Mighty Bob

I just discovered the El Mont Liquors and Tap, at the corner of Elston and Montrose, which has three qualities that I have always found compelling in an establishment:

1. It’s an Intersectionym, named after the intersection of Elston and Montrose.

2. It’s an acute “flatiron” retail space built right up to the vertex and out to the sidewalk .  You don’t see much of that.

3.  It’s a classic Chicago liquor store/tap room.  You see fewer of these every year.  You walk in, it’s a liquor store; in the back of the joint is a bar – an air conditioned bar.  I’m not sure if it’s the same as having the “Packaged Goods” license, which I think applies only to bars who are allowed to sell you booze to go; I think it’s more likely a special license or a combination of two others.

Bonus Awesome: Did you see the phone number?  Do you know what that is?  Oh yes it is!  It’s an old telephone exchange name.

Can I get a “Kids don’t try this at home!”?

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Most Amazing Wallpaper – detail 2, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

The French ’75 was a house drink at my New Years’ Eve Party, thanks to Karen L.  I’ve also enjoyed the Manhattan, Martini, Scotch Sour (aka Whiskey Sour), and Brandy Alexander.  I will be whipping up Banana Cows and Ann Sheridans by the end of the week for the cocktail hour celebrating my sofa’s debut.

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Most Amazing Wallpaper – detail 1, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

Needless to say I’ve had the Manhattan, Martini, “Marguerita,” and Bloody Mary.  (I have especially fond memories of the Bloody Marys at The Green Mill and at The Twisted Spoke.)  I know I’ve had a Bronx and a Sidecar though I can’t remember them.  Of course Fish House Punch has become the designated poison at my Groundhog’s Day parties.  The rest I will have to give a whirl.  Give me a call if you’re in for a spin.

P.S.  Too bad the Sazerac did not make the cut on this wallpaper.  A fine drink if ever there was one.  And a nifty thing to do with rye if you don’t otherwise care for rye.

Except for Intersectionyms, my favorite shop signs in Chicago are those which incorporate several non-English languages, especially if such languages are written in non-Roman script.

When you add bunny slaughter to the mix, you’ve won my heart, mind… and stomach!

“If I didn’t know this was hassenpfeffer, I’d swear it was a carrot!”

Here we see English, Spanish, and what I presume to be Arabic (but possibly Farsi or another language written in an Arabic script). In the window is Vietnamese, which since the 1600s has been written in a Roman script modified by a truckload of beautiful, almost musical diacritics necessary to represent the tonality of the language. All the bunnies and chicks in the window could lead an illiterate Christian to believe this was an Easter goods store. (But it isn’t.)

Are they selling a service? Or a commodity?

I went with Sam-o-Rama (or is it Sam O’Rama?) to Cal’s Liquors to see Plastic Crimewave.  Under the part of the bar that flips up like a drawbridge so staff can pass through was this amazing flyer, which raises many questions:

I had trouble photographing it until the nice guy who runs Cal’s, seeing me struggle, came over and turned on a reading light.

A closer look at the breaking news:

No. Cal. central valley, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

From my West Coast vacation last Aug/Sept 2007.

Huh?, originally uploaded by bobobobob.

I was in Carrie & Lucas‘s wedding in beautiful Charlotte, NC, and I saw this in one of the church offices. Its meaning evades me. A little help?

The fellow in contemporary clothing, who strongly resembles Scott Bakula of television’s Quantum Leap, is holding a mallet and a railroad tie and is standing in a small stream of blood flanked by lillies. It looks like Jesus has arrived just in time to catch him in a swoon. But what does it mean?!?