Category Archives: new restaurants

February 5, 2009 · 12:05 am

Big sandwiches at Farmerie 58

The Bistro Burger

The Big Sandwich Tuesday crew lived on the edge this week, and gathered on a Wednesday to take advantage of the surprisingly big sandwiches on Farmerie 58‘s lunch menu. They offer a pretty nifty lunch special of $18 for two courses, and you definitely won’t leave hungry with first course options like lobster bisque and a chopped salad. Second course options include two-fisters like a bistro burger with applewood-smoked bacon, Amish chicken sandwich and a salmon BLT with tarragon aïoli and red wine vinaigrette. I loved that the salmon sandwich came on toasted multi-grain, the fish was perfectly cooked and the aïoli added herby flavor and juiciness without the soggy. My companion, a Big Sandwich Tuesday veteran, tried to devour his bistro burger but only got half-way through. Our third companion went the route of wild boar pasta, a homey hearty mix of wild boar, Italian sausage, rapini, tomato, basil and pecorino. But he couldn’t keep his hands off the truffle frites that come with our sandwiches. At first glance they look like those crunchy, salty shoe string potatoes that just make you crave a classic wedge or waffle fry, but they are surprisingly good, crunchy only on the outside and soft inside with a hint of truffle oil essence. Farmerie’s lunch special is pretty decent, but I can’t say the same for the room. Granted, it was about 3-degrees outside, the space feels a little cold and sparse, with a lot of room for what doesn’t look like a lot of tables. I didn’t see it in its previous life as Republic Pan-Asian Restaurant, but I think I expected a more vibrant milieu. My dining companion referenced a random raw bar on the second floor, but we never ventured upstairs. Cold spaces aside, the truffle fries, pasta and big sandwiches warmed us up nonetheless. The dinner menu looks more striped bass and short rib ravioli than sandwiches, so I’ll definitely be back for what may be a totally different vibe at night. 58 E. Ontario, 312.440.1818.

Pan-roasted salmon BLT

Wild boar pasta

7 Comments

Filed under new restaurants, quick lunch, thick

December 12, 2008 · 12:02 am

On the table: Province

Two black napkins, two white plates, two water glasses, two knives, two forks, cork table, shadows from trees hanging above. Province, 161 N. Jefferson St., 312.669.9900

Leave a comment

Filed under new restaurants, on the table

November 24, 2008 · 12:45 am

Cafe Con Leche

Cheap, tasty brunch. It’s just one of several new restaurant categories (great for date, take the ‘rents, late-night bite are a few more) I’ll be rolling out on elizabites in the coming months, so you’ll soon be able to search for a spot that suits your local dining needs (drop me a line with specific category suggestions you’d like to see). This weekend I checked out the friendly and fast Cafe Con Leche in Bucktown for brunch. From chilaquiles to chorizo, jalapeño and black bean burritos, this is definitely Mexican-style brunch with a Greek omelet, French toast and egg sandwiches thrown in for good measure. There’s four different egg dishes and I loved the Huevos Divorciados: two eggs sunny side up served on flour tortillas that are irreconcilably divided between spicy green salsa and a fresh, red salsa, but share custody of black refried beans, cheese and tortilla chips. It all works out in the end, but don’t bother ordering a side of potatoes, which were too greasy for my tastes. The veggie burrito is a wheat flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, potatoes, black beans, cheese, sour cream and a creamy avocado salsa. Both dishes are a mere 6 bones and totally filling. The drinks rock too, especially the signature cafe con leche, milkshakes and Aguas Frescas (100% natural fruit water drinks in flavors like hibiscus, cantaloupe and watermelon). Cafe Con Leche serves lunch and dinner as well, with carne asada for $13 and a signature El Cubano sandwich with amazing fries for $5. Other details worth noting: Mexican sweet breads and pastries, Strawberry Crush, and Dum Dum pops with the check. 1732 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773.342.2233

Huevos Divorciados

Veggie breakfast burrito with wheat flour tortilla

Strawberry Crush!

Cheap, tasty, fast and Dum Dum suckers at the end

Leave a comment

Filed under cheap, tasty brunch, I like to eats, new restaurants

November 4, 2008 · 6:54 am

The Bristol

.As I mentioned in a previous post, restaurants with bar hooks score major points in my book. But hooks are just the beginning of everything I loved about The Bristol in Bucktown. The formerly weird ll Covo space has been completely transformed and brightened up with long wooden communal dining tables and a menu of pub/gastropub/lots of fried-but-delish stuff. The word is out and the place is going off most nights, so when we checked it out on a Thursday, we were sent to the bar for immediate seating (hence the hook discovery). Our server was still attentive and patient with us as we perused the menus both on paper and written on the back “chalkboard” wall. Chalkboard menus (like the ones also at Chalkboard in Lincoln Square and Bucktown’s Mado) are an eco-friendly trend I’m seeing a lot of and am definitely into. At The Bristol, the entire back wall, we learned, is a floor-to-ceiling, curved chalkboard, as are the signs affixed to the men’s and women’s bathroom doors which feature a different famous couple nightly (we had Yoko and John). Anyway, the food. So chef Chris Pandel’s menu offers snacks, salads, fish, meat and a section called ETC..there is a lot to choose from not including the chalkboard specials which are seasonal and change out daily. It’s all conducive to sharing (hence the communal dining), even the Caesar salad with Romaine, grilled mackerel and one large crispy crouton.

Grilled Caesar with romaine and croutons

Caesar with grilled mackerel

From the snacks menu we ordered Monkey Bread, served in the hot Staub pot it’s baked in with rich dill butter and sea salt. The soft pull-apart bread is savory and tasted like a cross between the dill rolls at Zealous and fresh-baked challah bread.

Monkey bread with dill butter

For other snacks, I wanted the duck fat fries, I really did. But held back in eager anticipation of an impending trip to Hot Doug’s (watch for this post), and got my fry on with smokey fritters and scallion mustard sauce instead. Savory doughnut holes of sorts, these are fried hush puppies with a sweet and slightly crunchy outside but soft, almost cake-like inside with a savory mustard sauce on the side.

Smokey fritters

For the larger plates, we loved the sound of roasted half chicken (with its talon, our server described) with stone fruit panzanella, but ordered delicious steamed mussels in orange, guaciale and white ale (good, but they’re no Hopleaf) and the Raviolo, one large fresh ravioli stuffed with melt-in-your-mouth ricotta and egg yolk with brown butter, it’s a large portion, but not overly decadent and I could’ve scarfed down two a little too easily. We were intrigued by the chalkboard menu of daily specials like grilled pork belly with Brussels sprouts and salsify and the roast fall squash with cranberry. We turned to dessert instead and tried cheesecake with gooey and delicious caramel apple sauce and that crumbly sweet graham cracker crust that definitely isn’t made from those perforated graham crackers we were forced to eat at snack time. And through it all, our steadfast server kept our glasses full of crisp Riesling and spoke loudly when the place got too noisy (as it tends to). We were too full to go into some of the other interesting items on the very unique menu from an ELT (eel, heirlooom tomato with spicy aïoli) to chicken wings stuffed with chorizo (weakness) and blue cheese and a pistachio tart with poached Bosc pears, but I’ll be back to the Bristol as the seasonal specials (and the bathroom doors) change. 2152 N. Damen Ave., 773.862.5555. photos: Toki Collection.

2 Comments

Filed under I like to eats, new restaurants

October 28, 2008 · 2:17 pm

Brunch at Mexique

When it comes to weekend brunch destinations, I tend to hover around my old neighborhood standbys where I know the food is worth the wait (Milk and Honey Cafe, Lula, Flo) but after this weekend I added French-inspired Mexican restaurant Mexique to the mix. I’ve driven by this place a hundred times and finally had a chance to stop in over the weekend for brunch. The whole fusion concept can be tricky and suspect, but chef-owner Carlos Gaytan keeps things balanced and delicate with fresh, seasonal items like croque monsieur, sharing menu space with corn masa boats with homemade chorizo and chilaquiles. We dug right into the flaky puff pastry of tartara de salmon haumado starter with smoked salmon, gruyère, lemon confit, large capers, chipotle aïoli and red onions, as well as the delicious Grand Marnier French Toast with caramelized apples, pumpkin sage atole and toasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.

Puff pastry with smoked salmon, gruyère, capers and lemon confit

Brioche French toast in Grand Marnier with apples and pumpkin sage atole

To balance out with more savory, we also loved vegetarianos, two English muffin-shaped corn masa boats with fresh sautéed spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, black beans and poached eggs covered in a sweet corn salsa I could’ve eaten on its own.

Fresh corn masa boats with spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, poached eggs and corn salsa

Just like you can judge a restaurant by its bread basket, I think you can also judge a brunch spot by its breakfast potatoes (please don’t call them smashers), and Mexique offers lightly fried diced potato that aren’t doused in herbs, salt, oil or are too well-done. Everything has a light and delicate touch and most dishes come with a healthy stack of watercress, haricot verts or something intriguing called “guacasalsa” on the side of the plate. There’s also a daily quiche, goat cheese and asparagus frittatas and barbacoa for breakfast! The dinner menu looks equally as delish with coffee-braised lamb shoulder and a roasted pork tenderloin with potato poblano pepper galette and ratatouille. The space is minimalist and calming with exposed brick and an autumn color palette, and I caught a very pretty “On the Table” which I’ll post later this week. For a Saturday at noon, the place was a little empty with nary a guest ousted to the corner to wait for their table with a mug of coffee, but it’s relatively new, a little hidden and I think the fusion thing can throw people. I know I’ll be back to see what Franco-Mex items Gaytan has up his sleeve for lunch and dinner.
1529 W. Chicago Ave., 312.850.0288

4 Comments

Filed under new restaurants

October 16, 2008 · 5:48 am

Restaurant focus

I know what you’re thinking. “Elizabites. We get it. It’s fall and you like to blog about things like candy apple-filled road trips to Wisconsin, homey recipes, small town coffee roasters and confectionaries. But what about what’s happening city-side, like the bevy of new restaurants that have just opened here in Chicago?” Dear readers, never fear. I have a myriad new eateries on my radar, from Fulton Market’s The Publican (from the boys behind personal obsessions Blackbird, Avec and Violet Hour) to Duchamp (Zealous chef/owner Michael Taus’ latest restaurant) and The Bristol which both recently nestled into the Damen Avenue retail madness. There’s also Province, Randy Zweiban’s new spot and oh so many more still to cover. Stay tuned.

Leave a comment

Filed under new restaurants

October 6, 2008 · 2:21 pm

The Return of Dodo?

I was overjoyed to notice this sign on Fulton and Damen a few weeks ago. I loved brunch/lunch spot Dodo when it was at 935 N. Damen for what seemed like about a year or so before it shut down last fall. That space, which was also home to Grasshopper coffee shop, was tricky and they always seemed to have A/C problems, but the food was solid and cooked in a tiny home-style kitchen right in front of you. I hear January for a reopening, and I’m happy it’s still in the ‘hood.

1 Comment

Filed under new restaurants

September 24, 2008 · 10:47 pm

Jean Philippe Patisserie

From Vosges to Coco Rouge, I loves me some local chocolate. But when I got a chance to dig into Las Vegas-based Jean Philippe truffles at Spring restaurant this week, I first wanted to take a picture of them and then I wanted to devour the entire box, from zested lemon ganache with dark chocolate (the yellow one) to Earl Gray-infused dark chocolate gananche (the one labeled, TEA). They were the perfect ending to a four-course dinner created by Spring chef Shawn McClain as a preview celebration for the impending opening of Sage restaurant in Las Vegas’ Aria Resort & Casino. A Jean Philippe Patisserie will also open in the Aria resort, slated for late 2009. Check back later this week to see a video post of chef McClain explaining what he’ll be cooking up Sage, and in the meantime, send yourself several artistic boxes of JP truffles from the Bellagio.