Monthly Archives: December 2008

North Peak Brewing Co | Traverse City, MI

By pdo | Published: December 6, 2008
“That’s it; just that little nugget?” I hear from the bathroom stall. “Daddy, I pooped three poops!” I try not to burst out laughing. It’s noon and I’m a little drunk. * * * North Peak Brewing Company brews their own beer, apparently on-site. When we went, a gent was climbing around on all the [...]
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Halligan Bar | Lincoln Park, Chicago

By Ben | Published: December 4, 2008
The memories are a little hazy, but I believe that during my bachelor party bar crawl we had most of this bar singing along to “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver. I take that as a positive sign for a bar. Generally, it skews towards the post-college crowd. Good-looking bartenders too, which [...]
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Willi’s Wine Bar | Santa Rosa, Sonoma

By pdo | Published: December 4, 2008
Willi’s Wine Bar is half shanty-along-the-highway and half haute cuisine — a great combination. Willi’s offers small pours of wine so you can create your own flight, indulge in a dessert wine, sample something different with every course, etc. It’s a great idea that few places exploit. And it’s surrounded by the gastronomic paradise that [...]
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John Harvard’s Pub | Harvard Square, Boston

By pdo | Published: December 3, 2008
It’s an academic Rock Bottom Brewery, sort of a mass-produced brewpub version of Red Lobster. Which is fine. Gets the job done. Tasty beer, etc. It’s just … safe. Kind of sterile. There won’t be a bar fight here. There won’t be a prostitute working the crowd. There will likely be children coloring on their [...]
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Weather Mark Tavern | South Loop, Chicago

By pdo | Published: December 2, 2008
I was in no condition to go to a bar, much less hike the seemingly 112 miles from Monroe Harbor to the Weather Mark, but I was duped into it being closer than it seemed and when we finally arrived, it was worth it. Drinking all day does that to a person. Juli made the [...]
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Bluebird | Wicker Park, Chicago

By Ben | Published: December 2, 2008
So, I didn’t actually drink here, but I think I got a pretty good feel for it. We stepped in on a Saturday night and the hostess took a name for our group of five and informed us it’d be a 20 minute wait. We scanned the crowd dressed entirely in shades of black, gray [...]
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Nick’s English Hut | Bloomington, IN

By Ben | Published: December 2, 2008
I kind of love this place. Apparently there’s at least two floors here, but I never seem to get much past the front bar. The bar is tucked in a cramped little spot off to the side when you first enter, you’ll be lucky to sneak between the bar stools and the wall, but if [...]
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O’Dowd’s Little Dublin | Plaza, Kansas City

By pdo | Published: December 2, 2008
The Plaza is an odd scene, like a mall turned inside out.  Instead of palm trees growing indoors, there are Venetian facades on the buildings outdoors.  Rumor is it’s the first American ‘mall’ development.  It’s interesting.  But it’s very, very deliberate.  Everything is thought out.  There are bums asking for change, but they may very-well [...]
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Old Timer’s | The Loop, Chicago

By pdo | Published: December 2, 2008
I haven’t seen the snowmobile parking spots myself, but they must exist. How else can you rationalize the blaze orange and camouflage and Starter jackets? It doesn’t make any sense without it. * * * I’m at Old Timer’s with two of my coworkers. We’re in the minority — this is a blue collar bar [...]
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