Rockit Bar & Grill

Location: 22 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60654

A Quick Word:
When I am looking for a great venue for a sporting event, Rockit Bar & Grill always comes to mind.  This Michigan University associated bar has been our "go to" bar during this years NCAA tournament.  They offer plenty of game day specials in the forms of both food and drink.  From various fried appetizers to buckets of beer, Rockit has been an amazing location during the March Madness month.  The area tends to get crowded and they have a limited number of tables.  Luckily, we have gotten tables for each game so far.  The food is all pretty good, but we just ordered appetizers.  These seem difficult to mess up so I can't rate it too highly.  For now, I decided to give them a 3.5 mile rating, but after I try some of their other food, the rating will most likely be higher.

What We Ate:

Truffle Tater Tots

It seems like whenever my friend and I end up at Rockit Bar, we order these truffle tater tots.  The side dish is very simple... just deep fried tater tots with a sprinkle of truffle oil and chopped parsley.  They are cooked to order, so they come out extremely crispy and hot.  The truffle oil is very prominent, but not overwhelming.  It is the perfect dish with a few cold beers or cocktails during the game.  Definitely try these out!

Loaded Waffle Fries

This special appetizer was an amazing creation of waffle fries topped nacho cheese, pulled pork, bacon, sour cream, and chopped scallions.  It reminded me of a loaded baked potato with extra meat.  I absolutely love the use of the waffle fries which provided the perfect vessel for all those heavy toppings.  Don't let it sit too long.  The cheddar cheese seizes up after it begins to cool.

Spinach, Artichoke, & Crab Dip

After searching through the appetizer section, this spin on the classic spinach and artichoke dip stood out.  The big spin was the addition of lump crab meat.  It was served with a bunch of sliced pita bread, crackers, and a variety of vegetables, including red peppers, carrots, and celery.  This huge dish is great for sharing.  I absolutely loved using both the pita and the carrots in the dip.  It does have a stronger crab flavor than you might expect so be careful if you are not a seafood lover.  The carrots are a great dipper because they add a slight sweetness to every bite.  I highly recommend ordering this appetizer.

Beer Cheddar Dip

This beer cheddar dip was another one of the game day specials.  It was simply a cheese dip with I guess beer incorporated into it.  It came with a pretzel loaf that was warmed.  Overall, this wasn't anything special.  The dip was a little more gritty than I expected.  The pretzel roll was a pretzel roll.  Hard to mess up, but nothing unique.  Glad it was another cheap appetizer.

Bloody Mary

One of the game day special drinks... I was a little disappointed mainly because I have heard great reviews about Rockit's bloody mary bar.  I do understand that my drink was only $5.00 so not many toppings were expected.  It wasn't too spicy, but did have a lot of seasoning in the drink.  I wish it was a little stronger but still good for such a cheap price.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- This is an awesome Michigan University bar.  Definitely come here to watch games!
- If you decide on coming for a game, call to see if they are taking reservations for that day.  Sometimes they do, making it much easier.  Otherwise, show up early.

DON'T:
- Almost no parking around this area except garage or valet.  I wouldn't drive.

How far would I walk for this food?