Off the Eaten Path

Glorious Bar Food

I love bar food.  Give me some fried appetizers, a burger and fries, and I’m one happy girl. So when Clark suggested we duck into Black Rock on Damen (just north of Addison in North Center) for lunch over the weekend, I didn’t hesitate.  Sign me up.

Black Rock  is the kind of bar I specialize in — dark and old (check out the vintage 1940s photos of the bar on the walls), with lots of character and without any fancy decor.  And not much of a crowd to speak of (probably because it was a sunny Saturday and both the Air & Water Show and a Cubs game were going on).

If I’m going to do the bar food thing, I’m going all in. So I ordered the Moose Burger, named in honor of the rather large moose head hanging over the bar — a half pound burger on a pretzel bun (we’d like to see an Illinois state law requiring all burgers be served on pretzel buns) topped with pepperjack cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce and onion strings.  It was perfect…not too much BBQ sauce, which tends to make the bun soggy, and just the right amounts of cheese, bacon and onion.  I managed to eat the whole thing; well, the whole thing minus the two bites Clark “sampled.”  And the fries were just the way I like them — thin, crisp and seasoned.  Wash the whole thing down with a fountain Coke and I was ready to conquer the rest of the day.

Clark invested little time skimming the menu, and was easily lured in by the sandwich selection. He decided the Jive Turkey would fulfill his hunger on this sweaty summer day. Like Lois’s burger, this cold sandwich was also served on a over-sized pretzel bun, and was packed with fresh, thick carvings of turkey meat, swiss cheese, fresh cut avocado, red onions, and a little bit of honey mustard. This sandwich was so delicious, mostly due to the combination of honey mustard fusing with the fresh chunks of avocado. The turkey was freshly sliced, and only warm, not hot, and the bun set off the whole sandwich. Instead of fries, Clark went for the “other” potato choice, the tater tots. They  hook you up with practically half a plate in the shape of a mountain of these little buggers, and are cooked to a crisp in a deep fryer.

Again, because this was a hot, sweaty, long walk summer day Clark ordered a tall glass of Alagash, which was the draft special for that day – but don’t think that’s all you’re limited to. Black Rock carries a number of beers on tap as well bottled, including some new local favorites from Half Acre and Metropolitan. Our advice, stop in hungry and order a real meal, and some drinks. Really chill environment and a good local vibe.

Total – about $25 with tip. A solid dining investment.