The Food Guy: Speakeasies Taking Food and Drinks Seriously

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On Dec. 1, NBC 5's Food Guy recommended a pair of upscale bars to celebrate the holidays in style.

This week, he’s keeping it casual, with a pair of new speakeasies serving inspired cocktails with great food to match. Steve Dolinsky joining us tonight with the story.

Both of these bars are hidden in plain sight, and they’re taking both their drinks and food seriously. Each is a neighborhood joint you can ease into on a weeknight for a creative cocktail, or a thoughtful snack.

When the bartenders effortlessly shake and stir simultaneously, you know you’re in good hands. But finding the Meadowlark can be a challenge. The Palmer Square address leads you to a non-descript door, just a few yards to the west of Lardon, the popular cured meat emporium on the corner. And that was the plan.

“You’re like, oh, this exists here? And then you come in and you’re like, ‘oh, I was not expecting this’ so that kind of like, surprise,” said Abe Vucekovich, the Head Bartender at The Meadowlark.

Their first menu has a distinctive theme.

“I wanted it to be like you’re going out in the woods, looking for birds, but you’re finding them by way of cocktails,” he said. “For instance, we have a drink called ‘The Chicago Pigeon’ using ingredients from Europe – where they’re from – so Parisian gin, but also using trash elements, so we have an upcycled oleo saccharum from spent citrus husks that we use to juice fresh every  day; we reduce it down, make a citrus stock out of it. Add an egg white to it, make it nice and fluffy kind of like the bird looks; adding smoked Malört that we’ve taken from the back and we’ve smoked with some hickory.”

Also, thoughtful snacks, like Spanish anchovies on toast, thick, housemade sausage sliced along with sauerkraut and small charcuterie boards. In essence, just enough sustenance to keep you eating and drinking.

In Chinatown, Moon Palace has been a stalwart for decades, but now the owners’ daughter has taken over, transforming the dining room into Nine Bar.

“I think the pandemic fast-forwarded everything and got the gears in motion,” said Lily Wang, the co-owner of Nine Bar.

The front of the store still has Moon Palace Express with a full menu to-go, but in back, Wang takes liberties with the drink menu.

“We get to incorporate a lot of Asian ingredients like Szechuan peppercorn in our version of a margarita. Chinese five spice in an Old Fashioned,” she said.

There’s also a compact menu as well – great drinking food like steamed dumplings  – plus a Japanese-meets-Chinese pork sandwich inspired by the Golden Arches.

“It’s a fried pork katsu sandwich – big sesame seed bun, American cheese, we use a Chinese hot mustard.”

The wings are also worth noting.

“We use our General Tso’s sauce from Moon Palace for it and then it’s fried in the wok,” she said.

Wang says transitioning from restaurant to speakeasy was stressful at first, but her folks have been very supportive.

“I know it makes them happy, in turn it also makes me happy,” said Wang.

Meadowlark

2812 W. Palmer St.

773-697-8070

Nine Bar

216 W. Cermak Rd.

312-225-4081

Also mentioned:

“A Bartender’s Guide to the World” by Lauren Mote

“Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em from the Award-Winning Bar” by Neal Bodenheimer

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