Young Augustine's

I know I promised Paris postings, but apparently when you leave your job for over two weeks, things pile up a bit. I am ready to dive back into the blog and tell you all about Paris, but first I need to back track to my last meal in the states.

Young Augustine's has become my new favorite hangout. Its in the laid back neighborhood of Grant Park, features amazing food, fun bar games, an ever changing beer list, and its less than a mile from my house!  I have been going there for a while now, but my last night before leaving for France, I finally took the initiative to take some photos.

The atmosphere here is casual and cool. They reopened in the space that was once The Standard, altering the menu and bringing in a more pub-like feel to the patio and interior.They have a great inside bar as well as a separate room for darts, but I am consistently drawn to the patio. There are patios on the back and side of the building giving views of downtown and Oakland Cemetery. In back they have two large size bocce ball courts.

The menu is an eclectic gourmet version of pub food. They offer small appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and heavier entree options. For starters I always begin with the homemade pimento cheese. It is served with a crusty baguette and a variety of house made pickles including pickled tomatoes, onions, and their amazing house made kimchi. This time I decided to try a new treat, pork belly sliders. These little bits of heaven were an small light buns with crispy yet moist slices of pork belly, just a little kimchi, and of course Duke's mayonnaise!

For entrees, its hard to go wrong with their fish and chips. The fish is lightly tempura battered and the chips are cooked in duck fat. Diets aside, everything tastes better in duck fat.I have to mention their tarter sauce which is I think the best I have eaten. For lunch I have requested this fish over a large salad. It was the perfect way to indulge in that amazing fish and still stay awake back at the office!

The carnita tacos are served with the kimchi. and sour cream. This is an interesting but delightful combination of salty sweet and sour flavors. In addition the steak (also served with the duck fries) was well marinated, tender and cooked to order.

The beer list rotates weekly to feature micro brews, some local names, as well as many national favorites. They have an excellent selection of IPAs and my favorite Belgian style beers.

I have heard they have dessert, but cant seem to stop myself from just ordering another beer and sitting back to watch the sunset over downtown. Young Augustine's is my new favorite hangout. I suggest you stop in and prepare to be impressed.