The Garage where neighbors become friends-

highly recommended ****  How often does one tout a neighborhood bar? The city of Chicago is loaded with these little local bars where the atmosphere is friendly, the prices are affordable and most important, the food is terrific. For some time now, we have had the pleasure of giving away gift certificates to a local “eatery” near the studio. The guys who work here tell me that this is a place where good food is always on tap and lots of beers and other libations are readily available. The restaurant is called THE GARAGE ( yes, there are others that include the name “garage” but this is a one of a kind family friendly bar and grill) with a rooftop patio that has a roof and food that will knock your sox off.

As we met our server Therese, who took our drink order ( The ladies enjoyed their Moscow Mules, Alan , his wine and I had their very special Mad Man ( a classic old fashio with basil bourban, muddles cherries, orange, sugar and bitters- topped with a splash of Sprite)- tasty, satisfying and unique.

There is an old restaurant trick that our friend Alan told us about. Restaurants either list the most popular of items first on the menu, or the ones most profitable. In our case, I believe that Lisa puts the items that are more popular. This being the case, we started off with the Cosmic Shrimp platter ( a lightly  breaded deep fried shrimp platter topped with house made potato straws  that was perfect for four of us to share) and then an item we saw at every table , the Ginormous Pretzel served with three sauces ( bacon /mustard, beer cheese and and queso blanco) was more than ample for all of us and leftovers for Sunday as well.

For our meal, we chose four items:

Shrimp Po Boy ( another shrimp menu items with great fixins and a sauce that makes one think New Orleans. Our second choice, an amazing The Fellas sandwich ( beef and pork meatballs) and then their special New England Lobster Roll ( with a very special seasoning) and the fourth item,the Carmeta (grilled chicken with bacon, avocado, provolone cheese, lettuce, mayo served on a special roll). By the way, all of the rolls were as fresh as I had ever tasted, making each a perfect sandwich. There are many more to choose from ( I watched other tables being served beautiful burgers and pizza that looked delicious) making it easy to return and try other menu items.

All of the sandwiches come with sides, so in order to test the waters, we elected to do the tater tots, the home made chips, the assorted fries ( a mix of curly, sweet potato and crisps) and the mac n’ cheese ( they also have chili ( another return item ).

While we were all fully satisfied ( they say there is always room for dessert) we decide that the dessert on the menu was a MUST to try. Besides a scoop of ice cream ( which we had one of as well) they offer the Deep Fried Oreos. Hold on to your hats: 3 deep fried, sweet vanilla battered oreos drizzled with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and powdered sugar. The flavor is amazing- something very special.

The Garage has unique coffee mugs from different types of garages making it a fun experience. The crowd was young, mostly from the area, but there were some groups that came from the burbs and from the heart of the city. It is a meeting place, for sure. I was waiting to see if Cliff and Norm were at the bar cause The Garage is a place where “neighbors become friends”!

The Garage is located at 6154 N. MIlwaukee Avenue ( Gladstone Park neighborhood) and very close to Norwood Park and Jefferson Park. The street parking is easy and free( no meters). The phone number is 773-647-1386 and the website www.thegaragechicago.com

Due to the Covid restrictions ( they do follow all of the safety rues) their hours are flexible, but the are open daily ( Mon-Friday) at 4 p.m. until Midnight and Saturday and Sunday for lunch. Call to make sure.

Enjoy- I know that Alan, Vickie, Jane and I loved it all and Therese ( a school teacher by day) know the menu, so you can trust.