Yusho
2853 N. Kedzie Ave.Chicago, IL 60618
Avondale
773-904-8558
yusho-chicago.com
Hours: Dinner: seven days
Sunday brunch
Open late: Friday-Monday till 1
Our Review
Matthias Merges, a 14-year veteran of Charlie Trotter's, has opened this Avondale izakaya with backup from his former sous chef Jennifer Petrusky and onetime Trotter's assistant sommelier Alex Bachman. But this is Merges's show, and he stands in front of the tiny open kitchen expediting and eagle eyeing every piece of meat on the gas and charcoal grills. The skewers are garnished and accented with a mostly Japanese palette of interesting exotica that recalls the same precise and audacious flavoring schemes that Trotter's became known for decades ago. That's in substance if not style; unfussy constructions rule, particularly with generously loaded skewers such as billowing ribbons of beef tongue dressed with Malaysian chile sauce, or thick blocks of glazed pork belly topped with kimchi and funky fermented black garlic, or sweetbreads with toasted soybeans and tart barbecue sauce made from Japanese dried plums. Nonanimal options are almost as meaty in their savoriness: a grilled leek formation is slathered with acidic miso and fried shallot, a plank of dense tofu is topped with chrysanthemum and pineapple. There are a couple of sweets: a pair of mochi folded prettily around hazelnut and chocolate or citrusy kalamansi and peanut, and a large soft-serve sundae, vanilla the vehicle for a nicely bitter buckwheat caramel sauce and spicy crystallized ginger. But it's hard to imagine returning to them over all the savory snacks and the work of the ace in the hole—barman Bachman. His current menu makes precise use of his small workspace to riff on classics with obscure spirits and novel garnishes: tamarind bitters, grilled cloves, acid phosphates, sencha, frankincense tincture. His Three Arrows, with house-made fenugreek bitters and the bark-infused Barolo Chinato digestivo, makes one of the more challenging and delicious manhattans I've ever had. Yusho's the sort of place where the deceptively attractive prices might tempt you to order more than you can handle, if only to prolong your time at the bar. Read the full review >>
Price: $$$
Payment Type: MasterCard, Visa, AmEx, Discover
Past Events
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Yusho
- Mon., Dec. 31 2012
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