No, not that kind of afternoon delight. Our exploration of neighborhoods on the Northwest Side takes us to Chief O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N Elston Ave, which has a sprawling beer garden. The beer garden is a treat. It’s got these lovely old apple and pear trees, with big chunks of pear scattered on the ground. We inquire about a sign promoting something called Pugs Go Celtic. It turns out that a club of 500 pug owners recently booked the beer garden and after they’d finished their romp they completely disregarded the terms of their contract with Chief’s, neglecting to clean up the resulting dog shit and hair. Chief’s wasn’t impressed, and as a consequence, the pug club has probably ruined it for the rest of us who want to form dog clubs and convene functions in that beer garden.
Nicest thing about Chief, other than the $10.95 breakfast buffet? No crowds and prompt service. Wonder how long that will last?
Maybe we’ll narrow our search to houses that are midway between Chief O’Neill’s and our earlier discoveries, Kuma’s Corner and MoJoe’s Hot House. And if we find an el stop located somewhere in there, well that’ll be dandy.