Recent transplants Matthew Freitas and Kimberly Parmon have just opened the doors to The Peddler and Pen, their literary-themed bar in the old Alphabet District Craftsman-style house most recently home to The Huckleberry Pub.
Freitas says his plan is simple: offer a dozen rotating local craft beers, simple craft cocktails (including a barrel-aged Manhattan) bar snacks like vegetarian chili and Scotch eggs, and heartier eats rounding out the menu, including fish and chips, and seven hot dogs (including a proper Chicago dog) built with sausages sourced just a few blocks away at Zenner's.
And since writers have a penchant for the sauce, Freitas and Parmon are encouraging patrons to knock back a few before expressing themselves either on the washroom's chalkboard door or via the street side mailbox dedicated to a "leave one-take one" love letters program.
Right now, the pub opens just before dinnertime, but Freitas says that the bar could soon open for lunch sometime soon.
In the meantime, Freitas and Parmon are offering "10 after 10" to SINdustry employees, entitling anyone possessing an OLCC or food handler's permit to 10 percent off of anything on the menu after 10 p.m.
Freitas also says plans are still in place to open up the bar's second story, which will soon be a heavily-draped speakeasy, complete with a pair of upstairs balconies. The speakeasy, he says, should be ready for late-fall.
The Peddler and Pen Tavern, 2327 NW Kearney St., (503) 477-4380; Hours: 4 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., daily
