Lagunitas TapRoom

Consider the new Lagunitas bar a beer geek challenge. If you can find the secluded spot in Douglas Park (hint: enter through the parking lot at 16th and Rockwell), you’ll be rewarded with a 16-tap bar overlooking the massive facility and a chipper staff eager to recommend a brew. Soak up the suds with standard … Read more

Bill Brasky at Bottlefork

You bet you’re going to look dumb using both hands to lift this 34-ounce chalice. But once the smooth mix of rye, Scotch, bourbon, vermouth, moonshine, and bitters hits your lips, the part of your brain that cares about such things will pipe down. Named for the much-revered, never-seen drunken legend of a few Saturday … Read more

Blue Door Farm Stand

When this newcomer announced itself as an artisanal market and a farm-to-table fast-casual restaurant with communal tables made of reclaimed wood, yawns were stifled from one end of Lincoln Park to the other. And then it opened, and darned if the soups (poblano and corn), sandwiches (turkey and aged cheddar), grilled cheeses (fig and arugula), … Read more

The Dawson

Expectations soared when the Dawson opened in October, thanks to hotshot Alinea alum Rene De Leon running the kitchen, Annemarie Sagoi (Charleston, Big Star) behind the bar, and a beautifully designed space with a massive patio. Ten months later, the space is one of the few things left intact. Thank goodness, because the patio is … Read more