Bloody good Mary

right here in the South Loop

08/19/2011 10:55 AM

By Bonnie McGrath

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Apparently the South Loop is good Bloody Mary territory. So said the Chicago Tribune yesterday in a pithy piece on good Bloody Marys. Out of nine top picks around the city, the South Loop has two of the best!


Here's the scoop from the Trib:

"Best guilty pleasure:
Eleven City Diner tamarind and pickle juice version. Ignore the "Eleven City" flag waving from this Mary ($9.50) , and there's nothing cheap about that tamarind and pickle juice. My head kept banging into the celery stalk that rose from the glass like a redwood; but the rim coated in celery salt was fun, and the garnish of salami wrapped around a cube of Swiss cheese was better. 1112 S. Wabash Ave.; elevencitydiner.com.

Best summertime bloody:
Little Branch Cafe's surprisingly smooth option. Here's one catch to this bloody — finding Little Branch, which is tucked between South Loop condos, and allergic to parking. That said, there's a big taste of lemon here. And the garnish, house-made pickles, olives, with cheddar and cherry tomato, was classy and modest. 1251 S. Prairie Ave.; little branchcafe.com."

Back to me: Personally, I have always been partial to the make your own Bloody Mary bar on Sundays at Mercat on South Michigan Avenue. You can concoct your very own version with a huge array of high quality ingredients--from fresh ground spices galore to fresh and delicious prawns (all you want to put in your glass for garnish).

Any other votes for any other South Loop places that serve good Bloody Marys?


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By Fluffy de Crossharbour
Posted: 08/20/2011 6:57 AM

remember the First Wives Club? It's morning and the girls go to a restaurant. At that hour, here are the orders: "bloody Mary," requests Goldie, "virgin Mary," requests Bette, "tomato juice, requests Diane. The girls suspect Goldie of sloshing her way through the day, with empty vodka bottles in her garbage).