Rocks It

At the end of the day, what matters in most sports is the score. So, here it is: After my latest Wrigleyville drinking escapade, this time at the second outpost of Rockit Bar & Grill, The Chaser is 1-1 on Cubs bars. And this win was well earned (as was the Cubs' 4 to 2 victory over San Fran).

Rockit two has some cosmetic similarities to the River North original: same two-floor setup, same menu with same famed Kobe burger, same antlers and same chocolate-brown paint job. But it also has a lot of blue and red, in the form of Cubs jerseys, which a good 80 percent of my numerous fellow drinkers were wearing Monday night. The sight of two bouncers checking IDs had me steeling myself for the worst: crazy crowds, no elbow room, maybe another fight?

While Rockit was packed, it was far from crazy, due in no small part to the truly on-top-of-it staff: The guy who helped us find a table also walked me to the restroom; apologizing for the time it was taking to change the Rockit White Ale keg, made just for the bar by Stevens Point Brewery, our server promised our $5 pints would be "fresher than Colombian" coffee.

Those who’ve been to the River North location won't see many surprises or disappointments on the drinks menu: a decent beer list (Goose Island Matilda, Shiner Bock), $28 pitchers of Rockit Sockit (Bacardi light and dark rums; pineapple, orange, and cranberry juices; grenadine; and nutmeg), and a $50 Veuve brunch kit (a bottle of bubbly, plus two fruit purees and two juices). What Rockit the sequel does have that feels fresh is a love of the game as well as the drink. Not to mention a giant sidewalk patio that's almost as good as, and a little less crazy than, a seat in the bleachers.

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