The bar, chef Dirk Flanigan, and roast saddle of elk at the Gage. A. Jackson

May 18, 2007

The Gage
24 S. Michigan
312-372-4243

Across the street from Millennium Park, THE GAGE -- a new restaurant from father-and-son co-owners William and Billy Lawless (The Grafton) and chef Dirk Flanigan (Meritage, Blue Water Grill) -- draws swarms of tourists and suits alike, and the restored tin ceiling and green and white tiles only amplify the din. But if you can tolerate the noise (and the breathtaking prices), you'll find some superb dishes. The extensive drinks list features specialty and vintage cocktails like the Champagne Charlie (champagne and Grand Marnier with a bitters-soaked sugar cube). The one-page menu has surprising breadth without seeming scattershot: there are half a dozen steaks and burgers alongside more unusual offerings like roast saddle of elk, sea bream with oxtail, and caramelized lobster with lemon quinoa. Gooey fondue with butterkase, Brie, and spinach, served piping hot in a crock with toasts on the side, is a delightful starter made for sharing; other appetizers include mussels in a vindaloo sauce, fried chicken livers, and risotto with basil-marinated escargots. Among the entrees are vegetarian options like calamarata pasta with roasted peppers and seared semolina dumplings. An expertly charred hanger steak had plenty of smoky, juicy flavor, and the accompanying goat cheese grits and cabernet-Stilton-butter were heavenly. Don't skip the brussels sprouts with bacon and Brie, available a la carte along with several other sides. But do save room for dessert: offerings like the "deconstructed" apple pie (thin pastry served upright in a pint glass with apple ice cream on the side) and chocolate peanut butter cake make a perfect finish. --Rob Christopher

Amphora
7547 N. Clark
773-262-5767

At AMPHORA you experience some cognitive dissonance: Greek vases hang high against the clubby dark wood of the former Gateway Bar & Grill, a television blares over the world music on the sound system, and the purportedly pan-Mediterranean menu includes Caesar salad and shrimp de Jonghe, a dish that originated in the exotic port city of Chicago. The food helps overcome these incongruities. Crispy flatbreads are pizzalike, with sunny ingredients like goat cheese, olives, and roasted garlic, and large enough to make a meal. Tabbouleh is fresh and sparingly seasoned, and salt cod cakes are clean tasting and delicately crisped, reflecting quality ingredients and a capable hand in the kitchen. Marinated lamb shank is big and meaty, but befitting the Mediterranean focus, there are many seafood dishes and enough vegetarian entrees -- including pasta, soups, and strata -- to satisfy those who don't eat things with eyes or mothers. The full bar has a good selection of wines, over half available by the glass and many in carafes (for a reasonable $16), and a small-plates menu is served till the wee hours. --David Hammond

Republic Pan-Asian Restaurant & Lounge
58 E. Ontario
312-440-1818

The anxiety at River North's REPUBLIC PAN-ASIAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE is palpable, from the agitated waitstaff to the weird high-low menu featuring a $30 Kobe shoulder loin alongside workaday pad thai and curries. On a recent visit our waiter convinced us to try one of the 12 or so sakes on the menu, then disappeared for 20 minutes. After returning with our wine, he apologized profusely, only to turn pale when a harried runner approached our table and said gravely, "Chef wants to see you." This happened twice during our meal, leaving us to wonder whether our waiter would be fired before dessert. Unfortunately, this was the least of our worries. The food took forever to arrive, and when it did, one of the appetizers was something we hadn't ordered (we were then brought the correct one). Our lobster-topped maki was weirdly chewy and tasted nothing like lobster; flat-flavored tempura vegetables were unredeemed by the dipping sauce. The Kobe shoulder loin, however, was fabulous: cooked to a perfect medium rare, it almost justified the wait and the expense. Ultimately, though, the frenetic confusion of the half-empty restaurant was a turnoff. With so many people rushing around trying to do the right thing, we wondered why so much was wrong. --Chip Dudley

Other recent openings
Alhambra Palace 1240 W. Randolph | 312-666-9555
Anteprima 5316 N. Clark | 773-506-9990
Coalfire 1321 W. Grand | 312-226-2625
Delicioso y Sabroso 10468 S. Indianapolis | 773-374-6089
Room 21 2110 S. Wabash | 312-328-1198
Sura 3124 N. Broadway | 773-248-7872

For more on restaurants, see our blog the Food Chain.

New Too

Twenty more recent openings

Aigre Doux Restaurant and Bakery
230 W. Kinzie | 312-329-9400

$$$$
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS; SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT, MONDAY-THURSDAY TILL 11

Mohammad Islam and Malika Ameen, the married couple in the kitchen at Aigre Doux, have celebrity chef pedigrees (the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Jean Georges, Balthazar, Craft), and the promise of their new restaurant earned it blurbs in glossy magazines months before it opened. Given the boldface print, it's gratifying and somewhat surprising to discover that the food isn't crying for attention: it's simple, elegant, and good, full stop. Islam's dinner menu offers graceful variations on New American ideas -- for example, rack of lamb with truffled grits and fennel, an artichoke soup with Nantucket Bay scallops, mussels with a coconut curry sauce and butternut squash that are almost ethereally light. And Ameen's desserts should not be skipped: sticky toffee bread pudding with candied kumquats and Devonshire cream ice cream is shameless, over-the-top, and irresistible. Tucked in behind the Merchandise Mart in the former Pili Pili space, Aigre Doux has a high-heeled, high-profile location. But it wants to be more of a neighborhood place: a drop-by bakery component offering sweets and lunch is scheduled to open this summer. Nicholas Day

Azucar
2647 N. Kedzie | 773-486-6464

$$
TAPAS/SPANISH, MEDITERRANEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 2, SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY TILL MIDNIGHT | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Every dish on the tapas menu at Azucar sounded good, so among the four of us we ordered nearly all 20 or so, along with a bottle of wine from the reasonably priced all-Spanish list at this new Logan Square spot. Opting to skip basics like grilled garlic shrimp and goat cheese baked in tomato sauce, we started with an arugula and baby spinach salad with fennel, orange, and cherry tomato and two wedges of manchego served with almonds and fig jelly. Standouts as the evening progressed included beef empanadas on a fire-roasted pepper puree and albondigas -- meatballs in a spicy-sweet piquillo pepper sauce with garlic jam -- we ordered seconds of both. A lamb dish, comprising four juicy chops, was redolent of vanilla, and a cheese-stuffed red pepper atop a chickpea puree was especially tasty. Our server spread clean napkins over our messy tablecloth before bringing dessert: a chocolate terrine with salted almonds, which reminded me of a dense Italian torta, and a cinnamon-laden creme Catalan. As we were finishing up, one of the owners, Robert Otero, introduced himself and offered us a complimentary shot. Kathie Bergquist

Baccala
1540 N. Milwaukee | 773-227-1400

$$
ITALIAN | DINNER: WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY-TUESDAY

John Bubala's Italian awakening continues with this recasting of Thyme Cafe as Baccala, a Piedmont-influenced trattoria. Bubala is known for his rigorous sourcing of local ingredients, here manifested in a short menu of simple, deeply satisfying dishes prepared along northern Italian models. That means meats cooked low and slow, a liberal use of butter and a conservative use of olive oil, and more polenta and risotto than pasta. Pork predominates: whether shank, butt, or luscious belly, the high-fat cuts are fully flavored and luxuriantly tender. Same goes for the dino-size beef short ribs and a curveball -- lamb tongue in red wine sauce, its heavy richness brightened by grilled fennel, grain mustard, and dried tomatoes. Baccala, the restaurant's namesake puree of reconstituted salted cod and milk -- otherwise known as brandade -- comes with chunks of scallop and potato; squid is stuffed with sweet sausage in a rich mascarpone sauce. Pastas are represented by three stuffed varieties, including porcini tortellini in a broth dancing with tiny dice of lardo, a cured lard overlooked here but treasured in Italy. Tables are supplied with plenty of grissini, the long bread sticks that originated in Piedmont, but that's one gesture toward regionalism I'd rather see sacrificed to a bread basket -- a lot of delicious sauce leaves the table unsopped. There's a small but well-chosen selection of some two dozen Italian reds and whites, plus four bubblies and ten Goose Island brews. And don't miss the dessert specials: a very simple, creamy, fresh panna cotta with roasted peaches was transcendent. Mike Sula

Blu Coral
1265 N. Milwaukee | 773-252-2020

$$$$
JAPANESE | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: SATURDAY TILL 2, WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY TILL 1

Just months after the first Blu Coral "contemporary sushi lounge" opened in Woodfield, another appeared in Wicker Park, and yet another is soon to follow in Evanston. Sushi in Japan is traditionally somewhat simple, but in the U.S. it can sometimes be overengineered for fashionable effect, and the chain is proof that it's a growing trend: Dragon Fire is a roll packed with soft-shell crab, asparagus, and tobiko, teased with chile sauce, and flambeed in Bacardi; my partner thought it would be fun, and it was, but it wasn't so tasty. A heavy, chewy spring roll of filet mignon was an unconventional concoction that confirmed the value of convention. Much better were the lobster roll wrapped in eel and the yellowtail wrapped in cod rather than nori, both innovations in the service of good flavor. We had some delicious fatty tuna (at ten bucks a pop it'd better be good), but the mackerel, salmon, and tuna sashimi on an omakase (chef's choice) platter was disappointingly mushy. Still, the space is sleek, with metallic curves and sexy ambient lighting, and the servers are friendly; the swank bar may be the perfect place to sample a saketini. Watch out for the two-stage cocktail glass that rests inside a globe filled with ice, though; it's a cool concept, but it drips. David Hammond

Bombon Cafe
170 W. Washington | 312-781-2788

$
MEXICAN, BAKERY | BREAKFAST, LUNCH: MONDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: MONDAY-FRIDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Laura Cid-Perea and Luis Perea, the married couple behind Pilsen's popular Bombon Bakery, have opened a Loop outpost of Bombon Cafe, a casual lunch destination at which sublime pastries and cakes are joined by an assortment of salads and authentic south-of-the-border goodies. It's tough to choose from among the 16 varieties of torta, which offer options no matter if you're in a pork, steak, chorizo, chicken, or fishy mood. The Dominguera features pork carnitas topped with mixed greens, tomato, avocado, and pickled red onions laced with oil, all served on a huge homemade soft roll. The Vizcaina, cod sauteed with garlic, olives, capers, and white wine, shows off the Mediterranean flavors of Veracruzan cuisine; you can also design your own torta. Even though one sandwich is more than enough for a meal, we couldn't resist the tamales; pork in green salsa was a mite more greasy than the chicken in mole, but both sauces boasted a smoky goodness. If you try one of the supersweet agua frescas, the sugar shock might dissuade you from indulging in dessert, but it would be a shame to skip sweets like a chocolate tart topped with a quartet of profiteroles or the creamy, denser-than-average flan. A new Bombon Bakery has just opened at 3748 W. 26th (773-277-8777), bringing the total in the Bombon mini empire of bakeries and sandwich shops to six. Heather Kenny

The Brown Sack
3706 W. Armitage | 773-661-0675

$
AMERICAN, ICE CREAM | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | CASH ONLY | BYO

It's a long way from Malaika Marion's first Chicago job at Planet Hollywood to her "soup, sandwich, and shake shack" on the western fringe of Logan Square. Most recently a manager at Lula Cafe, Marion's lived in the neighborhood for years and when she saw the teeny Armitage storefront she knew the time was right to break out on her own. With help from her fiance, Adam Lebin -- until recently the GM at Red Light -- she's turned the space into a sunny, six-table destination for hearty down-home standards like a gooey grilled peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich and beefarific chili laced with head-clearing handfuls of cumin and chile (a vegan version is also available). The daunting Reuben -- a popular choice based on a peek at the other tables -- comes piled with thick folds of corned beef topped with the traditional Thousand Island dressing and melted Swiss, plus grilled onions. There's also rich mac 'n' cheese, meatball subs, Goose Island root beer floats, and daily soup, sandwich, and dessert specials. Come summer extended hours and sidewalk seating are planned. It's cash only and BYO. Martha Bayne

Cotes du Rhone Bistro
5424 N. Broadway | 773-293-2683

$$$
FRENCH | DINNER: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30 | BYO

Dinner at Cotes du Rhone, the new Edgewater bistro from former Cafe Bernard chef Brian Moulton, shot out of the gate with a trio of smartly executed classic French starters: piping hot, garlicky escargots; a complex, satiny duck liver pat; and plump mussels in an addictive garlic-white wine broth that should give the mollusks over at the Hopleaf a run for their money. Even the soft, crusty bread was a hit. Given the strong start it was surprising that things flagged at the entrees. The menu includes bistro standards like cassoulet, duck confit, and a nice, juicy roast chicken, but three of my group of four opted for specials. And while the beef tenderloin in green peppercorn sauce was tender, rare perfection, the veal flank smothered in black truffle mushrooms was overcooked (though the mushrooms were pretty tasty) and my rabbit loin stuffed with goat cheese and red peppers was a rich, complicated mess. Still, Cotes du Rhone is undeniably a nice addition to the miscellany of this strip of Broadway. The two candlelit rooms are quiet and almost gothy, the service was friendly if scattered, and it's BYOB for the time being. Martha Bayne

Fajita Grill
1706 W. Foster | 773-784-7455

$$
MEXICAN | LUNCH: SATURDAY-SUNDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Somewhere between the superb if gritty taquerias of Pilsen and Little Village and ambitious high-end Mexican restaurants you'll find spots like Fajita Grill, a decent, friendly place that may not immediately wow you but shows promise. The chips laid out before dinner were (disturbingly) Tostitos, but the tender tortillas that came with entrees were freshly made, and you can get guacamole mashed tableside if you're into that kind of thing. Our tamales were moist and capable, though the accompanying sauce carried a disconcerting hint of BBQ sauce. Pork ribs came dressed with a slightly bitter chocolate-based mole that blended well with the fall-off-the-bone meat (again, good, if you like that kind of thing), and a subtle, dense pipian salsa verde complemented the trout. But steak fajitas were served on a griddle so sizzling that meat, onions, and potatoes all burned right before our eyes -- this dish in particular is one the chefs should get right! There are also vegetarian fajitas and a decent range of salads, so even the meat averse should be able to dine in comfort, and Fajita Grill is permanently BYOB. David Hammond

Hop Haus
646 N. Franklin | 312-467-4287

$$
AMERICAN, BURGERS | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: EVERY NIGHT TILL 3 | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY

Brewpub meets sports bar in this new concept restaurant from the owners of Leona's -- and the sports bar wins. Televisions cling to every spot with a sight line in this cavernous River North space, the walls are decorated with photos of mildly risque sports bloopers, and copies of Best Chicago Sports Arguments share table space with the salt and pepper. The burger menu -- dreamed up by a couple folks from Alinea -- includes "global" takes on the basic steak burger and exotica like kangaroo and ostrich. The German burger was pretty good: topped with rich butterkase, sauerkraut, and robust brown mustard. But the wild boar was a disappointment, the meat tough, greasy, and well past medium rare. Both come on weirdly puffy egg buns that can't bear the weight of their contents and are accompanied by deadly kettle fries. But the beer list is excellent, with close to 40 imports and craft brews bottled or on tap and suggested beer-and-burger pairings helpfully provided, though we went off menu with some refreshing Reissdorf Kolsch. With the kitchen open till around 3 AM I suppose you could do a lot worse for late-night sustenance -- especially if you're looking to catch the SportsCenter recap. Martha Bayne

Icosium Kafe
5200 N. Clark | 773-271-5233

$
EUROPEAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Icosium Kafe, an Algerian creperie from Belkacem Elmetennani (owner of Crepe and Coffee Palace and Mamacita's), is the latest inhabitant of the apparently cursed northwest corner of Clark and Foster, and the ghost of the former occupant, the Corner Grille, lingers on in the form of aluminum cafe tables and orange vinyl banquettes. Still, it's a lot cozier than before, with brass, beaded lamp shades, mirrors, and tapestries just about everywhere. Savory crepes come in eight varieties, from the "Cheka Chouka" -- stuffed tight with roasted peppers, caramelized onions, goat cheese, baby spinach, tomatoes, roasted garlic, and arugula -- to the simple, classic combo of Brie and apples. There's also a make-your-own option, and meat, from chicken to halal merguez sausage to snails, can be added to any crepe for $2.99. Dessert crepes include gold standards like Nutella and strawberries and exotica like the Crepe Icosium, filled with pistachio ice cream and a compote of raisins, pears, and rose water. Elmetennani also offers a range of organic coffees, juices, and teas. While the menu combinations are fairly predictable, everything's well constructed and filling, and the staff couldn't be sweeter. Martha Bayne

Kansaku
1514 Sherman, Evanston | 847-864-4386

$$$
ASIAN, JAPANESE | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11

At Kansaku it's not easy to resist the seductive and colorful "signature rolls": we had the Fiesta, a tangy cigar of salmon, tuna, jalapeno, and cilantro, as well as the appetizer Citrus Spring Roll, a spicy tuna paste with cucumber and avocado peeking through translucent rice paper. Both of these nouveau Asian items were fine, but my recommendation is to stick with more traditional sashimi or sushi and savor fresh finned things shipped in several times a week to this atmospherically lit, stylish, and friendly place. We had a buttery escolar, rich enough to smear on bread, and tuna sliced thick as a ham steak and so transcendently tender I couldn't bear to defile it with soy and wasabi. If you really must have hoofed creature, there's tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet, but when you come here you'd best go fishin'. To drink take the plunge with unfiltered sake like ozeki nigori, a tongue-coating, richly textured beverage, floral and suitable as aperitif or with dinner; I tried a more expensive filtered sake, which seemed neutered by comparison. David Hammond

Nhu Lan Bakery
2612 W. Lawrence | 773-878-9898

$
ASIAN, VIETNAMESE | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Banh mi, the miraculous French-inspired Vietnamese sub, has an assured place in the Sandwich Hall of Fame as a classic example of cross-cultural pollination in existence. Cheap, fresh, and filling, it's something that should be available on every corner -- but isn't. Nhu Lan Bakery, a new Vietnamese bakery in Lincoln Square, is a pioneer, striking out relatively far from the Broadway/Argyle intersection. It's a risky business plan, but a treasure for the neighborhood (if only more Pakistani joints would open away from cabbie corridors). Demi baguettes are baked fresh daily to cradle nine different fillings (only five were available on my last visit), typically accented by pickled, julienned carrot and daikon, cucumbers, mayo, cilantro, thinly sliced jalapenos, and dressed with spicy-sweet nuoc cham, a potent fish sauce. Among my favorites is the "special," a meat lover's sub with a schmear of rich pat, headcheese, ham, and a fried pork sausage called cha hue. The ham banh mi is piled with jambon and a generous wipe of pat, a simpler version that highlights the textural contrast between the two. There's also a meatball filling, sweet and messy like a sloppy joe; a lemony shredded chicken; grilled pork; and an all-vegetable variety filled with undressed breaded, fried, dry vegetable matter; the only one I can't recommend, it's exactly the sort of thing that gives vegetarian diets a bad name. There's also a large selection of Vietnamese snacks for takeaway: spring rolls, yellow house-made mayo, Western pastries, and a rotating variety of sweet rice and pudding desserts in challenging flavors -- corn, mung bean, sweet potato, sausage. You can take away vacuum-sealed sausage, pat, ham, and headcheese too. Mike Sula

Ninefish
2438 Main, Evanston | 847-328-9177

$$$
ASIAN, JAPANESE | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS; SATURDAY AND SUNDAY BRUNCH

Set on the outskirts of an Evanston mall that includes a Marshall's and a Sam's, Ninefish doesn't look like much from the outside, but the interior of this sushi bar has been designed with precise attention to detail, from the minimalist flower arrangements to the culinary picture books in the waiting area. Tea, often a freebie earning no more attention than a chopstick, comes in a dozen varieties, each served in a special pot, which helps compensate for the lack of alcohol (Ninefish is currently BYO). Sashimi is prepared in what the chef calls the European style; the slivers of raw fish come dressed with nontraditional sauces. We had fresh and firm striped jack with a dot of pureed kiwi, sitting on a wash of light alfalfa puree; white tuna was simply splashed with truffle oil. These were excellent accompaniments, setting the freshness of the fish in relief rather than overwhelming it like the usual ginger and wasabi. Ninefish, which has pan-Asian aspirations, also offers an eclectic range of nonsushi options, including pad thai and Peking duck as well as some all-American steak, but it's the sashimi that's worth the trip. David Hammond

Olé Lounge
2812 N. Lincoln | 773-388-3500

$$
TAPAS/SPANISH | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11:30

The business card for Olé Lounge, a suave new tapas restaurant housed in a former church, reads "Brace yourself for a religious experience." Well, that's one way to set up outsize expectations, but if a recent visit is any indication, the padre has been hitting the sauce. It started all too well, with mojitos, sangria, and a scantily clad server (the leggy waitstaff is part of Olé Lounge's stock-in-trade) who beckoned us to settle in at an inviting table near the bar. But once the food began to arrive our faith was tested. Here were ajillo rock shrimp without any discernible garlic, classic tomato bread with manchego and serrano with no discernible ham, beef tenderloin in a mushroom-and-cheese sauce with no discernible cheese, and, most perplexing of all, a vegetable-and-chorizo omelet listed on the cold-plate menu but served warm. One highlight, to be fair, was a cheese plate with manchego, tetilla, and cabrales, and a sweet fig cake made the perfect ending to an imperfect meal. Food be damned, though: the place was humming on a Friday night, and amid all the beautiful people and the tinkle of happy talk one can detect some possibilities for salvation. Chip Dudley

Pasticceria Natalina
5406 N. Clark | 773-989-0662

$
BAKERY | 9 AM-7 PM WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY, 11 AM-6 PM SUNDAY | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY

Since opening their pastry shop Pasticceria Natalina on Valentine's Day, Natalie Zarzour and her husband, Nick, have labored to the point of exhaustion to introduce their customers to the culture of Sicilian dolci, where there are no shortcuts, the cannoli are filled to order, and it's appropriate to indulge in something sweet anytime but dessert. In addition to more common items like cannoli, Zarzour's been rolling out an exotic, ever changing selection: orange blossom or rosewater rice puddings; a boozy rum baba; zeppole, deep-fried fritters filled with custard and sour amarana cherries, traditionally served for Saint Joseph's Day; spicy iced fig cookies called cuccidatti; shell-shaped, ricotta-filled Neapolitan sfogliatelle; and delicate, savory fazzoletti ("little handkerchiefs"), puff pastries filled with combinations like peas, prosciutto, and mint or artichoke hearts, capers, raisins, and pine nuts. You can also get exotica like cassatine, or miniature cassata, the elaborate glazed and fruit-bedecked Sicilian Easter cake. Choosing among the offerings can be agonizing, and they're expensive -- the pistachio cookies go for more than $20 a pound. But that's the price you pay for quality ingredients and painstaking, labor-intensive authentic recipes. Mike Sula

Simply It
2269 N. Lincoln | 773-248-0884

$$
ASIAN, VIETNAMESE | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Peek through the picture window and the new BYO Vietnamese spot Simply It looks like a sweet bijou of a place, with paper lamps hanging overhead and one exposed brick wall. Inside things are a little more prosaic: there's a number on each table, the noise level fluctuates between boisterous and deafening, and the waitstaff, though eager to please, seems antsy and inexperienced. With few exceptions, though, our food made up for all this. The hot, tender grilled lemongrass beef appetizer, rolled into a moist rice-paper sheet with fresh mint and cilantro, was so good it was hard not to make a meal of it. Two baseball-sized clumps of fried shrimp and sweet potato turned out to be the shrimp fritter appetizer -- again, large enough for a serious seafood fan to dine on. Only the vegetarian spring rolls were at all ordinary. Entrees include Simply It's Beef (more or less a bigger version of the lemongrass beef starter) and roasted duck curry, the latter served skin on, all the better for lovers of duck fat. Banh mi fans will have to stick to Argyle Street; there's only one here, renamed the "Saigon sandwich" and relegated to the side-dish category. Anne Ford

Ta Tong
2964 N. Lincoln | 773-348-6500

$
ASIAN, THAI, JAPANESE | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Both Thai and Japanese cuisine are on offer at this small new BYO joint. Crab Rangoon was hot, crisp outside, and creamy inside -- it just didn't taste much like, you know, crab. "Golden silk shrimp," shrimp wrapped in thin, deep-fried strings of egg noodles, were similarly flavorless. A house special, the citrus chicken, was much tastier: marinated, crisply fried chicken served with a creamy lime sauce and a curiously crunchy side of collard greens. We didn't know quite what to make of our excursions into the sushi side of the menu. All the standards are available, and there are some nice offerings like the "for beginner" platter with ebi, tamago, California, and kani maki. But the sweet potato tempura maki had been dribbled with so much wasabi mayo and unagi sauce that it was nearly soggy. The crunchy maki -- a battered-and-fried roll with unagi, crab, cream cheese, and avocado -- fared better, though again we wished the unagi sauce were on the side instead of drizzled on top. Service was a little hit-and-miss, but still friendly, and the space itself is inviting enough, with a small counter where you can watch sushi being made while you eat. Anne Ford

Tepatulco
2558 N. Halsted | 773-472-7419

$$
MEXICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11

Big names beget great expectations, so when Las Fuentes closed and then reopened as Tepatulco, a new venture from Geno Bahena (Chilpancingo, Ixcapuzalco, and now the new double restaurant Delicioso y Sabroso), the buzz-o-meter was off the charts. But while they're enjoyable enough, Bahena's latest creations never quite blew me away. Sopa Azteca was a good example of Tepatulco's almost-there cuisine: a fiery broth with some complexity, it was undermined by mechanically cubed cheese and chicken. Camarones aguachiles verdes, a Sinaloan version of shrimp lightly "cooked" in lime marinade, was delicately flavored, and the sopes de chapulines -- little masa cups stuffed with black beans, cheese, and grasshopper bits described on the menu as "succulent" -- was an accessible dish for one with bug parts. Many patrons seemed to dig the molcajete, a hot lava-rock bowl of steak, chicken, and cactus paddles in a full-bodied sauce topped with chorizo and served with handmade tortillas. Salmon (uncommon in traditional Mexican cuisine) was grilled and deliciously dressed in satisfying green pumpkin-seed-based mole just like the one Bahena's mother whips up at Sol de Mexico. Simple but satisfying chicken Milanesa was a meaty capon breast with peppery pickled red onion -- complemented by the menu's one Mexican red wine as well as margaritas, shaken tableside. David Hammond

Viet Bistro
1334 W. Devon | 773-465-5720

$$$
ASIAN, VIETNAMESE | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

For years Pasteur has been a favorite for classy, upscale Vietnamese that avoids the ridiculous excesses of Asian fusion. Sadly, it's now closed, and Viet Bistro, chef-owner Daniel Nguyen's long-in-coming follow-up, may leave people even more disappointed at its passing. Tired appetizers of vegetable tempura and beef skewers and boring curries and stir-fries predominate, less imaginative and more prissy than those at a half-dozen spots on Argyle Street. Even the more unusual items lacked excitement: a papaya salad with jellyfish, something that's usually searingly hot, here was practically unseasoned and required a healthy dollop of chile sauce to bring it to life. Tem, a sweet grilled chicken and pork meatball lollipopped on a stalk of lemongrass, was pretty but sort of pointless. The house was out of the interesting-sounding lobster roll, and we were steered toward spring rolls indistinguishable from any I've ever had before but for their price tag. Spicy shrimp curry was thin and watery; a red snapper was overfried; bo lui, beef cubes marinated in pinot noir and soy sauce, was nothing more than shish kebab by another name; and chocolate layer cake had a stale whiff of the freezer about it, not the only indication that someone's phoning it in here. At press time Viet Bistro was still BYO, but a liquor license was said to be imminent. Mike Sula

Xel-Ha
710 N. Wells | 312-274-9500

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MEXICAN | DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11

Xel-Ha (pronounced "shell ha"), the latest venture from chef Dudley Nieto (Chapulin, Adobo Grill, Zapatista), is one of Chicago's most elegant Mexican dining spaces, with linen tablecloths, a fireplace, a stylish back room, and a mammoth mahogany bar staffed by a knowledgeable bartender and stocked with 60 premium tequilas. It's also one of few Chicago restaurants featuring Yucatecan cuisine, which unlike the foods of many other Mexican regions isn't inherently spicy but can be amped up with incendiary salsas. Chef Nieto is justly proud of his version of queso relleno, Edam cheese stuffed with seasoned ground beef in white sauce. Served with sweet raisins, olives, and saffron, it's a characteristic fusion of Native American, European, and Middle Eastern traditions. Nieto also turns out a traditional rendition of turkey, a Yucatecan native, in black recado, a chile paste that's been around since the Mayans' heyday. Made with a form of the herb epazote peculiar to the region, it comes with a tomato "crepe" sprinkled with queso for visual contrast with the dark bird. Orange -- especially bitter orange -- is a common ingredient in Yucatecan cuisine, and Nieto's zin de venado, shredded venison (also native), is served with orange sauce and tamulada, a salsa made with habanero chiles and roasted tomatoes. There's a lot to like at this place, and as the staff master the traditional recipes, it keeps on getting better. David Hammond

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