First bite: Crust
Crust, Chicago’s first certified organic restaurant, opened its doors late last week on a balmy spring night, and the hordes descended. As is often the case with new establishments, service was disorganized and table assignments were puzzling. Long lines were forming when more than a dozen tables were empty.
Once you got past initial service issues in this hip, modern Wicker Park organic pizzeria with a large dining room and two outdoor patios, there was much to enjoy. A Brown Derby salad (greens, roasted chicken, bacon, egg, cheddar, avocado, tomato, red onion and Russian dressing; $10) was a virtual ode to high-quality ingredients with one terrific flavor after another revealing itself.
Despite my initial grumpiness, I ate every bite to a soundtrack of Wicker Park hipster chatter, electronica and soothing world music tunes over the sound system. And the pizza? I got the clambake ($14) with fresh clams, bechamel, mozzarella, caramelized onions and wild herbs; it featured a bubbly ciabatta-like crust with a smart blend of sweet, salty and clam flavors. Other pizza flavors include BLT, mushroom and Mexicali with shrimp. Crust also offers pulled pork, grilled cheese and Tallgrass beef sandwiches. The bar serves wine, organic beer and organic vodka drinks.
Guys at the table near me whined they were still hungry after eating their personal pizzas (about 6 inches across), but seem to have missed the point of this spot, which places quality over quantity with spectacular results.
Crust, 2056 W. Division St.; 773-235-5511
— Monica Eng
Chef shifts: Alhambra Palace
Alhambra Palace has been open barely a month, and already the owners are re-engineering the menu. Gone are the menu’s French influences — and with them, chef Eric Aubriot — and instead the restaurant will be all-Moroccan, all the time. The not-so-new executive chef is Daniel Wright, who ran the kitchen at Souk (Alhambra’s predecessor) for four years.
The quick departure came as a surprise to Aubriot. “I was hired to do the French part of the menu,” says Aubriot, “and then they basically changed their minds and didn’t want any French influence.” Aubriot says he’s not sure what his next move will be.
Alhambra Palace’s new, all-Moroccan menu will be up and running this weekend, says Wright, adding, “we’re going to put in a lot of dishes we haven’t done before.”
Alhambra Palace, 1240 W. Randolph St.; 312-666-9555
— Phil Vettel
Meal deal: David Burke’s Primehouse does lunch
The problem with high-end restaurants is that often our bank accounts aren’t high enough to try these places. Which is why the prix-fixe lunch is an option at David Burke’s Primehouse where they recently began offering a relatively affordable three-course lunch they’re calling the “207L Pre Fixe Lunch.” (Yes, it’s prix fixe, but that’s how it’s spelled on the menu. And the 207L? That’s the name of the 2,500-pound bull whose only job is to mate with cows and roam the green Kentucky pastures he calls home.)
Lunch costs $20.71 per person and starts with an asiago-Parmesan popover. Then choose from a soup of the day or three salads. Five main courses are offered, including a chicken Caesar salad, a turkey club sandwich and a penne dish with tomatoes, basil and bufala mozzarella. I opted for the sirloin burger, a thick, classic, manly burger grilled to a just-right medium-rare. My friend had the seared rare tuna, a refreshing soba-noodle plate with crunchy edamame and a light sesame vinaigrette.
The highlight was dessert. A changing trio of sorbets, a “Slice of Prime” (a decadent chocolate cake with graham cracker crumbs and s’mores ice cream) and “3 Cookies & A Shake” were available.
Although advertised as “3 courses in 40 minutes,” it took closer to an hour from sit-down to get-up. But for the price, location and those desserts, you won’t hear me complaining.
David Burke’s Primehouse, The James Hotel, 616 N. Rush St.; 312-660-6000.
— Kevin Pang
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