Chief O’Neill’s pub on Elston is practically an Irish shrine. Look up and you’ll see ceiling tiles painted with Celtic knots. Behind the bar eight of the ten beers on tap are Irish. Bottles of Jameson Irish whiskey rest upside down on classic glass optic dispensers, popular in Irish pubs because they assure an honest pour. Proprietors Brendan and Siobhan McKinney have gathered an abundance of antique Irish bric-a-brac, much of it hunted down by Siobhan’s family, who still live in County Cork. There are glass cases throughout the pub displaying maps, books, a police uniform, and countless old musical instruments. Brendan’s grandfather’s fiddle hangs above one of the doorways. But the stage in the back room–where local and touring Irish musicians perform every week–is the real focal point.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The McKinneys speak warmly of Francis O’Neill, Chicago’s chief of police at the turn of the 19th century. Not that they’re particularly taken by his work on the police force during Prohibition or the stockyard strike of 1904. It’s his contribution toward keeping Irish music alive that’s made them fans. The great famine of the mid-1800s all but devastated O’Neill’s west Cork town of Tralibane, a region where traditional Irish music, song, and dance had roots. But despite the ravages of illness and economic depression, his grandfather maintained an open house for traveling musicians, and his entire family of nine kept their spirits elevated by keeping a home full of music. O’Neill played the wooden flute and sang.
O’Neill’s has an impressive menu of traditional Irish fare that’s prepared and served by an all-Irish crew. It may even succeed in dispelling the common perception of Irish food as greasy and bland. Starters include Harp-battered onion strips and Erin curried chips–thick-cut fries slathered in a spicy curry sauce that Brendan calls “the only thing to eat at 4 AM when you roll out of an Irish pub.” The Galway Bay mussels are perfectly tender and moist, steamed in a broth of white wine, garlic, and parsley then splashed with cream. The salmon cakes could rival those in a trendy Wicker Park place–two plump, moist cakes without any filler come served on a bed of mesclun lettuce with a nicely balanced whole-grain mustard sauce. Two soups are offered at lunch: a moderately creamy potato-leek and a cheddar cheese variety with a Guinness stout base and a crouton covered with melted cheese floating on top. The brown bread, earthy whole wheat slices with a hint of molasses, that accompanies the dishes is also imported from Ireland.
Trocadero Bistro and Bar at 1750 N. Clark closed its doors on Saturday, May 13.
