Chicago Reader | Restaurants | Omnivorous: What's New

APARTMENTS
HOUSES/CONDOS
JOBS
MATCHES
CLASSIFIEDS
- MAINPAGE
- POST AN AD
- REAL ESTATE
- JOBS
- BUY/SELL/TRADE
- SERVICES
- MUSIC
- ARTS
- BULLETIN BOARD
- I SAW YOU
- MATCHES
- X-MATCHES
- ADULT
- BACK PAGE

BOOKSHELF

Reader Info
Advertising, subscriptions, staff, privacy policy, contact info, freelancers' guidelines, etc.

| Digg this | del.icio.us | E-mail this | Facebook

What's New

Pilsen barbecue, a subterranean speakeasy, and a subprime steak house

Willie Wagner with dry-rubbed spare ribs and baby backs

A. Jackson

October 25, 2007

Honky Tonk Barbeque
1213 W. 18th, 312-226-7427

For more than 20 years pit master Willie Wagner has been serving ribs, pulled pork, and other ’cue at neighborhood fairs and music fests; now he’s taken his show indoors at HONKY TONK BARBEQUE, a Pilsen space decked out in a Wild West motif. Texas-style beef brisket is killer, moist and rippled with savory fat. Memphis-style baby backs and Saint Louis-style spare ribs are sprinkled with a mildly piquant dry rub, then cooked low and slow to render fat while leaving loads of flavor on the bone. The “roto-chix” is very good, its flesh moist and skin deliciously crisp from hours of smoking over Wagner’s signature apple-oak blend. The short menu is designed for carnivores, though tangy, slightly sour coleslaw is an excellent counterpoint to the meat; there’s also a lightly dressed salad of greens, jicama, goat cheese, and seasonal berries billed as “What Your Girlfriend Wants.” “Light” isn’t a designation that usually comes within light years of barbecue, but at Honky Tonk all dishes show a hand sensitive with the seasonings, and leisurely cooking leaves meat surprisingly grease free. Wagner, serious about his craft, doesn’t serve anything slathered in goo, though two sauces—one sweet, one tangy—are available on the table, if you must. Cash only; BYOB. —David Hammond

Paramount Room
415 N. Milwaukee, 312-829-6300

You’ve got to like any place that serves one great dish. So I’m willing to forgive Paramount Room a lot for the sake of the Guinness Stout-braised Berkshire pork shank, as succulent and flavorful a hunk of pig as I’ve ever eaten. This gastropub and lounge from Jon Young (Kitsch’n) and Stephen Dunne (Volo Wine Bar) has other assets too: a well-chosen list of Belgian and boutique beers, the cheekiness to offer “optional complimentary bourbon-cured foie gras” with its (limp) $18 brioche French toast, a plump burger of house-ground American Kobe beef with a choice of artisanal cheeses, and for dessert, a top-notch black-and-tan float made with Guinness ice cream and Abita root beer. What’s to forgive? Underwhelming, overpriced oysters Rockefeller (four small ones for $10) and less-than-crisp fries ($6) were among the disappointments on an eclectic menu that jumps between bar favorites (fried pickle spears, Scotch egg) and fancy fare (Kobe steak, duck leg confit). Service snafus, such as the delivery of another table’s food to ours, probably multiply with the crowds. And most of the seating is in the basement—a redone Depression-era speakeasy with a balcony, a pool table, and a DJ setup but no elevator—making the place inaccessible to anyone with a disability. Even the two booths in the street-level room are up a step, as is the entrance. Get a ramp, guys, and revamp those booths! —Anne Spiselman

Rosebud Prime
1 S. Dearborn, 312-384-1900

On the main floor of this boudoirish steak house, the huge red-velvet-draped window, incongruously flanked by plasma TVs, offers a luxe view of the Bank One lobby. A glance at the menu and you see why an ATM might be necessary. But it’s no surprise that the latest outlet of the local chain known for its staid food and gargantuan portions would be pricey. What is surprising is how poorly it executes the standards: almost everything at ROSEBUD PRIME is subprime. For $10 you get a closefisted pour of Maker’s Mark, for $12 a weak martini, dispensed at the table with a flourish defeated by the drink’s paltriness. Oysters Rockefeller were respectable, served on a gritty bed of seasoned salt, each half shell retaining a bit of oyster liquor. Also on the plus side was the complimentary bread basket, including a crisp, cheesy flatbread and a raisin pump—I enjoyed it before the waiter snatched it from the table. If he intended to help us save room for our steaks, he needn’t have bothered: a $32 petite filet, ordered medium rare and served well past medium, is hard to swallow under any circumstances. Give the kitchen some credit—I was jealously eyeing my companion’s $45 Chicago rib eye, juicy and cooked the requested shade of pink. But soggy pommes frites made a bad thing worse, and I left thinking of all the good places I could have gone for the money. —Kate Schmidt

OTHER RECENT OPENINGS
Ai Sushi
358 W. Ontario, 312-335-9888
Brasserie Ruhlmann
500 W. Superior, 312-494-1900
Macello
1235 W. Lake, 312-850-9870
La Madia
59 W. Grand, 312-329-0400
Maya del Sol
144 S. Oak Park, Oak Park, 708-358-9800
Old Town Brasserie
1209 N. Wells, 312-943-3000

CLOSED
Butter
130 S. Green
Saltaus
1350 W. Randolph
Schwa
1466 N. Ashland

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

Restaurants

New Too

Twenty-one more recent openings

Food (F), Service (S), and ambience (A) are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 representing best.

The dinner-menu price of a typical entree is indicated by dollar signs on the following scale: $ = less than $10, $$ = $10-15, $$$ = $15-20, $$$$ = $20-$30, $$$$$ = more than $30.

Raters also grade the overall dining experience; these scores are averaged and Rs are awarded as follows: RRR = top 10 percent, RR = top 20 percent, R = top 30 percent of all rated restaurants in database.

Georges Elbekai, a former partner in Semiramis, spent two years developing this Brazilian galeteria specializing in galeto al primo canto, marinated young grilled chicken (the stunning stainless steel churrasco was imported from Brazil). The menu reflects Brazil’s multiethnic composition, starting with rich, silky eggplant caponatto (baba ghanoush) served with warm Lebanese-style pita and cheese bread. For $29.95, an all-you-can-eat “endless feast” comes to the table, beginning with a delightfully crisp polenta frita topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and pasta with three sauces (funghi, marinara, and aioli). Then comes the meat: crisp-skinned, flavorful chicken, tender grilled beef tenderloin, and luscious marinated lamb. Salads are nicely composed, and sides include cloud-light cheese puffs, seasonal vegetables, and crunchy double-cooked potatoes with an addictive Gorgonzola sauce. There are no sword-toting tarted-up gauchos to trouble you, and in all Al Primo Canto offers the churrascaria experience in a significantly more civilized manner than other spots for a lower price. The restaurant is now offering an a la carte menu as well. —Gary Wiviott

Between Boutique Cafe & Lounge
1324 N. Milwaukee | 773-292-0585
$$$ (1 report)
BAR/LOUNGE, SMALL PLATES, GLOBAL/FUSION/ECLECTIC | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY| CLOSED MONDAY | OPEN LATE: SATURDAY TILL 3; SUNDAY, TUESDAY-FRIDAY TILL 2

Deep red walls and red brocade chandeliers, cloistered alcoves outfitted with cushy sofas and sweeping fringe curtains, candles on every table, and orchids on every plate: sexy, romantic Between Boutique Cafe & Lounge seems designed to seal the deal. The late-night lounge serves booze-spiked bubble teas and a menu of luxurious small plates created by chef Radhika Desai, formerly sous chef at Vermilion. Sweet Heat Shrimp was five juicy grilled crustaceans glazed with a tangy sauce of garlic, curry, and honey; the Between Green salad was an ample portion of mixed greens spiked with avocado, mushrooms, candied cashews, and caramelized onions. Baturas are a house specialty, a twist on the Punjabi classic made with crispy fried bread stuffed with spicy ground beef, shiitakes, and scallions. At $18 the lobster trifecta—a trio of bisque, risotto cakes, and fresh lobster salad—is the most expensive thing on the menu; the bisque is ethereal perfection, rich, light, and ever-so-slightly sweet. —Martha Bayne

The Bluebird
1749 N. Damen | 773-486-2473
$$ (3 REPORTS)
BAR/LOUNGE, SMALL PLATES, AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: SATURDAY TILL 2, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 1 | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

Want some bacon with your porchetta? On the menu at the Bluebird, a late-night lounge/wine bar/gastropub from the owners of Webster’s Wine Bar, it’s hard to find anything not spiked with smoked pig. An otherwise relatively sane addition to the nightlife corridor stretching up Damen from the Wicker Park crotch, Bluebird’s a pleasantly understated space, outfitted in a sort of rustic-minimalist vein, with tables made from old wine casks and stools reminiscent of high school chem lab. On a Sunday night at least, it’s a nice mellow scene. For the most part the starters are great—lots of cured meats and funky cheeses, salads, flatbreads, and so on. The classic frites, simultaneously crispy and floppy and served with little cups of addictive curried ketchup and garlic aioli, are no-brainer perfection. But a crab salad with arugula and watercress was bland (except for the bacon bits), and heartier main plates were a mixed bag. There’s a satisfying bowl of beer-braised rabbit with shallots, mushrooms, and (surprise) bacon over fettuccine. But a flap steak with marrow butter and parsley toasts was pretty undistinguished, and the brined and smoked “baconed pork chop” tasted of nothing but smoke and salt—though maybe my taste buds were just numb by then. The wine list is organized by “climate”—IMHO a fairly useless conceit—but the by-the-glass options we tried were excellent. The extensive beer list is sophisticated and heavy on the Belgians. —Martha Bayne

Thomas Eckert, formerly of the Indian fusion spots Vermilion and Monsoon, heads the kitchen at this tiny new seasonally focused BYO in Beverly, run by the owners of Beverly’s Pantry next door. Traces of his old jobs show up all over the menu—pheasant-breast risotto was flecked with tandoori-spiced sea salt, garam masala, and methi leaves. An entree of farmer’s cheese and sous-vide vegetables had a creamy shrikhand saag dressing, and the cheese itself was indistinguishable from a big block of Indian paneer. The whipped cream on a “banana split,” with caramelized banana and a trio of gelati, was also laced with garam masala. Competing flavors sometimes get away from Eckert, as in a confusing starter of melon balls topped with prosciutto, microtarragon, and an Alaskan king crab leg, floating in a salty coconut broth. Simpler dishes, like a curried corn chowder with tapioca pearls and lemon custard, and a grilled sturgeon with mashed sweet potatoes and oxtail ragout, were complete knockouts, and a cheesecake with peaches and basil leaves alone was worth the trek down to 103rd Street. Prices are high for a BYO, with entrees averaging $24, but Cafe 103 is a worthy contender to Koda, till now the only upscale choice in the area. —Tasneem Paghdiwala

When Kurt Serpin says he’s cooking Ottoman cuisine he doesn’t mean the extravagant feasts of the sultans, but he is talking about the traditional national cuisine that developed in their expansive palace kitchens. The menu in his compact Lakeview restaurant is certainly expansive, covering the expected mezes—hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, falafel—kebabs, and grilled seafood dishes (Serpin is from the Turkish city of Mersin, on the Mediterranean), but also a nice selection of less common items, like the pre-Ottoman, tiny wontonlike meat dumplings known as manti, which arrive in a deep bowl of yogurt-tomato sauce. (Serpin says it takes him and his wife eight hours to stuff enough for 25 orders.) He’s also doing alabalik, rainbow trout cooked with mozzarella cheese; balik sarma, or grilled grape-leaf-wrapped sardines, and mercimek koftesi, spicy, cold lentil fingers that are a vegetarian approximation of the cig kofte, raw meatballs served at nearby Nazarlik. No processed gyros cone spins in this place. Serpin, who’s cooked at A la Turka and the late Cafe Istanbul, stacks the meat on the Autodoner himself and shaves it for doner kebab or iskender, a luscious, comforting dish of shaved lamb, veal, and house-baked bread, smothered in butter, yogurt, and tomato sauce. —Mike Sula

Bright, spacious, and friendly CJ’s Eatery might do for west Humboldt Park what the original Wishbone did for another desolate stretch of Grand Avenue in the 90s: grow into a vital community hub while serving solid southern and soul-inspired comfort food. Charles Armstead and Vanessa Perez have filled a couple deep voids already, providing a Lavazza-dispensing coffee bar and sit-down table service for three squares in a neighborhood where the only other viable eats are at Jimmy’s Red Hots around the corner. Breakfast is a steal: an egg-and-chorizo burrito or biscuits and gravy are just $3.50; French toast and a hangover-blanketing sausage casserole don’t go much higher. Sandwiches predominate at lunch, along with a few entrees (barbecued pork steak, four-cheese mac), soups, salads, and a handful of appetizers (crab cakes, spinach dip) that pull a double shift at dinner. Entrees include a chile-rubbed sirloin with southern-fried corn and a “BBQ Meatloaf Tower” crowned with mashed potatoes and fried onions. At a recent lazy Sunday brunch, carb loading was accomplished with a special of shrimp and creamy grits and a banana bread pudding with peanut butter creme anglaise that could’ve raised Elvis off the bathroom floor. —Mike Sula

Exposure Tapas Supper Club
1315 S. Wabash | 312-662-1082
$$$
BAR/LOUNGE, SMALL PLATES, AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 2

Round about 10 PM on a recent Friday, Exposure Tapas Supper Club became my idea of a bad time. The boisterous people at the next table were shouting just for the fun of it, the talented jazz combo was much too loud, and the previously attentive waiter was MIA. But the experience was more enjoyable before the white-tablecloth dining room got crowded and noisy. As the name suggests, the changing menu focuses on small plates (most $4-$14), though there are also a few entrees available. My favorite cold dish was charred beef tenderloin carpaccio paired with a salad of fresh baby artichokes drizzled with truffle oil and balsamic syrup. Winning warm choices included bacon-wrapped dates with a spicy red pepper sauce, rustic braised oxtail gnocchi, and au gratin potatoes with Gorgonzola. Seared sea scallops with asparagus-thyme-orange salad and crispy beet-ribbon-topped mashed potatoes would have been terrific had the scallops not been egregiously salty. Black-bottom creme brulee ($5) solved an age-old dessert lover’s dilemma by bringing together an incredibly fudgy brownie and a silky custard with a crackly caramelized-sugar crust. —Anne Spiselman

Il Fiasco
5101 N. Clark | 773-769-9700
$$ (1 report)
ITALIAN DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11

Il Fiasco, in the space where Rioja and Atlantique died, is certainly affordable—no entree tops $19, and most pizzas and pastas don’t rise above $12. But though chef Philip Reed, who’s cooked in Tuscany, is no greenhorn, his dishes sprawl across the place-mat menu and more vaguely across the regions—Bolognese sauce here, Sicilian marsala there, Lombardy’s Gorgonzola there, there, and there—though I’m hornswoggled about where jalapeno gnocchi are supposed to come from. Maybe that overextension is why nearly everything I sampled seemed aggressively unexceptional, from the bacon-wrapped dates to the mashed potatoes served at room temperature with a pork tenderloin on the tough side. Sauteed scallops were chewy, a sweet pea puree muscled out lamb chops, and pasta shells with sausage were bogged down in marinara. A bright spot: in a city where the appreciation for quality authentic Italian pizza grows every time someone lights a fire, the margherita more than held its own. —Mike Sula

Koko Sushi Bar & Leveche
3140 N. Lincoln | 773-248-2988
$$$
JAPANESE | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: EVERY NIGHT TILL 11

Koko Sushi & Leveche opened in August with a wild twist intended to distinguish it from Lakeview’s multitudinous sushi spots: the menu was half Japanese and half Olive Garden-inspired Italian. California maki and spaghetti with meatballs, together at last? Not for long, it turned out. Only the sushi chefs saw any action—confused diners who thought they’d walked into a straight-ahead sushi spot wholly ignored the caprese salad and ravioli. Last month the menu got an update and the Italian items got the can, though you can still opt for a grilled steak with asparagus or green beans or a starter of lobster tail in lemon-butter sauce. Other than that, it’s yet more bento boxes, tempura, chirashi, and udon. Some of the maki are overdone with sauces and textures, like the Koko Summer Roll: tuna, yellowtail, avocado, cilantro, green pepper, masago, spicy mayo, chile oil, and lime juice (hungry yet, or just exhausted?). And approach the tempura maki with caution—a couple are dipped completely in batter, deep-fried, and drenched with sweet and spicy sauces, like s’mores gone wrong. In any event, the diners who wanted a standard, serviceable sushi spot got their wish. —Tasneem Paghdiwala

Mexx Kitchen at the Whiskey
1015 N. Rush | 312-475-0300
$$$$
BAR/LOUNGE, MEXICAN/SOUTHWESTERN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT, OTHER NIGHTS TILL 11

Star chef Richard Sandoval of Modern Mexican—the group behind luxe nuevo Latino restaurants such as New York’s Maya and Pampano—collaborated on this cozy folk-art-decorated room tucked behind Rush Street’s see-and-be-seen Whiskey Bar. Problem is, Mexx Kitchen has an identity crisis. Servers are fine with beverages—many tequilas, margaritas, and cocktails—but less adept at pacing meals. The menu is divided between marginally upscale renditions of Mexican favorites and much more sophisticated fare. Well-balanced guacamole with crisp chips would be at home in a neighborhood spot, as would chilorio sopes brimming with pulled pork and queso cotija. Walleye ceviche swimming in guava-citrus sauce with diced watermelon, jicama, and mint was a refreshing alternative to everyday tomato-based versions. But the highlights came from the more sophisticated camp: creamy balsamic-painted roasted corn soup with a huitlacoche dumpling and a picture-perfect entree of seared coriander-chile-crusted tuna slices propped up around mashed boniato on a hibiscus-blood orange-habanero emulsion. Flaky banana dessert empanadas were fun but anticlimactic. —Anne Spiselman

Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge
332 E. Illinois | 312-527-2888
$$
ASIAN, JAPANESE | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30

Living up to the pun, Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge rolls out a new wave of innovative preparations that blend traditions and build on not typically Asian ingredients such as cilantro, avocado, and spicy mayo. Niu also serves up very fresh-tasting raw stuff in generous bowls of chirashi and nigiri available by the piece. Salmon is flown in daily from Norway, and every piece of sashimi we sampled carried the pristine kiss of the sea. Still, fusion dishes seem to lack lively seafood snap: popular jalapenos stuffed with crab and cream cheese tasted mostly of cream cheese, and fresh oysters on crunchy garlic toast tasted mostly of crunchy garlic toast. There are some exceptional sake options: a flight of three, ranging in intensity from cloudy and heavy to light and fruity, is an eye-opening introduction to the range achievable in rice wine; sake with Chambord successfully harmonized sharp and sweet notes and would work as either an aperitif or dessert beverage. Service is bright, friendly, and informative, and chef Jackson Mou (Nobu, Sai Cafe) has assembled an imaginative team in the kitchen. The lounge stays open till 2. —David Hammond

Otom
951 W. Fulton | 312-491-5804
$$$ (1 report)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT, MONDAY-THURSDAY TILL 11

If every move Homaro Cantu makes for the rest of his young life isn’t burdened by the expectation of sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads, he’ll be a lucky cookie. So I wondered if the early indifferent reports about Otom, Moto’s loungey little sister, were a matter of his high-tech asylum lowering the property values of his bungalow next door. Nah—Otom had real problems when I visited. Moto’s former sous chef Daryl Nash came on late in the game, burdened with a program of upscale comfort food—already the most cliched kitchen reality show plotline ever. The relatively affordable new menu has since been rehauled, but remains down-home, offering braised pork belly, short rib ravioli, sauteed cod with lentils, mac ’n’ cheese in a cast-iron trough. Even the Cantu-esque theatrics that livened up dessert have been replaced—with apple crumble. One bright spot even in the rough early going: the waitstaff crack encyclopedic about the tiny menu and more rounded wine list, no doubt under the tutelage of the excellent sommelier who produced a perfect off-menu Rieslaner for our dessert course. —Mike Sula

Pannenkoeken Cafe
4757 N. Western | 773-769-8800
$ (2 reports)
EUROPEAN, BREAKFAST | BREAKFAST, LUNCH: SEVEN DAYS | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | BYO

Linda Ellis, owner of this tiny new Lincoln Square cafe, fell in love with Holland on her first trip in 2001—the bikes, the easy pace, the friendly people. And she got hooked on pannenkoeken, the large, thin, crispy-edged Dutch pancakes—so much so that she apprenticed herself to a gruff elderly master of the art. The result is a tightly compressed but authentic menu: a few egg dishes, regular buttermilk pancakes, and three pannenkoeken (apple, chocolate banana, and bacon and Havarti). Evidently they’re a hit. The place has been packed since its early-September opening, especially on weekends, and with the help of her daughters, who handle the front of the house, Ellis is already thinking of expanding her pannenkoeken repertoire—perhaps sliced pear, chocolate, and nuts or one topped with ice cream, like her mentor used to make. —Mike Sula

Piatto
5304 W. Devon | 773-467-2000
$$$
ITALIAN DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY

Faith and Begorra, the folks behind the Irish pub Moher, have spawned Piatto, an accomplished Italian restaurant. The dining room is comfortable and attractive, with well-spaced tables (a benefit of being in the “wilds” of Edgebrook), and there’s a convivial bar and interesting if compact menu. A three-olive tapenade laced with roasted garlic and served gratis with a cruet of olive oil and crisp wedges of flatbread made for a smooth intro to a caprese salad with gorgeous summer tomatoes and just-fine fresh mozzarella. Calamari griglia, tender lightly grilled squid with a bit of char, were appetizing, though salmon carpaccio was a bit undersalted and bland. Papardelle all’anatra, topped by a roasted duck ragu with raisins and pine nuts, is a hell of a dish, the pasta perfectly cooked and sauced with discretion. Garganelli alla Bolognese was less restrained, though at $16 enough for two when coupled with a thin, crisp appetizer pizza. Of the secondi, veal Milanese, a pounded bone-in veal chop, was delectable, as was a trio of enormous head-and-shell-on grilled shrimp, though both move into the $30 price range. The tender bone-in pork chop with lemon and olive oil is a tasty, less budget-breaking option. House-made cannoli and tiramisu and a reasonably priced wine list add to the solidity of this new northwest-side option. —Gary Wiviott

Pupuseria Las Delicias
3300 W. Montrose | 773-267-5346
$
LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Simple, nutritious, and filling, pupusas—tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings and slapped on the griddle—are so beloved in El Salvador that they’re honored every year with a holiday, Dia Nacional de la Pupusa. Las Delicias owner Hugo Gutierrez Jr. grew up in a family that sold the thick masa cakes down along the lakefront, and almost a decade ago he started up a restaurant devoted to pupusas and Guatemalan cuisine. This summer, when a larger space opened up in Albany Park, he seized the opportunity, opening the new place in September. The focus is still on pupusas, with an array of fillings beyond the usual—chicharron, chorizo, chile and cheese, ham and cheese, fish, chicken, shrimp, zucchini, the herb chipilin, the loroco flower blossom. There’s also still Guatemalan food as well: tamales; their smaller cousins, chuchitos; taquitos; and dobladas, tortillas filled with meat and vegetables, folded, and fried. But Gutierrez has also expanded his menu, adding fruit drinks, chicken soup, and atole de platano, a thick, sweet drink made from plantains. On Fridays there’s a special of chow mein, which is popular in Guatemala. And he’s added the option of pupusas made with rice flour, which gives them a chewier texture and a milder flavor that puts the focus on what’s inside. The supersize pupusa loca—a seven-incher stuffed with the customer’s choice of five fillings—goes for five bucks; all others run between $1.75 and $2.50. —Mike Sula

The identity crisis of this late-night lounge is made manifest right up front in its ungainly name—an 11th-hour switch from the planned moniker, Pharmacy, after legal restrictions on what sort of business can actually operate under that designation threatened to scuttle an already long-delayed opening. With a green druggist’s cross glowing over the door and bar specials like spiked milk shakes, Relax is striving for a soda-fountain vibe, but that’s confounded both by the framed photos of the Rolling Stones in their 70s heyday and the patterned vintage wallpaper, which screams Victorian sitting room. The kitchen, such as it is, serves baskets of burgers and fries, and burgers and fries only. That said, the burgers and fries are pretty good: a one-third-pound beef patty or veggie burger on a toasty bun, your choice of cheese, and a side of hot, crisp, salty hand-cut sticks of starch. And compared to the other “rock ’n’ roll” bar on the block, the blisteringly loud Five Star, this place is an oasis of class. The kitchen’s open till 2 on Saturday and till 1 Monday through Friday. —Martha Bayne

Sepia
123 N. Jefferson | 312-441-1920
$$$$ (4 reports)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | SUNDAY BRUNCH

At Emmanuel Nony’s much-ballyhooed Sepia, creative chef Kendal Duque (Everest, Tru, NoMi) runs the kitchen, and out front savvy servers seem happy to be there. Two of the ten appetizers ($7-$12) suggest the chef’s range: nuggets of moist rabbit paired with delicate ricotta dumplings in a Riesling reduction are minimalism made edible, while ultratender charred octopus piled on a toasted baguette slice in tomato sauce is as robust and rustic as the cast-iron pot it comes in. The succulent slow-baked veal breast on wide, lightly minted noodles ($23) has become a signature entree not simply by default but because it’s delicious. I also liked the thick Berkshire pork chop complemented by crunchy pickled wild onions ($25). Seasonal desserts are impressive: currently there’s a roasted-banana bread pudding with house-made maple-date ice cream. The eclectic, affordable wine list ($30-$80 bottles, $8-$12 by the glass) rounds out an enjoyable experience. —Anne Spiselman

Shikago
190 S. LaSalle | 312-781-7300
$$$$ (2 reports)
ASIAN, JAPANESE | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | OPEN LATE: SATURDAY TILL 11

Shikago, the most recent venture from Kevin Shikami (Kevin), is at ground level in the canyon that is the LaSalle Street financial district. On a relatively slow Saturday night, we were rendered breathless by dish after memorable dish. Roasted quail with braised radish, hazelnuts, garlic chives, a maiitake mushroom ragout, and Shaoshing wine sauce was remarkable, but even commonplace appetizers like tuna tartare and salmon maki with avocado and cilantro were brought to life by a caring hand and premium ingredients. The pan-Asian fusion entrees on the constantly changing menu created subtle harmonies: red snapper in a sweet galangal sauce balanced slightly bitter Chinese broccoli and earthy chanterelles; sugary bulgogi was paired with delicately sharp daikon, peppery arugula, and scallion pancake straws; Alaskan salmon, sweetened with papaya, was perked up with lemongrass and peekytoe crab slivers in flowery jasmine rice. Though sophisticated, this place puts on no airs: tables are cross sections of centuries-old trees and the decor is Zen-like. There’s a takeout counter at lunchtime. —David Hammond

Table Fifty-Two
52 W. Elm | 312-573-4000
$$$$
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | LUNCH: TUESDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY

Yes, he’s the Big O’s personal chef, but besides that I knew next to nothing about Art Smith before sitting down at Table Fifty-Two. Then came a slap on the back, and five minutes later I knew everything—the charity, the Obama fund-raiser, the cookbooks. The way Smith works the room I would have expected a line of Oprah groupies out the door, but for now this is a neighborhood place, a spot where Gold Coast old folks can pretend to keep it real on down-home comfort food without suffering the indignity of spending economically. Or, as my companion put it, “It’s like Southern Charm Night at your parents’ country club.” Smith’s key ingredients are seasonal and southern, beginning with a dense, moist goat cheese-chive buttermilk biscuit that renders everything to follow a disappointment. A crab cake with fennel slaw was fat with excellent sweet crab, but the fried-green-tomato napoleon (with bacon, goat cheese, and greens) was fried too hard, and limp hand-cut french fries with grated manchego weren’t fried hard enough. A dinosaur-size ancho-crusted Berkshire pork chop was cooked perfectly medium rare, but the flesh wasn’t much more flavorful than conventional pig. Similarly, the wood-fired Tasmanian ocean trout—which is supposed to be a step up from salmon—was texturally undistinguished chicken of the sea. The room is small (as are the menu and wine list) and convivially done in Country Kitchen yellow, the only atmospheric anomaly being the waitstaff’s brown pajamas—a cross between Shaolin monk and sharecropper. —Mike Sula

Tavern at the Park
130 E. Randolph | 312-552-0070
$$$ (2 reports)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL, BAR/LOUNGE | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY

Intrigued by reports that Tavern at the Park afforded “breathtaking views” of Millennium Park, we were surprised to find that few tables in the main dining areas offered any kind of view at all, though there are seats upstairs that provide a slivery peek at the park. The more comfortable downstairs area is dark and clubby, with leather banquettes and low light. Executive chef John Hogan (Keefer’s, Kiki’s Bistro) draws on French culinary tradition in dishes like the meaty, fork-tender beef short ribs in demi-glace, though his approach is wildly eclectic: there’s pasta, the obligatory high-end beef sliders, and some odd but tasty options like a cheese fondue with chicken chunks and, for dessert, a fried banana split we enjoyed very much. Fortunately we like salt, but even for us some dishes contained tongue-numbing quantities of sodium—more likely due to a rogue sous chef with a runaway shaker than to Hogan’s recipes. A number of wines are available by the glass, most for under $10. This is a genuinely friendly place, with hosts and servers making a sincere and coordinated effort to pamper and ensure that dining here is a pleasant experience. —David Hammond

Thalia Spice
833 W. Chicago | 312-226-6020
$$
ASIAN, JAPANESE, THAI | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: EVERY NIGHT TILL 11 | BYO

Inheriting a space (and some cool twisted wire furnishings) from a former restaurant and dance club, Japanese-Thai BYO Thalia Spice sprawls over two rooms with several cozy VIP chambers. Though we’re sometimes hesitant to chow down on raw fish at fusion places, we found the artfully arranged chirashi here freshly fine. Some Thai selections seemed dialed down, but when I gave our server the green light to make it real, seared tuna came out deliciously dressed with chiles and fish sauce; the owner’s Laotian mother works the kitchen and knows how to turn up the flavor. Green curry with pleasing chunks of eggplant and sweet pepper packed full-on Southeast Asian seasonings and good heat, and Thalia’s version of honey-marinated duck—something I haven’t noticed much on other Thai menus in Chicago—was full of tasty crunch. Even Thalia’s fusion creations—sake baby ribs, spicy salmon maki—show a commitment to fresh ingredients and honest flavors, so even if you’re skeptical of such offerings, as I am, get over yourself and enjoy. Prices are reasonable, with a three-course lunch special (dumplings, soup, and six pieces of sushi or sashimi) for $14. —David Hammond

Send a letter to the editor.

No comments yet

Add a comment

From the Reader blogs

The Food Chain Julia Thiel: A hot-dog eating contest, Veggie Bingo, an all-you-can-eat clam bake, and more.
Wednesday at 4:30 pm

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Click here to send us a message.