Three Dots and a Dash •••— formerly Paul McGee's Tiki Bar

The name of Paul McGee's long-awaited tiki bar has been revealed—Three Dots and a Dash, after an old Don the Beachcomber cocktail. I have no news about the bar but thought some people might enjoy seeing an early menu that lists the drink, maybe the first menu it appeared on. Chicago's Don the Beachcomber—the second after the original in Hollywood—opened on May 1, 1940 and this menu was printed not too long after. Three Dots and a Dash is near the end of the Sundown section and it's sketched in the right margin. Three dots and a dash is Morse code for V (for victory); a trio of impaled cherries and a half-submerged strip of pineapple represent the dits and the dah. Underneath is DTB's menu of tropical dishes from the same period.



The most impressive section of the drinks menu may be the rum list—nearly 140 bottles. I doubt McGee & the Melmans will match that. Even if they try, it's a safe bet Lemon Hart 28 year old won't be sold for $1 a shot. I'm looking forward to a •••— at •••— when it opens in a couple months.

Don the Beachcomber (closed)
101 E Walton St
Chicago
"Open each day at the Tahitian cocktail hour (4 P.M.)"
SUPERIOR 8812

Three Dots and a Dash (opening late Oct 2012)
435 N Clark St
Chicago
http://threedotsandadashchicago.com/

Great news! I'll be in Chicago from NYC the last week of October. Fingers crossed it's actually open by then.

Here's the recipe for Three Dots and a Dash from RumDood.

Anybody been here yet? Any reports?

Elfin wrote:Anybody been here yet? Any reports?

As far as I'm aware it's not yet open. I could be mistaken, though.

I've been told the plan is to open it once things are going smoothly at Bub City. So early next year.

Just can't wait! I'm planning to try everything.

fropones wrote:

Elfin wrote:Anybody been here yet? Any reports?

As far as I'm aware it's not yet open. I could be mistaken, though.

They're about 5 weeks away, from what I am told.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

fropones wrote:

Elfin wrote:Anybody been here yet? Any reports?

As far as I'm aware it's not yet open. I could be mistaken, though.

They're about 5 weeks away, from what I am told.

=R=

Unfortunately couldn't make it to the opening of Bub City tonight (work and all) but I will definitely be there for this.

Lettuce Entertain You posted a tweet saying they are interviewing staff for Three Dots this week. Hopefully we're getting closer?

Ooh, excellent.

https://twitter.com/SocialJustin/status ... 0687096832

I see that Three Dots and a Dash also just opened a Twitter account as well.

https://twitter.com/ThreeDotsCHI/

That is awesome! Hopefully it will be open by Memorial Day

If they are interviewing staff at the end of this week, Memorial Day seems a little optimistic. That would give them just a little over 3 weeks to assemble the team, put everybody through training and then do a soft open. An opening sometime this summer seems more likely.

Umbrella! Umbrella! Umbrella! I can't wait...

Ok, not quite the •••— opening but I just learned in an email that my friend Paul McGee will soon be behind the bar for the first time since last February, "to shake the rust off." On Monday May 20, from 9:00 pm until 2:00 am, he'll be recreating his famous Fern Bar at RJ Grunt's.

Here's a scan of the menu . . .



The email also says this: "With the opening of Three Dots and a Dash a little over a month away . . ." so, •••— is indeed on the horizon!

=R=

RJ Grunts
2056 North Lincoln Park West
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 929-5363

Their Facebook page and Twitter account have suddenly started posting. No actual details re: opening date, though ("soon, but not yet!"). But there's activity.

https://twitter.com/ThreeDotsCHI
https://www.facebook.com/ThreeDotsandaDash

kathryn wrote:Their Facebook page and Twitter account have suddenly started posting. No actual details re: opening date, though ("soon, but not yet!"). But there's activity.

https://twitter.com/ThreeDotsCHI
https://www.facebook.com/ThreeDotsandaDash

I'm being told it'll happen around the middle of the month . . . fingers crossed.

=R=

Soft opening tonight at 5:30?

Vitesse98 wrote:Soft opening tonight at 5:30?

Last night was F&F. Tonight is opening night (not a soft opening from what I was told).

=R=

Any idea if they have food? Or the size of the space, seating, etc.?

Vitesse98 wrote:Any idea if they have food? Or the size of the space, seating, etc.?

There were a few bites last night but it definitely looked like a preview menu. I'm guessing that will be expanded upon going forward. There were a few good-looking bites but we didn't try any of the food. But yes, food is definitely part of the program.

I'd guess it seats around 80-100 or so if you count the bar. It's a big space, so it could be even more than that. There are tables -- low and high -- throughout the room, about 20 seats at the bar and banquettes along the walls. Seating was very comfortable. I thought the space was beautiful. It evoked a polished Tiki vibe in a major way without being over the top cheezy at all. You walk in and you are immediately transported. The finishes are really upscale.

Drinks were $13 each and the several I tasted were very good -- extremely similar (and, in some cases, identical) to Paul's Tiki Nights at Whistler. The most impressive element of the bar, IMO, is the astonishing procurement of rums, rhums and other cane spirits on the back bar. It's awesome. Even for a boozehound like myself, there were bottles up there I'd never seen before. They are still about 2 weeks away from getting them all compiled into a book/menu but my understanding is that they are available for ordering.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:They are still about 2 weeks away from getting them all compiled into a book/menu but my understanding is that they are available for ordering.

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They are, the guy I was sitting next to last night had at least a couple neat in between cocktails. Personally I'll start looking at them more in depth after I work through the entire cocktail menu, four down...

SSDD

What did you have and how were the drinks?

Going tonight and I'm wondering if Paul can make me a proper '34 Zombie without ordering the full $75 punch bowl.

I know he loves being back there but I don't think you'll see Paul behind the bar very much . . . at least not at the outset. Probably later on, though.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I know he loves being back there but I don't think you'll see Paul behind the bar very much . . . at least not at the outset. Probably later on, though.

=R=

Yeah, Paul was definitely working the room last night, not the bar.

As far as what I had.....ummmmmmmmmmmmm

Started with two classics....the namesake Three Dots and a Dash, and a Mai Tai. I thought both were excellent. After that, I had two of Paul's modern tiki drinks, which I don't remember the names of....One had guava as a flavor, one coffee....I'd remember if I could see the menu. Personally, I had the same issue with these as I did with Paul's drinks at the Whistler, good but not great, my palate just isn't compatible with his.

I'll try all of the drinks on the menu (except maybe the banana daiquiri), but I feel like that most of my drinking will be off of the classic side.

Your milage may vary.

SSDD

Just got back. Miss Chitown and I had an absolute blast. This is definitely the spot for proper tiki drinks in Chicago.

Being fanatics—we've been mixing Donn Beach, Trader Vic and Beachbum Berry classics for a while now—we had very high expectations and Three Dots definitely delivered on all fronts. Drink quality, mood and service were all excellent.

What we had:

Jet Pilot
Tropic of Thistle
Mai Tai
Lonely Island
Jungle Bird

Now, I make a nasty Jet Pilot that I'd put against anybody's but Three Dots had me tied up. This is one of my test drinks—along with a '34 Zombie—and I use it as a barometer to see where the bartenders are at. This one was just beautifully balanced with the rums, juices, syrups and bitters coming through all on their own. The freshness of the juices really popped and the quality of the rums really shine through. I could taste the smoky notes of the Lemon Hart 151 even though they pre-blend all the rums so I'm not 100% certain that's what they used. (Although, I'd bet a bottle of Lemon Hart that's what Paul is using.)

Where Three Dots really delivers is on the garnish and presentation. Tiki is really all about fun and having a good time. Well, fun, and garnishing the hell out of everything and lighting it on fire. (I have a t shirt that says something similar.) The garnishes are really over the top and we were treated to a few "special" on the fly garnishes that really impressed me.

My only concern—and hopefully this is something that will fade over time—is the number of "bro's" that were in house. Lots of patrons who had no idea what tiki is about, what a proper tiki drink is, nor did they care. The small group next to us was comparing Three Dots to The Underground and we actually saw vodka sodas being ordered as they scoped the place for "hot chicks." Definitely a first for us in a tiki bar setting.

Anyways, when we left the bar was about six or seven deep behind us and getting a drink was quite a wait unless you were actually seated on a stool. Our bartender was an absolute pro through the whole mess and I can't wait until the masses get this out of their system so I can return and enjoy the blending of fine rums and more personal service. She really made the experience a 10/10.

(On a side note, we picked up four really cool custom mugs along with a half dozen garnish/swizzle sticks for the collection. You can purchase any of their mugs for $15 outright and they will be phasing in new ones all the time. Most of them are from Tiki Farm—which sell for $15 direct—but I noticed they had some special editions or out of production mugs that are a little harder to find for you collectors. Plus, you save shipping. I can't see leaving this place without taking home a few mugs every time. But then again we're fanatics and have a whole cabinet full of customs.)

Super cool place. I'm already planning a return trip.

ChitownJackson wrote:My only concern—and hopefully this is something that will fade over time—is the number of "bro's" that were in house. Lots of patrons who had no idea what tiki is about, what a proper tiki drink is, nor did they care. The small group next to us was comparing Three Dots to The Underground and we actually saw vodka sodas being ordered as they scoped the place for "hot chicks." Definitely a first for us in a tiki bar setting.

As we were leaving last night, a couple was slipping into our seats before we'd actually vacated them, so I heard the guy's order: a beer.

I've witnessed such behavior before. At the opening of Haymarket Pub & Brewery, I sat at the bar with jimthebeerguy and ReneG, wondrous that a table of dudes next to us had ordered canned beer all around. I think it was Old Style. Me no understand.

Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with ordering whatever the hell you want wherever you are, but I don't get why you'd go to a place like TD&aD, occupy valuable bar space, and get a bottled beer. It seems like the people who go this route are making a statement, which I interpret to be, "I'm an ass. Deal with it."

ronnie_suburban wrote:It evoked a polished Tiki vibe in a major way without being over the top cheezy at all.

Lame. How can you have Tiki without the kitsch? I guess I'll have to drown my disappointment in rum. Tasty, tasty rum.

Last night around midnight my friend and I were like "I think we accidentally went clubbing."

We hate clubbing. When we got to Three Dots, it was rocking retro surfer music and we merrily sipped our tiki drinks oblivious to the brahs and trixies that hovered around us. Then at some point they switched to a DJ who played remixes of Shaggy and the douchebags started grinding on each other and pushing us aside as they rushed the bar. Sigh.

I loved the attention to detail in the design of the place, the tiki cups and garnishes, and a lot of the drinks we had were really really good. My favorite was the Saturn. I'll go back, but early on a weeknight.

This is the main problem I have with Chicago. In NYC the fratty folks generally have their own bars and hipsters and yuppies have separate bars and rarely do the twain meet. I guess it's good that the brahs might be showing interest in nice cocktails, but I often overhear things the beer dude David encountered or the fratty dude in a backwards baseball cap in the Aviary trying to order a rum and coke. It's more about the scene for them and Three Dots is admittedly a very cool scene.

I also agree this is a very polished and executed approach to Tiki. Those of us looking for something a little more true to the original spirit might be a bit disappointed.

Teresa wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:It evoked a polished Tiki vibe in a major way without being over the top cheezy at all.

Lame. How can you have Tiki without the kitsch? I guess I'll have to drown my disappointment in rum. Tasty, tasty rum.

You really should go there and see it for yourself before you judge it. Your take might be very different than mine.

=R=

mgmcewen wrote:This is the main problem I have with Chicago. In NYC the fratty folks generally have their own bars and hipsters and yuppies have separate bars and rarely do the twain meet. I guess it's good that the brahs might be showing interest in nice cocktails, but I often overhear things the beer dude David encountered or the fratty dude in a backwards baseball cap in the Aviary trying to order a rum and coke.

Peace, not apartheid. These star-crossed communities must find common ground. If it's at the bottom of a Zombie, so mote it be.