, citrusy, creamy, foamy flavor, with good carbonation and a clean finish that only hints of its big 8% alcohol. This is a sipping beer, and served in a tulip goblet, with the traditional fleur-de-lys decoration, is a beer to savor, rather than drink in a session.

2) Also on tap at Patrick’s is Two Brother’s Heavy Handed IPA. This winter seasonal from the Warrenville Il. brewery, screams grapefuit rind from aroma to finish. This may not sound appealing, but to hop lovers, it’s very tasty. Not quite as bitter or complex as the seriously hopped IPAs available like Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute, this is still a great example of what ‘wet hops’ or freshly picked, undried hops can add. This beer varies from harvest to harvest, depending on the variety of hops so your tasting may differ. This beer is reaching the end of its season, but can still be found around town on tap here and there. Bill Blue’s in Evanston serves it on tap as well.

There’s a couple of other not so common beers on tap at Patrick’s, as well as a long shelf of bottles, so I’ll be back.

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The Great Vodka Taste Test “Our man in Moscow samples 11 premium brands in one wild night.” “The editorial challenge? How to consume 11 bottles of high-end firewater. Firewater is what vodka has always been, devoid of the oaken lineage of its darker cousins—and the high-nosed finery that can too easily get in the way of a good drunk. One does not inhale vodka’s bouquet, but one may use vodka to sterilize a wound on the knee, as familiar a sight to the serious vodka drinker as the shot glass and the handful of ibuprofen.”

A good vodka quote can be found in Modern Drunkards Magazine’s article on Andre the Giant – The Greatest Drunk on Earth When Andre needed back surgery in order to return to wrestling “…the anesthesiologist was frantic. He had never put a person of Andre’s size under the gas before and had no idea how much to use. …one of the doctors asked Andre if he was a drinker. Andre responded that, yes, he’d been known to tip a glass from time to time. The doctor then wanted to know how much Andre drank and how much it took to get him drunk. “Well,” rumbled the Giant, “It usually takes two liters of vodka just to make me feel warm inside.”

Climate change could be more than just sour grapes “Climate change may lead to hotter, drier heat waves, heavier rains and quicker snowmelts in the future, scientists say — and a change in the taste of Oregon’s signature pinot noir wines also could be on the horizon.”

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