New Cocktail Lounge Opening Next Week Near Webster Place

Harry's Velvet Room only lasted five months before closing, and now a new prohibition-themed bar is taking its place. It's called Distilled Chicago, and it's slated to open to the general public on Wednesday. The bar comes from a pair of first-time restaurant owners, and they'll serve a full menu of bar food including Italian beef egg rolls, sliders and nachos.

General manager Kyle Jenewein developed a drink list with eight signature cocktails. The drinks include the Chocolate Cherrye (Rye, cherry Herring, chocolate bitters), Steve Jobs (Chivas Regal, Disaronno Amaretto, apple cider) and the Slow Burn (muddled jalapeño and cucumber, simple syrup, mezcal). They'll have 24 beers on draft, trying to be more approachable while luring the movie crowd across the street from the Regal Cinemas Webster Place Theater: "It's mostly whisky and gin, we'll bring in mezcal for the summer and drinks that the neighborhood doesn't really know about."

Distilled has a menu with burgers, lamb sliders and chili. Owners Brandan Sartor and Mark Michalik are first-time restaurant owners. Coincidentally, Sartor works for Regal Entertainment, the owners of the movie theater across the street.

They've gutted the first floor, installing a black granite bar and 12 televisions. There's room for 80 on the first floor, 120 on the second floor and 60 on the sidewalk. They've stressed black and gold for the Prohibition theme, and mostly left the second floor untouched except adding more flat screens. Jenewein said they'll keep the second floor for private events, but open it up if they draw enough business.

While Distilled isn't focused on sports, Jenewein said they won't ignore them like at Harry's and at Webster's Wine Bar, which proceeded the Velvet Room. Distilled Chicago opens next week.

[Photo: Ashok Selvam]