Owner Marty Fosse at Anteprima Eric Futran

June 1, 2007

Anteprima
5316 N. Clark
773-506-9990

I WAS A little surprised to hear that the owner of this so-called "regionally inspired," "rustic," tin-ceilinged Italian spot was also a partner in the generic barstaurant Charlie's Ale House next door. But Marty Fosse also ran the front of the house at Spiaggia at one time, and while ANTEPRIMA is a far cry from that rarefied temple of la cucina italiana, his new place shows promise as a neighborhood standby. A dozen or so antipasti lead the menu, a few of them very inexpensive and a few rather special, including soft veal meatballs in a sweet saffron-tomato sauce and a salumi plate that features a fragrant finocchiona salumi cured by Mario Batali's papa in Seattle. While the aspirations of this place seemed to indicate the kitchen might know how to handle pasta, my table's orders of strozzapreti ("priest stranglers") with pancetta and cherry tomatoes, orecchiette with lamb sausage and dandelion greens, and tagliatelle with duck ragu, arrived merely warm and a little gummy. But navigating restaurant pasta options is always treacherous, and because an order of spaghetti with fava beans placed later in the night was damn near perfect, I'm willing to bet the kitchen is capable of getting it right -- perhaps just not when the house is slammed at eight o'clock on a Friday night. Main dishes include a salty brick-grilled Cornish hen with rapini -- there are bitter greens all over the menu, in fact -- baby lamb chops, and wood-grilled whole fish specials. There's a long, all-Italian wine list with plenty of quartino options and a decent selection of grappa and other digestives. -- Mike Sula

Coalfire
1321 W. Grand
312-226-2625

HOTLY ANTICIPATED SINCE it was first announced, COALFIRE -- Chicago's first east-coast-style coal-oven pizzeria -- opened to a flood of buzz and business, catching owners J. Spillane (a longtime bartender at the Matchbox) and Bill Carroll off guard. But they've added more staff and tried to smooth out some of the opening-week kinks, and things now appear to be running smoothly. Was the frenzy warranted? It is, after all, just pizza (almost literally -- besides the pies, the menu offers calzones, a few salads, and a selection of soft drinks; anything stronger is BYO for now). But as pizza goes, it's pretty great. The thin, blistered crust is sooty and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy toward the center of the pan, with a dense, toasty flavor. The sauce, applied sparingly, is fresh and slightly sweet; toppings include buttery prosciutto, hot Calabrese salami with fennel, and terrific sweet and spicy varieties of sausage from nearby Bari Foods. The margherita, with ovals of melting mozzarella each topped by a sole basil leaf, was a bit bland, but the white pizza was tangy and complex, thanks to a last-minute substitution of goat cheese when the kitchen ran out of ricotta. And while in pizza, to each his own, I agreed with my friend who, four pies in, declared the simplest to be the best: sauce, cheese, one topping, perfection. Coalfire has some service issues: you have to get a table first, then order and pay in advance at the counter, and the sole hostess/server seemed a little scattered. But the atmosphere is casual and cheery, and for the most part the hassles are minor. Now if only someone would open a wine store next door. --Martha Bayne

Sura
3124 N. Broadway
773-248-7872

THE INTERIOR OF SURA, a reasonably priced "Thai tapas" restaurant and lounge, is like a cross between Disney's Tomorrowland and an Apple computer commercial. Up front is a sleek chill-out space with beanbags and hanging birdcage chairs; farther back is the softly lit seating area with a DJ booth. The bulk of the menu consists of about three dozen small plates, so no one can accuse the kitchen of aiming low, but I'd prefer fewer but more consistent choices. Scallop seviche with spring onion and mint cream had a nice a balance of sweet and savory but the scallops themselves were slightly chewy, and the stacked Caesar salad was drowning in sharp, overbearing dressing. The duck crepes, sliced into four segments and surprisingly light, made for a great palate cleanser. But the best dishes were the most traditional. Sesame chicken wasn't the heavily breaded variety but instead a simple mixture of lean chicken, onions, and chile with a scrumptious sauce that made me wish it had been served with noodles. The pineapple pork chop, served in an entree-size portion, reminded us of bulgogi: pounded thin and ever so slightly charred, with a slow-burning spicy heat. Desserts include deep-fried bananas with ice cream and coppa Catalana, a very sweet vanilla custard with a caramelized top. Currently the place is BYO, but since Sura means "drink" in Thai, you can be sure there are cocktails waiting in the wings; a liquor license is pending. --Rob Christopher

Other recent openings:
Cordis Brothers Supper Club 1625 W. Irving Park | 773-935-1000
Crust 2056 W. Division | 773-235-5511

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

What Else Is New

Twenty more recent openings

Amphora
7547 N. Clark | 773-262-5767

$$
MEDITERRANEAN, SMALL PLATES | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: MONDAY-SATURDAY TILL 1, SUNDAY TILL MIDNIGHT

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 come with sunny ingredients like goat cheese, olives, and roasted garlic and are 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

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. 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

Six 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 this 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 Veracruzian 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 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

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. Fajita Grill is permanently BYOB. David Hammond

The Gage
24 S. Michigan | 312-372-4243

$$$
ENGLISH/IRISH/SCOTTISH | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS; SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH | OPEN LATE: EVERY NIGHT TILL 11

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, 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

Hi Tea
14 E. 11th | 312-880-0832

$
AMERICAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

In a part of the South Loop poised for big-time population growth, Hi Tea answers the call for a neighborly cafe, this one focused on the world's second-most-popular beverage after water. With an aggressive branding campaign that slaps logos on tea tins, bottled water, and related paraphernalia, Hi Tea seems positioned to grow beyond the hood. The menu, reflecting a Panera-like trend toward fresh fare at moderate prices, includes intriguing tea-based options such as an Earl Grey chicken salad and a range of midsize tea sandwiches (small in an American way rather than petite). A grilled turkey with Gruyere was perfectly crisped and complemented by jicama-apple slaw, the side for most menu selections. At 50 plus, the range of teas is breathtaking, and baristas are skilled at pairing foods with brews. Thankfully, great care is taken to prepare tea properly: water for green tea is carefully brought to a boil, then taken down to 180 degrees, the recommended temp for this delicate leaf. Hi Tea's ayurvedic menu enables you to self-prescribe correctives for your spiritual/physical imbalances, though after a relatively wholesome meal featuring Red Hen bread and well-made tea, you may prefer to achieve inner harmony with a handcrafted gelato, supplied by nearby Canady le Chocolatier. 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. The wild boar was a disappointment, though, 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 after 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

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. 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 & SUNDAY BRUNCH | BYO

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

A suave tapas restaurant housed in a former church, Olé Lounge gets things off to a great start, with mojitos, sangria, and a leggy, scantily clad server who beckoned us to settle in at an inviting table near the bar. But once the food began to arrive our faith was tested. One highlight, to be fair, was a cheese plate with manchego, tetilla, and cabrales, and a sweet fig cake made the perfect ending to the 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 | BREAKFAST: WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY; LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

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

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

$$$
ASIAN | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11

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

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

Vella Cafe
1912 N. Western | 773-489-7777

BREAKFAST, AMERICAN, COFFEE SHOP | BREAKFAST: SUNDAY-MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY; LUNCH: MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY; SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH | CLOSED TUESDAY | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | BYO

For the past few years Sara Voden and Melissa Yen have been selling what may be the finest sandwiches in Chicago from a small patch of grass in Lincoln Park. Their grill at the Green City Market produced wondrous items like a grilled Moroccan chicken panini and the French Toast, whose name is a total undersell: it's Red Hen country white stuffed with honey-orange cream cheese, baked in a custard, and pressed on a panini grill. Now Voden and Yen have taken their operation indoors, opening Vella Cafe, a breakfast-and-lunch storefront under the Blue Line stop at Western. The outstanding paninis are still on offer, including a frittata panini that's among the best egg sandwiches I've ever had, but the menu has been expanded to include crepes, soups, salads, and house-made pastries (Voden was formerly the pastry chef at March). At the cafe's inaugural Sunday brunch a continuous line circled lazily through the restaurant -- Vella Cafe is BYO but the mixings for Bloody Marys are on offer. Nicholas Day

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

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

For years Pasteur had 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. 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 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. One hopes things will turn around; in the meantime a liquor license is imminent. Mike Sula

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

$$$
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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