Aptly named, bar bites are designed to pair perfectly with any beverage program. For Chicago’s Bar Pastoral, bar bites are a natural extension of the experience Chef Brooks Hart hopes to create for customers: a communal dining experience with an emphasis on non-traditional, quality ingredients. “Our bar bites are very product-driven,” he says. “We want to give guests the ability to sit down and share them at a table with everyone.”
A neighborhood bistro specializing in cheese and wine, Bar Pastoral’s bar bites menu includes shareable, flavorful items. Of course, each includes a cheese pairing—and for Hart, it’s the accompanying cheese that really completes each dish. “Our bar nuts are sugar and honey roasted, and we serve them with a prairie cheddar that gives it that sweet-and-salty flavor,” he says.
Making bar snacks shareable gives those menu items a sense of community—and it makes those items very popular. “Bar bites give people a chance to try something that they wouldn’t necessarily eat alone,” says Hart. “It’s fun to be able to sit down with everyone you’re eating with and have a great conversation. Sharing food adds to that experience in general.”
Menu Sampler: Bar Pastoral
- Sweet and Spicy Almonds; $4
Prairie Breeze (cow) - Marinated Olives; $6
Herbs, manchego (sheep), citrus, garlic, chilies - Merguez Stuffed Apricots; $10
Yogurt (cow), bacon, cilantro - Housemade Pretzel; $9
Widmer’s 1yr Cheddar (cow) Cheese Ball, sliced Molinari salami, mustard