JUNK RUNTAH

Location: 2747 N Lincoln

Cost: About $20 per person

In the middle of July, I was having trouble scraping together free time. My rotation put me out in the western suburbs, and the commute on I-290 was adding a ton of time to my work day. So I finally got out early enough one Friday to join my friends for dinner. Jenny, Scottie, Jeremy, Max, and I were looking for some good beers and bar food. I wanted to go to Hopleaf but was overruled given the distance. We ended up checking out this new spot in Lincoln Park, Atlas Brewing Company.

The look of Atlas Brewing Company was very much like what I expected when I heard the name. By that I mean there was a long bar on one side of the dining room, a bunch of booths opposite that, and a window looking into a brew room with a bunch of cylindrical vats (you know, the standard brewpub look). We opted for the outdoor seating since the traffic on Lincoln Avenue wasnt all that bad. We each had beers except Jenny (who got a cosmo [totally judging]), and the drinks ran around $6 each. We split a bunch of dishes all in the low teens. Portion wise, there was plenty to be had. Our waitress put up with our indecisiveness and was apologetic when she forgot some of our food.

First a little commentary about the beer... Between Jeremy, Max, Scottie, and myself we pretty much ran the list on the beer. Overall they werent that impressive, but the Its A Trap and the Andromeda Stout were solid. For food we split the Duck Poutine and the Sausage Mussels. 

The Sausage Mussels

 The Duck Poutine

The poutine was greasy and delicious. The cheese curds were plentiful, the duck flavor stood out, and the french fries held their texture despite plenty of gravy. The mussles were less impressive. The sausage and tomato broth made things interesting, but I found the flavors muddled.

Looking at the big picture, we were able to get an outdoor table at a new bar with pretty good food for a party of 5 at the last minute on a Friday night. I think there are many better brewpubs around, but theyre pretty new and have time to grow on me. For now Im giving them 2 out of 5 Pearls.