Photo: Maggie Faircloth
Photo: Maggie Faircloth
Webster’s Wine Bar has been a favorite spot of mine since I moved to Chicago six years ago. It’s comfortable and welcoming, the wine list offers a variety of lovely wines and the clientele is friendly. Even though the bar is almost always packed, I still feel like it’s my local “find” everytime I go. So it should be no surprise that when I walked into The Bluebird, I had a similar response. The Bluebird’s co-owners and husband and wife team, Tom MacDonald and Janan Asfour started Webster’s Wine Bar — Chicago’s oldest wine bar — 14 years ago. Last year they expanded the concept of a cozy neighborhood place with great wine and beer lists and opened The Bluebird in Bucktown.
The team has set out on an honorable mission, clearly stated at the front of the long beverage menu — searching the globe to find unique wines and beers, organic and biodynamic when possible, with “singular quality” which reflect the passion that the winemakers and brew masters feel for their trade. In their search they discovered beers like the Brouwerij Duysters — Loterbol Brujn, an amber ale from one of the smallest breweries in Belgium. Another rare find on the menu is the Brasserie Dupont — Foret Saison, which is brewed with artesian spring water and 100 percent organic hops and barley.
The Bluebird’s team has kindly brought these beers to Chicago for the rest us to experience. Sometimes they may only be able to secure one case of an extremely rare find. This is impressive because it’s not only a testament to their passion to offer the best brews in the world, but it demonstrates the relationships that they and their buying staff have with their vendors. Sourcing a rare ingredient, wine or beer is not a simple matter of economics — the highest bidder doesn’t always get the goods. Sellers often offer the best of their best to their favorite clients. So, I like to think that part of what goes into The Bluebird’s success is the good hearts that the folks there have.
It appears that opening a craft beer bar in Chicago is a bold move, even in the wake of pioneers like the Hopleaf and Map Room. Chicagoans haven’t been known for their curiosity when it comes to brew, historically choosing mainstream beer over microbrews. However craft beer sales are recently on the rise while mainstream beer sales are declining. [“Bye Bye Bells” Chicago Reader, December 15, 2006]. After the fiasco with Bells and their choice to exit the Chicago market entirely in 2006 rather than deal with the rigid distribution laws, it’s heartening to see more microbrew bars opening.
While the draw to The Bluebird is really the beer list, the food is also a great reason to go. I had the best beet salad there that I’ve ever had in my life and the buffalo sloppy joe will undoutedly make it to some “favorites of 2008” lists next month. If you’re not sure what beer would go well with your choices, the menu will guide you.
The Bluebird hosts tasting events monthly. Plan well and you could attend one of the pin firkin events, which is when they ask a brew master to create a special recipe just for The Bluebird. They’ll ship a pin firkin, or five gallon keg, to the brew master for filling, then bring it to the restaurant to offer whoever is lucky enough to come in that night. It’s a one-time chance…that happens monthly.
My only concern with The Bluebird is that now I have to choose between it and Webster’s Wine Bar whenever I’m looking for a place to spend a great evening.
The Bluebird
1749 N. Damen, Chicago
773.486.2473
bluebirdchicago.com
Tanya Fritz Catalano is a professionally trained chef, oenophile, slow-food fanatic and yoga enthusiast.