The Loyalist - Restaurant Week

Last year a combination Gastropub/Fine Dining Restaurant opened last year in the West Loop.  Headed by Husband and Wife Team, John and Karen Urie Shields, who met while working at Charlie Trotter's, Smyth and The Loyalist got a lot of buzz after opening.  Smyth, the fine dining half, is located upstairs, and The Loyalist is located in the basement.  Although they are both very different experiences, I was very interested in visiting both, Smyth because it's a fine dining restaurant which is like experiencing art, and The Loyalist, which looked to have some very good bar food.  In fact, The Loyalist was noted by Bon Appetit to have one of the best Cheeseburgers in the country this year.  Unfortunately, both restaurant and bar operate using Tock, an electronic reservation system that frequently makes it difficult to book odd numbered parties.  I understand the logic, an odd numbered party leaves an open seat which can't be booked and makes it that much harder to make a profit, but it does make it difficult for those people that like dining solo.  Luckily, The Loyalist decided to participate in Restaurant Week this year and I have an easier time finding someone to dine with during this festival of food, so it was a given that I would go.  The building in which Smyth & The Loyalist are located is kind of a non-descript office building.  Entering the building, you encounter a landing with stairs leading downstairs for The Loyalist and Upstairs for Smyth.  Going downstairs we enteres a space that was like a partially finished basement.  The floor was cement, the walls were black, and the lights were hanging.  The furniture was wood and steel and had a bit of a Colonial bent to it.  We were seated and we began perusing the menu.  The restaurant week menu was small, but it did select items from the regular menu.  The cocktail menu was pretty extensive and adventurous so it took some time to decide what I might be interested in.  I decided to start things off with Buddha's Little Finger, a cocktail with Genever (a Juniper flavored liquor that is the national liquor of The Netherlands and a predecessor to London Dry Gin), Italicus (an Italian liqueur using bergamot and with a citrus and floral flavor), Buddha's Hand (a hand shaped citrus fruit that is all rind and no fruit and is used in cocktails for it's citrus flavor), Lemon, and Egg White.  It had a nice creamy head, a citrus and floral flavor, and was a nice start to a relaxing evening.

For the Restaurant Week menu, there were two choices each for entree and dessert with a salad served for the first course.  We decided to order one of everything and add an additional salad off of the regular menu, so we could each experience as much of the menu as possible.  The Salad that came as part of the Restaurant Week menu was a Bibb Salad served Family Style.  It started with Bibb Lettuce leaves with Watermelon Radish, Walnuts, Dill, Green Goddess Dressing, and Fromage Blanc.  The vegetables were very crisp and fresh and the lettuce was served as whole leaves.  It was very good and flavorful, but I had a little trouble with the lettuce, because it became stuck in my head at a young age that you don't cut lettuce.  I realize as an adult, that while you might not want to cut the lettuce before service (to prevent bruising), the diner would be perfectly within his rights to cut the lettuce.  While the Bibb Salad was good, I liked our additional salad better.  It was a Beet and Endive Salad with Smoked Salmon, and Caramelized Mandarins.  It had a variety of flavors and textures and it was easier for me to eat.  The beets were bittersweet and cubed, and the salmon was served between the beets and endive leaves which were served on top.  While I knew that it was there, it was hidden under the endives, and it was a surprise to find and taste it.

 

 

For our entrees we were very happy to see the Cheeseburger on the menu.  If it had not been, we would have had to have ordered it off the regular menu.  Leaving without trying it was not an option.  The burger on the Cheeseburger was a mixture of Short Rib, Chuck, and Ground Bacon.  It was griddle fried (which results in crispy edges) and presented on a Sesame Seed Bun with American Cheese, House Made Pickles, and Onions prepared three ways:  Charred, Pickled, and Raw.  It was presented with a Jus and Onion Infused Mayo on the side as well as some perfect fries that tasted like they were double fried.  It lives up to the hype and is one of the best burgers that I have ever had.  Our other course was Fusilli with Short Rib and Tripe Bolognese, Goat Cheese, and Parsley.  The pasta was simple and had a nice flavor, and was presented perfectly Al Dente.  It was good, but it really couldn't compete with the cheeseburger.

Dessert was another winner.  We were presented with a couple of Macaroons with a Chocolate Mousse Brulee on top.  There were two served, so there was no worry of dividing them.  They were crispy and sweet with a nice smooth and creamy mousse topping that had been touched by fire crisping the outside and making it a little sweeter.  While these were good, I liked our other dessert better even though it was a little tricky to divide.  It was a large and very delicate cream puff with Hazelnut Praline topping, lots of Whipped Cream filling, and Toasted Hickory Nuts.  It was sweet, delicate, nutty, but also very much a mess.  I think that I did consider eating it with my hands, if I had, I would have ended up wearing as much as I ate.  Both desserts were very good and made for a perfect ending.  I decided to pair them with another cocktail.  The Lonesome Dove, a Gin Cocktail with Gentian, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lime Bitters, and garnished with a sprig of Sage.  It was tart and floral and was a contrast to the sweet desserts.  Everything was very good and I would be happy to return either here or to go upstairs to Smyth, for some fine dining.