Buzz can be a double-edged sword. For a high-profile restaurant, it can help disguise flaws; for a small neighborhood joint, it can amplify them. But for both, it rarely lasts. Here’s our take on some spots that opened with much fanfare. Did they live up to the hype?
Tweet
Early buzz: Uptown goes upscale.
Reality: Snooty foodies who came sniffing around after Tweet’s early good notices got their panties in a bunch when they saw other diners pairing duck confit with–egad!–Two-Buck Chuck. Get over yourselves, people; this ain’t Blackbird. It is, however, a BYOB joint with a pretty decently priced menu–entrees between $15-$18–of locally produced food meant for brew-drinkers and oenophiles alike. Yep, the food’s simple (spare, perhaps): Perfectly cooked Amish chicken ($17) tastes like, well, chicken. And indeed the small room, however charming, is challenging for conversation. Chef Janice L. Martin recently left, but down-to-earth owner Michelle Fire declines to name the sous chef who took her place. Fire’s determined to keep customers focused on the harvest-inspired food, not who’s cooking it. 5020 N. Sheridan Rd. 773-728-5576.
Japonais
Early buzz: Glamor! Celebs! Sushi! We give it six months.
Reality: Well, after almost a year, pricey Japonais is too clubby to be considered a fine-dining experience–a snippy, disorganized front-of-the-house ruins that–but the food’s too delicious to be written off as mere flash. But while sushi scenemaker Miae Lim recently closed her Wicker Park spot Ohba, and crowds here may have cooled ever so slightly, mainstays such as Kobe carpaccio ($10), the Rock ($12) and Tuna Tuna Salmon ($15) are still dead-on perfect. We say: Grab an easier-to-get sushi bar seat; skip the downstairs lounge mob. 600 W. Chicago Ave. 312-822-9600.
Fuse
Early buzz: Star chef makes triumphant return!
Reality: Star chef makes quick exit! Eric Aubriot, who has impressed Chicago for years at various spots, opened Fuse at Hotel 71 in February and left in August. Though this place attracts North Shore types, it never really caught on with the scenesters. Perhaps launching while it waited for a liquor license–and such a pretty bar!–caused Fuse to open with a bit of a whimper, despite the chef’s stature. 71 E. Wacker Drive, 312-462-7071.
Vermilion
Early buzz: Sex and the sitar.
Reality: Still one of the most sensuous rooms in town with its adobe-like interior, antique walnut bar and modernist furnishings, we wish we could afford to spend more time at Vermilion. But truth is, although the concept of blending Indian and Latin flavors never has trouble generating national attention, it always leaves us wanting more–and wishing we paid less. Despite its fiery heritage, the fusion cuisine here strikes us as timid. At a recent lunch, we paid $8 for two itty-bitty, so-so empanadas; $9 for green pea-like toor lilva soup and $4 for a hibiscus iced tea. Ay, caramba! 10 W. Hubbard St. 312-527-4060.
SushiSamba Rio
Early buzz: Early chef exits spell trouble.
Reality: Since opening last summer, inconsistency has hounded SushiSamba Rio, the Japanese-Peruvian-Brazilian spot whose interior redefined eye candy; both in its over-the-top glowing interior, and the young and the sweaty grooving to fusion beats in the street-level lounge. It hasn’t done the same for cuisine. Although a New York City and Miami powerhouse, after losing its first chef after nine days and another not long after, it’s really more about dating than dining. 504 N. Wells St. 312-595-2300.
La Tache
Early buzz: Best bistro in the city.
Reality: Did we say that? We must have been on to something because opening chef Dale Levitsky has left to replace the award-winning chef at Trio (now Trio Atelier). So can this little Andersonville boite survive after losing its star? It already has. Like Tweet, sous chef Michael Mitchell has taken over, and it’s still kicking out star-quality steak frite (market) and marengo ($18). Here’s a tip: Sunday brunch is not to be missed; it’s never crowded, there’s an outdoor patio, and the mascarpone French toast ($9) is orgasmic. 1475 W. Balmoral Ave. 773-334-7168.
