WEST LOOP — Look at the Royal Pie, all dressed up and ready for a big night out on Randolph Street.
The savory meat pies made famous by Bridgeport's Pleasant House Bakery are among the featured menu items at Lone Wolf, a new tavern along the city's famed Restaurant Row at 806 W. Randolph St.
"There’s all kids of great things to eat on Randolph Street. We feel like we're bringing something different but that's of the same caliber," said chef Art Jackson, who runs the Bridgeport restaurant with his wife, Chelsea.
For drinks, Lone Wolf will specialize in apertifs and digestifs — pre- or post-meal drinks designed for patrons of the strip's nearby acclaimed restaurants. There are four cocktails and three types of Sgrippino, a citrusy, bitter Italian drink that's sort of a hybrid between craft cocktail and sorbet. All are $12.
But don't overlook the long list of beers either.
The roster selected by manager Stephen Cole, part of the team behind Lincoln Park's The Barrelhouse Flat, includes four taps exclusively dedicated to the Three Floyds — two pouring the brewery's popular favorites, plus two of their rare brews.
Jackson's food menu is sparse — 11 total items —but it features the creations that put his Bridgeport restaurant and food truck on the map, plus a few new pub-centric surprises.
There are Pleasant House classics like the steak and ale, mushroom and kale and chicken balti Royal Pies, along with special pies stuffed with barbecue beef brisket or macaroni and cheese with bacon and onion. They sell for $6.
Bar snacks include a chicken liver pate, a pickled egg dropped into a bag of potato chips and a Scotch egg, made by wrapping an egg with house-made pork sausage, coating it in bread crumbs and deep frying it to golden, indulgent perfection.
They'll also serve up a vegetarian chili made with white beans and butternut squash.
The tavern, which features dark leather booths, a laid back, old-school vibe and a big wooden U-shaped bar, was designed by Heisler Hospitality, the team behind Trenchermen, Bangers & Lace and Nightwood.
It seems to be a good fit for Lone Wolf's concept, positioned to nab diners headed out for big destination dinners as well as locals looking to settle in for a long night of pints and pies.
Lone Wolf is open 4 p.m.-2 a.m. weekdays, noon-3 a.m. Saturdays and noon- 2 a.m. Sundays. Phone: 312-600-9391.
