Scout Network Blog» sausage

A Villainous hero, and a new ‘Sausage King’?

Jeff — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:00:11 +0000

Chicago has had its fair share of villains over the years: Al Capone, Richard J. Daley, any Bears quarterback between Jim McMahon and Jay Cutler, but few villains are as loved as Villains Bar and Grill in the South Loop. The place is appropriately themed after many of Chicago’s famous prohibition-era gangsters of the 1920s like Capone, and it has the dark, divey feel of a classic speakeasy. But its impressive selection of craft beers — more than 10 on tap and 50+ bottles — and tasty all-natural burgers are far from dive bar fare. Villains sources its beef semi-locally from a farm just north of Chicago, which is free of antibiotics and steroids.

And though I write often about the seemingly endless supply of places to get a tasty craft beer and burger — something I am certainly not complaining about having an abundance of — a new type of craft beer and [insert trendy food here] place recently opened this month in Chicago, Bangers and Lace, which specializes in pairing beers with various sausages. Another winning combo of beer and meat! I have yet to go but read from a friend who is a bartender at Bar Deville — the owners of which are behind Bangers — from his Facebook status that the place is incredible. I can’t wait to try it.

Move over Abe Froman, there might be a new Sausage King in Chicago.

Bangers and Lace image via bangersandlacechicago.com

Sausages and Vegan Mexican

Vanessa — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:08:56 +0000

There has been an explosion of new restaurants in my neighborhood — San Francisco’s Mission District. Among my favorites are a sausage joint and a new vegan Mexican place — which, oddly enough, I think draw a cross-over crowd.

Gracias Madre is the Latin vegan restaurant of a notoriously hippie raw food place called Cafe Gratitude — where each of the plates are named something like “I am plentiful” or “I am whole,” giving the opportunity for an “affirmation” when the food arrives (“You are plentiful,” “You are whole.”) Gracias Madre has kept the communal seating but dropped forced hippie interactions. And the food is incredible. The majority of it is grown at a local farm, and with dishes like mole enchiladas stuffed with mushrooms in the most delicious tangy sauce and served with garlicky kale and beans, it’s hard to not love it. You can also get vegan Mexican hot chocolate, homemade horchata and a huge selection of wines.

On the other side of the neighborhood — and the other side of the spectrum — is Rosamunde Sausage Grill, an order at the counter kind of place that fits right in with the current German food craze. You can sit at Oktoberfest-style long wooden tables, drink pints of beer and choose from a host of delicious sides to go with your sausage. Currently they have only one vegetarian option, which is what I always get, and I hope they’ll add more soon.