This post was originally published on December 18, 2015.
I was in Chicago recently at my best friend’s house in North Center and she recommended the Brownstone Tavern for brunch and Bloodys. Brownstone Tavern is your classic Chicago sports bar and boasts a weekend Bloody Mary bar and mimosa carafes. When we arrived at Brownstone, we were promptly greeted by a waitress who took our drink orders– BYO Bloody Mary for me and coffees for the boys! We got those drinks rather quick and ordered some food, which didn’t come out for at least an hour. A manager came over to tell us Brownstone has new ownership and gave us his sincere apologies. I do not like waiting for food for that long (you never should have to) especially when I’m hungry, but he ended up comping most of our meal (and gave us a free mimosa carafe!). I wasn’t too upset about that. My boyfriend and I split the Italian beef sandwich with sweet potato fries and mac and cheese, both of which were underwhelming– except for the sweet potato fries. Those were great. Either way, the Bloody Mary bar was AWESOME and next time I would probably go to Brownstone just for that (get food somewhere else and then stop in for a Bloody during Sunday football!).
TIME
Saturday & Sunday from 11AM-3PM
AMBIANCE
Classic Chicago sports bar/tavern
PRICE
$7 for one well-vodka BYO Bloody
MIX
Has a selection of mixes and cocktails: McClure’s, Clamato, Jimmy Luv’s, and Zing Zang
GARNISHES
Has a lot of different hot sauces (Tabasco, Red Hot, Cholula, Sriracha, Cajun Sunshine, etc.), other varietal sauces (Soy, A1, and more), lots of different spices (including black salt, Chicago’s own Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, smoky spices, and Tony Chachere… sweet!), horseradish, 4-5 different cheeses, beef straws, bacon, lemons, limes, pickles, mini sweet pickles (side note: no matter how many times I try these, I don’t like them.. cinnamon and pickles is too weird for me), summer sausage, variety of peppers (banana, red hot, and pepperoncini), celery, and olives stuffed with pickled peppers… So Chicago!
WHAT I CRAFTED
I made a Bloody with McClure’s Bloody mix because I have been DYING to try it. The mix is made from McClure’s leftover pickle brine, fresh pressed cucumber juice, and lots of spices. It reminds me of one of my other favorite mixes– The Real Dill’s– because of the use of cucumber water and pickle brine in the mix. I love all things pickle, so McClure’s can be added to my favorites list. It’s full of sustenance, spicy, and has the perfect zang to it. I tossed in a lot of different spices (smoky flavoring, black salt, pepper, Lawry’s)… because you can never go wrong with too many spices! I squeezed in some lemon and tossed in Cajun Sunshine hot sauce.. Along with some A1 in replacement of my usual addition of Worcestershire sauce. Garnish-wise, I made a nice skewer full of deliciousness with cheese, summer sausage, a mini pickle, banana pepper, pepperoncini, and pepper-stuffed olive. I also tossed in some bacon strips, a lemon wedge, a big pickle, and of course… a beef straw! This was my first time drinking a Bloody Mary with a beef straw.. What a wonderful invention!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The price is right and so are the garnish options– that’s forsure! Beef straws are simply amazing and I’m glad I got to sip my Bloody through one. Points for cheese, bacon, and summer sausage as well (can’t you tell I’m Midwestern at heart). I also liked how there are a few mixes to choose from and I am especially happy that Brownstone Tavern had McClure’s because I’ve wanted to try it for so long. You know I’m not a fan of Bloody bars where there’s only high fructose corn syrup-laden mixes.. so McClure’s was a breath of fresh air. The variety of spices and sauces available were plentiful and you really could craft your own world wonder.
If you’re interested in checking out Brownstone Tavern, it’s located at:
3937 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, 60613