Ravenswood’s Fountainhead is one of the best craft beer and whiskey bars in the city, with dizzyingly long lists that are a pleasure to lose oneself in. When it was announced more than two years ago that its principals were to take over the former Jury’s in nearby North Center and open a cider-focused bar, hopes were widely pinned on the group taking the same careful and comprehensive approach to apple fermentation. Despite many establishments offering a cider here and there, a fledgling but limited yearly Cider Summit at Navy Pier, and a few underwhelmingly stocked shelves at various Binny’s, no one in town had yet seriously tried to bring the beautiful universe of cider into clarity. If anyone could do it, this group could.
It should be easy to find good food to eat with this diverse group of juices, even as a significant portion of the menu incorporates them, from the cow’s milk and sidra-blended cheese to the pommeau-spiked chicken liver paté to the maple-glazed cider doughnuts.
4337 N. Lincoln 773-935-2255 thenorthman.com
