A roundup of restaurants recently reviewed by restaurant critic Phil Vettel.
AIGRE DOUX ***
230 W. Kinzie St., 312-329-9400. Though the name means “sweet and sour,” there’s scarcely a distasteful note to be found in this remarkable restaurant, run by husband-wife team Mohammad Islam (chef) and Malika Ameen (pastry chef). Nominally an American restaurant, Aigre Doux’s menu incorporates a multitude of global influences and knowing twists on classic cooking (Mediterranean lamb and couscous becoming American lamb chops over Perigord-butter grits, for instance). The result is delicious food that’s also intellectually satisfying, and, when paired with careful, spot-on service and a thoughtful wine list, adds up to a superb dining experience. Recommended: Mussels in Thai broth, artichoke soup with bay scallops, slow-baked salmon, sticky toffee pudding, creme fraiche panna cotta. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat., lunch Mon.-Fri., brunch Sat.-Sun. Entree prices: $24-$34. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Valet parking, no smoking.
CAFE MATOU ***
1846 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-384-8911. A 60-seat cafe with handsome oak French doors and eye-catching abstract art, this edge-of-Bucktown hangout is almost too comfortable to be a bistro, despite Charlie Socher’s excellent French cooking and neighborhood-friendly prices (augmented by a weekday $23 prix-fixe and other bargains). An ambitious wine program and well-informed service are icing on the cake. Recommended: Beet-rocket salad, gruyere-stuffed quail, blanquette de veau, parfait glace. Open: Dinner Tue.-Sun. Entree prices: $17.75-$21.50. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible (front entrance one step, back entrance available), no smoking.
CHALKBOARD ***
4343 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-477-7144. Gilbert Langlois (ex-Rushmore, SushiSamba Rio) brings his creative-comfort-food act to the Lincoln Square neighborhood with this 62-seat charmer, a beautiful dining room full of uncluttered elegance, enlivened by the occasional appearance of the chef’s son, Owen. Arrive 15 minutes early and spend the time hunting for a metered parking space. Recommended: Grilled quail with “secret” stuffing; beet salad, striped bass, fried chicken, bread pudding. Open: Dinner Mon, Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. Entree prices: $15-$28. Credit cards: A, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, no smoking.
THE CHICAGO FIREHOUSE **
1401 S. Michigan Ave., 312-786-1401. Beyond the usual beefy litany at his South Loop chophouse, chef Caesar Reyes’ menu offers an ambitious list of seafood entrees and other surprises, such as frog legs over celery root. There’s a hefty wine list containing plenty of big names, but there’s a considerate number of affordable bottles as well. The building, a former firehouse (the brass poles are still on display) features a well-appointed and sedate white-tablecloth dining room, and a more boisterous bar space in front. Recommended: Frog legs, mini-crabcakes, ribeye steak, carrot cake. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri. Entree prices: $16-$64.99. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking.
DELACOSTA ***
465 E. Illinois St., 312-464-1700. Douglas Rodriguez earned his “father of Nuevo Latino cuisine” label at his New York City restaurants in the ’90s, but his better-late-than-never 2006 arrival in River East shows that the chef still has fresh and original things to say. His vibrant ceviches, sliced and marinated to order, virtually sing with flavor and the rest of the menu sparkles with freshness and fun. The solarium bar, which overlooks Ogden Slip, is already a magnet for the well-dressed set. Recommended: Rainbow ceviche, marlin tacos, shrimp chicharrones, churrasco, chocolate tres leches cake. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri. Entree prices: $21-$38. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible (separate entrance), valet parking, no smoking.
ENTOURAGE **
1301 American Lane, Schaumburg; 847-995-9400. The cocktail-shaker-shaped front window is a clue to how seriously this sophisticated restaurant takes its beverage program, from its not-the-usual-suspects wine list to a cocktail list that includes $75-plus “luxury” blends (in a keepsake, hand-painted glass). But Entourage is serious about its food, an approachable, contemporary-American menu. There’s more solid execution than originality, but most dishes work fine. Recommended: Tuna tataki, macadamia tilapia, prime rib, white-chocolate cheesecake. Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $15.95-$42.95. Credit cards: A, DC, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended weekends. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, smoking in lounge only.
FIXTURE *
2706 N. Ashland Ave., 773-248-3331. When is a small-plates restaurant not a small-plates restaurant? When it’s this year-old, 30-seat neighborhood spot, where chef Sarah Nelson cranks out portions that are about the size entrees would be if anybody listened to nutritionists’ advice. Choose judiciously among the three-dozen menu items, therefore, because three is all you’ll manage. Recommended: Chicken croquettes with caponata, chile-marinated lobster ceviche, suckling pig with habanero barbecue sauce, orange cheesecake. Open: Dinner Tue.-Sun. Prices: Small plates $6-$13. Credit cards: DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, no smoking.
GRAZE **
35 W. Ontario St., 312-255-1234. Chef Bob Zrenner and pastry chef Jordan Rappaport — two of the three principals behind the highly regarded X/O in Lake View — have taken their talents downtown, and the result is this delightful small-plates concept, wherein for the price of an upscale entree elsewhere, one can sample two to three compositions. There are one or two faint echoes of X/O nibbles on the Graze menu, but mostly Zrenner is up to new tricks, and just about all of them work. If only that goofy firewood-and-sunflower decor weren’t so distracting. Recommended: Celery-root tortellini with oxtail, trio of soups, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, caramelized cheesecake ravioli. Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun. Prices: Small plates $6-$14. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
LE LAN ***
749 N. Clark St., 312-280-9100. The arrival of chef Bill Kim has invigorated and focused the kitchen of this River North restaurant; hot and sour soup becomes haute cuisine in Kim’s hands, as do any number of prosaic sounding, brilliantly executed dishes. Exemplary service and a food-friendly wine list are significant pluses. Recommended: Pork-shrimp spring rolls, tea-smoked duck, mahi-mahi with pineapple-cucumber relish, white kimchi, lemon-coconut creme brulee. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat. Entree prices: $20-$36. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
NICHE ***
14 S. Third St., Geneva; 630-262-1000. Once there was a stellar contemporary-American restaurant in the Fox Valley called 302 West. When that restaurant was sold in spring 2006, its chef, wine directors and most of the other staffers banded together to open this cozy 72-seater a half-year later. Fans of the old 302 will find plenty of similarities in Niche’s scrupulously seasonal menu and unerring seafood preparations, but this impressive newcomer is definitely a new chapter for chef Jeremy Lycan, manager/sommelier Jody Richardson, and crew. Recommended: Smoked sturgeon, grouper with crawfish, pecan-crusted walleye, roasted duck breast, chocolate assortment. Open: Dinner Tue.-Sat. Entree prices: $27-$32. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, no smoking.
NOMI *** 1/2
Park Hyatt Chicago, 800 N. Michigan Ave., 312-239-4030. This showpiece of the Hyatt hotel group is a very expensive restaurant, yet time and again Christophe David’s exquisite French cuisine and NoMI’s luxuriously appointed interior justify the tariff. NoMI’s dramatic seventh-floor views of the historic Water Tower and the surrounding cityscape are icing on the cake. Recommended: Truffle tart, veal loin with sweetbreads, turbot, Majari chocolate dome. Open: Dinner and breakfast Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. Entree prices: $36-$50. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
OSTERIA DI TRAMONTO ***
601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling; 847-777-5608. Chef Rick Tramonto goes rustic Italian in this cavernous but good-looking (the brick-domed ceiling is worth a visit all by itself) restaurant inside the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel. The decor will put you in mind of a Tuscan house of worship, and in that vein Tramonto gives Italian tradition its due devotion. Recommended: Quartet of mozzarella, Tramonto pizza, monkfish osso buco, orange-ricotta cannoli. Open: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Mon.-Sun., brunch Sun. Entree prices: $13.95-$36.95. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
PANE CALDO **
72 E. Walton St., 312-649-0055. Though it sits on one of the Gold Coast’s most tony streets, this 70-seat jewel is anything but ostentatious, though it’s comfortable enough (comically small restrooms aside). Veteran chef Maurice Bonhomme adds a French lilt to the nominally Italian menu. The wine list is broad and impressive. Recommended: Lobster mille-feuille, black-grouper ceviche, mushroom risotto, chocolate trio. Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $31-$37; tasting menu $69-$95. Credit cards: A, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Hushed. Other: No smoking.
SAGE GRILL **
260 Green Bay Rd., Highwood, 847-433-7005. An attractive American bistro with wide-ranging appeal, Sage Grill has enough high-end dishes to appeal to luxury diners but plenty of options under $20 and a prix-fixe option (four courses, $45), among other customer-friendly touches. Recommended: Balsamic-glazed quail, lobster gnocchi, striped bass, espresso sundae. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $14-$32. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, smoking in bar only.
SEQUEL ***
44 Yorktown Center, Lombard; 630-629-6560. Beset with mid-priced chain competitors, Steve Byrne closed his beloved Bistro Banlieue and remade it into a more upscale contemporary-American with fewer seats, white tablecloths, crystal stemware and other niceties. Free from the restrictions of the bistro label, chef Mark Downing is cooking with renewed vigor and creativity. Recommended: Diver scallop over braised oxtail, tiger shrimp with snow crab in miso broth, pear-lacquered duck breast with lingonberry demiglace, cashew panna cotta with curry sauce. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat. Entree prices: $18-$28; tasting menu $70. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Hushed. Other: Wheelchair accessible, no smoking.
THE STAINED GLASS ***
1735 Benson Ave.; Evanston, 847-864-8600. Rarely do food and wine match so beautifully as they do at this North Shore stunner, where chef Victor Hernandez’s superb contemporary-American food is supported by a fine beverage program that offers wines by the bottle, glass, or flight. Recommended: Foie-gras BLT, baked artichoke, lamb rack with white-truffle creme brulee, chocolate cubed dessert. Open: Dinner Mon., Wed.-Sun. Entree prices $14.75-$29.75. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking weekends, no smoking.
TRAMONTO’S STEAK & SEAFOOD ***
601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling; 847-777-6575. Chef Rick Tramonto applies a gourmet touch and his trademark showmanship to the steakhouse concept in this dining room in the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel. The menu offers such throwbacks as iceberg-wedge salad and shrimp cocktail, and the shellfish platters are named after characters from “Gilligan’s Island.” All this in a theatrical setting with a 30-foot-tall wine wall, water walls and other eye candy. Recommended: Frog legs, beef tartare, ribeye steak, lemon-meringue tart. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $19-$47. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Strongly recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
VIAND ***
155 E. Ontario St., 312-255-8505. Steven Chiappetti is back in the city. The one-time chef of Mango (which closed to make room for development) has attached himself to this attached-to-a-hotel dining room just steps east of Michigan Avenue and is cranking out the sort of unaffected, flavor-packed cuisine that made him a hero to downtown foodies years ago. Whimsical, prop-filled presentations make gazing at Chiappetti’s food almost as fun as eating it. Recommended: Lamb riblets, pork and shrimp wontons, roasted chicken, lamb tagine, Junk-Food plate. Open: Dinner, lunch, breakfast Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $15-$24. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
XEL-HA **
710 N. Wells St., 312-573-9947. The much-traveled Dudley Nieto is behind this River North newcomer, a Mexican restaurant that focuses on the Mayan-influenced cooking of the Yucatan Peninsula — which promises slow-cooked, achiote-marinated meats and citrus-drenched seafood. The restaurant has its rough edges, but Nieto is cooking as well here as he ever has. Recommended: Cochinita pibil, los tres ceviches, panuchos de pato, spice-rubbed ribeye steak, cuatro leches cake. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat., lunch Mon.-Fri. Entree prices: $14.95-$22.95. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible, parking lot ($10) across street.
ZAPATISTA *
1307 S. Wabash Ave., 312-435-1307. This modestly ambitious South Loop restaurant takes its name from a Mexican revolutionary, but there’s nothing subversive about the menu, which sticks for the most part to tried-and-true staples, capably executed. The fajitas are particularly good here, as are the daily specials, which typically outshine the everyday fare. Zapatista draws a good-sized after-5 crowd. Recommended: Sorpresa Veracruzano, scallops with tomatillo-avocado salsa, steak and lobster fajitas. Open: Dinner and lunch Mon.-Sun. Entree prices: $8.99-$24.99. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Noise: Conversation-challenged. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking.
ZOCALO **
358 W. Ontario St., 312-302-9977. The former Chilpancingo space has had its carnival colors muted to soothing earth tones, but Saul Roman’s Mexican cooking is plenty eye-opening on its own. About three-quarters of the menu consists of small-plate dishes priced from $6-$9, though there are 10 entrees for those who prefer more traditional dining. Service is a bit by the numbers but keeps up with the speedy kitchen. Recommended: Guacamole trio, fish tacos, octopus ceviche, pork tenderloin, steak Oaxaqueno. Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri. Entree prices: $14-$22. Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V. Reservations: Recommended weekends. Noise: Conversation-friendly. Other: Wheelchair accessible, valet parking, no smoking.
Ratings key:
OUTSTANDING ****
EXCELLENT ***
VERY GOOD **
GOOD *
SATISFACTORY
UNSATISFACTORY
Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
