BY SARAH AMUNDSEN
There are no shortage of bars in the Lakeview/Lincoln Park area, but the majority of them are sports bars. Don’t get me wrong: these bars make me feel like I never graduated from college, so I love them. Sometimes, I like a little change of pace without having to leave my neighborhood. The solution: The Drinkingbird.
According to a slogan on the menu, you need to “eat to remember, drink to forget.” That sounds great to me.
If you want to drink to forget here, you will enjoy the cocktail menu, which features specialty cocktails (the Pimms Cup, Crysanthemum and Mothers Ruin) and draft beers (Allagash White, Victoria Prima and Virtue Red Streak).
Even though I enjoyed the drinks here (…and maybe did eventually start to forget), I will always remember my meal: the mac n’ cheese.
Yes, a lot of Chicago restaurants do serve their own mac n’ cheese, but The Drinkingbird’s unconventional version will always be at the top of my list. From the moment the waitress handed me my plate, everyone else at my table eyed it in jealousy. Made with rotini pasta and three types of cheese (Gruyere, smoked gouda and white cheddar), the highlight of this dish was the garlic-brioche crust. The top of the pasta was smothered in salty, textured brioche breadcrumbs, and the garlic added the perfect amount of spice.
This quirky restaurant and bar is hidden on Clybourn Avenue, so hidden that the restaurant isn’t even marked with it’s name. Instead, the neon sign out front bears a picture of a drinking bird. The décor resembles a 1960’s Vegas cocktail lounge, with smoky wallpaper and gold bar stools.
The Drinkingbird, 2201 North Clybourn Avenue. For more information call 773-472-9920, visit online or follow on Facebook and Twitter.
