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.     

Rue

 

 

While I do live in Chicago and don't own a car, occasionally, I will get out to the suburbs where my friends live and try restaurants out there.  I recently out to the suburbs for a concert and we stopped at Rue, a Cajun Restaurant in Glen Ellyn, for dinner and drinks beforehand.  When we arrived it was very busy, but there were some seats at the bar, so that's where we sat.  I enjoy sitting at the bar in any case, because it gives me a chance to talk to and watch the bartenders who seem to have a good handle on both the drinks and food the place is serving, so sitting at the bar was fine.  I am not sure if my friends had been here before, but they mentioned that we wanted to try some of the cocktails.  This was a very good decision because the drinks, while New Orleans standards, were mixologist complex, and they were very cool to watch being constructed.  The first drink that was ordered and our bartender constructed was a Hurricane, which was made with a Rum Blend, Passion Fruit, and Citrus, served in a Skull Mug and finished by placing a slotted spoon on top of the glass, placing a Sugar Cube on the spoon, lighting it on fire, and letting the melted sugar drip into the cocktail.  While this was not my cocktail, I did try it.  The sugar added a sweetness which went well with the Rum and the Passion Fruit and Citrus gave it a tart finish.  My first cocktail was called a Hoodoo Smoke and it, also was very cool to watch it being constructed.  It started with a small fire on a saucer on the bar over which the glass in which the drink was to be served which put the fire out, and allowed smoke to build up and coat the inside of the glass.  The cocktail that went into the smoked glass contained Peppercorn Infused Bourbon, Honey, and Hickory.  I am generally not a bourbon drinker, but this was really good.  It was smoky, a little spicy, and very smooth and sweet from the honey.  My second cocktail came well into the meal, but it seemed to fit better with the other cocktails.  Called Easy Street, it contained House Melon Liqueur (similar to Midori, though not as sweet), Gin, and Citrus.  While I am a gin drinker, Hoodoo Smoke was my favorite cocktail.  Easy Street wasn't bad, but the melon liqueur did nothing for me.  It was better than Midori because it wasn't as sweet, but I guess that I can't really get with something that was so melon forward.

 

For our appetizers, we started with Fried Gator and Oysters.  I have had Alligator before (fried) and it reminds me of  cross between chicken and cod.  It has a light avian flavor similar to chicken, the flavor isn't as strong as duck or turkey, but the texture is similar to a well prepared whitefish, tender and flaky.  A Remoulade Sauce accompanied the Alligator Tail Bites.  It was creamy, spicy, and good, but I thought the alligator was good on its own.  The Oysters could have been ordered On the Half Shell, Char Grilled, Rockefeller, or Bienville (with Shrimp, Mushroom, bell Peppers, and Parmesan).  I like my oysters with as little done with them as possible (besides shucking), so we ordered them On the Half Shell.  They were served with Lemon, Cocktail Sauce, and Garlic Butter on the side.  While I will squeeze lemon on my oysters, that's all that I think that they need most of the time.  The oysters tasted fresh and briny, and I really enjoyed them.

 

Our entrees were all Cajun standards, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etoufee, and an Oyster Po'Boy.  I ordered the Jambalaya, but was able to try the others.  The jambalaya was served in a large bowl and featured Rice, Trinity (Onions, Bell Pepper, and Celery), Andouille Sausage, Smoked Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes, and was topped with a piece of Cornbread.  The Crawfish Etoufee was the most visually striking.  Etoufee is more liquid than is Jambalaya, although it also starts with a Rice base.  Made with Rice, Crawfish Tails, Creole Reduction (onions, bell pepper, and celery, in a butter sauce reduced), and White Wine, It was topped with a Crayfish, steamed red, with it's claws extended threateningly.  I did try to suck any remaining meat out of the crayfish shell, but while I did get some flavor, I didn't actually get much meat because they cleaned it out well.  What I did try was good, though.  The Oysters in the Oyster Po'Boy were breaded and friedand served with Lettuce, Tomatoes, and a Spicy Sauce on a Baguette.  The bread was crusty and the oysters were crunchy and plentiful to provide a crunchy and chewy bite.

There looked like there were some nice sweets for desserts including Beignets, Bread Pudding, and Bananas Foster, but after our large entrees, we were set and waved off on the desserts.  The food and drink here were really good and I would be happy to return.

Analogue - Pho Q

I have been to Analogue a few times and like what they do.  They are a low key cocktail bar that serves some really good Cajun food, so when it was announced that they would host a pop up called Pho Q (careful about how you pronounce that), a dinner combining Vietnamese and Barbecue, I quickly signed up.  Now, on the surface, Vietnamese and Barbecue in a Cajun restaurant may not make a lot of sense, but if you look at it geographically, it might make more sense.  There is a large Vietnamese population in southern Louisiana and one of the regional barbecue styles is from Texas which is just west.  People that eat these different styles of cuisine actually live fairly close to one another in southern Louisiana.  The dinner featured four courses, but drinks were extra.  For this dinner, they did come up with a couple of cocktails.  You didn't have to stick to these cocktails though.  You could order a beer or something of of their regular cocktail list, but I decided to stick with the theme and ordered the Smokin' Indo, a cocktail consisting of Laphroaig Scotch, Indonesian Rum, Spiced Vermouth, and what they referred to as Blood Orange Bitters, which was specifically China China, a French bitter orange flavored liqueur.  As one might guess from the name and from the fact that it contained Laphroaig Scotch, it was pretty smoky.  It wasn't all smoke, the rum provided something of a vanilla flavor and the China China added a bitter orange flavor.  It is not my typical go-to cocktail flavor profile, but it wasn't bad.

The first course of the meal was listed as an App Sampler and was served on a metal serving tray as barbecue might be.  The sampler contained three things (or four if you count the pickled vegetables).  It started with a Smoked Gulf Shrimp Spring Roll with a Peanut BBQ Sauce, continued with a Crispy Smoked Chicken Wing with Scallions, Garlic, and Noc Cham (Fish Sauce), and finished with a Hoisin Glazed Pork Rib with Black Vinegar and Thai Chilies.  The pickled vegetables included Carrots, Cucumbers, and Red Onions.  Everything on this tray was very good.  The spring roll was light.  The shrimp were tender and had a nice smoky flavor to them.  The peanut BBQ sauce was very good and went well with the spring roll.  It had a nice spicy peanut flavor that complemented the flavor of the spring roll.  It was not, however, necessary to make the spring roll to taste good, it was good by itself.  The chicken wing was also very good.  It had a crunchy and smoky flavor and the chicken was cooked perfectly.  I could have probably eaten about 10 of these and been happy.  The same could have been said for the rib.  As it was just a sample, I only had one bone, but it was very good.  The meat was tender with bitter, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors.

The next course very definitely had a Vietnamese name, but it was basically a meat salad.  It was also pretty big.  It was called Goi Bo Thit Heo and had Pulled Pork and Brisket with Bean Sprouts, Cabbage, Mint, and Cilantro, and was served with a Shrimp Chip on either side.  It was both meaty and crisp with a variety of flavors and the chip made a good delivery system to the mouth.  I used chop sticksto put a pile of meat and greens on the chip and took a bite of the chip.  There was more salad than there were chips, but it was very good even without the chips.

The namesake dish was the last savory dish.  It was served in a large bowl and was served with a large plate of fresh greens, which included Mint, Cilantro, Bean Sprouts, Lime and Hot Peppers which were to be added at the diner's discretion.  The pho contained Brisket, Eye of Round, Beef Tendon, a Lil' Smokie, and Smoked Stock and Nutmeg.  I didn't add all of the greens to my pho but I did add enough to add some crispness and fresh flavor.  I liked everything about the pho except the Lil' Smokie.  The brisket and eye of round were very tender and flavorful, the tendon had a nice chew to it, and the broth had a nice smoky and meaty flavor.  The Lil' Smokie was a small smoky link which would have been fine except that it was unexpectedly also very spicy.  I might have liked it more if I had expected the hit of heat, but it was a surprise.

The dessert was interesting.  Called a Cafe' Sue Da.  It was a scoop of Condensed Milk Ice Cream sprinkled with Chicory Coffee and Peanuts and served on a slice of Texas Toast.  I will say that I really liked the condensed Milk ice cream.  It was rich, creamy, and sweet, and the peanuts and chicory added some bitterness and nuttiness which went well with the ice cream, but I didn't understand the point of the Texas Toast as it was just a thick piece of bread.

While Vietnamese food and Barbecue aren't commonly put together, the combination did work well.  I really enjoyed my experience and will definitely return for a regular dinner if not for a special meal.   

Analogue - Brunch

There are a lot of places to brunch in Logan Square.  There are several that are very well known and popular, like Lula Cafe, Jam, and Longman & Eagle, but there are also those like Analogue, where we went recently, that are both under the radar and, actually, a little hard to find if you don't know what to look for.  There is a sign out front, but it is abstract and doesn't obviously say anything.  If you look at it though, you can work out Analogue (Photo courtesy of my friend, Rich Frachey).  We waited out front, because several people had not been here and the sign is not obvious.  In the main dining room, there is a long bar and some tables.  Because we were a large party, we were seated in the private dining room in the back of the restaurant.    The room had hardwood floors, plank walls, wood tables, and a wood banquette.  At the front of the room was what looked like a DJ booth, although the DJ was operating in the front room on one side of the bar with two turntables playing a lot of old soul music.  There was also a painting/wall hanging in our dining area that played on the same theme as the Analogue sign.

As is typical the waitress took our drink order before our food order.  They actually have a pretty extensive brunch cocktail selection.  Because we were a large party, there were a large number of drinks to be made and somehow my drink got lost in the shuffle.  When I pointed this out, they were quick to recover and brought my drink free of charge.  I had an Over and Over which consisted of  Cocchi Americano, Lime, Campari, Grapefruit Juice, and a salted rim.  As might be expected of a drink consisting of a couple of Amaro and grapefruit juice, it was pretty bitter.  The salted rim served the same purpose as salting a grapefruit, it moderates the bitter and brings out the sweetness.  It was a very good cocktail and appropriate for brunch.

While we were drinking, our food orders were taken.  In addition to the main courses, there were several items ordered for the table for sharing, Beignets covered in Powdered Sugar, and Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits with Jam and Butter.  Unfortunately, no one thought to take pictures of these dishes.  As for my main dish, I ordered what seemed to be the most incongruous item on the menu, something called Yaka Mein.  While it sounded like an Asian dish and was served with Chopsticks, it is actually a Cajun street food and hangover cure.  Despite being a Cajun dish though, I have to imagine that it has an Asian origin as Ramen.  It had a rich Beef Broth, with Braised Beef, Spaghetti, Peppers, both Bell and Hot, and a Hard Boiled Egg.  It was rich, flavorful, and spicy and I really liked it. 

Brunch was a success.  Everyone enjoyed their food and the service was prompt and attentive for our large party.  I knew that they have a good dinner service with good cocktails, brunch is just as good.       

Analogue

I have said several times that I like living in Logan Square because of the many good places to eat nearby.  There are several good restaurants, but there are also several bars that serve really good food.  Some of those places though, might be a little hard to find if you don't know where to look.  I went to one of these places, Analogue, recently for dinner and it is very low key.  There is no sign of any kind (not even a beer sign by the door), but there is an address and the building is black, so it isn't completely anonymous.  There is a host station at the entrance, but I came at a time when there wasn't much of a crowd, so there was a sign that said "Please seat yourself".  I sat at the bar because i thought that would be the easiest for everyone.  The space is small, seating about 40 people at tables and a few leather-covered booths.  There is also a larger, round table at the back of the bar that might seat eight.  The interior of the bar is also black but it also includes several mirrors to give the illusion of a larger space.  The lighting is dim, although not nearly as dim as other places where I have been.  The lighting was provided by track lighting.  The soundtrack was indie rock.  We were listening, mostly, to the War on Drugs, when I was there.  As this place is a bar and the head bartender has a pretty good pedigree, I decided to try out one of their cocktails.  I went with a Double Vision which had Beefeater Gin, Lemon, Ramazzotti (a medium Italian Amaro), and Strawberry Black Pepper Syrup.  This was a very good drink and it was fun to watch the bartender make it.  It was tart and sweet with a spicy finish from the black pepper with the herbal and juniper flavors from the gin there but deemphasized somewhat.

The food menu at Analogue is not divided into the standard appetizer, entree, dessert format, in fact, it isn't divided at all.  It does, however, go, more or less, from top to bottom from smallest to largest and finishes with bread pudding at the bottom.  I started near the top of the menu with something that I had never heard of and had no idea what I would be getting.  It was called a Stuffed Mirliton filled with Smoked Mushroom Stuffing and served with Black Garlic Vinaigrette.  After I got the dish, I still wasn't sure what I had.  I could see that the stuffing was pressed into a pear shaped fruit or vegetable and the vinaigrette was spread on the plate.  It was pretty good so I didn't regret what I ordered.  The mirliton itself had a mild taste and kind of reminded me texturally of a potato.  The stuffing had smoky and mushroom flavors and added a lot as far as flavor to the mirliton as did the black garlic vinaigrette.  I looked it up later and discovered that mirliton is also called chayote which I have heard of but had never had.  It is a member of the gourd family native to Mexico and is treated like summer squash.

For my next course, I went with a Po' Boy.  There were a few Po' Boys offered but I had to go with the Cochon de Lait Po' Boy, a Milk Roasted Pork Shoulder with Creole Mustard, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, and Mayo served on a Baguette.  The sandwich was pretty big, but it was also pretty good.  The pork was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the mustard added some spice, the bread was crusty with a soft interior, and the lettuce tomato, and pickles added what you would expect for a submarine sandwich (which is essentially what a po' boy is).

As I implied, the only thing on the menu that could be classified as a dessert was the Bread Pudding so that's what I ordered. It came with Chocolate Chips, Pralines, Rum Sauce, and Whipped Cream.  Despite the fact that the food that I had had had been pretty good, because they only offered Bread Pudding for dessert and the fact that the place is essentially a bar, I really didn't expect much.  I was gladly mistaken.  It was very good and actually kind of decadent.  It was sweet with a lot of flavors, and a very good finish to a very good meal.  While it isn't a place I would go expecting high end cuisine, it is a good cocktail bar that serves good food and I would be happy to return.