Feature Slideshow (Section)
Top Stories
Reviews
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. . . but the Bucktown "small plates bar food" spot still has a shining chef| 05.02.12
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Kevin Hickey's Chicagocentric replacement for Seasons is playfully subversive| 04.25.12
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One puts the focus on food and friends, while the other serves up electronica and pro sports stars| 04.03.12
Features
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In this week's chef's challenge, Meg Colleran Sahs uses fermented fish juice sparingly| 05.01.12
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Erin Hayes makes a savory cocktail to match the potent Asian condiment| 04.25.12
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Thirty-six suburban restaurants worth leaving Chicago for| 04.19.12
Food & Drink
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Encore, a Kimpton Group-managed "lunch club and liquid lounge," is nestled between the Cadillac Palace Theatre and the Hotel Allegro. The lunch menu features sandwiches filled with baked ham, barbecued brisket, chicken, turkey, deli meat, or vegetables. Each comes with a choice of condiments and is served on a sourdough baguette. The place morphs into a cocktail lounge in the evening, with a DJ most nights, unusual martinis (a stiff Smokey Joe, a mixture of Ketel One vodka and Glenlivet, has a fiery finish), and classic drinks such as old-fashioneds and brandy Alexanders. The bar menu includes the obligatory hot wings with blue cheese dip as well as more sophisticated stuff like shrimp spring rolls, baked goat cheese with tomato sauce, and duck quesadillas. The swanky purple and red room features velvet-draped booths and a huge, spiral-shaped cherry wood and wrought iron bar. The overall ambience is comfortably luxurious, if somewhat affected. Encore is open on Saturday nights when there's a show at the theater next door.
