THE WALNUT SPEAKEASY

THE WALNUT SPEAKEASY
214 Walnut Ave. - Elgin, IL
847-695-2420
www.thewalnutspeakeasy.com
Date & Time: Thursday 08/26/10 - 4pm
Atmosphere: Brick & Wood Restaurant/Bar
Price: $5. 00







I'm happy to report that I found a damn good Bloody Mary! I don't know why, but I wasn't really expecting much when I first arrived. Maybe because I still have bad memories from years ago when the place was called The Walnut Inn, but boy times have changed...


The place itself has been totally refurbished.  Looking very upscale with the exposed brick & wood decor, the place is very nice. With over a dozen flat-screen TVs, it would be a great place to bring a date for a nice meal - and still get to keep your eye on the game.  As for the Bloody Mary...


JD's SPORTS BAR & GRILL

JD's SPORTS BAR & GRILL
908 W. Riverside Bl. - Rockford, IL
815-639-9488
www.jdssportsbar.com
Date & Time: Monday 08/16/10 - 9pm
Atmosphere: Large Open Space Sports Bar
Bartender: Amy


At this point in the evening my taste for Bloody Marys was getting thin, but not wanting to waste the opportunity to do another review, I bought one for the group to share.   Unfortunately for us, we probably should have called it a night on the Bloody Marys...

The bar itself is huge. High ceilings, and a ton of room to move around.  The place was filled with plenty of flat-screen TVs to catch a game or even play a game yourself.  (which we did by playing a game of Bags in the backroom - which is a nice touch)

2ND COUSINS BAR & GRILL

2ND COUSIN'S BAR & GRILL
6246 E. Riverside Bl. - Loves Park, IL
815-637-2660
www.2ndcousinsbarandgrill.com  
Date & Time: Monday 08/16/10 - 8pm
Atmosphere: Where else? (outdoor patio)
Bartender: Bridget?
Price: $3. 50

The third bar on our pub crawl took us down a ways, and brought us to 2nd Cousin's Bar & Grill - where not only did we find an outdoor patio to relax in, but another $0.35 wing special to boot. Life was good.

After drinking a couple 23oz beers to cleanse the pallet, I asked our waitress Bridget if they made a good Bloody Mary.  She of course said yes (they always do) and went off to get more cocktails for all.  The place was busy, but not too packed, and I noticed that our waitress was also helping out the bartender behind the bar, so I couldn't be too mad at the lengthy wait at times for some of the drinks to arrive....

JAX PUB

JAX PUB
4160 N. Perryville Rd. - Loves Park, IL
815-877-0600
Jax Pub Facebook  
Date & Time Monday 08/16/10 - 6:45pm
Atmosphere: Outdoor Patio 
Bartender: Nancy
Price:  $3. 00!
The second stop on the Birthday pub crawl was a little bit down the way to a place called Jax Pub.  Sticking with the theme of consuming our beverages outdoors, we found a table outside on the patio virtually all to ourselves & settled down to see what Jax had to offer.

Asking the bartender if she can make a good Bloody Mary, she said yes & asked what I wanted for garnish.  Telling her to surprise me, she went off to a backroom to get some ingredients - amping up my anticipation tenfold.  When she returned, I'm happy to say that she didn't disappoint....

RBI'S BAR & GRILL

RBI'S BAR & GRILL
3870 N. Perryville Rd. - Rockford, IL
815-877-5592
www.rbisbarandgrill.com  
Date & Time: 08/16/74 - 5:45pm
Atmosphere: Rock & Roll Diner/Sports Bar
Bartender: Tiffany
Price: $5. 00


Going on a birthday pub crawl brought me out to the Rockford area, and another opportunity to try & find the allusive perfect Bloody Mary.  While I didn't find perfection at any of the four bars we hit that night, one of the night's highlights was found at R.B.I.'s Bar & Grill.

Wanting to take advantage of beautiful weather, after ordering our cocktails, I went out back to the patio to grab some space for the group.  At this point I wasn't expecting too much from the Bloody Mary, as I had seen my drink start being constructed with Zing Zang.  As I was walking out back though, I noticed the bartender pouring in a splash of Guinness, so I was hoping she might knew a thing or two about jazzing up a pre-made mix....

EMMETTS TAVERN & BREWING COMPANY

EMMETT'S TAVERN & BREWING COMPANY
128 W. Main St. - W. Dundee, IL
847-428-4500
www.emmettsalehouse.com  
Date & Time: Sunday 08/15/10 - 5:15pm
Atmosphere: Outdoor sidewalk patio
Price: $6 .75

It was a beautiful day in Dundee, and since I was still nursing a two day hangover from Friday's festivities, a Bloody Mary was definitely in order.  Not wanting to be stuck inside on a day like this, finding an outdoor patio to imbibe was key, and Emmett's Tavern took care of both of my needs.

After sitting down on the wrought iron furniture, I ordered a Bloody Mary and relaxed in the summertime air.  Enjoying the nice view of Fox River to my right, the waiter came back and placed a Bloody Mary in front of me that I was pretty sure that I would enjoy just as much....

RIVER LEE'S

RIVER LEE'S
6 E. Main St. - E. Dundee, IL
847-428-8020
River Lee's Metromix  
Date & Time: Friday 08/13/10 - 9:15 pm
Atmosphere: Festive Dive Bar
Price: Either $5 or $6 (didn't ask for breakdown of multiple drinks)
Walking across the bridge over the Fox River, the group decided to make a quick pit-stop at River Lee's on our way to meeting up with two other friends at Banditos.  Having never been inside the place even though I've lived in the nearby area for over three decades, I was anxious to see what this long time Dundee dive bar would bring.

After opening the imposing dark door I was pleasantly surprised how festive & inviting the place was.  Decorated to the hilt with pictures of patrons on the walls & a bunch of Christmas lights - the place gave off good vibes, and I immediately asked myself why I waited so many years to actually venture in....


R BAR & GRILL

R BAR & GRILL
101 W. Main St. - W. Dundee, IL
847-428-0249
Date & Time:  08/13/10 - 8:30pm
Atmosphere: Dark Dive Bar
Price: $6 .00


Meeting up with a group of girls for a night of bar hopping, I found myself at our first stop in the heart of downtown Dundee.  Kiddie corner from the location of one of my former employers, the now defunct Dundee Dollar Theater - R.I.P old friend - R-bar is a local dive that I've been to a handful of times.

Saddling up to the bar, I sat on a stool & asked the blond bartender if she made a good bloody mary.  She replied with an affirmative, and went off to the side to mix my cocktail as I caught some of the Whitesox game on the TV behind the bar.  Seeing her pour from a bottled mix,  I didn't get my hopes up...

RANDALL ROAD HOUSE

RANDALL ROAD HOUSE
2267 Randall Rd. - Carpentersville, IL
847-836-3300
www.randallroadhouse.com
Date & Time: Saturday 08/06/10 - 4: 30 pm
Atmosphere: Sports Bar
Price: $6. 25 



I will begin this review with a shout-out to a very generous lady named "Autumn" for being the first person to donate some cash for a Bloody Mary!  If you would like to do the same, please hit the DONATE button on the left hand side of the page about half-way down.  Thanks again Autumn!!

On with the review of the Randall Road House Bloody Mary.  I've been to this establishment a time or two in the past to catch a game (with plenty of flat-screens to watch your game all over the place), but never had the opportunity to try one of their Bloody Marys.  After getting a call from some kin to see if I wanted to meet up for a couple pre-drinks before they headed to a friend's wedding. (which is consistent to how most of my extended family rolls - even though they were heading to an open bar...it's never to early to get started) 

After battling the busy Randall Rd. traffic, I went into the bar to find that it had a pretty decent size crowd.  Seeing that my companions had started without me, I asked the waitress if the bartender made a good Bloody Mary.  After getting an enthusiastic yes, my mouth started watering in anticipation....

CRUISIN'

CRUISIN'
11 Galligan Rd. - Gilberts, IL
847-836-7272
www.cruisingilberts.com
Date & Time: Sunday 08/01/10 - 8:15 pm
Atmosphere: Auto and Rock & Roll Decor
Bartender: Kaylin?
Price:$4.00 special

Made a quick stop the other day at this unique establishment on Route 72 in Gilberts on the way home from a dinner out at the parent's house.  Seeing that Bloody Marys were one of the day's specials, I figured I made a good call by making this unplanned stop.

There was only one other person in the place sitting at the bar when I arrived, so I pretty much had the place to myself.  I asked the bartender if she made a good Bloody Mary, (knowing full well I was going to order one either way) and she confidently said she could.  I saw her bust out the cocktail shaker & a bunch of ingredients & I knew that potentially I was going to be in for something good....

MAD MAGGIES

MAD MAGGIES
51 S. Grove St. - Elgin, IL
847-531-5883
www.madmaggies.net

Date & Time: Friday 07/23/10 - 6:00 pm
Atmosphere: Downtown Elgin Patio
Bartender: Hot Latina
Price:$5. 50


AFTER GETTING AN UNEXPECTED PHONE CALL FROM AN OLD FRIEND THAT LIVES IN CHICAGO TO PICK HIM UP AT THE DOWNTOWN ELGIN TRAIN STATION & MEET UP FOR A FEW COCKTAILS, I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO HOPEFULLY FIND A BETTER BLOODY MARY THEN I GOT EARLIER IN THE DAY AT JBs.  SINCE MAGGIES IS ONLY A FEW BLOCKS DOWN THE ROAD, I FIGURED WE'D CHECK THE PLACE OUT WHILE THE SUN WAS STILL SHINING, AS I'VE ONLY BEEN THERE A FEW OTHER TIMES BEFORE LATE NIGHT.  

AFTER ENTERING THE PREMISES, WE SAW THE PLACE HAD A DECENT SIZE CROWD WITH WHAT LOOKED TO BE A BUNCH OF HIGH SCHOOL KIDS WAITING TO HEAR A BAND THAT WAS SETTING UP EQUIPMENT ON THE STAGE.  EITHER THE PLACE HAD AN 18 & OVER RULE OF SOME SORT, OR FAKE IDs ARE GETTING MUCH EASIER TO GET THESE DAYS - BECAUSE I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT ANY OF THEM WERE OF LEGAL DRINKING AGE. (EITHER THAT OR I JUST RAN INTO A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WITH EXTREMELY GOOD GENES)

AFTER GOING TO THE BACK BAR, I ASKED THE HOT LOOKING BARTENDER IF SHE MADE A GOOD BLOODY MARY.  SHE SAID YES, AND I TOLD MY BUDDY THAT THE FIRST ROUND WAS ON HIM FOR GIVING HIM THE FREE CAB RIDE FROM THE TRAIN STATION.  I WENT TO GO TAKE A PISS AS SHE MADE THE COCKTAIL, AND AFTER I TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS, I CAME OUT TO HEAR THE BAND PLAYING AT RIDICULOUSLY LOUD DECIBELS....