Set in Roscoe Village, a rapidly gentrifying area west of Lakeview, six-month-old Brett’s is a neighborhood charmer that exudes an irresistible warmth and vitality.
Brett Knobel, owner and pastry chef, runs the front room and is responsible for the desserts and the delicious soft and chewy bread that graces each table. Charles Socher, formerly chef at the defunct Chez Chazz, runs the contemporary American kitchen. It seems like a good team.
Accompanying the aforementioned bread, which arrives unbidden, are butter and some delicious marinated black olives. It’s a mighty struggle, but try to take it easy on the bread-at least long enough to order the appetizer of roasted garlic, California goat cheese and sundried-tomato relish; there’s enough on the plate, when spread on the thickly sliced bread, to take the hunger edge off four people, while you peruse the menu for more goodies.
The menu shows nice range, though red meat makes only a token appearance. Seafood and fowl are more plentiful, and you’ll find at least one vegetarian appetizer and entree every day.
Expertly smoked mussels and scallops (the mussels are especially flavorful) over tricolor linguini, leads an impressive list of appetizers. This dish is so tasty it’s a shame that it’s available only intermittently as a special. Grab it when you can.
More readily available are sauteed sea scallops, dusted with curry and topped with slivers of fresh horseradish; a half-dozen of these beauties sit atop a bed of garlicky leeks and a little tomato concasse, and the tastes and textures play off each other nicely. A gateau of potato, bacon and jack cheese with a mustardseed vinaigrette tasted great; a minor flaw was that the gateau didn’t have a consistent temperature, though it was at least warm throughout.
Don’t overlook soup and salad; homemade soups are a strength, evidenced by Socher’s soothing carrot soup, seasoned with dill and a touch of lemon. A fine house salad, an appealing melange of greens and veggies is made memorable by a delightful herbed vinaigrette.
Two daily fish specials round out the entree selections. These can be a mixed bag: One visit a grilled salmon, set in a lemon-caper sauce, was delicious, with good texture; another time a grilled bluefish was overly mushy, and what was billed as a horseradish glaze proved instead to be a thick sauce that didn’t quite work.
Off the regular menu, a grilled chicken breast works nicely with a judicious amount of garlic and herbs and a simple reduction sauce. A pair of poppyseed-dusted pork chops, married to a complex sauce of lemon, garlic, onions, sherry and chili peppers (the peppers add a muted but discernible heat) is a solid creation, but the kitchen needs to be more attentive; one of our chops arrived medium, the other quite rare.
The featured dessert at Brett’s has no name, as waiters delight in telling you. There’s not much mysterious about it-sugar-dusted circles of phyllo sandwiching a gentle cinammon ice cream with sauteed apples in a pool of caramel sauce-but it’s nameless. One waiter calls it “a cold baklava,” but there’s got to be a better description. Do I smell a contest in the works?
Other nice finales include a flourless chocolate cake, its slight dryness more than compensated for by a quarter-inch topping of chocolate ganache; the cake is set in a barely sweetened raspberry puree. Creme brulee is fine; the brulee part gets short shrift, but the rich vanilla creme is yummy.
There’s a very brief list of moderately priced wines, and a good number of nonalcoholic beverages, including a large selection of herbal teas, and excellent cappuccino. Recently instituted, an early bird option (for those arriving before 6:30 p.m.) includes soup or salad, entree and dessert for $15.
The interior is simple but pretty. Pale peach walls are adorned with framed posters and mirrors; the dark floor is brightened up by an attractive area rug. Three booths line the south wall; the rest of the seating (tables are nicely spaced for such a small restaurant) is at wrought-iron patio chairs (the chairs are comfortable enough, but some cushions would be even better). White-tablecloth-topped tables are set with little votive candles, and two very attractive chandeliers-with matching wall sconces-give the room soft, flattering illumination. Classical music plays through the sound system at a judicious volume.
This is the kind of restaurant I could fall in love with. It’s clean, honest, creative without being flourishy and eminently civilized. A little more consistency from the kitchen and Brett’s and the Roscoe Village newcomers will grow old gracefully together.
(STAR) Brett’s, 2011 W. Roscoe St., 312-248-0999. American. Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 5-9 p.m. Sun., closed Mon. Price range: Appetizers $4.95-$6.25, soups/salads $3.95, entrees $10.95-$15.95, desserts $4-$5; dinner for two of appetizer, soup/salad, entree, dessert, tax and tip: $64. Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa. Reservations: Recommended on weekends. Other: Wheelchair accessible.
Brett’s
2011 W. Roscoe St.
Dessert: Ask for it by no name
Rating system
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Outstanding
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Excellent Satisfactory
(STAR)(STAR) Very Good Unsatisfactory
(STAR) Good
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Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
