Sip Northwest, Winter 2015

DRIFTERS 34 Outside my suite the hotel offered more stuff that helped me feel at home on the road like a gym a whirlpool and a coin op laundry center which is especially valuable when you travel light on long trips The Einstein Room located on the mezzanine level above the lobby provides a meeting space a foosball table and a comfortable living space where you are welcome to kick back and relax BERKSHI RE G LAMOUR Having familiarized myself with the surroundings I developed a powerful thirst and headed down to the Berkshire Room ACME Hotel Companys lounge Truth be told this is a major reason I opted to stay at this hotel the lounge is one of the most celebrated libation destinations in Chicago DINING IN RIVER NORTH DISTRICT If you dont spend all of your money shopping the Magnificent Mile the one mile shopping stretch of Michigan Avenue that hosts more than 460 stores and 275 restaurants and bars head into the River North neighborhood for one of these deep dishes THE BAR AT FRONTERA GRILL Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless flagship restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo sit side by side on Clark Street sharing a wall and a simple theme fiercely authentic upscale Mexican cuisine Scoring reservations at either spot is challenging but the bar at Frontera Grill offers the best opportunity to enjoy the food and one of the signature Mezcal based margaritas rickbayless com EATALY This monument to all things Italian is bigger than youre imagining Its like an Italian themed amusement park a single building housing a grocery store department store brewpub wine bars restaurants and more In the morning hit Gran Bar Lavazza for an expertly drawn cappuccino and a cornetto croissant in the afternoon have a snack and a house brewed beer at the Birreria beer bar and stay for dinner at one of Eatalys several restaurants eataly com FARMHOUSE If you crave elevated farm fresh cuisine paired with an impressive beer list you are looking for Farmhouse Described as a farm to tavern concept the restaurant owns a farm outside the city where it grows and raises many of the ingredients it uses The menu changes with the season but know that Farmhouse can blow your mind with something as simple as cauliflower which it prepares with maitake mushrooms wheat berries orange beer and white soy Youll find a rotating selection of 28 beers on tap 26 in bottles and 10 more in cans As youd expect given the concept here the beers are all from local and regional producers farmhousechicago com SIPNORTHWEST COM While everything else at the hotel screams of modernity the lounge provides a touch of Old World elegance stirred thoughtfully with its contemporary surroundings Admiring the refinished terrazzo floor vintage spirits bottles and antique punchbowls I easily believed the stories about 1940s mob bosses holding court regularly in this structure Since its construction in the 1920s the building has always been a hotel or restaurant the Berkshire Room taking its name from the propertys original name as the Berkshire Hotel If the walls could talk the stories they would tell Today people visit the Berkshire Room for its esteemed craft cocktail program which includes a breathtaking array of American whiskeys ryes and bourbons along with a selection of house blended barrel finished drinks The Dealers Choice option allows you to choose your spirit flavor profile style of glassware and then leave the rest up to the mixologists I ordered a Cognac herbaceous in a rocks glass and was not disappointed Live like a rock star and ask for the vintage spirits list which invites you to drop BERKSHIRE ROOM BY KIM SHARPE JONES TOP CENTER PHOTO BY THINK LEIGH PHOTOGRAPHY