One Great Drink: Lone Wolf's Bicicletta
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Feb 27, 2014 8:20PM
Lone Wolf Tavern is a calculated anomaly among the other hotspots along Randolph Street’s restaurant district. A partnership between Heisler Hospitality (the folks behind Trenchermen, Bangers & Lace and Nightwood, among other trendy restaurants), the folks from Barrelhouse Flat and Pleasant House Bakery’s Art and Chelsea Jackson, Lone Wolf can serve as a starting point for people looking to enjoy a night on Randolph. You can grab a cocktail while waiting for your reservation at Girl & the Goat; have drinks and light noshes from Pleasant House if the wait for a table at Au Cheval is interminable; or cap the night with some bitter digestifs after a hearty meal elsewhere.
Lone Wolf’s cocktail menu, crafted by Stephen Cole, features a small list of “sgroppino” made from sorbets or granitas and a nice selection of bitter liqueur-based cocktails tailor made to help your meal go down. My favorite of the lot so far is the “Bicicletta,” a mix of equal parts Campari, dry white wine and seltzer served with a citrus garnish. (Orange was the en vogue flavor during a Monday night visit.)
The Campari cuts through the mix immediately and is enhanced by the wine and seltzer. My waitress allowed that the drink, despite its playful name, isn’t popular with the ladies because of its bitterness. That’s why you squeeze the citrus into it. The balanced acidity of the orange perfectly balanced the Campari, making this an ideal cocktail after eating some of the pies and other dishes provided by Pleasant House.
If you’re looking to be taken away from the cold, this cocktail will have you wishing you were sneaking away to Italy’s Amalfi coast.
Lone Wolf Tavern is located at 806 W. Randolph St., 312- 600-9391.