Jack & Ginger’s is one of those bars with lots of specials

You know the furniture store that always has a “SALE” sign out front?  Jack & Ginger’s kind of like that.  They always have drink and food specials going on.  I was there on a Thursday Night, which was Trivia Night and burgers were on special for something like $4.  Not bad.

I could be wrong, but I think they also have their namesake drink on special 24 hours a day, but don’t quote me on that.  They also have signs everywhere you look promoting the specials they have going on during other parts of the week.  Bottom line, if you’re cheap, you’ll love Jack & Ginger’s

Trivia was fun and not that kind of trivia that is super-geeky-hard.  It was manageable and didn’t require me to be totally invested in it.

John Barleycorn’s: Your typical Wrigleyville-shitshow-kind-of-bar

The last time I was at John Barleycorn’s was about 13 years ago, which makes me feel pretty old.  My recollection of what John Barleycorn’s was like back then is very different than it is now.  I asked the waitress when they remodeled and she had no clue.

Ok, whatever.  I guess she doesn’t need to know that.  She just needs to know how much to charge for Red Bull and Vodka.

And honestly, I don’t really give a shit either.  I was just trying to make conversation.  I just remember it being a cooler place with more character when I  drank a bunch of beers there before my first Wrigley Field experience way back in 1999.

That’s it.  That’s all I’ve got on John Barleycorn’s.  It’a a big-ass bar in Wrigleyville with a shitload of TVs and garage doors that open up to Clark.  This was toward the end of the night and I more focused on my Miller Lites and Car Bombs than writing a stupid blog for you assholes.

Carol’s Pub is nothing and everything all at one time

When I was given the Historic Bars of Chicago book, I quickly set my sights on Carol’s Pub because it was hailed as one of the few true honky tonks in Chicago.

Geographically, Carol’s is a little out of my sweet spot.  My universe in Chicago ends at the Addison stop on the Red Line and Carol’s required me to go a couple stops further to Wilson.  That’s new territory for me.  I think people probably consider Carol’s to be in Sheridan Park – but it’s pretty close to Andersonville and that might as well be Wisconsin as far as I’m concerned.

So I expected Carol’s to be a great dive with a great country music juke box.  They delivered on that, but I was delighted to see that they actually have live country music on weekends and no cover until 10pm.  The band played a variety of Country Western favorites by the likes of Wille, Waylon, George, Johnny, more Wille and Loretta.  The good stuff.

The shitters at Carol’s are disgusting.  Carol’s is a cash-only establishment, but they will gladly point you to their in-house ATM that only charges you $3.50 service fee.  They do have food, but everything is fried.  The bartenders are less than diligent.  Contrary to what you might be thinking there is plenty of seating at the bar and near the stage.

Carol’s is also one of those Chicago bars that has a 4am liquor license.  That means if you aren’t shit-faced enough at 2 or 3am and absolutely need to keep the party going, you can always grab a cab and head up North Clark to Carol’s and end the night with some warm beer and country music.

Paddy Long’s has a Bacon Board

Paddy Long’s in Lakeview bills themselves as a “Beer and Bacon Bar” and that was enough to get me to give it a try.  The good news is that they don’t disappoint.  They have a section of the menu dedicated solely to bacon and they have plenty of beer on tap.

Their Mona Lisa of bacon is their Bacon Board.  If memory serves me correctly, it came with Peppered Bacon, Danis Bacon, Irish Bacon and slab bacon served with a pile of mustard and gherkins which are tiny pickles.  Good stuff.

Be a man and go get some bacon in Lakeview.

Truth: Sometimes, I go to bars just to take a pee.

When I’m in Chicago, I walk. A lot.  I don’t like taking taxis because they are a huge cash suck and most of the drivers are dicks.  So fuck them, I’ll walk or take the train.

A month into this whole thing, I’m getting the train system down, but I’ve started to realize that if I want to go to Wicker Park or Bucktown, I have to either go way back to the Loop or get to the Blue Line via bus or walking.  When I was coming back from Lincoln Park a few nights ago, I was on the Brown Line and decided to see how close it gets to my apartments.

Ok, this is boring, so I’ll get to the point.  Exploring the Brown Line was a mistake because I had to pee – really bad and I didn’t have anywhere to go.  I seriously started to consider alleys and the like.  I know people piss all over the place in this town because I can smell it.  Me peeing in an alley wasn’t going to make it any worse.

Finally, I stumble upon an Irish Pub called Celtic Crosssings.  I dropped in, took a seat at the bar and acted like everything was cool.  I was going to try and order my beer BEFORE I peed, but the bartender was fucking around talking to people, so I ditched it and headed to the loo.

At this point, I could have just bailed, but I felt a debt of gratitude to this place, so I stayed and bought a $6 beer.  Maybe that’s their special “we know you came in to just take a piss” price.  That’s fine.  I was on the verge of pissing my pants, so I’m fine with excise tax that was added to my beverage.

 

Cafe Laguardia: Awesome Mojitos and Annoying People

I think Cafe Laguardia is Cuban, but I’m not totally sure.  It’s something Caribbean – I know that for sure.

I also know that the bartender made me an awesome Raspberry Mojito.  Go ahead and make fun of me.  I don’t give a fuck.  It was tasty and I enjoyed it.

I also know that the people there are annoying.  Cafe Laguardia seems to attract middle-aged divorced women who put on their fancy animal printed jacket and something tighter than it should be so they can get out there and shake it once a year.  If you happen to be on the dance floor when the band starts playing and you’re NOT dancing, they will go Honey Badger on you and push you out of the fucking way.

But the Mojito was great.  I enjoyed that.

I also know that the band has a guy that stands on a wooden box and does some form of tap dancing and it’s louder than the band.

But they do make a damn tasty Raspberry Mojito.

And the women at Laugurdia Cafe get fairly pissed off when you’re a man and you use the women’s bathroom.  I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but this particular leopard-clad cougar didn’t like it.

But I highly recommend the Raspberry Mojito.