Posts Tagged ‘Party’

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#68 – Check out a Cubs Rooftop


2011
07.05

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Posted in Sport, The List | No Comments »

Down the Line Rooftop

Down the Line Rooftop

Thanks to a recent coupon promotion, I was able to snag some cheap rooftop seats and get a chance to see what all the hubbub was all about. I was a bit worried since I got to the gate and there was a line that was stretching too far even though it was an hour before the game. Someone let me know that I was in the line for Skybox on Sheffield and was relieved when I found myself in a much shorter line and quickly up the steps to the rooftop.

Some rooftops, if you don’t get there in time, chances are you’ll be stuck standing all game or watching the game on TV from the second floor. Luckily, I got in line early enough to skip losing out on the game of musical chairs. Seating options included bleacher style risers, a few couches, and some metal patio setup but they were all taken save the risers.

Rooftop Seats

Rooftop Seats

The risers weren’t bad considering the heat and the food and drink flowed even before the game started. The lines for food were longer than the line for drinks which didn’t make much sense, but the lines moved along fairly quickly. Food selections included burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, brats, chicken sandwiches and chips. The burgers were grilled by the dozen without much attention as they were all frozen and there was plenty of food to load up on before the game began. Beverages included Anheuser-Busch products, Miller offerings, Corona, Heinken, and wines. There was apparently dessert on the second floor but I was too busy hanging out on the top where the real fun was.

Rooftop Seats

Rooftop Seats

Sitting in Wrigley, it would always seem that the view from the rooftops would kind of suck given the distance and extra street everything was behind. Surprisingly, I found the view quite acceptable because even though everything was so much farther away, the height of the seats made up for the distance, you could still see almost everything going on in the stadium.

Second Floor Window

Second Floor Window

All in all not a bad value proposition and a way better financial deal than one you’d get from the stadium across the street depending on how much you ate or drank. With rooftop seating offering an acceptable vantage point, it made the unlimited food and drink more of a bonus than the main draw, however I can easily see why other people might have it the other way around.


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#64 – Fried Chicken at The Southern


2011
05.17

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Posted in Food, The List | 2 Comments »

Fried Chicken at The Southern

Fried Chicken at The Southern

Saturday was a great day, not only did it mark the graduation of tens of thousands of young men and women from their respective universities (including yours truly), but I got a shot to finally try some of the best fried chicken in Chicago. The plan was simple: round up school chums, friends, and family all for one final big bash at The Southern in Wicker Park/Bucktown. The Class of 2011 from Loyola University Chicago’s Graduate School of Business came storming in with reserved space on the Southern’s top floor, with rain and wind taking up the roof deck.

Despite the meteorological challenges, we prevailed with our wristband deals and an outstanding array of food coming out from the kitchen. The party started off slowly with people trickling in and baffled by the birthday and engagement parties going on simultaneously next to the graduation party. As time passed, more and more newly minted Loyola alums shuffled in and the shots flowed freely like cash flow.

Trays of food came flying in promptly at 9:45pm. First came biscuits, in came mashed potatoes, platters of mac n cheese started dropping onto the serving table and then came mountains of fried chicken made their grandiose entrance. Having the good luck to be standing right next to the food, I was in a prime position to grab some of the fresh treats and went on the attack!

Crunchy yet moist, a true contradiction

Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

Now I thought I had seen it all, I’ve hunted deep down in the south side beyond 95th street chasing fried chicken and have found some amazing eats. Good fried chicken can be defined by its dedication to remain crisp and its moisture not burnt away by the deep fryer. I wouldn’t say I am picky about texture but I can recognize when I am biting into pure deliciousness textured to give me a crunchy crisp I expect from awesome fried chicken. The Southern’s fried chicken gives you the best of both words, crunchy on the outside yet tender beneath.

Don't forget your sides!

Don't forget your sides!

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the spectacular mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, and biscuits that capped off the All-star performance. The Southern Mac food truck delivers out oodles of mac n cheese in downtown Chicago but you can also stop in for your own serving of the goods. Somehow I missed the gravy for all of this but the foodwas outstanding and I can see why friends stop in at The Southern on a weekly basis. Once the rain clears out I’ll need to stop back in to try some cocktails and shrimp n grits on the roof deck.

If you’re looking to host an event, The Southern should easily fit in 100 of you and your besties for a night of cocktails, scintillating Southern, and of course the obligatory Bourbon. If you stop on in please say hello to Kevin Farrell who will make sure your event runs smoothly, your glass never empty, and even host and bounce if you ask nicely. You won’t have a hard time having a blast and your guests will leave wanting to come back for more.


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Truffle Pizza Puffs & Beyond


2010
12.12

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HAPPY TRUFFLE PIZZA PUFF DAY!!

Sound the vuvuzelas, it was time for magical treats as Truffle Pizza Puff Day finally arrived! After seemingly weeks or months of waiting, the Facebook invites were sent, tweets retweeted, the moment when ideas became reality was finally here. Just like most parties I go to, being one of the first people to arrive for the Truffle Tweetup @RockitWrigley, made me nervous waiting for everyone to come.

We filled out cards on truffle trivia and got our tickets to win the truffle raffle. @MannyNavar circled like a hurricane dropping off handshakes, what’s ups and giving us all a classic dose of @RockitChicago hospitality. Both @TheAW1 and my old roommate never had been over to Rockit Wrigley so we indulged in some of their Thursday night drink specials and I got some cheap Heinkens while the food came piping hot out of the kitchen!

Truffle Pizza Puff

Crispy. Savory. Soaked in absolute truffle. The truffle pizza puffs were a creative redesign of the Chicago classic fast food snack without the super soaked greasiness that brings on the “itis” in thirty minutes flat. Missing was the tomato sauce, but I think the large hunks of mushroom and cheese more than compensated for the lack of tomato. Every plate was swarmed and the plates were clean off by many snatches of the hand.

Truffle Pizza

Not to be underestimated, the truffle pizza was way more impressive than I could’ve imagined. What surprised me the most was just how crispy this bad boy was. The texture was delightful to my senses there was the right amount of cheese and mushrooms on the pizza. In retrospect, it was a surprisingly tasty yet simple recipe. Nothing like good cooking to start off the night right.

Chef

I always love how @amanda2581 will always sneak out the kitchen to say hi! The lady is hard at work but I always appreciate being given the chance to verify that yes, this food is awesome! By the end of the night I somehow got truffle butter and truffle pate off my friend who won a big score of Rockit t-shirt, gift certificate and all other kinds of goodies. All in all it was a great time with a few dozen friends with creative people who know how to let everyone have a good time.


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#50 – A Night on the Rocks: @RockitChicago & @undergroundchi


2010
10.07

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Posted in Party, The List | 1 Comment »

Do not attend Johnnie Walker whiskey tasting events – there’s no whiskey to be had!

One friend flew into town with two other friends and I had three people and one night to showcase the best of what Chicago had to offer. The night started off with some 55-day old steak at David Burke’s and then we made the critical error of attempting to attend a Johnnie Walker whiskey tasting in the middle of the warehouse district straight west on Fulton. The sparse line raised my eyebrow since we RSVP’d in advance, yet they didn’t let us check into the party since they were afraid of the party going over capacity like Foursquare these days.

I’ve been to many whiskey tastings and launch parties to know something that the organizers had no clue what they were doing. Forty-five minutes of waiting later and another twenty for a taxi, we left cold, disappointed, and certainly without any whiskey. My friend shrewdly reminded me, “It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

Where were we going to go? Luckily, living in Chicago all my life, my encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago led the compass to point towards Rockit and Underground. First, we’d have a sip of the action by drinking some serious cocktails, then we’d get in the club and knock ourselves out!


Rockit – Hubbard

As we cabbed back to civilization, the rain started falling from the sky. We got over to Rockit in River North and grabbed and table and started drinking everything in sight. Feeling especially bad, we dropped some Jager bombs to make up for the lost hour of waiting around for nothing. The night was getting better and I couldn’t complain.

Manny Nevar, the host of Rockit stopped by and showed us what the hospitality and nightlife industry was really about. I knew Rockit would be awesome, but it quickly upgraded itself to awesomely bad ass when me and +3 got ourselves a booth in a crowded bar with our own complimentary pool table. Out came some giant deadly cocktails and the night was going on full throttle.

Me +3 continued having a great time while Manny and me played the name game and found out we grew up with some of the same people. He made sure we were well settled in and then went to take care of business around the rest of the bar. At the other corner of the bar, I could see @BillyDec swarmed by his fans, friends and his own personal army. A short while later, @arturogomezrrp, President of Rockit Ranch Productions took the time to welcome me+3 even with plenty of people demanding his attention. After he left, I took time to teach my guests about Chicago, there were happy the bar wouldn’t close until 2am and Underground would be bumpin’ until 4 in the morning. Soon enough it was 1:30am and Manny showed up like clockwork to walk us on over to Underground.

Who put this line here?

Raining and looking at a line out the door, our host parted the line like the Red Sea and we marched right into the club. By now, everyone’s seen pictures of the Blackhawks going to town at Underground with the Stanley Cup and other friends would end up here after a hard night on the rocks. Having never been to Underground, I really didn’t know to expect, but was glad that I didn’t see the Stanley Cup since that would’ve meant another few hundred people to fight through! Underground lived up to its moniker as we walked down into the club that was stacked shoulder to shoulder with a raging Friday night crowd.

Knowing that I had three friends from California out to see Chicago, Manny and the Underground staff really did roll out the red carpet. We found ourselves in the kitchen having some mega cocktails and I never been to a club where so many people were dressed to impress. The GM of Underground was orchestrating the whole production and there was @arturogomezrrp keeping an eye on everything.

You ever see that scene out of Goodfellas where they go through the kitchen, through a long maze then out back into the club and out to a table? That’s what exactly happened thanks to @AhmedB_UG and @MannyNevar. We sat down and got down to the music while drinking up shots, cocktails, and more drinks. Manny did a stand up job and personally made sure that we were all having the time of our lives.

There were people dancing on every surface you could imagine and it’s clear why Underground is Chicago’s best – the people are good looking, the music is for dancing, and everyone has a euphoric time. It’s funny though, after a long night of drinking most people tend to get a wee bit hungry. Having tried Chef @amanda2581’s magical Kobe burger up @RockitWrigley a few weeks earlier, it was beyond awesome when some sliders arrived with the grilled cheese. The sliders are a mini-version of the Rockit Burger and melt in your mouth with every single bite.

One final note, if you have some people from out of town and want to have a ridiculously awesome time worth remembering, take my advice and roll through to Rockit and follow it up with Underground. There’s a guy down at Rockit named Manny and he’ll set you up and make sure everyone’s in a great mood. The proof is in the pudding and after getting home past 5:00am, I was three hours late to my 7:00am meeting!  Trust me – just keep an eye out for this fellow Northwestsider and he’ll take care of you and your crew!


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#46 – Attend Yelp Summerfest


2010
08.12

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Posted in Party, The List | 1 Comment »

A few years ago a friend told me about some group that threw lots of parties with complimentary food and drink a few times a month and that all I had to do is write some reviews on businesses. I remember the first party I went to was called Yelp Around the World at the German Cultural Center at Dankhaus and it was fantastic. Food galore from all over the city and beer, liquor, and a full house to complement the free for all feeding frenzy made for a tantalizing introduction to the Yelp universe.

Three years later, I’m still writing on Yelp, happy to share my thoughts and ideas on all of the places I go while enjoying Chicago. Yelp is one of the main reasons I started the Chicago Bucket List, since people always ask the same questions about Chicago, so a visit to one of their biggest bashes of the year was well warranted. Me and another Yelp friend arrived to the Irish American Heritage Center on the deep northwest side to check out the latest event. We were greeted by Amp energy drink girls who were giving away free cans and a long line of folks ready to open up the party.

Checking in the signup desk and always greeting the ubiquitous Colleen C., I am always amazed by her encyclopedic memory of the thousands of people who come to these epic parties. We navigated through the maze of desserts and headed out to the back lot and were greeted by beer, more beer, and MORE beer! I took a quick liking to the Half Acre Daisy Cutters and donated to the charity tip jar.  The Daisy Cutters featured the rich flavor of Half Acre and there’s nothing better than drinking a cold fine Chicago microbrew on a sultry evening. There were nearly 20 beers, with cider, vodka, tea and all sorts of drinks everywhere. As was the usual case when going to a Yelp party, I made sure to bring plenty of friends to try out everything and they fit right in with the rest of the organized chaos.

Foodwise, I made a great discovery of rice and lumpia from Isla Filipina which is less than a mile from me! I let them know that I thought their food was great and so awesome and the one guy working yelled back,”We are the best!” Nothing like great attitude to go along with delicious bites. I am definitely putting Isla Filipina high on my to-eat list. Next to Isla Filipina was a long line for sushi from Mio Bento, but by the time I got to the front there was only seaweed salad! Around the corner we found local entrepreneur @Ramon_DeLeon feeding everyone with the new delicious Domino’s Pizza and a sign showcasing all of his locations. I grabbed a few slices and I noticed he had a spot right in Lincoln Park where we would grab $5 pizzas for lunch and eat them in Oz Park – small world in a crowd of thousands of people! He had his Twitter handle on his sign so I made quick note to check it out later after the party.

There was a dunk tank going on for charity and one friend shaved Elite ‘10 on his chest. Another friend had floaties so he wouldn’t get into too much trouble at the dunk tank. It was 2 throws for $1 or 2 throws at closer range for $1, but I saw lots of misses and no hits. There was a live band, action photo, and a lot more food that I skipped over since I had my fill from Domino’s and Isla Filipina. Everything got more crowded but I had time to smoke a fine Bolivan cigar that warded off some of the mosquitoes and helped myself to more Daisy Cutters. It got really crowded, but everyone was behaving and all the hard work paid off. Inside we found burlesque dancers, photobooth, and great people all around. Yelp Summerfest is one of the best parties around time and I can only imagine that they get better.


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