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.