Geek Bar's Genuinely Geeky Preview
By Melissa McEwen in Food on Mar 26, 2014 4:00PM
Dragon Ribs - Smoked pork ribs, glazed with hot chili, and served with an eastern sesame slaw
Geek Bar’s preview at Mad River Bar & Grille this past Monday night shows they are truly, genuinely geeky and that they are also dedicated to putting out good food and drink – as long as you don’t mind food and drinks with some pretty geeky names.
Some of the early Geek Bar posts on Reddit displayed an earnestness that sounded like either a marketer cashing in on the growing popularity of geeky pop culture or the sincere and slightly over-the-top writings of the truly geeky. Redditors also couldn’t seem to imagine a place for geeks in a neighborhood stereotyped as having drunken hordes of frat boys.
Skeptics should know they have a dessert named after the OSI model of networking on their sample menu. Only a truly deranged marketer would come up with such a name. Interviews with guests also affirmed that founders David Zoltan and Matt Wolff have a long history in the Chicago gaming community.
Hyrule - Pineapple, Lime, Jalapeño, Cilantro, Ginger Beer, Soda.
We sampled a few of their cocktails, including a zesty virgin cocktail with cilantro and jalapeno called the “Hyrule”, which the “Queen of Drinky Things” (yes, they really call her that) Laura Green promised it's just one part of a series of Zelda cocktails. There was also the “District 12”, a Hunger Games themed cocktail which was made of moonshine crowned with a stick of flaming marshmallows. Board gamers enjoyed a sample of Chef Tom Kern’s geekily-named dishes. “Dagobah fondue” was charred brussel sprouts with a cauliflower-celeriac fondue. “Dragon Ribs” were smoked pork ribs with a chili glaze. It’s clear they hope to surpass the usual gaming fare of pizza and Mountain Dew.
They are hosting a room party at Chi-Fi this week that will feature Star Wars movies and some of their cocktails. Geek Bar is scheduled to open in May.