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The Press Room - West Loop Wine Bar

The Press Room - West Loop Wine Bar
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  • The Press Room - West Loop Wine Bar

    Post #1 - May 29th, 2018, 3:20 pm
    Post #1 - May 29th, 2018, 3:20 pm Post #1 - May 29th, 2018, 3:20 pm
    I didn't see a topic for the Press Room, a wine bar and restaurant that opened last fall just off the main Randolph Street drag in the West Loop. My wife and I have been twice now and it is definitely my favorite bar in that neighborhood and one of the better wine bars in the city.

    We went last month for a light dinner following a show at City Winery. The food was very good in a simple, modern sense. Standouts were roasted carrots with yogurt and smoked feta that were a nice take on the vegetable-forward trend and an octopus salad with crunchy beluga lentils. Everything paired well with a Valle d'Aosta red that was one of several dozen choices in the $40-$60 range.

    This weekend we went back for a drink before dinner. The place was relatively empty, which isn't surprising given the holiday weekend, and we got to chat a bit with the staff. Our waiter from last visit instantly recognized us and picked up a conversation we had before. The staff was discussing new drinks and included us in the conversation, offering us tastes and smells of unusual ingredients (poblano chile liqueur!). I don't really drink cocktails, sticking to beer and wine, but I suspect the program there is quite serious.

    This is a relatively relaxed place. The food is very good, but not clearly better than other spots in the area. The wine list isn't up to Rootstock or Websters, but is very broad with bottles for every taste and occasion. The two together, however, combine with the relaxed but enthusiastic vibe to draw you in and makes me want to come back when in the area.

    The Press Room
    1134 Washington Blvd
    http://www.pressroomchicago.com/
  • Post #2 - May 29th, 2018, 9:03 pm
    Post #2 - May 29th, 2018, 9:03 pm Post #2 - May 29th, 2018, 9:03 pm
    At my favorite restaurant, they don’t cook a lot of food. There’s only a handful of housemade dishes on the menu, and they’re very good, but select, focused. The rest of the menu is a collection of carefully curated cheese and charcuterie. To my way of thinking, there are no finer foods than milk and meat that have gone through a process of controlled decay, letting nature make them more delicious.

    A major strength of this place is their broad selection of wines, many by the glass. They offer beer and cocktails, if you must (and at many restaurant-bars, I usually do), but for cheese and charcuterie, wine is best. The acidity slices through lushness, cleansing the palate for more flavors, again and again. The servers know a lot; you can ask them what goes with what, assured you’ll get informed guidance.

    This is not an easy place to find. It’s on the lowest level of a sturdy old building on the outskirts of the Randolph Street restaurant row. It’s underground, so if you’re at street level scanning for bright lights and tables filled with people, the hair salon on the first floor might at first throw you off. Signage outside—an old-timey glass rectangle—announces “wine bar” in light red lettering, looking faded with time, which it can’t be because the place has been open for only a few months. The legal name, though stenciled in frosted glass on the front door, is not obvious. No problem, though, because most of the people filling the room are from the neighborhood—over fifty percent of the room is local, said general manager George Saldez—and they know where they’re going. As chef Jeff Williams explains, this is “a neighborhood bar in the West Loop,” which is an anomaly.

    It was snowy, slushy and shitty the first time we dropped by. Pools of dirty water created impassable moats at every corner. The snow was stained with godknowswhat dank gunk, and the sidewalks impassable, blocked by snow that had not been shoveled and heavy construction equipment, building materials spilling from behind wire fencing. The weather and clutter can make this hard-to-find place even harder to find, which might generate frustration in the seeker. All that makes finally finding the place all the more satisfying and comforting.

    Down the stairs, into the basement, you can see snow caking up against windows, set maybe eight feet above the floor. Religions began in caves for a reason, and in this below-street-level spot, you’re in a cloistered space, a cozy, friendly place where you’re welcome even if you’ve never been there before. On cushioned seating along the wall and a few long tables, everyone seems to be sharing a good time. Sure, the wine helps, and there’s an overall feeling of being cocooned in a subterranean, homey pleasure dome, without a hint of gaudiness or pretension, blanketed in a vague sense of secrecy. You feel almost privileged to sit down.

    You think to yourself, “Who do I love? I want to bring them here.”



    I go on and on here: https://resto.newcity.com/2018/04/15/my ... estaurant/
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins

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