One of the perks of being a food blogger is being able to scout out those hidden gems I otherwise wouldn’t have heard of. One such, is a new restaurant called Dive Bar located in the Lakeview neighborhood. Last week, I had the most delightful food tasting there. A nautical themed diner offering a wide selection of rum & tropical drinks, frozen drinks (about 41 daiquiris) and New England style seafood; this restaurant was right up my alley!
My guest and I were greeted by the most cheerful & jovial waiter, who happily recommended his favorite dishes to us. We each ordered a tropical drink, starting with the Cocoa Colada and the Pain Killer. Cool names, right? Both arrived in ceramic glasses with fun garnishes, and were heavy on coconut cream and pineapple juice…just as we had wanted. And let’s just say, we didn’t stop at two.
As we ‘dived’ into the food, we ordered the BoomBoom Shrimp and the Tuna Nachos. It was a good sign that my favorite dish of the meal was one of the first few dishes I started with, because the nachos were like nothing I’ve had before. In front of me, was a large mount of crispy wonton chips loaded with creamy guacamole, sweet and spicy aioli, pineapple salsa and tender seared tuna. I gave thanks with every wonton scoop I ate of the array of toppings that seemed to simply melt in m mouth. The tropical flavor of the salsa combined so well with the tuna and it also toned down the spice component of the aioli.
As a pescetarian, I usually miss out on nachos miss out because of the meat aspect, unless I order them vegetarian. But this dish got the wheels of my mind turning about other sashimi I could use to create my own version of nachos. Not only is it doable but also delectable, so thank you Dive Bar!
The BoomBoom Shrimp was also remarkable. The dish comprised of crispy, breaded shrimp bites tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce with hints of honey and rice vinegar. The sweet chili ‘garlicky’ sauce was so tasty, that I decided to eat this dish with a spoon. I wasn’t about to let any of that delicious sauce go to waste.
With their generous portions already filling my tummy, I had room for only one more dish, so I once again asked our good-humored waiter to recommend something, and he suggested The Blackened Shrimp PO’Boy. A delicious sandwich consisting of a soft baguette with blackened shrimp drizzled with remoulade was served in front of me. The mayonnaise-based remoulade did a wonderful job of cutting the spicy Cajun kick while providing a creamy consistency to the dish.
I also want to give a tip of my hat to the curly sea salt fries the sandwich came with. They were perfect in thickness, and the seasonings including the sea salt put them in my top ten category for fries. And if shrimp is not your thing the PO Boy list at this restaurant is extensive. But you can’t leave without trying one of them!
Dive Bar exceeded my expectations and added much needed excitement to my regular Tuesday night. So if you’re in the mood for a good culinary experience under $50, give Dive Bar a shot.
Dive Bar
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Address: 3445 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657
Phone: (773) 770-4618
Website: http://chicagodivebar.com/
Hours: Sun – Thurs: 5:00pm –10:00 pm, Fri: 5:00pm – 2:00am, Sat: 3:00pm –3:00am
Price: $6.99 - $39.99