Le Sud

 

I have always liked French food.  Like many other cuisines, it changes based on what region you are exploring, though it can still be recognized as French Cuisine.  Many French restaurants around here focus on the food focused around the capitol and cultural center of France which does combine several regions, so you can get kind of a big picture of French Cuisine in general, though it is nice when a restaurant focuses on a specific region.  I went to Le Sud recently which, as you may guess, serves cuisine from the Mediterranean south of France.  Located in the neighborhood in Roscoe Village, the general design of the building is pretty plain.  It looks like a small concrete box with small windows.  The color of the concrete box, though hints that there is something special here, it is sky blue.  There is a round sign on the corner, above the door, with a rooster, the name, and the fact that it is a Mediterranean French restaurant.  There is a hall inside the door that enters the dining room midway into the dining room.  The dining room looks like a classic French bistro.  It feels very homey.  The walls are drywalled and have some hanging art between the French doors looking out.  The tin ceilings are unpainted and the hanging lights look like milk bottles in a metal basket.  The bar is small and is located in back near the wine rack and the kitchen and it's where I sat because it gave me a good view of what was happening and someone to talk to about the restaurant (the bartender and eventually, the manager).  There was a general map of Southern France painted above the kitchen entrance and next to a large wine rack containing what looked like a pretty good wine selection.  When I am sitting at a bar, I will generally look to see what their liquor selection looks like.  My first choice, when it comes to liquor is gin, and as I expected with this bar, while there was some gin, the general selection was kind of slim.  What they did have was a very nice selection of Amaro and French Bitters which I also like to explore.  While I said that their gin selection was slim, what they did have was pretty good.  The cocktail I ordered was called The Sylvan and included St. George Terroir Gin, Dolin Genepy, Fresh Sage, and Muddled Orange.  It tasted very fresh and green, earthy and herbal, and had a nice citrus finish from the large amount of orange that was used in the drink (I think an entire orange was muddled).  It was very fresh and very much fit in my mind what a bistro cocktail should taste like.

For my first appetizer, I went for more earthy flavor.  I like Escargot (Snails) and I will order them frequently when I see them on a menu.  There was Escargot on the menu and I ordered it, but the presentation was not what I expected.  The snails, of which I was presented plenty, were shelled and skewered on one skewer.  They were Wood Grilled and served with Herbes de Provence (Rosemary, Fennel, Thyme, Marjoram, Basil, Lavender, Parsley, Oregano, Tarragon, and Bay), a Petite Green Salad, and Country Bread.  As it was presented, I figured that the best way to eat it was similar to the way that I eat Marro, as an open faced sandwich.  I did eat an Escargot on it's own to get the flavor individually, but generally, I piled the greens on the bread, and topped it off with the escargot.  The snails had were very savory and smoky and had a nice earthy flavor which went well with the greens.  It was different from how I had ever had it, but very good.

My second appetizer was also earthy and many people are kind of unfamiliar with what they are.  Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, are a tuber from a species of Sunflower.  They have a texture similar to potatoes, though the flavor, slightly nutty and a little sweet, is kind of like a cross between an artichoke heart and a great potato.  These Sunchokes were Roasted and served with Pickled Blueberries and Trumpet Mushrooms.  It was earthy, a little tart from the blueberries, and very good.

My entree was a classic of Frence cuisine, Steak Frites.  My steak was a Bavette (or Flank) Steak served on the Rare Side of Medium Rare with Sorrel Butter and Aioli.  It was juicy, tender, and very good, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, and the frites were cooked perfectly.  It's one of those dishes that will just bring a smile to your face.

Dessert wasn't specifically Southern French or French in general, but it is something that I really enjoy.  It was a Basque Cake with Dates, Almonds, Oranges, and topped with Chantilly Cream.  It is simple sweet, and nutty, and topped with Chantilly Cream.  It was a nice and simple finish to a simple, earthy, and very good meal.  I will enjoy returning.   

Ina Mae Tavern and Packaged Goods - Chicago Restaurant Week

 

 

I have liked Frontier, and Chef Brian Jupiter's food since I first went there and while Chef Brian is still the Executive Chef there, he wanted to open a place of his own that honored where he had come from, New Orleans.  He opened Ina Mae Tavern and Packaged Goods, named after his grandmother, last year to fulfill that wish.  I went there for Restaurant Week to check it out.  I knew that I liked Chef Brian's food and also Cajun food, I was interested to see how these two would come together.  Admittedly, I knew that it wasn't going to be a huge stretch, because the food that he presents at Frontier definitely has a Southern twist.  The restaurant is located on a corner on a side street in Wicker Park and looks like a neighborhood corner bar.  The sign is even an old school Old Style Light sign.  Walking in, the front still looks like a slightly divey neighborhood bar with the bar across from the door.  There are tables in the front and back, mostly two tops for diners, and a flat screen television on the brick outer wall playing sports.  Seated in the back of the restaurant, I got to get a look of the place.  In addition to the brick outer wall, there was a facade of a building top over the bar area with weather warn wood siding.  The siding continued on the inside wall as well and with the accessories on the wall, I got the feeling of an old school worn down (though sturdy) fishing shack.  The menu was laid out on a single piece of paper (on both sides) and kind of reminded me of a diner menu layout, though with much more seafood.  The beer and cocktail list was on one side of the menu.  I ordered a gin cocktail called The Rex Organization which kind of seemed a combination of several cocktails including a Pimm's Cup and a Moscow Mule.  In addition to Pimm's #1, it included Sipsmith Gin, Ginger, Lemon, Agave, Cucumber Juice, and Lots of Mint.  It was very botanical and full of flavor.  It was sweet, tart, spicy, and had a nice minty finish.

For my appetizer, I started with Crab Stuffed Shrimp.  I like shrimp and love crab, so this was a perfect pairing.  The shrimp was grilled with the tail on and the crab, which had the consistency of a crab salad, was added in the curl of the shrimp.  It was served in a bowl with plenty of butter and topped with microgreens and some ground red pepper.  It was sweet, spicy, buttery, and very good, and I really enjoyed it.

A lot of the menu is filled with seafood, both boiled and fried and while a selection was offered on the prix fixe Restaurant Week Menu (in addition to being able to augment the prix fixe menu from the regular menu), I decided to go in a different direction and ordered the NOLA Spaghetti, It was similar to a Jambalaya using spaghetti instead of rice and included Andouille Sausage, Crawfish, Crab Meat, Shrimp, Tomato, Beer, Butter, and Garlic (as well as a lot of Parmesan). It was spicy and meaty with a lot of different flavors and textures.  It was really good and I bit into something new every time which I really enjoyed and it allowed me to have several staples of Cajun cuisine in something that was a little different.

Finishing off, I went with a NOLA classic, the Beignet.  I thought, when I ordered it, there would be several, but no, there was one.  It was okay, though, because the one was enormous.  A beignet is a light and fluffy puff pastry, so it is largely hollow, but it is generally covered in powdered sugar.  A pastry of this size I would normally eat by hand, though with the large amount of powdered sugar, to try to minimize the mess, there was really no way to completely eliminate it.  I ate it with a knife and fork, and I did avoid completely looking like a ghost, though I did end up wearing some powdered sugar.  Despite that, it was very good and a nice finish to a very good meal.  I will definitely have to return for more seafood and/or po' boys.     

City Mouse - Chicago Restaurant Week

When it was announced that Chef Jason Vincent of Giant would be opening a restaurant (that became City Mouse) in the West Loop, I was very excited.  When it was announced that Chef Pat Sheerin, formerly of the late, lamented Trenchermen, that added to my excitement.  I set up a brunch at City Mouse in the first summer that it was open, and while we were unable to be seated on their excellent patio, we did enjoy ourselves in their nice and very open dining room.  I knew, after coming for brunch, that I wanted to come for dinner and wanted to share it with friends.  Luckily, City Mouse participated in Chicago Restaurant Week, where a restaurant will offer a three or four course Prix Fixe dinner at a set price.  As it was wintertime and night, there was no way that the patio was going to be open, so we were seated in the dining room, actually very close to where we sat for brunch.  Much of the restaurant has glass exterior walls, the interior walls looking into Ace Hotel, the hotel in which it occupies space.  Just outside the wall where we were seated was a very large canvas covered in paint.  There was no real design to the paint, but it was bright and very colorful with colors in patches that flowed into other colors.  It either reminded me of sunlight in clouds or the colors of a coral reef.  We started out with cocktails while we made a plan as to who would order what.  The first cocktails were the Second City Sour with Gin, Aperol, Kina L'Aero D'or Aperitif, Lemon, and Egg White, and Lake Effect (appropriate for the night that we went when there was a lot of snow) with Mexican Rum, Caribbean Rum, Coconut, Banana, and Lime.  Both drinks were good, though I liked my gin drink better.  It was bitter, herbal, a little tartness from the lemon, and a nice fluffy head from the egg whites.  The Lake Effect was tropical and sweet with an opaque white color and a blended consistency.

For my first course, I went with the Cauliflower Soup.  I am generally not a soup drinker, but it sounded really good, so I decided to go with it.  In addition to the Cauliflower, it had a Toasted Almond Crunch, and Turmeric Yogurt.  It was very creamy and obviously tasted of cauliflower, but the toasted almond crunch added a crunchy and nutty texture, and the turmeric yogurt added a nice tang and almost a curry spice.  I was very happy with my choice and it was a good start to the meal.

For the next course, there were a couple of choices that I was really interested in:  a Smoked Sweetbread "Schnitzel", and Octopus Bolognese.  I decided to go with the Octopus Bolognese which, in addition to the Octopus, had Squid Ink Spaghetti, which made everything very black, and Calabrian Chili which added a very nice spice.  It was rich, savory, perfectly al dente, and very black. but very good.  I did get to try my friends Sweetbread Schnitzel.  In the past, fried and breaded sweetbreads have reminded me of chicken nuggets.  The sweetbread schnitzel followed along the same lines.  It was good, though I was glad I ordered the octopus.

For my second cocktail, I went with what they called Flatlands and what was essentially a White Negroni.  It was made with Letherbee Springtime Gin, Gran Classico Bitter, and Italian White Vermouth.  I am generally picky about my Negronis, but I would definitely have this again.  It was bitter, though not overwhelmingly so, was very smooth, and had a nice bittersweet flavor.

As I had gone meat free for my first two courses, I decided to remain so with my entree (more or less).  I went with a Pan-Roasted Swordfish with Clams, Mussels, Oxtail Ragout, Braised Black Olives, and Bread.  It was really good and was kind of a combination dish.  The Swordfish was tender, flaky, and slightly sweet, the mussels and clams in broth reminded me of Moules Marnieres.  Both the mussels and clams were big and there were plenty of them.  The bread was good for eating with the broth, and the oxtail was tender, shredded, and added another savory flavor.

While I was kind of full by the time I got to dessert, I wasn't going to turn it away, especially since I was paying for it already.  For dessert, we had a choice of Cheesecake, Creme Brulee, or a Caramel Cake.  I almost never order cheesecake in a restaurant and I am very picky about my creme brulee, so I went with the Caramel Cake.  It was served with Kumquat Jam and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  The vanilla bean ice cream was very good, so good in fact, that I think that it was the highlight of the dish.  Both the cake and jam were good, but the ice cream was much better.

Overall, I really enjoyed my dinner here.  The food was good and stood up to the standards and reputations of all chefs involved, the space is nice and the staff is very friendly and helpful.  I will definitely have to return.

Tied House - Chicago Restaurant Week

 

I have liked Schuba's Tavern as a music venue for many years and have seen several shows that I have really enjoyed.  While Schuba's is a bar and music venue with little food options.  The attached restaurant has given people the option of enjoying dinner essentially in house before the show that they may be going to.  It also works the other way as well.  The attached restaurant gives diners the option to extend their night with a show at Schuba's (though it isn't a necessary option and tickets for any show need to be bought separately).  For many years, the attached restaurant was Harmony Grill which served comfort food in a space built out in a bungalow.  I had heard that the brunch was very good, as was the Mac and Cheese for dinner, but I never made it there for dinner.  Last year Schuba's closed Harmony Grill to upgrade the space and upgrade they did.  The building, now known as Tied House, references Schuba's time as a Tied House to Schlitz Brewery and is square with glass walls at the front and Schubas's side of the building and has a Prairie Style appearance.  In addition, they have hired James Beard Award Winning Chef Debbie Gold to head the kitchen.  I decided to come for Chicago Restaurant Week which offered a limited 3 course Prix Fixe menu at a given price.  The entrance to the restaurant from the street was a large door leading to a long hallway made of glass.  The dining room is partially obscured from view by several large shelving units covered with plants and knick knacks.  The entrance into the restaurant is toward the center of the room which is high ceilinged and very open.  The front of the room has 4 tops and a large marble bar.  The back, where I sat had a banquette on the entrance side of the room behind a shelf behind the host station.  There were 4 tops on the opposite side of the room next to a marble staging area behind which, is the restaurant entrance to Schuba's.  The ceiling was high with a tin ceiling and recessed lighting.  While the menu was limited, I did want to look at the regular menu to see if there was anything that I might want to add.  To give myself some time to peruse the menu, I decided to order a cocktail to start things off.  The Last Word is my favorite cocktail and they offered a spin on one using Mezcal and Hellfire Habanero Bitters.  It was very good and interesting.  The Mezcal replaced the botanical flavors of Gin with some smokiness and added a spicy finish with the bitters.  The drink was tart and smoky with herbal flavors and a spicy finish and I really liked it.

To start out my dinner, I went with a 3 Citrus Scallop Crudo with Coriander (Cilantro), and Chile.  The scallop was very thinly sliced and incredibly tender.  It practically melted in my mouth.  Of the citrus, Lemon and Orange,  I could distinguish.  They were all combined and applied in plentiful quantities and added a nice tart citrus flavor to the sweetness of the scallop.  While the menu listed Coriander, what was presented was coriander leaves, more commonly known as Cilantro.  The Chile added a spicy finish.  It was a very nice start to my dinner.

When looking over the menu, I saw listings of Bread and Cheese which looked really good.  I decided to go with the Manchego Cheese, which was served with Blue Hubbard Squash, a Brown Butter Crumble, and a Mustard Crouton.  I was not expecting what I got.  I had never had Blue Hubbard Squash or even heard of it, actually, though it was presented pureed as many other squashes would be.  It had a sweet flavor similar to pumpkin.  The cheese was presented in a size that I would expect.  The Brown Butter Crumble was exactly what I might expect, but the large unevenly shaped piece of fried bread called a Mustard Crouton really surprised me.  It was much larger than I expected, not that I'm complaining.  For the crouton, I would have expected small cubes of bread that have been fried crisp.  The large crouton was actually much easier to work with than many small croutons would have been.  It was easier to combine the different elements to eat them with the fried bread and it was very satisfying.

There was only one entree offered on the Prix Fixe Menu, though that isn't a complaint because it's a favorite and I probably would have chosen it in any case.  On the menu it was listed as Duck Confit with Heirloom Rancho Gordo White Beans, Slow Roasted Turnips and Microgreens.  The wait staff referred to it as Cassoulet.  While other cassoulets that I have had have used multiple meats and it's more like a stew, with the meat and the white beans I will go with it.  Everything was very tender and flavorful and I enjoyed it a lot.

We finished off with Cheesecake Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce,  They were very good, but it almost seemed like a test to figure out how to eat it without wearing it.  The cheesecake was cold and held together well, but the profiteroles that surrounded the cheesecake were delicate and it sat in the chocolate sauce.  While I think I would have preferred to eat it like an ice cream sandwich, I decided to be a little more civilized and eat them with knife and fork.  It also allowed me to use the pieces that I had on my fork like a mop to wipe up the chocolate sauce.  It was a great finish to a very good meal and I will definitely consider returning.  It will definitely be a pre-concert option.           

Publican Anker - Brunch

While there are independent restaurants and bars around, in many cases it does help to be part of a group.  A restaurant group can take care of the administrative side, human resources, accounting, and legal matters, while leaving the responsibility of what the restaurant will look like, what service will be like, and what will be on the plate (or in the glass in the case of a bar) to the chef and the front of house manager.  There are cases when the partners in the group try to add their decisions to the management of the restaurant itself, which can complicate things and possibly lower the quality of the food and drink served, but that doesn't always have to be the case.  One Off Hospitality Group is one of the better groups in Chicago.  Consisting of 11 restaurants and a cocktail lounge, it is headed by Chef Paul Kahan, who is listed as the executive chef for all of the restaurants.  The thing about that is that as another chef recently said, the higher you move up, the less you actually cook.  Paul Kahan may come up with the concepts, but he is an excellent manager in that he has been able to find the right talent to run his places and leave them to it (though he does have final say as to the menus).  While each concept is independent and different, there are several that fall under their most popular restaurant, The Publican, which I have been to several times.  Besides The Publican, there is Publican Quality Meats, the butcher and deli for the group, Publican Bread, Publican Tavern, and their newest concept in the Publican envelope, Publican Anker.  Located in the heart of Wicker Park (and next to three other One Off concepts, Dove's Luncheonette, Big Star, and The Violet Hour), it benefits from a lot of walking traffic.  The corner has glass walls with an anchor painted in the window and notes whole fish, wine, and fresh vegetables painted on the bricks above the window.  This is the focus of Publican Anker (it also has a good selection of oysters).  While The Publican itself has a good selection of vegetables and oysters, it is, at heart, a beer hall focusing on beer, pork, and oysters.  Anker occupies the corner of Milwaukee and Damen, with entrances on the corner, and on both Milwaukee and Damen.  The bar is on the corner and is bent around the corner with seating in front of the bar and down the hall that runs down the Damen side.  We were seated in the back of the restaurant near the Damen and Milwaukee entrances.  Aside from the large windows at the front corner and the glass doors in the back, lighting was provided by the same hanging globes used in The Publican.  The kitchen was located along the hall on the Milwaukee side with a large window for service.  The chairs were steel with the tables made from heavy wood, like an old sea ship and anchor, extending the motif implied by the name.

 

The restaurant serves cocktails and beer for brunch as well as coffee.  I was not in a cocktail mood, so I drank coffee (and water), which was very good.  For my brunch, I had a Prosciutto Scramble with Dill Havarti and Pickled Shallots, and served with Toast.  On the side I had Frites with Garlic Aioli.  The scramble was very good.  The eggs were cooked perfectly.  They were light and fluffy, just on the edge of being undercooked and seasoned well with salt and pepper, with plenty of Prosciutto and Dill Havarti, which itself was very light and added a great dill flavor.  The toast looked homemade with plenty of large airholes and grill marks.  It was firm enough to easily eat the eggs and added a nice hominess to it.  Frites could easily be confused with fries, but I would argue that because they are double fried, once at a lower temperature to blanch and a second time at a higher temperature to brown, they are different.  These were lightly browned with a crispy outside and a fluffy interior and served, in the French or Belgian-style, with Garlic Aioli.  They were crisp, crunchy, fluffy, salty, and a great accompaniment to the scramble.

I really enjoyed my brunch here and the experience in general.  It stands up to its reputation as a One Off Hospitality restaurant generally and specifically, a Publican restaurant.  I will definitely have to return at a future date for brunch again and/or dinner.