Zed 451
Location – 739 N. Clark (Clark and Superior)
In one word – Effort
Food – So my preface to this entry is that I went to the (free) pre-opening party for this restaurant and as a result got to try EVERYTHING. That’s why it’s going to look like I was Miss Piggy all night long in this review. This old Sal and Carvao space transformed into a wooden sleek scene and was overall very impressive. In terms of food, it was good, not great. When the place officially opens (4/22), the schtick will be its Harvest Table. Essentially, all you can eat for about $50 (just like the Brazilian steakhouses in the area). They have their share of steak, lamb and chicken (straight from the oven served directly on your plate). I was drawn to the cheese, particularly the cheese fondue. I heard that Fontina was in the fondue, and immediately I thought “Sold!” They’ve got a nice fruit and veggie selection: okra, marinated green beans, poached pears with goat cheese, apples seasoned with jalepeno and lime and bruschetta. I did enjoy the desserts, one cobbler had a butterscotch flavor. That won me over. So yes, I liked the food. The food selection is vast. However, in their attempt to serve it all, they stumble a little bit when it comes to attaining food perfection.
Drinks – This is their strength. I tried the orange sangria, which was VERY fruitty. Then the server recommended the cucumber sage martini. This was, by far, my favorite. Watch yourself though, it goes down too smooth.
Service – It was a little hard to judge given that this was a pre-opening party. The staff was very attentive, so I hope that carries through to when they’re open for real.
Scene – The party was really sceney. The crowd was pretty mixed, from young 20-somethings to the seniors. I really like the aesthetics of the restaurant. There’s a lot of wood and glass, which makes for a pretty sophisticated feel. Downstairs is the main dining space and a lounge. They have an upstairs dining room and a rooftop area. My eating partners and I discussed how we might not come here for dinner, but we would definitely come after work to the lounge just because the space is great.
Dress – At this party, people were putting their all into their look. Lots of little black dresses and men’s suits. Perhaps it’s because it’s the beginning of spring now, and folks are ancy to show off their latest additions to their wardrobe. No matter, this is one of the few places, I might recommend brushing your hair before coming.
Cost – That’s the beauty of the pre-opening party, the night was free. However, I think when the restaurant officially opens, you could spend about $100 per person with food, drink, tax and tip. My recommendation is that with the Harvest Table concept, you load up on food. This way you can really get the bang for your mucho bucks.
If you like, try…Fogo de Chao, Custom House
Mercat a la Planxa
Update: I went back to Mercat last week and was still as impressed by the cuisine as I was at the time of the original review. I also recommend the Estrella Damm Inedit – a beer they serve that was developed by El Bulli’s Ferran Adria. I was more astonished by the high price point during this visit, but I want to think that the quality of food legitimized the cost.
Location – 638 S. Michigan (Michigan and Balbo)
In one word – Experiential
Food – Here’s my disclaimer: Moons ago, I spent three months in Barcelona where I indulged in Catalan cuisine everyday. You can imagine my glee when I heard a Catalan restaurant was opening in Chicago. Colcots, creme catalana y croquetas, que bueno! Would this place live up to my memories of Barce? Yes, it most definitely did. You’ll order tapas style, so let me just run through the gamut of what we ate: pan tomate (one of our favorite dishes from Barcelona, which lived up to our memories), Cadi Urgelia cheese (it’s served with a lavendar jam, which tastes AMAZING! If this is what flowers taste like, count me in), Mitibleu cheese (it’s gorgonzola gone wild served with this ridiculously fantastic mustard), the olive assortment (it had a strong marinade, which worked for me), croquetas de jamon (which were my least favorite because they seemed too pan fried, but I still ate ALL of them), alcochofas y setas flatbread (flatbread served with artichokes and mushrooms, it has this super roasted flavor, the table loved it!), setas al horno (roasted mushrooms, I barely got a bit because my eating partners were such heathens and devoured it quickly), patatas bravas (these potatos aren’t smothered in the spicy sauce like they are at most places, this made the dish feel lighter), colcots (eating these roasted green onions really did make me feel like I was back in Spain). Enough food for you? What about dessert? We did it up right: Crema Catalana (their version had jam at the bottom which so worked for me), the quatro chocolates (which included this white chocolate hot chocolate, and this chocolate made me feel like I found my life partner in a tea cup) and goat milk’s cheese mousse on a chestnut cake with grape (sigh). I wish I could have filmed my eating partners and I attacking the desserts. True survival of the fittest.
Drinks – They had my favorite beer from Barcelona, Estrella Damm. We also sampled their seasonal sangria, which tasted nice but wasn’t potent.
Service – JC, our server, treated us us well. By the end of the meal, JC was speaking to us in Spanish. It was like we had known him forever. He recognized that we knew a little bit about Catalan cuisine and brought the chef over to meet us. I don’t tell anyone that I write about food when I go into a restaurant, so I appreciated that the chef wanted to meet a group of barely getting by-2o somethings. The chef, Jose, was so down to earth. This is his third restaurant and he’s going to be on Iron Chef. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity!
Scene – It was hip! They did a nice job with the asthetics of this place. It felt rich and contemporary. I liked that the decor has a touch of Barcelona while staying true to Chicago style. The bar is downstairs and the dining area is upstairs. There was this interesting table on the third floor of the building, it’s isolated at the top of the restaurant. I’d like to sit there one day, you get to oversee all that’s happening in the restaurant from that angle.
Dress – I thought that all the other patrons were attractive and really well put together. You better, too. Work on your hair and make-up before walking in. However, don’t feel like the place inaccesible. Even though you have to comb your hair, you should still come.
Cost – For all of that food, sangria and tax/tip, I paid $42. Yes, it’s not cheap, but I considered it to be a bang for my buck (did you read how much we ate?).
If you like, try…avec
Osteria Via Stato
Location – 620 N. State (State and Ontario)
In one word - Suprising
Food – Given its touristy location, my hopes weren’t high for this place. But, I was pleasantly surprised. You get traditional Italian fare with excellent service, what more could you ask for? All in all, I was satisfied with the food. I started with the baby argula salad. I thought it was a bit too salty, but luckily they kept the water flowing at my table. Then I moved to the butternut squash ravioli. I enjoyed it, but I was hoping the roasted sage on top would be slightly crispier (but that’s just my preference). My eating partner started with their speciality cheese. That went down fast, so I guess she liked it. Her entree was the penne pasta dish, which she dug. We ended the evening with the poached pear dessert. This was a relatively light dessert served with a shortbread cookie and a scoop of gelato. A couple of notes – At the front of the restaurant is Pizzeria via Stato, which is the pizzeria part of the place. It’s a more casual and cheaper option if you want it. Also, Osteria has a filling prix fixe menu. For $40, you get all the food you could ask for. If you’re a big eater, you might want to go this route.
Drink – Like its neighbor across the street, Osteria serves wine in quartinos (glasses and bottles are available too), which is both responsible and economical. Since it was a Wednesday, we chose this more mature option. We told our server that my eating partner loved reislings, so he brought out a comparable wine which we enjoyed very much.
Service – I really appreciate good service and tha,t is what we got at Osteria. And, I love it when a server’s recommendations are actually good (a rarity from my experience). He won on his recommendations for wine, cheese and dessert. That equals excellent tip. He was cute, too!
Scene – The inside of the place is covered with brick and wood, making the place feel relatively homey. We went on a Wednesday, so the restaurant was quiet and intimate. I think the vibe would be completely different on a weekend.
Dress – I wore jeans because that’s what I do. We were surrounded by other groups who chose to dress up slightly more, I think they were coming from work. I think jeans, khakis and dresses all work for this place. You’re trying too hard if you come here in a suit.
Cost – The total cost was about $85 for two. This included salad, cheese, two entrees, dessert and wine. All in all not bad. Here’s where we got our price saver, I joined the Lettuce Entertain You Frequent Diner program and have accrued more than my fair share of points (which is very easy to do in Chicago). So we used my $25 gift certificate, knocking our total meal to $60 for two. Not bad, eh?
If you like, try…Quartino, La Madia, A Mano
Roy’s
Location – 72o N. State (State and Superior)
In one word – Molten
Food – We decided to come to Roy’s for the Restaurant Week Dinner Menu ($31.95 for a three course prix fixe menu). Roy’s has Hawaiian cuisine, so come here for fish, steak and cake. The appetizer was a sampler of chicken spring rolls (flavorful, nice cream sauce accompanying it), pork ribs and coconut crusted shrimp. All in all, a nice way to start the meal. There were three main entree options. I chose the Tender Braised Honey Mustard Short Rib. I’m not big on red meat, but I enjoyed this very much. The meat was pretty succulent, and it was served with mashed potatoes and some random veggies. I only finished half of the entree because I wanted to save myself for dessert. My eating partners opted for the Blue Crab Dynamite Crusted Skate (but they were out of skate, so they offered a substitute fish which worked just fine) and a Shrimp/Gnocchi entree (that eating partner polished that off, so I have no wonder on what she thought). Then it came time for dessert. I’ve been to Roy’s before, and I decided to come back solely because of the molten chocolate cake. To say it’s divine is an understatement. You have to try it to believe it.
Drink – We ordered this great (cheap) bottle of pinot blanc from Alsace. Awesome pick!
Service – Our server knew what he was doing. He recited the menu highlights like a pro and made us feel confident with our selection. While a bit cocky, I liked him.
Scene – The lights were dim and the Wallflowers were humming softly in the background. Obviously this could be a place to take a date. I saw a lot of groups, like 6 or more people.
Dress – The place is a little formal, but I still got away with wearing jeans there on a Tuesday night. If you came on the weekend, I think you’d be expected to try a bit harder.
Cost – Because it was Restaurant Week, our three course meal was $31.95. Adding tax, tip and wine, our total was $56 each. It didn’t feel as cheap as Restaurant Week is supposed to be, but I’m over it. For reference, Roy’s has a $35 prix fixe menu throughout the year.
If you like, try…Vong’s Thai Kitchen
Powerhouse
Location – 215 N. Clinton (Clinton and Lake)
www.powerhouserestaurant.com
In one word – Bland
Food – A recommendation from a friend led me to suggest Powerhouse for a work dinner. At the end of the night I was disappointed because my expectations were not met. There were some hits and definite misses to the night. What I liked? The bread and the dessert. What I didn’t like? My starter and entree. To start, I had the cannellini bean soup. Yes, the ingredients were fresh, but I thought the soup was salty. If you’ve read my Green Zebra review, you know I hate when food is over salted. My other eating partners at the table had the lemon risotto (a modification of the risotto on the menu), the pork belly and the Nantucket Bay scallops. Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy their starters more than I did. Then we moved on to the entrees. I chose the grilled white stripe bass with chorizo. I understand that bass is not super flavorful, but really, with the exception of the chorizo, it was tasteless. Imagine how screwed my pescatarian eating partner was, she got the bass without chorizo. Bland city. My eating partners did say good things about the ribeye; there were adequate reviews on the tenderloin. On to dessert. Thank god for dessert. So we ordered an array of options for the table to sample. I LOVED the peanut butter and bananas with marshmallows, partially because I am a sucker for fluffernutter. At the end of the meal, we were served little candies from the pastry chef. Nice touch.
Drink – We chose a zin. I was pretty happy with the selection.
Service – Our server was nice, but something was off about her. She sort of had a Drew Barrymore affectation when she spoke, but she was raised in Lincoln Park. She should be saying “melk” instead of “milk,” not adding odd lilts to her words. I was confused if the way she spoke was truly her or a way of making herself sound smarter as she presented the menu. I do have to say, she did know her stuff and seemed passionate about the restaurant’s offerings. Get rid of the affectation, I know you’re smart, dear.
Scene – Trendy? Power suits? I don’t really understand what Powerhouse is trying to be. In its pursuit to have too many personalities, the place comes off really bland and stiff.
Dress – We sat across from a group of women that may or may not have been trying to recreate a Lipstick Mafia scene, so you’ll see suits. You’ll also see the jeans and blazer look. Given that the restaurant doesn’t have a good idea of who it is, I wouldn’t worry about what you’re going to wear there.
Cost – This was a work dinner, so my meager Chase debit card wasn’t put into a tailspin. I’m not sure I would come back on my own dime. Entrees are about $30 and with no flavor, do you really want to spend that amount?
If you like, try…Custom House
Green Zebra
Location – 1460 W. Chicago (Chicago and Greenview)
www.greenzebrachicago.com
In one word – Salty
Food – This is Shawn McClain’s vegetarian restaurant (same person who runs Custom House and Spring). I had a great food experience. Green Zebra seems to be a strong advocate for the slow foods movement. All the ingredients are seasonal and fresh. Here are all the things that came to our table: Roasted Spaghetti Squash, Roasted Mushroom Broth, Cauliflower Soup, Chickpea Pancakes, Celery Root Beignet, Truffle Risotto, Mushroom Tagliatele and Doughnuts with Parsnip Ice Cream. Everything was fresh and flavorful, I just felt that each dish had a touch too much salt. I chose to the do the chef’s 5 course tasting menu ($55). The menu was a bit overwhelming for me, so choosing the tasting menu was the smartest option.
Drink – We chose a bottle of the Reisling. It was crisp and went very well with the food.
Service – My eating partners thought our server was nervous, but I took it as enthusiastic. She made sure to come by before every course to give us a refresher about each entree. Overall I was pleased.
Occasion – This place is not cheap, so come for an occasion. The clientele here is a mix of older folks and hip vegetarian 30-somethings. I like the look of Green Zebra. The color scheme is a mix of sage and greys. It feels clean, natural and still sleek.
Cost – For a full five course dinner plus wine, we paid $82/person.
If you like, try…Aigre Doux
Aigre Doux
Location – 230 W. Kinzie (Wells and Kinzie)
In one word – Flavorful
Food – I had sort of been salivating over the online menu all day before coming to AD, and I was not disappointed. When we got to our table, our server explained that all the ingredients, from greens to meats, were fresh and local. It really is evident in the meals. You can taste the freshness (not so much the localness). Right off the bat, I was happy because even the crust of the bread you are served upon sitting at the table is phenomenal. For appetizers we had the mushroom tart (very flavorful, perhaps seasoned with tamarind?), the chanterelle and celery root ravioli (I wish this was an entree!) and the squash risotto (which has an unexpected and light flavor). I was highly impressed with all three options. For entrees, we chose the fall-themed tagliatelle, the cod, and the lobster bucatini. I devoured the tagliatelle – it had pumpkin, squash and sage along with candied pecans. I could tell that my pasta was super fresh. That made me happy. My eating partners were happy with the cod and lukewarm towards the lobster bucatini (too much pasta). We skipped on dessert.
Drinks – We took our waiter’s suggestion on a Spanish red wine, which complimented our meal well. I think all at the table were very happy.
Service – Our waiter knew his stuff. That’s really important to me. This place has the potential to be very pretentious, but the laid back nature of our waiter made the atmosphere extremely comfortable.
Occasion – So I wouldn’t come here unless 1) you get a bonus in your paycheck 2) someone else is paying. The clientele is a bit older, but I didn’t feel out of place. The decor is pretty stark, but maybe that’s because the focus is on the food.
Attire – We came in our work attire and were fine. If you want to bust out a new dress or suit, you could do it at this place. At the end of it, you need to show that you are putting in effort to your look.
Cost – So, it’s expensive. For our group, it ended up $80/person.
If you like, try…May Street Market
Salpicon
Location – 1252 N. Wells (Wells and Division)
www.salpicon.com
In one word – Broadway
Food – We came here for a friend’s birthday, so we were somewhat indulgent. Here’s what we ordered: guacamole picado (standard, but that’s good in my eyes) and queso empanizado (kind of reminds me of Greek saganaki). None of the entrees grabbed me that night, so I opted for two appetizers as my main course: Ensalada espinica con queso de cabra (spinach salad with goat cheese and sesame seeds, unexpectedly satisfying) and one of the specials, empanadas filled with lamb (also quite satisfying). Three of my eating partners had the chiles dona queta (peppers stuffed with veggies), which they were raving about. That might be the perfect vegetarian meal here. The other eating partner had the double-cut pork chop, which he said was just okay. For dessert, we had the tres leches cake. That was some good stuff. I would come back here just for that; it was like eating whipped cream (which is a good thing).
Drinks – We sampled the margaritas. Nothing amazing, but they quenched my thirst.
Service – This is where my “In one word” comes from. I had some issues with our server. I felt like he was using his time at our table as his audition for a Broadway revue, at any moment he was going to break out into a showtune complete with jazz hands. His performance was over the top. Telling me the specials doesn’t have to be done as a soliloquy. One thing I can say is that he knew his stuff. Every question we threw his way, he was able to answer in his stage voice. He was being shadowed by a trainee, which was a little bit awkward. The trainee kept crowding one of my eating partners when she and the Broadway server came by the table, the restaurant obviously hasn’t taught her about personal space yet.
Occasion – It’s not super cheap here, so it’s better to come when you have an occasion to celebrate. Birthdays, dates you want to impress, and anniversaries (not the super important ones) are perfect for this spot.
Dress – This is one of those places where if you make any effort, you’re okay. Old Town isn’t super formal, so nice jeans or a cute dress work.
Price – We split the meal and each paid $56 including tip. Like I said, not super cheap, but I was very full when we left.
If you like, try…Zocalo
