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homerhorizondaily.com dining out
the homer horizon | November 14, 2019 | 19
The Dish
Barrel Club more than the sum of its steaks, spirits and stogies
Oak Lawn eatery
switches vibes
from lunch to
dinner, gatherings
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
At a quick glance, The
Barrel Club looks on paper
like something of a throwback,
with a steak-heavy
dinner menu, a drinks list
that leans hard on bourbon
and a showcase of cigar
selections for the smokers.
Make no mistake: Spirits
are the star of the show
at The Barrel Club. From
the membership program
that for $39 monthly sends
customers home with different
bottles of the Barrel
Club’s spirits and accessories
— think branded shot
glasses, ice ball silicones
and rocks glasses — to a
list that rivals most city
establishments for whiskey
enthusiasts, drinks are
undoubtedly the No. 1 attraction
at the Oak Lawn
establishment.
But the facade of the
building on 111th Street
near Cicero Avenue is
enough to let passersby
know the offerings are
more than first meets the
eye. The modern confines
hint at the wines Barrel
Club also proudly offers.
A patio with a fire pit welcomes
musical acts and
outdoor loungers alike. The
event spaces are designed
to attract both corporate
meetings and small birthday
gatherings (ask to see
Oak Lawn’s Barrel Club offers sandwiches during
its lunch hours, including the pictured Barrel Dip
($14), featuring shaved rib-eye on a French roll, with
giardiniera, au jus and horseradish cream.
The Little Pub). And the
lunch menu caters to a family
crowd more than the
nightlife seekers one might
otherwise imagine.
Barrel Club strives to be
more than the typical suburban
eatery, and it strives
to please a lot of different
people in the process.
As Director of Operations
April Koerber, an
Orland Parker, puts it, “It’s
downtown dining on the
south side of Chicago. The
food looks like a masterpiece.”
Behind that food is executive
chef Carlos DeLeon,
who approaches an ingredient-focused
menu with a
“less is best on the plate”
philosophy.
“The products that we
use here are great,” he said.
They use Duke’s mayonnaise,
for instance, simply
because, DeLeon said,
“It’s delicious, the king of
mayos.”
The Barrel Club’s Traces of Buffalo whiskey flight ($22) is one of 10 that offer guests
tastes of three different spirits — in this case W.L. Weller Special Reserve, E.H.
Taylor Small Batch and George Stagg Jr. — alongside optional bitters. Photos by Bill
Jones/22nd Century Media
Diners will find that
on the lobster roll ($16),
which Koerber cites as a
favorite for the simplicity
of its Maine lobster, mayo,
Old Bay and brioche.
The kitchen at Barrel
Club also takes the time to
make its own creme fraiche
— a three-day process. And
the roasted chicken (for 2,
$29) — which is sliced in
front of customers — goes
through a 48-hour process.
“What you get out of it
is a crisp, seasoned-all-theway-through
chicken,” De-
Leon said.
Among the sandwich
standouts for the lunch
crowd is the Cuban ($13),
featuring pork carnitas,
smoked ham, Chihuahua
cheese, dill pickle and mustard
on a telera roll.
“Its not a traditional Cuban,
but it’s damn close,”
DeLeon said.
The restaurant also has
some fun mixing influences
with items like the
potato and cheese pierogies
($9), which feature
Yukon Gold potatoes and
Chihuahua cheese for a
combination that is part
Polish, part Mexican, according
to DeLeon. Giardiniera
finds its way into
Barrel Club’s chopped
salad ($13) for a distinct
Chicago tweak to the classic.
And gluten-free and vegetarians
diners are not forgotten,
with options for both
highlighted on the menus.
“You just try to keep it
balanced for people with
allergies,” DeLeon said.
The Barrel Club maintains
membership with the
Orland Park Area Chamber
of Commerce, and
Koerber, who previously
worked with several businesses
in Orland Park, said
she made the jump for a
new opportunity to work
with a restaurant that does
a spirits club. It also gives
her the opportunity to continue
to organize events,
including benefits for local
organizations Barrel Club
has done since opening.
Koerber said she has enjoyed
the new role because
Barrel Club tries to create
a “wow factor” for its customers,
whether that’s an
elderly group doing an early
lunch, whiskey fanatics
working their way through
the spirits selection or executives
looking to impress
clients.
“It’s really personal,” she
said. “And they want that
personalized touch.”
The Barrel Club
4910 W. 111th St. in
Oak Lawn
Kitchen Hours
• Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30
p.m. Monday-Friday
• Brunch: 11 a.m.-
2:30 p.m. Saturday-
Sunday
• Dinner: 4-10 p.m.
daily
Bar Hours
• 10 a.m.-midnight
Sunday-Thursday
• 10 a.m.-2 a.m.
Friday-Saturday
For more information ...
Web: barrelclubillinois.
com
Phone: (708) 581-
3357
pastor
From Page 16
tells us that God made us
in his “image and likeness,”
then we, too, are
relational beings with a
fundamental desire for life
and love stamped into the
very language or theology
of our body — persons
precisely in their maleness
and femaleness.
Intimacy is the one
thing we human beings
cannot live well without,
and we will seek intimacy
even in perverted ways
if we cannot find it in
appropriate ways. Marriage
is the ultimate venue
in which two people can
achieve intimacy and from
that fruitfulness — new
life.
As the commercial
world urges us to hurry
and get shopping for the
“gift-giving season,” the
rediscovery and renewal
of marriage would be the
best gift to give to our
spouse, our children, to
Homer Glen, to America
and ultimately to civilization
itself.
The opinions of this column
are that of the writer. They do
not necessarily reflect those
of The Homer Horizon.