The Bedford

This place is SO COOL.

My experience is undoubtedly atypical as I was the lucky guest of an invitee to a private party held here a couple of months ago.  Therefore I am utterly unable to comment on the cuisine.

Here's what I know: it's a converted bank vault.  Here's another thing I know: that's really frickin awesome.  And another: the bar is extensive and the bartenders are highly skilled.

One more: I will be back, oh yes, I will be back.

WE LOVED IT.  Had dinner there last night after visiting the Picasso exhibit (free for Illinois residents 5-8 on Thursdays!).  We somehow came in a magical dead time: lots of tables were free when we got in around 8:30; by the time we left it was packed!  

Decor: bank vault, dim real candles on each table, tastefully funky overall.  The women's bathroom has all these awesome photos of bands that have played at various venues in Chicago: there's a close up of Liz Phair at the Metro, etc.

Ambience: I felt like I'd gained +3 cool points just by spending time there.  I don't think the cool kids talk in terms of cool points but I never claimed to be a cool kid.  Just cooler now that I've been to the Bedford.

DRINKS: these were all omg good.
Seasonal punch: our least favorite but still delicious, sparkling wine + lots of stuff.  Fruity but thankfully not too sweet.
CUCUMBER COOLER: probably the best cocktail I've ever had.  A gorgeous essence of cucumber flavor (I had it with gin, you can also have it with vodka) with a hint of tangy sweet citrus.  This was delicious.
Darker and Stormier: A deeper take on the classic dark and stormy, rum and ginger beer with a twist of lime.  Quite nice.
Pimm's...something: Can't remember the name of this drink, but it was awesome.  A Pimm's cup inspired cocktail, but instead of tons of fruit it had fresh basil and a hint of lemongrass.  Again with a cucumber slice in it.

Takeaway: any cocktail with a cucumber slice in it is probably awesome.  As the ice melts and the cucumber melts? the drink gets more and more cucumber-y.

FOOD: this was also omg good.  

Sadly we missed the last oyster special: on Thursdays oysters are $12 for a dozen, which is an insane deal compared to $16 for half a dozen usually.  But they also sell out before 8:30.  So that's a TIP.

We started with the Grandma Ann's deviled eggs, which were such a delight.  Comes with four half-eggs filled with a perfectly creamy yolk mixed with some kind of mayo (not too tangy).  Surprised there were no chunks in the yolk at all: no relish, no celery, no frills.  Served on a bed of mild blue cheese and an amazing smear of hot sauce.  These were so simple and so sublime.

Next I had the pork chop special, which was exactly what pork should taste like.  I always say I don't like pork, but I think I actually secretly love it, just hate how it's usually prepared (dry, overgame-y).  This was incredibly succulent, sweet, roast-y, Christmas-y, exactly how pork should taste with some sage flavors.  Served atop a sweet potato hash and brussels sprouts with pecans and bacon, which were okay-fine.  

We also got the Bedford Burger, which is $12 and on Tuesdays there's a deal for a burger and a beer for some cheap amount.  The burger is surprising: it's all about the bacon-blue cheese jam.  There's a huge smear of this jam on the lightly eggy bun (strangely spongy and light) and that's it with the medium-small burger made of some sort of good beef, but not incredible beef.  It's served with just OK fries too.  So I still love this burger and will have it again, even though I'm not a huge fan of the meat, the fries, or the bun.  That is how good the bacon-bleu cheese jam is.

Last food thing: MACARONI AND CHEESE.  It's so good.  So creamy, so rich, and with a mildly sweet/tangy onion breadcrumb crispy topping.  I highly highly recommend this.  It's like the less salty version of Mac's mac and cheese, but with every single ingredient of higher quality.

We absolutely adored this place.  No wonder since it's the same people who did Carriage House.  Definitely coming back.

Heard from a friend, about a bar in a bank vault... thought, "no shit, I'm checking that out!" and went over on a Friday night with a big group of friends. We'd been to Emporium before hand, so we were already pretty drunk. Upon arrival, you head into the basement to access the bar. It's so goddam *pretty!* It must have been about 1AM when we arrived, so the place was clearing out for the night. I can't remember if they had a great beer list, but I remember it being pretty good. I decided to opt for one of their cocktails since I'd heard good things. I got the Darker and Stormier, which was TO DIE FOR! It has "Dark Rum, Allspice, ROOT Liqueur, Jamaican Bitters, Lime, Ginger Beer" (from the website) and tastes absolutely wonderful. It was $11 dollars, so it definitely put a hole in my wallet, but once in a while, I'd splurge on a drink like that here.

The crowd at the bar were all judgmental-like, but I guess I was expecting that. We ended up hanging out in the safety deposit box room filled with couches, which were all taken up until the end of the night right before close -- when we swiftly swooped in and sat down for a bit, being judged by a woman in NUDE COLORED LEGGINGS viciously. *eye-roll*

Moral of the story -- I would definitely go back, but not regularly! Too pricey for that!