Chicago: Beer and Snacks

Goose Island

I'm definitely not a beer drinker by any means. I don't know much about beer, except how to tell if the glass is clean enough (Thank you Bar Rescue). Actually I might be a beer snob. Lately I've been trying (and liking) craft beers. While in Chicago I tried a few craft brews from Goose Island.

At a reception held at the conference I was attending I tried Matilda. It was pretty awesome. Because everything at the conference was included I had no idea what the beer cost. While I was out and about in the city I asked if anyone had it. Most bars and restaurants didn't carry it, but the one I found that did charged $12 for the bottle. That was the moment I realized I might be a beer snob. Why is that the only beer I like is the most expensive? Apparently it's like the wine of beer.

Headquarters Beercade

Headquarters is a beer bar and arcade. Pretty cool concept. They have a variety of beers on tap so I ordered a flight. I'm kind of a beer snob so I only liked two of the five. I played Snake, Asteroids, Pacman, and Street Fighter. I felt like a kid again. Did I mention that you play for free? That's right no carrying around a pocketful of quarters for a good time! You're probably not going to beat the high score after a few drinks though!

Garrett

One of the vendors at the conference was giving out popcorn. It happened to be from the most famous place in Chicago for popcorn, Garrett. I was handed a small cup with cheese and caramel popcorn (Chicago mix). The least likely combination for me since I don't like cheese popcorn. I ate it anyway because I was starved and I'm glad I did. It was o good. Somehow they perfected the cheese so it doesn't have that weird powdery flavor that I usually loathe on my freshly popped kernels. I found the nearest Garrett shop and bought some butter, caramel, and pecan-caramel mix. Yum!

Portillo's

After trying my first Chicago dog I had to have another, so my colleague and I ventured out to  find Portillo's. You know what I ordered! It was great. It was also different from the one I got from Downtown Dogs. The hot dog itself was heartier, the relish was regular, not neon, and the pickle was more sour. All in all not disappointed.