Randolph Wine Cellars

I realized I've been slacking with my restaurant reviews and with my blog in general. Unfortunately I haven't had my camera with me to take pictures of the food as nearly all my recent dining out experiences have been last minute and unexpected. And I desperately need a new camera since mine is 5 years old!

The in-laws were in town. The Husband desperately wanted to grab at drink at Market, a new bar in our neighborhood with a sports theme. Market is owned by one of the players on the Chicago White Sox. I won't pretend to know who any of them are. It has a beer garden on the ground level next to it and a roof top lounge area that is supposed to have cabanas and a great view of the city. Plus I checked out their menu online and they have a whole section devoted to fizzy bubbly champagne drinks. Sign me up! This was Market's first weekend to be open however when we stopped by we found out they hadn't gotten their liquor license yet but were only serving food. Heck no, I need my Friday evening cocktail. On the way home we saw people carrying cases of Miller Lite and PBR outside so I'm guessing it was BYOB for now. Although why you'd want to BYOB to a bar is beyond me.

So we headed down to Randolph Wine Cellars. Their top floor has a nice view of the city. Since it was only about 5:15, the place was empty. (We were on old people time since we were with The Husband's parents). We were the only ones on the top floor for a while, even though a large number of tables had been reserved. Definitely make a reservation if you're going later in the evening. What I love about this place is the wine flights. For some reason I just love wine flights. You can also order small tasting portions for $3 or $4 of wines instead of a glass and make your own flight. I had the champagne flight and was very happy with it. Everyone else seemed to like their flights too.

I think their menu changed from last time and not for the better. Last time I was there they had more appetizer platter choices which were perfect to pair with the wine if you weren't there for a meal. A lot of cheese plates and charcuterie plates. The five of us shared the Piave Cheese Fondue and enjoyed it though. They had a nice selection of dipping things such as chicken, several kinds of bread, red peppers, and potatoes. You can also order a full meal there but I like it best for drinks and snacks.