First bite: Spertus Cafe
If there is a more tranquil spot in the Loop than the Spertus Cafe (610 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-322-1700), inside the spectacular new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, I haven’t found it. The cafe itself is on the second floor of the new building, a modern jewel box of glass sandwiched between old stone and brick facades of Michigan Avenue. To eat there, you have to sign in, but there’s no admission fee (to enjoy the rest of the place, which includes a museum, theater, library and gift shop, admission is $7, $5 for students and seniors, children under 5 free).
The Spertus Cafe, operated by Wolfgang Puck’s gastronomic empire, is nothing fancy. It sits between the atrium and the windows overlooking South Michigan Avenue and Grant Park; at one end is a little cashier stand packed with plastic clamshells holding a variety of pan-Asian-inflected kosher eats (from Thai beef wraps to sushi rolls to teriyaki salmon) and desserts. Cutlery is disposable. Napkins are paper. Modern white tables and chairs sit along the windows. All of this open space positively eats sound, making Spertus Cafe a very quiet, hushed place, even as diners fill the tables. Sitting by the windows, looking out at the traffic and city life below, I felt a million miles away, like I was flying in a private plane over it all.
The enormous Chinese chicken salad ($6.99), a mix of greens, cabbage, fried wontons, cashews and slices of chicken with a sweet and savory sesame-ginger vinaigrette, was nothing mind-blowing, but was fresh and flavorful. The teriyaki salmon ($7.49) was perfectly cooked; the lightly glazed salmon sat on a bed of tender jasmine rice studded with carrot and green onions. Everything tried was perfectly fine — and kosher too. But the reason to make the trek to the Spertus Cafe is to sit there, in those light-filled windows above South Michigan Avenue and bask in the peace. The cafe is closed for Shabbat from 3 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday.
— Trine Tsouderos
Coming attraction: Con Sabor Cubano
We love a good cortadito and Cuban sandwich. But with the closing of Rancho Luna and Cuban Island in Peterson Park, the Northwest Side has been hurting for a decent Cuban meal. So we were happy to hear about the new Con Sabor Cubano (2739 W. Lawrence Ave.; 773-728-2226), scheduled to open before mid-January.
According to Michael Perez, everyone in his Cuban-American family loves to cook, so his dad, Reynaldo (a longtime CTA employee), decided to lead them in the effort to open a family restaurant. Initially, the Ravenswood storefront will offer pressed sandwiches — including Cubanos, ropa viejas (with shredded beef) and steak sandwiches — for $5-$7 plus a selection of Cuban-style coffees. “We’ll have espresso, cafe con leche and cortaditos (espresso with a squirt of milk),” Michael said.
After they get the sandwich biz up and running, Perez says they will branch out into other Cuban foods. But for now they’re just trying to complete their city inspections so they can crank up the grill for those toasty sandwiches of pork, cheese, pickles and mustard.
— Monica Eng
First bite: The Painted Lady Organic Eatery
The folks behind Bleeding Heart Bakery recently moved that little organic hot spot to 1955 W. Belmont Ave. and opened a new organic restaurant in its old West Chicago Avenue location. The new place is called The Painted Lady Organic Eatery (2018 W. Chicago Ave.; 773-327-6931, www.thepaintedladyorganiceatery.com), and like the bakery, its focus is on seasonal food made with USDA certified organic ingredients and with as many products made locally or by small farmers as possible. The vibe is fun, funky, casual, a little bit crunchy-tattooed. The walls are painted hot pink, lime green. The tables are diner-retro. The menu is vegan-friendly — most everything can be made without animal products. This is a place that stocks a lot of seitan. The menu includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches, entrees, pizza and desserts. Among other items, there’s vegan chili ($5), baked goat cheese mac ‘n’ cheese ($6), an assortment of salads ($8-$12.50), a grass-fed beef burger on a flax seed bun and topped with a poached egg ($11) and something called “trailer park cassolet” – tuna mac casserole with peas “baked to a crisp” ($10). There’s also a vegan-friendly kid’s menu with standard wee one fare like grilled cheese ($4).
I tried the “Neato Mesquito” sandwich ($9; barbecue baked chicken on a flax seed bun) and sweet potato fries with a cranberry barbecue sauce ($4). The best of the lot was the sweet, tart and sour cranberry barbecue sauce that accompanied the very greasy but otherwise tasty sweet potato fries. The sandwich was filled with tender, moist chunks of baked chicken bathed in a slightly sweet and simple barbecue sauce. But the flax seed bread, with its nutty taste, clashed with the sweet chicken. While it tasted healthy, it was a discordant note in an otherwise nice sandwich. After all of that flax seed and organic food, I left feeling virtuous enough to grab a decadent chocolate brownie on the way out.
— Trine Tsouderos
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