25 Degrees Restaurant: A Drink Review

25 Degrees Restaurant, 

731 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL  

http://25degreesrestaurant.com/chicago/

Here at Cider Press we mainly like to keep our focus on cider, however an offer came by from Brandy, of the Bunny and Brandy Blog, to come along to a redone menu at 25 Degrees we had to go. Unfortunately, Bailey had fallen ill with the flu, so it was up to Hawke to go for both of them. Just off of the Chicago and State Red Line Stop, Hawke met with Bunny and Brandy  and they entered into a restaurant that was slightly dark, with wood paneling and red fabric along the walls.

This being Chicago Summer, the place was also open to the street with cafe dining on the sidewalk. Opting to eat inside, they were quickly given a table and a waitress came by to get their orders. Bunny and Brandy both opted to start with spiked lemonade drinks. Bunny got a traditional lemonade made with vodka, while Brandy opted for the summer blend, also mixed with vodka. After receiving their drinks, they sampled each others and decided to switch. Claiming that the lemonade was a little too tart for Bunny, whereas the Summer Blend was a little sweet for Brandy. The Summer Blend is actually watermelon, but it was not posted on the sign on the table. There was also a pomegranate drink, but Hawke did not wish to try it, citing a previous bad experience with pomegranate juice. Both Bunny and Brandy really enjoyed their drinks.

Initially, Hawke could not decide on a drink to get, as the list of drinks was quite extensive. After placing their initial order of food, which is detailed at Bunny and Brandys blog, Hawke decided on a drink called the Beam and Beer. A classic root beer float with a twist. The base of the drink was made with Jim Beam whiskey, with vanilla ice cream, then IBC root beer was poured over the top. Served on a hot Chicago day, the ice cream began to melt quickly, this was not a disappointment however as it served to better mix the float. Upon consuming the float, Hawke quickly discovered that the bottom of the float was mostly Jim Beam. The flavors do mesh well together, and provided relief from the hot Chicago weather.

Brandy, after having eaten her fill of food, had opted to try a Salty Caramel. Made with Maker's Mark, vanilla ice cream, mixed with butterscotch and topped Hawaiian red sea salt. This was a drink that made Brandy's eyes light up. Salted caramel is one of, if not her favorite treats. Upon tasting she quickly commented that the bottom of the drink was pure Maker's Mark. This did not dissuade her, and she eagerly consumed the entire drink.

Overall, 25 Degrees boasts an excellent drink variety, for a reasonable price for Chicago. If you are in the area, it is worth while to check out and see if you can find a new favorite drink on their menu.  

*Cider Press Blog was given their meal and drinks free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

CiderBoys: Peach Country

Greetings readers! We hope that you have been enjoying your summer and taking advantage of all the festivals this year. Bailey and Hawke headed up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Summerfest this past weekend and decided to make a special stop to pick up CiderBoys hard cider. We have heard a lot of good things about this cider, but we have not been able to purchase it in the Chicago area yet. Slowly but surely it seems to be trickling down to some places in the Illinois market now.

This cider is produced locally in Wisconsin and mixes the flavors of apple with peach! It has a ABV of 5% and comes in a six pack of bottles. You can find all of their exciting varieties here: http://www.ciderboys.com/

Color:
Bailey liked the golden yellow coloration of this cider and thought it was very clear with slight carbonation. She rates it with a 5/5 apples.
Hawke also liked the light yellow hue of this cider and thought that it was very well filtered with some bubbles. He also gives it 5/5 apples.

Smell:
Bailey fell in love with the great peach smell of this cider. The aroma was a very powerful sweet peach with the slightest hint of apple. Just smelling this cider made Bailey want to buy some peaches to bite into. She easily gives this cider a 5/5 for smell.
Hawke was a little apprehensive after taking a whiff. He couldn't deny the sweet peach smell, but was afraid that the taste would be way too sweet for him. He rates the smell with a 4/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:
Bailey thought the flavor of this cider was amazing! The powerful sweet peach flavor was not too overwhelming for her, and the overall mouth feel was very light. She also felt a slight fizzy feeling on her tongue after taking a sip. This cider was very crisp and refreshing. Usually, Bailey would have been disappointed with the lack of apple flavor, but the quality of the peach flavor was so good, she can't say anything bad about it. She rates it with a 5/5 apples.
Hawke also enjoyed the strong peach flavor and was surprised that it was not too sweet for his liking. He also commented on the lack of apple flavor, but agreed that the quality was very good. He also rates this cider with 5/5 apples for flavor.

Aftertaste:
Bailiey detected that the sweet peach flavor lingered, but not very long. It was hard to discern if there was any apple flavor in the aftertaste because it could have mixed in with the sweetness. Bailey gives this cider a 4/5 apples for aftertaste.
Hawke agreed that he tasted the sweet peach flavor but not for very long. There was also a lasting sweetness, but he couldn't detect the apple flavor either. He also rates it with a 4/5 apples.

Price:
$7-10 for a six pack of bottles. This cider is currently mostly available in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and northern Illinois areas. With the quality of this cider, Bailey feels this price is very reasonable and hopes that CiderBoys will spread to the rest of the country. She rates this cider with a 5/5 apples for price.
Hawke was very impressed with this cider and feels that the price is very reasonable for the six pack. He would definitely buy this cider again and gives it a 5/5 apples.

Overall:
Bailey believes that even though this cider is a little lacking in apple flavor, the quality is very good and it is delicious. Peach lovers will instantly love this cider. It is not too sweet and the alcohol doesn't even play a part in the flavor. Overall, Bailey rates this cider with a 24/25 apples, or a green apple.

Hawke was very surprised at how much he liked this cider, as he is not a huge fan of peaches. He admitted that of all the fruit flavored ciders we have tried, this was probably his favorite. The quality is great, the flavor is delicious, and this cider is great for summer. Overall, Hawke rates this cider with a 23/25 apples, or a green apple. 

Keep on a lookout for our review of CiderBoys First Press hard cider. Keep enjoying your summer and thanks for reading!

Food Shout-out: Garden Grill

Greetings readers! Every once in a while we like to give a shout-out to some local Chicago restaurants, because what goes better with cider than food? Recently we were invited to the grand opening of Garden Grill to check out what they had to offer. They are located at 3129 W. Armitage Avenue in Chicago. You can find their website here: http://gardengrillmexicancuisine.com/

The Garden Grill is nestled into the back corner of a small shopping center, which adds to it's modest charm. Upon entering the restaurant, Bailey and Hawke both agreed that the layout was intelligently designed. The ordering counter is located right next to the door, along with some bench seating in case you are waiting for carry-out. There are some tables along the wall in the front area and booths towards the back of the restaurant which opens up into a larger dining area. While waiting for a table to open up, we enjoyed some margaritas and catered finger food provided for the grand opening party (not on the menu) and listened to the live Mariachi band that was singing their hearts out for all the guests.

For dinner, Hawke set his eye on a corned beef hash skillet. It arrived in an actual skillet while still sizzling. His mouth watered as he waited for it to cool down. Hawke loved this dish. The eggs were light and cooked just enough so that they weren't runny. The potatoes were soft and nicely seasoned. The corned beef and cheese brought this dish together nicely and made everything melt in his mouth. The corned beef was very juicy and was not tough at all. Hawke definitely would order this dish again. 

Bailey opted for some good old fashioned tacos. She selected from several options for meat and seasonings for the taco plates, which come with rice and re-fried beans like every taco plate should. Bailey chose the a carne asada taco and a pork taco. Each taco came with 2 flour tortillas for extra folding capacity. The meat was very tender with a good amount of spice to it. Bailey could also taste the cilantro in the tacos, which usually fades into the other flavors. All the toppings were very fresh and delicious. The re-fried beans and rice were also very good and not too dry, meaning they weren't overcooked. Bailey was also very happy with her dinner and would order it again.  

Overall, Hawke and Bailey would recommend Garden Grill for a very affordable casual meal spot. The people are very friendly and the food is very well prepared. It also allows you to see a new neighborhood if you aren't familiar with the Logan Square area. It is accessible from the Kimball bus, or it is a short walk west of some of the Logan Square blue line stops. We thank Garden Grill for the opportunity to come out and review the food, and we wish them good luck!