Revolution Brewery

I have been wanting to go to Revolution Brewery since it opened. But it wasn't until Saturday that I finally rolled up on into one of my favorite hoods, Logan Square, to give this place a whirl for some food and drinks with friends.

Of course, I'd already scoped out the menu in advance of my arrival and was pretty excited to try the weekly special cheese plate, which consisted of Fontiago, Smoked Apple Cheddar and Cocoa Cardona, along with apple-golden raisin chutney, local honey, candied pecans and little slices of dark rye. The two main reasons that I wanted to order this cheese plate were the Fontiago (a happy union of Fontina an Asiago) and the apple cheddar. Both were excellent. I liked the Cocoa Cardona as well, but the first two cheeses were really the standouts. I would eat Fontiago on absolutely anything you put in front of me and will soon be investigating how to go about procuring a lifetime supply. And any time you pair apple and cheddar together, I'm going to be a happy camper. Apart from the cheeses themselves, the chutney, local honey and candied pecans were the perfect accompaniments -- and each of the individual elements brought out different notes in each of the cheeses. This was extremely well-crafted for a bar appetizer. I was impressed.

While I was devouring my cheese faster than your average house mouse, I also had Revolution's own tasty Bottom Up Belgian Wit. This is a great beer that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys the Belgian style. However, as I was eager to try more of Revolutions special brews, I switched over to the Coup d'Etat, a French-style saison. After that, there was no turning back. I loved the Coup d'Etat. It was dry, but not overly hoppy and had a fabulous flavor. The color was only slightly redder than an amber and I enjoyed it so much I couldn't help myself from faithfully ordering the Coup for the rest of the evening. Simply delicious.

For dinner, I did something I'd ordinarily never do: I ordered something and altered the preparation without trying it the chef's way first. (I know... I know. Bad foodie form. But I had my reasons.) The Forest Burger normally comes with Gorgonzola, sauteed cremini mushrooms and fried shallots. I asked for it with cheddar instead. For some reason, I just really wanted something with a truly melted cheese that would amp up the savory instead of standing up to it and I knew that the Gorgonzola wouldn't deliver that. I also debated ordering my burger medium vs. medium-well and ultimately defaulted to medium-well, which was a mistake. As usual, the burger came out much closer to well and again, I vowed to only order my burgers medium from now on.

Despite the fact that the burger was better done than I'd ordinarily order, it was still amazing. The mushrooms were beautifully done, the cheddar was gooey and melty and delicious and the shallots added a crunch and a pop of flavor. Most importantly, all of these elements came together in perfect harmony. Plus, the burger came on some awesome bun that somehow managed to stand up to all of the above. Well-played, Revolution. And on top of all of that, my beer paired perfectly with my entree selection. I was happy as a little clam.

That is, until I was struck my something that frequently plagues me: meal envy. My friend Jeff ordered the beef stew. As much as I hate to admit it, Jeff has a sick knack for somehow ALWAYS picking the most amazing dish on the menu. The beef stew at Revolution is off the hook. He said that he wanted to order it right off the bat and I knew it was going to be something special, but I did not order it for three reasons: 1) under almost any circumstance, I refuse to order the same thing as someone else at the table, 2) beef stew seemed entirely too wintery for such a gorgeous summer night and 3) Revolution is known for its burgers.

Well, move over, Rev burgers. Because Revolution beef stew is coming into its own on a fast track to ridiculously awesome. This beef stew is crafted using beer and balsamic and the combination creates a flavor that is rich and complex and unlike any other I've ever tasted. This is no ordinary beef stew. It's creative and new and undeniably amazing.

As our meal wound down, the group also ordered a couple of Revolution's beer-oriented desserts: the chocolate chunk bread pudding, which is made with a mild ale and rich caramel, and the ice cream trio. The ice cream trio is comprised of three flavors -- malt, caramel and chocolate, none of which are what they sound like. All three are made with beer instead of traditional malt, caramel and chocolate, instead taking their flavors from ales, ambers and porters/stouts respectively. Very cool. And also very tasty. However, I must note that the bread pudding is also nothing to sneeze at. I loved the textures and the flavor; overall, this was a well-executed dessert I'd eat again and again if you asked me.

Most of us continued drinking our beers through dessert and beyond, but Jeff decided to change things up a bit by ordering the Death's Door Clear Whiskey, neat. I couldn't be happier that he did. While Jeff was weirded out by the whiskey's clear nature and lack of amber notes (and a little taken aback by the bar's extremely generous pour), I was thrilled by all of the above. This whiskey is like a cleaner, richer, more delicious version of Jameson. It's heavy on the vanilla, which I love, and smoother than Jameson. I am not generally one to just sit around sipping whiskey, but I could have drunk the entire glass. I didn't, but only because... I'd have been extremely drunk. That said, I'll definitely be on the look-out for this selection in the future. For one, it's delicious. And if that weren't enough, it's local! Death's Door spirits are distilled in nearby Madison, WI and this clear whiskey is a true Midwestern gem.

For that matter, Revolution Brewery is a true Chicago gem. I'll be back soon -- and in the meantime, you should go.