Last night I ventured over to the Happy Gnome with a few friends for dinner. I knew it featured an extensive list of beers on tap but I've never seen that many before that were worth drinking, Old Chicago's list does not count as a fair rival.
We were led upstairs by our hostess into the Firehouse room and seated directly under one of the building's features, an old shaft that has been converted into a tower that held an animated neon sign. While the historical feature was interesting to ponder its once-significant functional contribution to the building, the cobwebs strewn about inside did not have the same allure as we dined underneath.
I ordered a beer from the extensive list of offerings. I think they have around 40-50 on tap - and "bud" is not on the menu. Each beer is a unique, hard-to-find sampling from around the word. Several had very high A.B.V., mine was 9% so I drank it slowly, verrrry slowly just to be sure I wasn't caught off guard by my last sip. It was a New Holland Dragon's Milk (yum?) from Michigan. From their menu, "A complex ale with a soft, rich caramel malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones; all dancing in an oak bath." Yeah, and it was very good, sweet but not too sugary.
We started with Baba Ghanoush as the appetizer. It was served with candied chick peas and delicately spiced with a small amount of heat. The warmed pita bread was my favorite - fluffy with a bit of crisp on the edges and a small dusting of flour. It was really tasty and the light ghanoush mixture did not fill us up too much before the main entrees arrived.
My main dish was a butternut squash risotto with pancetta. Other risottos I've had with that featured butternut squash had a rich, creamy sauce but this sauce was not based with cream and instead had several accompanying steamed vegetables that added to the cozy, spiced dish. Asparagus and brussel sprouts studded the dish throughout so each fork full remained hot and each new bite was the perfect temperature as if it was my first. The honey and pepitas were not overly invasive in flavor and added another unique element. I thought all of the flavors balanced nicely and it was welcome change to the traditionally heavy version. If risotto is at all "traditional".
The other dishes my companions ordered looked just as mouth watering and everyone enjoyed their meal. The drinks were priced fairly and overall we had a really good time.
