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Thrillist Chicago
Emailed on: Monday August 18, 2008

The Old Oak Tap

2109 W Chicago Ave, at N Hoyne; Ukrainian Village; 773.772.0406

Like a migratory bird, your boozing grounds change seasonally: from airy outdoor spots, to cozy hooch dens adorned with stuffed, non-alcohol-dependent migratory birds. Stop all this useless running around, and hit The Old Oak Tap.

A doublewide-lotted collab between The Continental and darkroom, OOT's an inviting, inside-outside hang, starting with an up-front 1500 sq ft patio loaded w/ black wicker furniture and a green-cushioned banquette wrapping the perimeter -- all in all, a comfy environment for acquiring your personal cocktail of lung and skin cancer. When the weather turns, three sets of doors lead inside to a 22ft-ceilinged, modern-ski-lodge-y, bi-level space complete with two working fireplaces, reclaimed farm-fence bar tops, natural stone/slate accents, knotty pine banquettes, and low-slung wood tables handcrafted by the Amish, who've learned to be useful despite living with crippling Blue Ball. Beer-wise, both levels sport sets of twelve gleaming taps, pumping out the likes of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Alagash White, and frothy PBR; there're also 30-40 bottles, including Unibroues, Wittekerke, and Legends Heather Ale -- first brewed by a Celtic tribe in 325 BC, presumably improved since.

As for grub, the former Mas exec chef consulted on elevated comfort dishes like buttermilk fried chicken salad, yellowfin tuna tacos, and a "pork sampler" of braised bacon, grilled sausage, and pulled shoulder meat -- share with friends, because birds of a feather fat together.

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