Squeezed into a nondescript storefront on the seedy but artsy edge of Wicker Park, Twilight, a casual little diner, glows with a very friendly atmosphere and a creative, eclectic menu.
It’s homey, decidedly unfancy and not exactly the kind of place you’d choose to impress your date. But neither would you be uncomfortable if you hadn’t combed your hair and your socks didn’t match.
Originally the restaurant had been called Wildfire Diner in honor of chef/owner Katherine August’s dark red tresses. But restaurant magnate Rich Melman wanted that appellation for his new venture at 159 W. Erie St., so he persuaded August to surrender the name for some considerations, including a huge new sign that lights up the 1900 block of Division Street.
Inside, a Formica counter with eight short stools runs along one side. Eight tables in matching Formica provide seating for 30 more. The counter and furniture appear new, but the remainder of the restaurant seems to have come from a Salvation Army resale shop.
With mismatched salt and pepper shakers, an old chrome cash register and the kind of acrylic water tumblers people used to keep for patio picnics, Twilight is consciously not upscale. Like as not, the dishwasher may seat you, and the waiter might get so involved in conversing about John Coltrane or ’70s rock music that he’ll forget to take your order.
The unpretentiousness of the surroundings melds nicely with the less than a dozen items on the handwritten menu. Though the list changes frequently, it usually includes a couple of soups, a salad and several entrees paying homage to the cuisines of the Mediterranean, Asia, Mexico and the U.S.
In some cases, such as with the “sesame-coated catfish with bacon, lemon, scallions and Lea & Perrins ,” that can happen simultaneously.
Though the dishes are imaginatively conceived, they aren’t always deftly executed. The catfish ($7.50), for instance, was fresh and tasty but came with no sauce and only a small handful of plain brown rice. Chicken breast saute with chorizo, poblano, orange and cilantro also was tender, mildly spiced and accompanied by the same brown rice, but it would have been better with a sauce.
More successful was roasted sweet potato and garlic cream soup ($3.50), smooth and thick with just a hint of orange flavor. On one Saturday evening the restaurant was out of potato corn chowder, which the waiter said is popular.
Rice stick pasta (thick, translucent noodles) with pieces of bok choy, chili and light oyster sauce ($6.50) was adequate but not spectacular. The pasta was sticky and there was scant evidence of chilies.
For dessert, a chocolate-banana trifle ($4.50) was just OK, with not much chocolate, a thin custard and whipped cream from an aerosol can.
The menu changes often enough that you could drop in for dinner every evening without having the same thing twice, the waiter said. And you always are welcome to bring your own beer or wine.
Despite its bright sign, Twilight remains anti-chic and neighborly. It’s the kind of place where you can hang out and have a cup of coffee, a sandwich or a meal–where the waiter might sit down and join you rather than hovering nearby for a tip.
Twilight
1924 W. Division St., 312-862-8757
4-11 p.m. Mon-Thur.; 4 p.m.-midnight Fri.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and and 5 p.m- midnight Sat.;10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.
Wheelchair accessible; no credit cards
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RATINGS KEY: 4 forks: Top of the class 3 forks: Better than most 2 forks: Very good fare 1 fork: Middle of the road
