Bailey's Range

I went to Bailey's Range last night with a group of friends for dinner.  I'd heard mixed things about it, but it's hard to go too wrong when you're serving burgers and alcoholic milkshakes, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I got the Blackened Bleu burger, which was good but not the best bleu cheese burger I've ever had.  Bonus points though for the enormous chunks of cheese!  They weren't skimping.  But beware when you order your burger: fries (or any other side) are not included.  I ordered a side of fries, and they were delightful - a little crispy, almost salty enough, and I had my pick of about a dozen sauces.  I went with the chipotle catsup (or as I would say, ketchup).

The real winner was a creation all my own though.  Going back to my days of living in London, I have a major obsession with Bailey's ice cream.  Haagen Dazs for a while put out a Bailey's ice cream, and it was amazing.  I found it I think twice as a "special edition" as I got back to Chicago, but no more.  (They do still have it in England - or at least they did the last time I was there, in 2009.)

So there we were at the restaurant last night, and since it's Bailey's Range, they have Bailey's ice cream!  I didn't yet know what kind of burger or catsup/ketchup I wanted, but I knew I would have Bailey's ice cream.  I started with the idea of their Irish Coffee - Jameson, Bailey's, and espresso ice cream - and I modified it to suit my needs: Bailey's, Bailey's ice cream, and espresso ice cream.  It was like being back in London!  Definitely worth the price of admission.

Although I didn't try either of the burgers, a fun thing on the menu is their burger showdown: two burgers, and whichever gets ordered more frequently sticks around to fight another week.  If I lived near there, I'd be a regular for that culinary experimentation.

And, after my oh-so-tasty boozy milkshake, the second best thing about Bailey's Range is that they're doing what this city most needs - which is to say, it's making it feel like a city.  They're located at 10th and Olive downtown (and they identify as such on their website, not with their actual street address), so not on Washington Avenue.  It's a two-story establishment, because that's often what you have to do when you're not in the suburbs.  And the way to get upstairs is this narrow little marble staircase that's probably 100 years old.  It's inconvenient and a challenge if you're wearing heels and probably a huge liability and it has character.  Amen, brother.