Happy Happy Belated Birthday to Me!!

So, I turned 30 waaay back in January. It came, and it went. What can I say? I was lucky to have dinner at the Wild Onion Pub in Lake Barrington (across the street from my neurologist actually) for my birthday. Let me tell you, that was one AMAZING dinner, so good in fact I am writing about it two months later!

I have been trying to get to the Wild Onion for a long time, because I love the Onion’s brews (If you don’t live in the area, you are missing out). I love the Summer Wit, Hop Slayer (it might be my favorite), and I just could not wait to try more. I hadn’t really even thought about the food aspect of it to be honest.

But the food. Omigod! The FOOD! We had the sausage appetizer, a plate of sausages grilled and served with sauerkraut and Hop Slayer mustard. AMAZING. I don’t know what they did to get those sausages, where they got them, or if they made them themselves, but they were amazing, and have launched a subsequent bratwurst binge in my house (that is a euphemism). Both of our entrees were fantastic, and we even ordered dessert (something which I never, ever do) where we shared a slice of euphoria inducing bourbon pecan pie (and then promptly ordered a second slice). If you don’t care about beer (why are you reading my blog?) you will LOVE the Wild Onion. End of story.

BUT, if you like beer, even a little bit… this place will blow your mind and make your taste buds extremely happy. The Onion Brewery makes some very awesome beer (I am repeating myself I know). I had Drago, which was incredible. It is a Russian Imperial Stout (one of my favorite beers) and this would be one I would hand to somebody to make them fall in love with this sort of beer… and then immediately take it back so I could finish it myself.

Of course I also had a Hops Slayer Double IPA

I do give this one out as a gift, because it is so good. Seriously, good.

There are a lot of other beers, seasonal and year-round, that I want to try; and of course there is the sausage plate… so I think I need to go back, maybe when I go for my next neurologist appointment, or this weekend, and next... Who wants to come with me?

PS Do you want to see what I am drinking? Send me a friend request on Untappd, I am hoppybeergirl. You could send one to Blake too… he is addicted to Untappd. 

Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery

Recently the fam. and I decided to go down to Springfield, so I could go to a symposium that my professor was speaking at, and Blake and Autumn could play in the pool while I was gone. One of the things I do whenever we go anywhere is search for local beer. Someone may have rolled their eyes at the amount of time I spent looking for beer in Springfield before we even left, BUT it paid off big time.

Springfield is pretty small, I mean I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, so I was expecting it to look like a city... but it really seems more like a big town I guess. Springfield seems to be a city in transition. There were plenty of foreclosed buildings, but also a lot of beautiful historic homes. The city has a historic past (Home of Honest Abe, and Route 66), the state capital, several museums, and has a state university. These things don't really seem to be the foremost thought when you get there. This city which is supposed to represent (in my opinion) the state of Illinois looks vacant. One of the few areas that looked well maintained was the historic district in downtown. This is where I found the gem.

Obed and Isaac's Microbrewery & Eatery is inside of a beautiful, but unassuming historic home. The Architecture of the restaurant, and the neighboring home (owned by the same people) is beautiful. There is quite a bit of a story behind these two buildings, they were not originally located in the historic district, but were moved. You can check out some pictures from the house moving on the website.

The interior of the restaurant is very vibrant and bright, with a gorgeous bar, amazing wood and glass features, and some really extraordinary artwork on the walls. When we walked in Florence and The Machine were playing, I knew that this was going to be a good place for lunch.

I feel really awful, because I was enamored with the portraits that adorn the walls in the restaurant  but cannot find the name of the artist. If you know who the artist is, please let me know.

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln

Portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln

Portrait of another woman

Since it was early on a Saturday afternoon, it seemed pretty empty, we got seated right away. Shortly after we ordered the beer flight, the place started to fill up. We managed to try every beer they had, that they make.

The Beer Menu

My Beer Flight

I was very excited about the chance to get flights and try all of the beer. I asked our waiter for suggestions, but alas, he wasn't able to give us any, he just pointed to the beer menu and told me what type of beer they were (which was clearly on the beer description)

Another pic of my beer flight

The beers were good. I really liked the Ditzy Blonde, Obed's Pride Amber Ale, and the Black IPA that Blake got in his flight. We even bought some of the Ditzy Blonde to take home.

The beer and the environment were the best part. I got a horseshoe... I had no idea what a horseshoe was, but my rule is if they say it is a local specialty or a chef special, try it. Maybe it is an acquired taste, but the Horseshoe seems to be an open faced sandwich (on a bun) smothered in a cheese sauce and covered with fries. It seems like a whole lot of starch for me. It could have been me, maybe I don't understand the appeal.

Despite my less than ecstatic lunch experience, the place is awesome. If you are in the Springfield area, you really should check it out. I hope that Obed and Isaac's leads the march for Springfield to rebuild itself, and embrace it's history, while remaining current and vibrant. A few more places like this, and Springfield could be a destination in the middle of the prairie.