Sing the Oskar Blues on Thursday

We hope you’ve spent the past few days cleansing your palates, because we’re opening up about some cool happenings we’ve got planned for Chicago Craft Beer Week (May 16-26).

This Thursday, we’re joining forces with The Rocking Horse to give beer lovers two locations to taste and appreciate some of the finest suds available from Oskar Blues, plus score sweet brewery swag. 

Feel like you just might want to appreciate these beers a little too much? We got you. We’ll be running a shuttle between Scofflaw and The Rocking Horse from 6pm-9pm, so you can take advantage of all the beer bounty available.

The Oskar Blues beersperience starts at 5pm, right when we open, so make sure you bring your photo ID to work, folks. Entry is free (but you need to make a purchase to ride the shuttle).

Oh yeah, and the beers:

Scofflaw

On Tap: G'Knight Imperial Red and Chaka (one of two barrels making its way to Chicago!)

In Cans: Dale's Pale Ale Stovepipes (19.2oz!)

Rocking Horse

On Tap: Yella Pils, Gubna IPA and Oak Aged Smidy

In Cans: Dale's Pale Ale Stovepipes (19.2oz!)

BREAKING NEWS!

Stay tuned right here as we redact our redactions in the months to come...

Allagash Beer Brunch!

Have you always dreamed of having brunch at Scofflaw? Perhaps you remember eating Chef Mickey’s brunch specialties back when he was at Longman & Eagle, or maybe you just imagine how beautiful the bar might look in the morning (alright, afternoon) light. Either way, here’s your chance: At 1pm on Saturday, May 25th, we’re hosting a beer brunch with Allagash Brewing Company in honor of Chicago Craft Beer Week.

Our resident beer geek, Kris Nagy, has been a longtime fan of the Portland, Maine, brewery because of their top-notch classic Belgian-style brews. “I don’t like assholes. I try to stay away from them,” Kris says. “Their stuff is incredible, and they’re really cool people.”

Some cool things about this brunch:

• Curieux, the Belgian-style triple brew that’s aged in bourbon barrels, is Kris’s favorite Allagash beer.
• Scofflaw is getting a Methusalem of the Tripel Ale. (That’s a 6 liter bottle for anyone not fluent in beer.)
• The first beer Allagash has ever done in foudres (big oak tanks), is called FV 13, and only two barrels were sent to Chicago. Check out who got just enough to pair with the fourth course of their beer brunch... (We did).
• A representative from Allagash will be there, so you can ask them what it’s like to live in Maine. (They’ll probably be like, “It’s wicked cool, ay-yuh!”)

As you know, Scofflaw doesn’t usually do brunch, and because we only have 20 seats at this event, your ticket inherently comes with some bragging rights. We’ll open to the public at 5pm that evening.

Realize your Scofflaw brunch dream for only $75 per person (excluding gratuity). Each ticket includes brunch and a copy of Allagash: The Cookbook - signed by Rob Tod, the founder of Allagash. If you’re not already running over to Scofflaw to purchase your tickets at the bar, check out the menu above. Or if you’re stuck at your desk, shoot an email to Kris Nagy (kris@scofflawchicago.com) and reserve your ticket electronically.

Chicago Reader's Key Ingredient Cook-Off

We’re endlessly entertained by the Chicago Reader’s ‘Key Ingredient’ series, which answers burning questions like, ‘How do I incorporate bull’s testicles into more of my dishes?’ So we were extra stoked when they asked us to make them some cocktails while twenty-six Chicago chefs go head to head in a live Key Ingredient cook-off. 

So, we invite you to turn off Iron Chef and go ringside on Friday, May 3, 2013 at the Bridgeport Art Center. Here’s a link to ticket information and the rundown the participants.

Ps. Give Uby a virtual high-five for his contribution to this week’s Chicago Reader cocktail challenge!

Sunday Afternoon Bazaar!

On April 21st, from 1pm-5pm, we’re going to do a little day drinking at Scofflaw in the form of a Sunday Afternoon Bazaar. We’ve asked some of our most creative friends to join us with their Chicago-made goods, and they’ll be setting up shop in our back room while you grab a cocktail at the bar before perusing the carefully curated market.

Here are the vendors you’ll find at our Sunday Afternoon Bazaar:

Cities in Dust Jewelry - Chicago designer Meghan Lorenz began this jewelry line in 2010, and quickly gained a following of cool girls from the Third Coast and beyond. Her signature dagger designs have been spotted in Nylon magazine, the Urban Outfitters blog, and the Huffington Post — not to mention on fashion-forward wrists and necks all around town. Get your shopping list ready by taking a peek at her online shop here.

Grace Tran - Grace is the watercolorist responsible for all of those wonderful illustrations you see on our cocktail menu! She is also a driving force behind CAKE: the Chicago Alternative Comic Expo, and contributes to the Chicago indie comic scene under the imprint Graph Paper Products. From any angle, she’s a whiz when it comes to paper and pen (and brush), and she’ll be at our Sunday Afternoon Bazaar with a slew of Scofflaw cocktail prints and other goodies.

Stock Mfg. Co. - Stock Mfg. Co.’s mission is simple: to produce the highest quality product and sell it at the lowest possible price. Well, they’re doing that, and doing it quite fashionably — from dapper neckwear to handsome printed shirts — all in their Garfield Park factory. Normally, the garments are crowd-funded (a designer submits a style, the consuming public votes, and the product is made), but at our Sunday Afternoon Bazaar, the guys from Stock Mfg. Co. will have a slew of goods ready to take home that very day.

Some Like Us - Owner India McQuoid has been combing estate sales and thrift stores for ‘old gold’ since 1996. In 2009, she created “Some Like Us” as a space to share not only her vintage wares, but also the awesome current designer clothing she kept happening across. Now Some Like Us is a source for not only vintage Gucci, but also modern Bottega Veneta — all at prices that make each piece an everyday wear. You may have seen her at a past edition of The Vintage Bazaar, or even caught a glimpse of her private home in the Chicago Reader, but we promise you one thing: you’ve never seen the super special items McQuoid has in store for her table at our event.

Reuse Candles - Jeremiah and Michelle, dba Reuse First, are a husband and wife team dedicated to rescuing discarded items that they know have the potential to become something useful. One of the most useful things on earth is a full bottle of Scofflaw Old Tom Gin, and you’ll be very happy to know that it doesn’t have to stop being a part of your everyday life once you’ve spilled the last drop. The bottle (or any bottle, for that matter) can become a warm addition to the ambiance of your personal space as one of Reuse’s soy candles. They’ve promised to have lots of gin bottle-candles, as well as some other spirit faves, at our bazaar.

Foxglove Studio -Foxglove Studio showcases the flower power of Caitlin Kerr, who also happens to be a local rock star. Projects of the studio range from floral headpieces to elaborate mantle displays to sweet bouquets. Foxglove Studio will create affordable, lasting home arrangements for purchase at our bazaar.

Scofflaw Year One: Your Faves and Ours!

We’re so excited to be celebrating our first birthday here at Scofflaw! And what a year it’s been.

Last week we gave you the opportunity to vote your favorite food item + cocktail back into Scofflaw rotation. The polls have closed and the results are in: We heard you loud and clear! You wanted the Brisket and the Pork Loin sandwich, the Weathered Axe and the Lonesome Hero. We like you so much so for liking us so much that we’re offering all four fan favorites a spot on the menu!

Now that we know what your favorite things are, we thought we’d share one of our favorite things: Keeping up with all the Instagramming you guys do here at Scofflaw.  Below are a few of our favorite shots from Year One:

Row One: @esca77, @neonaztec, @wakingsound
Row Two: @derekrichmond , @jaymiey , @johannalowe
Row Three: @bethanytap , @deansie, @joepia

Row One: @katiestipo, @gati_k, @lnblnblnb
Row Two: @mtch, @verspertineeve, @stephanietisza
Row Three: @aliciagutierrez, @jerbil, @tamher28

Row One: @tribecalledjon, @mags56 , @chelseann27
Row Two: @tony_, @quynhniequynhquynh, @aftonmichelle
Row Three: @amandarosek, @lisakem, @reusefirst

We hope to see you tonight, and lots of other nights thereafter. Here’s to Scofflaw Year Two!

It's our birthday!

We are celebrating our first birthday next week, and we're feeling a little nostalgic for the early days of Scofflaw. And of course, we have you to thank for such a great year, so we want to get you a present! But what do you want? How 'bout your favorite dish or tipple of menus past? Let us know which food and cocktail you've missed the most (via a blog comment, Facebook comment, or tweet), and we'll re-debut the popular demand duo at our birthday party on Tuesday, March 12th.

We'll be accepting suggestions until Friday, March 8th, so don't delay!