November 15, 2024

“Tree House- Chicago”

[rating=4]Sports bars are everywhere! These are great spots for watching games as the walls are lined up with TV screens allowing them to air every game that can be aired, and that gives the sports fanatic a great reason to get out of the house. Recently, Jane and I went to the River North area to visit Moe’s Cantina on Kinzie Street. A lively place where we participated in a special Bingo night. This is one of many wonderful dining spots in Chicago under the management of Third Coast Hospitality Group. When we were there, we noticed another spot next door that was “jumping”. Turns out, that was also a spot that Third Coast manages. It is called Tree House and is a true Sports Bar!
Most of these establishments are short on menu items, and very long on beers ( there are so many today) and other cocktails. I am not much of a tester when it comes to drinks. I love my vodka martinis, but when they tell me that they get far more calls for their Old Fashion ( that is my back-up drink), I am easily swayed. Frank, a non-drinker, is easy to please and will try almost anything. His choice ( with Melissa’s assistance) the “strawberry spice and everything nice” (vodka, green chili, strawberry and elder flakes) Our server, Melissa ( I apologize for Frank as I thought he got a photo of her) went over the menu with us. It is a true bar menu with burgers and wings and pizza being the main items. They do have salads and dips as well as some pastas. We wanted to do the basic “winners” that Tree House is known for.
It turns out that while they have some basic appetizers that all looked great, the number one seller is something called 3  Potatoes and a chicken walked into a bar- cute! In reality, this is chicken tenders served on a bed of potato tots, French fries and sweet potato fries, served with a selection of dipping sauces. A truly tasty dish and one that is easy to keep reaching into the dish for.
While they are known for their burgers ( this is one that we almost ordered) what is one of their best sellers is the Touchdown Tower. The tower has three levels
 Top layer are sliders: two chicken parmesan and two mini-smash burger. Delicious and juicy.
The middle level is their wings- meaty, juicy and a little spicy, but I was fine.
The bottom layer is Detroit Pizza. This is the thick crust square pizza so that there is more crust than normal- I love this type of pizza. Just for the record, they have regular pizza as well, thin and crispy, but if you have never tried Detroit Pizza, this is the place to do so ( unless you are going to Michigan).
They offer three deserts: Tiramisu, Cheesecake and Limoncello. We opted for the cheesecake ( amaretto ricotta with almonds) sweet and yummy! The other was almond butter cake with limoncello mousse. They call is Limoncello Semi Fredo. While we did not have a big selection, the tower truly was a great way to try the menu. It can feed four people easily. Frank had a huge bag to take home to Rose.
They have different specials, so you might want to check www.treehousechicago.com. For example Tuesday is $5 pizza special. From 5-8 p.m. you can get pizza for 5 bucks ( meat is additional).
Tree House Chicago is located at 149 West Kinzie in Chicago. On their website, you can arrange for parking on the street at a reduced rate.
The hours are:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday – Friday: 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Saturday: 5:00 pm – 3:00 am
Sunday: 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Phone number is 312-477-3983  during the warm weather months, they do have outside seating with a cool view of the River North area- it rocks!
Tonight, they had election stuff on some of the TV’s so we got to see our good friend Paul Lisnek from WGN talk politics ( that’s his thing!)
When you go there, ask for Melissa and take her photo for us. Send it to me (albresloff@yahoo.com) and I will add it to the story and send you a gift!  I know that we will be back to try some of the other menu items! SOON!