12/13/2023 0 Comments Ricobenes send anywhereELLIOT: And originally I was thinking and I'd be very interested in your input. ELLIOT: Well, this is where - yeah, this is where Sarah Palin was painted. BOURDAIN: This is where the magic happens. This is - of course, that's our beer cooler and everything. ELLIOT: Well, let me show you what I've come up with because simply because of the size constraints. ELLIOT: And I would like some advice because I was thinking of the classic Catherine the Great hoists, stallions, but then let me show you. BOURDAIN: Oh yeah say no more, I want to see. ELLIOT: I'm working on my latest painting, it's Putin. And Bruce's opinions and the scope of his work extends far beyond Chicago's borders. BOURDAIN: There is no shortage of opinions at the Ale House Bar. And that's, you know, that gives you a lot of pleasure. Plus, I also had the extra satisfaction knowing he would not like what I'm going to do. ELLIOT: Putin has bad behaving very poorly, let me put it that way, I mean but he also intrigues me. They're inevitably depicted in an unflattering let's say non-family friendly light. More notorious are his paintings of well-known political figures who have for one reason or another raised Bruce's ire. BOURDAIN: More than once? The walls of the bar are covered with his portraits of Ale House regulars which he mostly paints in the basement next to the beer cooler. What do you have to do to get barred here? ELLIOTT: You know, punch somebody probably more than one. The secret Ale House hand shake was like in the morning which was that. The late John Fox who was my all-time favorite funny man, he came up with Ale House hand shake. BOURDAIN: But I mean, I was dancing around that. And is there a common thread to, be the - your regulars? ELLIOTT: The common thread is - of our hardcore regulars? BOURDAIN: Yeah. BOURDAIN: It's really what's missing in my life. So who comes here, I mean generally that who your regulars? ELLIOTT: I think the most interesting thing about this bar on an average night, if you look down this bar at 10:00 or 11:00, I would say the average age is certainly over 40 which is very unusual. But he's a writer, legendary blogger and artist. Bruce likes to brag but he is never had an honest job. BOURDAIN: Bruce Cameron Elliott and his ex-wife are the proprietors of the Old Town Ale House. BOURDAIN: Because just that will lead to no good? ELLIOTT: History has shown us that these people should naturally shots, well now of course what they do is they go to another bar and drink a shots and they come over and then we get the ruminants who would like. BOURDAIN: Very extensive, meaning you can drink hear but no shots for you. It was just because he was a pure and yeah, we have a fairly extensive no shot list. ELLIOTT: There is, the only guy that ever got off, it is down there down now. Unless you're on the no shot list, in which case your drinking options have been for the good of the community limited. BOURDAIN: The Old Town Ale House opened in 1958 and has been serving beer and other intoxicating beverages ever since. I mean these guys, there's nobody coming through the door to replace them. He blames all his problems on the fact his mother didn't give him any titty milk. And then when he had his leg cut off, it changed down to Ruben Four Toes. Then when he had his others big toe cut off, he became Ruben eight toes. We just called him Ruben and nobody will get his big toe cut off, and then he became Ruben nine- toes. We just lost Ruben Four Toes, this 400-pound Mexican guy. You know, I've lost a couple of really great, it was John Fox the comic, died a few years ago. BRUCE CAMERON ELLIOTT, THE GERIATRIC GENIUS: But there's no shortage of characters in here. The chorus assembles to give their opinions on matters of the day subjects of great import to this city on the lake, this city of broad shoulders, this true metropolis. So to be fair, almost anytime it's time for a drink at the Old Town Ale House. BOURDAIN: As late afternoon gives way to evening in Chicago's old town, it's time to drink. It's big, it's outgoing, it's tough, it's opinionated and everybody's got a story. Other places have to measure themselves against it. Chicago is a town, a city that doesn't ever have to measure itself against any other city. BOURDAIN: More likely it'll be "Wow, Chicago" or "Oh, Chicago." they'll be impressed. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN ANCHOR: Somebody asks you where you're from and you answer, "I'm from Chicago," nobody's going to give you a patronizing response like, "oh, Chicago's charming." UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Chicago. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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