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Best Bites Chicago

This week’s Best Bite: crab rangoon & Painkiller No. 3, Three Dots and a Dash

Painkiller No. 3, with
Painkiller No. 3, with Bajan rum, Jamaican rum, coconut liqueur, passionfruit, pineapple, and cream

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: Three Dots and a Dash has been generating buzz ever since bartender Paul McGee announced last year that he was leaving the Whistler to be involved with a tiki concept. The basement bar finally opened in River North two weeks ago, and it truly is a tiki paradise, down to every last swizzle stick. The drink menu is extensive – and fully illustrated, of course – so for a girl who really likes rum, it was a paralyzing task to decide which tropical concoction to order first, even with a significant head-start while I waited for friends to arrive. I was thrilled with my first selection, the Painkiller No. 3, which was a frothy, just-sweet-enough blend of pineapple, rum, coconut, and cinnamon, topped off by a flower and cinnamon stick. It’s worth noting that every drink we ordered came in a different ornate tiki vessel with its own beautiful set of garnishes.

Blue crab rangoon with four dipping sauces: mustard, chili, sweet & sour, and peanut
Blue crab rangoon with four dipping sauces: mustard, chili, sweet & sour, and peanut

The snacks we tried proved to be a suitable match for the outstanding cocktails. My favorites were the crab rangoon, fried golden-brown with a thin, smooth filling that actually tasted like crab rather than a hunk of cream cheese. I also adored the divided dish of four dipping sauces (chili, mustard, peanut, and citrusy sweet-and-sour) that were versatile enough to mix-and-match with our Thai fried chicken and coconut shrimp as well. I have no doubt that Three Dots and a Dash will become a major River North destination, but I’m hoping that at least the alley entrance, marked only by a single tiki torch, might take the crowds a little longer to find.

Bunny's Banana Daiquiri, with
Another great drink: Bunny’s Banana Daiquiri, with Jamaican rum, spiced rum, overproof rum, coconut liqueur, banana, lime, and nutmeg – plus the dolphin garnish!
Greeted by this wall of skulls on the way downstairs into the bar
Greeted by this wall of skulls on the way downstairs into the bar

The details: Three Dots and a Dash, 435 N Clark St., Chicago.