Sardines at Asador Bastian
7 places
Where Monteverde's Sarah Grueneberg Gets a Great Martini
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
The Drink and Dish: Gibsons vodka martini with a twist, a splash of vermouth, and a hard shake, paired with the Gold Coast filet sliders.
"This is my gateway drug of martinis. It’s the first one I ever had. There’s something about a Gibsons martini. It’s an original. You can’t have more than two; the glasses are huge. It’s clean, simple, and refreshing, boozy and strong, everything I love in a martini. The hard shake: Traditionally it’s stirred, but I like the "ice skating rink" on top. The filet sliders are so good. They make the sesame seed buns with maître d'hôtel butter. It's a perfect snack. My first apartment was in the Gold Coast, and I would walk past Gibsons every day on my way to Spiaggia and think, "One day I can afford to eat there." The shutters, the green checked tablecloths, the vibe, the model planes behind the bar, the piano with someone playing music, it's quintessential Chicago."
Shaw's Crab House
The Drink and Dish: Shaw's Tanqueray martini with olives and a twist, paired with spicy tuna crispy rice and oysters.
"Shaw's is my other classic Chicago love. I love gin with seafood. Shaw's Oyster Bar has been Jaime's and my date-night spot for 15 years, dating back to when we could finally afford martinis and oysters. They have a sushi menu, and the crispy rice tuna bites are everything you want: texture, freshness, and a little heat from the gochujang mayo on top. It's a perfect snack with that martini. I like the olive-and-lemon combination. The brininess works beautifully with the seafood and oysters. The mignonette is served in a shaved-ice granita style, which is refreshing and delicious. Shaw's was also where I had some of my first oysters."
Kumiko
The Drink and Dish: Kumiko Martini and fried chicken and potato salad.
"It’s so different. They bring it as a flight with different garnishes. It’s a sea grape martini, and it comes with cucumber and olive brine. It’s an oceany, Japanese-inspired dirty martini that I love. Instead of traditional vermouth, they use Albariño, which is quite fun. I’m always amazed by the attention to detail, the quality, and the vision here. There's nothing on the plate or in the drink that shouldn’t be there. It’s a high-end, curated martini experience. The chicken is karaage, served with charred shishito peppers and kanzuri mayo. It’s crispy, elegant, and full of flavor. The potato salad has quick-pickled carrots and shio-koji pickled cucumber, which is also featured in the martini. It's a super elevated bar snack and a match made in heaven."
Asador Bastian
The Drink and Dish: Asador Bastian's El Perfecto Martini with ham and cheese croquettes.
"I love Asador Bastian. It’s a great restaurant in a beautiful brownstone that doesn’t necessarily feel like Chicago. The martini has a no-rules kind of vibe, built around Spanish ingredients. It combines two styles of gin, London dry and navy strength, with Spanish vermouth, giving it a serious kick of gin flavor. It’s served freezer-style, not shaken, then poured into a small glass. That’s what I mean by no rules. It has this confidence of, "Here, take this." And ham and cheese croquettes, how do you go wrong?"
Red Hook Tavern
The Drink and Dish: Spanish Gibson martini with oysters and pickle granita.
"Billy Durney, who is famous for barbecue, opened this small but mighty old tavern. The Gibson is with London dry gin and they char the onion with a bit of rosemary. I love the bit of char and smoke you get. The oysters with the pickle brine are so smart. Why wouldn’t I want that juice on the oyster? It’s the perfect little match."
San Sabino
The Drink and Dish: Scottie's Martini with the crab and mortadella dip.
"Ooh San Sabino! It’s in the West Village and a husband-and-wife team, Scott and Angie, are the chefs. They have an amazing love affair with Italian-American food and elevate it in a way that I find craveable and delicious. The martini is full flavored and has garlic bread vodka. They fat wash the vodka with garlic bread flavors, garlic butter, oregano, maybe a little parm, spicy brine, and giant olives, and it reminds me of drinking a giardiniera martini. And I grew up eating these Southern seafood dips with Ritz crackers and they do it so well. It’s served in a small crab shell bowl and it’s a fun presentation and bite. It has pistachio and hot pepper jelly served with polenta zeppole."
Pêche Seafood Grill
The Drink and Dish: Mother of Pearl Martini with steak tartare and oyster aioli.
"Pêche is one of my favorite restaurants in the country. The bar is big and they have tons of oysters. The steak tartare combines the beauty of the oyster, and I love steak tartare. They serve it with a smoked oyster aioli, so it has a Southern Louisiana nod. The Mother of Pearl Martini has a kind of Vesper vibe because it combines gin and vodka and it’s a little briny with dill, and I love dill. The oyster, the raw beef, and the dill all go together nicely."
