Outdoor Happy Hour? Go Epic

Posted by Bridget at 8:00 am

Aug 052010

The rooftop bar is just that -- no food is served.

Sometimes with restaurants, it’s worth it to try… try again. I was reminded of that recently at Epic.

We were decidedly underwhelmed earlier this year when we went there for dinner. So much so, that we never got around to posting a review. But it turns out that Epic has some serious happy hour chops. The cocktails are good, the available wine list is small but interesting, and the bar food is nothing to scoff at — especially the sliders and the goat cheese. Yum!

The rooftop patio at epic is a happy happy hour spot.

The true crown jewel of Epic’s happy hour though is its beautiful rooftop patio. It rivals Roof at the Whit and Vertigo at the Dana Hotel as far as comfort, surpasses both on spaciousness, and kicks The Conrad’s ass with its “city view.” My only complaint is no food is served on the rooftop — it’s drinks only. Still, the indoor lounge area is comfy and modern (and empty if you get there early enough), so it’s not a hardship to grab a bite or two down there before heading upstairs.

Happy hour was so successful that I’m tempted to give dinner at Epic another go — maybe even complete a full dining review! Regardless, I’ll be hanging out on that patio again before summer’s done. It’s a find.

Epic
112 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654-4504
(312) 222-4940
Get directions

First Look at State and Lake

Posted by Bridget at 11:02 pm

Jun 112010

The steak tasted as good as it looks.

State and Lake, the casual restaurant in the Wit Hotel, has a cool comfortable vibe and excels in meat dishes to please even the most discerning carnivore.

The contemporary American menu has some good sea food options on it as well including trout from Rushing Waters, one of our favorite farms in Wisconsin, and calamari steak. But neither were as good as the pork, burger, or steak our group tried. There’s also a series of affordable beer flights on the drink menu — an excellent complement to the meat you should try!

The truffle macaroni and cheese is worth an order (or two in my opinion) because truffle is the central flavor in the rich creamy dish — a far cry from Kraft.

The rhubarb tart was the best dessert we tried.

For dessert we tried the bananna split, the chocolate cake, and the strawberry rubarb tart. The tart, served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream, was the best sweet on the table hands down.

At first look, State and Lake is a solid choice to grab a bite in the Loop, but the dishes aren’t very creative.