The Boozehound's Dish

Justice has prevailed, my brothas and sistahs!

Word in via email from an attorney with the City of Chicago Local Liquor Commission - our Plan of Operations for Drinks Over Dearborn has been approved!  WE'RE GOING TO OPEN!

They're calling with details tomorrow, so we'll get a better idea of what the next steps are, but we're hoping to be 100% open with delivery, online, etc within the next 30 days.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far - we're one HUGE step closer!

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello True Believers,

The word from the city is in - we will be reviewed for our liquor license appeal sometime in the next 24 hours.

As of this morning, we're still in a stalemate with one neighboring building over closing time.  They would like us to close at 8 PM, a full hour earlier than anyone else in the industry.  I agreed to move up to 9 PM, but I can't give in that last hour and chop off our leg before the marathon begins.

So, cross your fingers, toes, and any other phlanges you may have that don't come out in polite company.  We may be ready to go very, very soon!

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sorry to have disappeared for so long.  I've been fighting the good fight trying to get Drinks Over Dearborn open against pressure from a few local neighbors and, as a result, the Alderman's office.

I met with the three people opposing me this afternoon.  It wasn't pretty.  They believe that people waiting in line at the Excalibur/Vision club will want to buzz upstairs, buy a warm $4.00 individual Belgian beer, and proceed to go back and drink it in line.  They also think that when my (in their eyes) crazy idea of selling really fun, high-end beer, wine, and spirits to an upscale clientelle from a second floor space doesn't fare so well, I'll immediately start selling Night Train, plastic pints of gin, and whatever I can do to stay afloat.  Since legally I COULD do that, I can't do more than give them my word on my reputation that I wouldn't.  They don't seem to care about my word.

Long story short, it may be several long months, if at all, before we can open. 

I'm going to be in the corner crying over my lambic, if anyone's looking for me...

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thank you all so much for your support for Drinks Over Dearborn!

On day one alone, the fax machine we had listed for May Lou Eisenhauer was unplugged by the end of the day - I think they know we have support behind us now (the new fax number is for the Liquor Commissions main office; no shutting that one down!)

Check out this great piece about our plight written by Julia Thiel on The Chicago Reader's Food Blog.

If we're able to turn around the position of the Alderman and prove some support from the neighbors, I think we'll win this thing yet!

Keep hope alive!

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Boozehound now has a new home-away-from-home - the new Chicago-focused version of the Huffington Post.

For you blog lovers out there, I'm going to try and keep HuffPost and The Dish updated with their own separate unique material. 

Check it out at www.huffingtonpost.com/chicago!

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'd love to go back and talk about our great dinner at Carnevino in Las Vegas, or the amazing experience of being around the best cocktailians in the world at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, but those things are past and if I live too long in the past, I'll never, ever be on top of things.

So, I got a chance to attend Chicago Beer Society's Curds and Ales II event at Rock Bottom Brewery here in Chicago a week or so ago.

I definitely saw some good stuff, and some really surprising stuff as well!

Check out my piece on it back on the Beer page!

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bad news from a city hall insider today.

Apparently, a well-organized group of my River North "neighbors" have proceeded to protest Drinks Over Dearborn from opening to our alderman, Brendan Reilly. 

Needless to say, if this bears true, this puts a heartbreakingly jarring halt to our progress, just as we had every other element of the shop ready to go.

If you have time, please take a second to write a note or email in our favor to:

Alderman Brendan Reilly

42nd Ward

311 W. Superior, Suite 212

Chicago, IL 60654

office@reillyforchicago.com

Keep your fingers crossed...

Posted by kyle.mchugh at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)