Saturday, April 20, 2013

Billy Sunday

Billy Sunday is a swanky new bar located in Logan Square owned by Mathias Merges, owner of Yusho.  Enter into a dimly lit, old world quarter with antique tin ceiling tiles and hanging glass lanterns.  Old black and white photos of stoic expressions are mounted on framed pin striped cloth boards.  The bar is facetiously named after famous baseball player turned active Prohibitionist and evangelical Christian preacher, Billy Sunday, who was famously quoted,"Whiskey has its place - its place is in hell."   Well, Mr. Sunday, I'm sure if you tried one of Alex Bachman's creatively concocted and utterly delicious libations, you'd be preaching a different message.  Not only are the cocktails handcrafted and exceptionally delightful, the food brings comfort, savor, and sustenance.   John Vermiglio delivers elevated bar food that is unique to any bar scene in Chicago.  Vermigilio transforms rustic 1950s cuisine into beautifully plated modern day bites.  Billy Sunday gets fairly crowded after 10:00 p.m. so it is recommended that you head over there early to snag a table. 
3143 W Logan Blvd
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 661-2485
4 stars on Yelp
Cabinets stocked with liquors that are ready to be shaken or stirred.
The original antique ceiling and wood board floors were beautifully restored.

Menu

Drinks and libations.  My personal favorite?  Kent. 
Perfectly chiseled cubes of ice.
The classic Manhattan.
Look at that glacier.
Things in Jars.  Chicken Liver.
Beautifully layered chicken liver, raisin mostarda, and quail egg.  Exceptionally creamy and delicious.
Things in Jars.  Smoked Trout.
Fresh and delicious with a hint of bright lemon.  So good that I was forgoing the bread and eating this straight out of the jar with a fork. 
...but it was still pretty tasty schmeared on a crusty baguette.
Pig ears.
This place does not mess around.  Fresh whole pig ears are deep fried for a nice crunch and burst of flavor.
Pickled Sardine.
Beautifully plated. 
Deconstructed with deep fried spines and potato chips resting on top of a filleted pickled sardine.
Pot pie. 
Braised rabbit encased in a buttermilk biscuit.
If you didn't know... my friend has a pet bunny that I've adopted as my own.  But I had no regrets polishing off this pot pie.
Head cheese with apple julienne, celery, and dollops of creamy celery root.
Fairly salty but worked well with the sweet and tart apples/celery garnishes.
Doughnuts.
Drizzled with peanut butter and concord grape sauce.  Sprinkled with peanut brittle.  A fluffy PB&J doughnut hole that melts in your mouth.
Banana pudding with whipped honeycomb and a freshly baked vanilla wafer.   Light, fluffy, and delectable.
John, you cook like a BOSS.  Can't wait to be back. 
Happy eating.

xoxo
Grace

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