Boka Group to open Somerset in Viceroy Hotel; Lee Wolen named chef

Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

Six wild Burgundian snails are the star of the wood-grilled escargot ($12) at Le Sud. The Roscoe Village restaurant's version of this dish is not hiding in a pool of garlic butter or served in a scalding hot dish. Presented on a skewer, the mollusks are brushed with olive oil infused with herbs de provence before they're grilled, absorbing a delicate smoky flavor that lingers in your mouth. Tender and buttery, the snails are served with a few generous pats of herb butter that melt, adding another layer of fragrance and lusciousness. A side of green salad dressed with olive oil, lemon and salt provides a bright contrast to the skewer and a hearty country bread serves as a foundation for assembling a makeshift toast point. The portion is small, so make your dining companions order their own. $12. 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, lesudchicago.com — Grace Wong

Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

Although the original steak tartare was made with horse meat, you'll find beef is used on American menus today. Bucktown's Le Bouchon offers the classic French dish with rich and tender top sirloin chopped into tiny chunks, with sweet cornichons, Tabasco, creamy gribiche with cured egg yolk, crunchy shallots and fragrant garlic mixed in. The dish is topped with a raw quail egg from which a small portion of the shell is missing, revealing the pearl of buttery yolk inside. On the side are two slices of toasted bread for scooping hearty spoonfuls of this decadently bright and snappy starter. $13. 1958 N. Damen Ave., 773-862-6600, lebouchonofchicago.com — Grace Wong

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

The Elysian tarte flambee sounds terribly frou-frou until you realize it's essentially a thin-crust pizza. Chef Danny Grant first offered the Alsatian creation at the Gold Coast hotel formerly known as the Elysian, and it remains quite heavenly. I've had lots of variations in France, even around the eastern borderlands with Germany and Switzerland. At Etta in Bucktown, wood-fired charred edges ring a heart of fatty bacon, soft onion, creme fraiche, the Gruyere-inspired Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese from Uplands in Wisconsin and egg, its golden yolk drizzled over the top. Available weekend brunch only, so I highly recommend reserving a table at the busy restaurant, or bonne chance grabbing a seat at the walk-in bar or coveted outdoor patio, weather permitting. $16. 1840 W. North Ave., 312-757-4444, ettarestaurant.com — Louisa Chu

Josh Noel/Chicago Tribune

The list of countries known for their beer would wind on for a while — U.S., England, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand — before we ever got to France. But the French have given us at least one tremendous gift on the beer front: biere de garde. It's a toasty, lightly sweet, malt-forward style with little hop character that pairs exceptionally well with food. Local breweries Off Color, Marz and Whiner all dabble with biere de garde, but Two Brothers Brewing's Domaine DuPage is the only one made consistently in the Chicago area. It's a beer that dates to 1999 — well before the current craft beer boom — "inspired by the brothers' time living in France," the brewery says. Domaine DuPage is an extraordinarily well-respected take on the style, winning at least six major medals over the years. It's always there in a pinch, in coolers and on beer menus across the city, though the ideal place to try the beer is at the source: the taproom at Two Brothers' Warrenville brewery. $5.50. 30W315 Calumet Ave., Warrenville. twobrothersbrewing.com — Josh Noel

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

The quiche has become such an iconic item at Cellar Door Provisions, a favorite neighborhood restaurant of chefs and food journalists across the country, that I live in fear that they'll take it off the menu. The French-inspired savory egg tart is encased here in a pate brisee that's not just the simple thin and crisp pastry crust as much as impossible proportions of butter, flour and je ne sais quoi. The custard must be touched by the supernatural too. Recently it was allegedly only infused with roasted onion, black pepper and bay leaves. Evocative of the silky Japanese dish chawanmushi or Chinese steamed eggs, it reaches such acrobatic heights that the whole creation must chill for a day before slicing, co-owner Tony Bezsylko once told me, thwarting imminent collapse from the gaze of sheer desire, I think. When you go to their corner of Logan Square, the type of quiche will probably have changed, since the menu adapts not just seasonally or daily, but a measure more fleeting. $10. 3025 W. Diversey Ave., 773-697-8337, cellardoorprovisions.com — Louisa Chu

Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune

No one would ever confuse downtown Chicago for Paris, but one of the hottest places to lunch right now is Cochon Volant Brasserie, smack-dab in the middle of the Loop. Call ahead if you want to have any chance of snagging a comfy table. Otherwise, you'll be seated in the middle of the bustling bar area, which turns out to be not such a bad place. While most people go for the sandwiches, I'd advise ordering a bowl of the French onion soup. The broth is rich and super savory, mostly thanks to the well-caramelized onions. It's capped with a layer of melted aged Gruyere cheese, which obviously adds heft to each sip, but also a deep funky complexity. $8.95. 100 W. Monroe St., 312-754-6560, cochonvolantchicago.com — Nick Kindelsperger

Pick the macarons up atÂ Bennison's first thing in the morning,...

Jennifer Day/Chicago Tribune

Pick the macarons up at Bennison's first thing in the morning, when the trays are still full, as a treat for your office mates. Give one a slight pinch, and the airy crust will shatter, yielding to a chewy burst of flavor. Our favorite flavors are the salted caramel for its dusky brown sugar quality and the vanilla for its light and bright lift. But it's fun to mix and match. The jammy strawberry and the raspberry macarons beg for partners: strawberry with chocolate, rich with cocoa notes; raspberry with sweet lemon. Warn your podmates to pace themselves: This is a sugar rush. $1.85 each. 1000 Davis St., Evanston, 847-328-9434, bennisonscakes.com —Jennifer Day

Adam Lukach/Chicago Tribune

The croque madame provides a great example of a simple concept executed perfectly. It's like a next-level ham-and-cheese sandwich, enhanced by well-made bechamel sauce and melted cheese — all topped with a fried egg. The French dish is a daily offering at Maison Parisienne in Lakeview, where it's prepped with mozzarella and Swiss cheeses atop white bread with ham and bechamel between, plus a bit of nutmeg and pepper on the blanketing medium-fried egg. $9, $13 with drink and salad. 3307 N. Clark St., 773-857-1636, maison-parisienne.com — Adam Lukach

Nick KIndelsperger/Chicago Tribune

When I think of French cuisine, my mind usually jumps first to all the fussy, over-the-top dishes. But the French are no strangers to simple, satisfying fair, especially when chicken is involved. That's what you'll get at Taureaux Tavern, the second French restaurant in the Loop from WellDone Hospitality. This is simply a roasted half chicken perched on top of a bed of crispy potatoes, with a side of chicken jus. The chicken features a crackly, salty skin, and impressively juicy meat. But the real star of the dish might be the potatoes, which bathe in the meaty chicken juices, while still maintaining their crunch. $26. 155 W. Van Buren St., 312-624-8778, www.taureauxtavern.com — Nick Kindelsperger

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

Chef Sandra Holl is an exceptional baker but not French, though her husband and partner Mathieu Holl was actually born and raised in Paris. Naturellement at Floriole, their cafe and bakery in the Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood, they make a better Parisian sandwich. It's inspired by the classic jambon beurre, which traditionally is all about the baguette and not so much the skimpy slices of ham (jambon) and swipes of butter (beurre). Floriole's take beats the street food I found in the years I lived in the City of Light. Generous and tender slices of honey roasted ham get gilded with lots of soft, sweet butter plus whole grain mustard and bonus Swiss cheese. All sandwiches are available all day, as soon as the crusty breads are baked, usually by 9 a.m. Choose the impeccably fresh Werp Farms mixed greens side salad over the sea salt olive oil popcorn to remind you that while we'll always have Paris, sometimes Midwest is best. $10. 1220 W. Webster Ave., 773-883-1313, floriole.com — Louisa Chu

Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune

You may have heard about the burger here (I had something to do with that), but this tiny Logan Square spot is first and foremost a restaurant dedicated to the cuisine around the Alps. That explains why you'll run into a number of French dishes, including this escargot gratin. Because the petite and juicy snails are blanketed in a cheesy mornay sauce, you'd think that this dish would be overly heavy. But the thinly sliced tangles of charred celery on top bring an unexpected lightness to every bite. Toasted breadcrumbs also add some welcome crunch. $16. 2728 W. Armitage Ave., 773-486-8525, tabledonkeystick.com — Nick Kindelsperger

Phil Vettel/Chicago Tribune

George "Kiki" Cuisance opened his namesake restaurant in 1990, turning a dreary industrial loft space into a timber-lined oasis of French country charm. The menu is full of bistro classics, including steak au poivre, magret de canard, salade Lyonnaise and sole meuniere, but I opted for the day's special (one that recurs frequently) of sauteed skate wing with brown butter ($32.95), sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes. There's something about skate and brown butter that makes my toes curl, especially when a bit of lemon adds a touch of tartness. My choice was validated by none other than the dapper Kiki himself; on my way out, there he was, eating at the bar, and he had ordered the skate. (Budget-friendly tip: Check out the early-bird menu, three courses for $30.95, available between 5 and 6:30 p.m.) 900 N. Franklin St., 312-335-5454; kikisbistro.com — Phil Vettel

Adam Lukach/Chicago Tribune

"People love them," said the waiter at Bar Biscay when I asked about the fried manchego gougeres. In this case, the people have spoken correctly, and it's easy to taste why: They're just cheeseballs! Gougeres are, in the best and most beautiful way, a simple choux pastry combined with cheese — in this case a buttery, sweet-ish manchego — that yields soft, fluffy pastry balls. The manchego walks the fine sweet/savory line perfectly, and the deep fry doesn't go too far, instead deepening the flavors of both the cheese and pastry. The garlic aioli served under the gougeres feels appropriately indulgent for a dish so rich yet so light. They're easy to love. $9. 1450 W Chicago Ave., 312-455-8900, barbiscay.com — Adam Lukach

Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune

These days, we can eat foie gras out in the open without worrying about whether or not we're going to get fined. (If you've forgotten, fatty duck liver was banned in Chicago from 2006 to 2008.) And what better place to celebrate this freedom than at La Sardine, which has been open in the West Loop for more than 20 years? Currently a special on the lunch menu, the terrine de foie gras features layers of creamy foie gras mixed with thinly sliced black truffle. It's drizzled with a tart and slightly sweet cherry sauce and crowned with slices of extra buttery brioche. $21. 111 N. Carpenter St., 312-421-2800, lasardine.com — Nick Kindelsperger For a review of La Sardine, go here.

Jennifer Day/Chicago Tribune

Head to Oceanique for a weeknight date and reconnect over a fortifying bowl of bouillabaisse. Start with a salad, and tell the hospitable server you want to share it all; he'll see to it that it's served in a most civilized fashion on two separate plates. Seafood is the specialty here, which was most apparent in an amuse bouche featuring halibut that tasted as if it had swam up to the table. The hearty bouillabaisse comprises an array—shrimp, lobster, salmon, squid, octopus, scallops—bathed in a thickened broth scented with saffron and fennel. The whole lot is topped with a perfectly toasted crouton and served with aioli. Oceanique's dining room is warm and quiet, but not too stuffy, and made all the more inviting by friendly staff and delightful amuse bouche. $43. 505 Main St., Evanston, 847-864-3435, oceanique.com —Jennifer Day

Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

Steak au poivre is a simple dish — tender steak encrusted with cracked peppercorns and often served with a peppery sauce. It's comforting, filling and craveable. There aren't any bells and whistles with how Boeufhaus serves its steak au poivre — a 12-ounce New York strip, sliced and served with a pepper sauce on the side. Although the dish is traditionally made with filet mignon, the New York strip serves as a more-than-adequate stand-in. Tender and succulent, with fine flakes of salt and bright chives sprinkled on top, the steak was a savory treat with crispy bits on the outside and a luscious center. The pepper sauce was salty and creamy, boosting the beefy flavors of the steak while providing a burst of peppery aroma. $52. 1012 N. Western Ave., 773-661-2116, boeufhaus.com — Grace Wong

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

I don't know how Lost Larson chef and owner Bobby Schaffer does it. In a world where the best croissants sometimes mean waking up way too early to chase down just one variety, Schaffer offers his exquisite French-inspired edibles all day long, and now into the night. While I highly recommend his seasonal croissants whenever possible at the Andersonville bakery and cafe, get every variation of his chocolate croissants with a touch of cardamom too. Not only does the pastry itself contain chocolate, a rare technical feat, plus chocolate filling, but also an outrageous crown of whole roasted nuts frilled with chocolate drizzle manages to balance all the flavors beautifully. Preorders are possible, so go whenever you want. Sit out back on the dog-friendly private patio when weather permits. Stay for dinner and grab all the croissants you can for breakfast the next morning. $5.25. 5318 N. Clark St., 773-944-0587, lostlarson.com — Louisa Chu RELATED: Where to find Chicago's best croissants — butter, chocolate, almond and chicharron

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

When Germain Roignant opened La Creperie in 1972, Chicago had yet to become the French fine-dining destination that would define restaurants for a generation. Now 47 years later, while empires rose and fell, the bistro with a secret garden behind its Lake View East storefront has not only survived, but was resurrected. Closed temporarily in 2013, then reopened months later with partners, it's definitely the oldest creperie in Chicago, and possibly the United States. Longtime chef Juan Aranda makes not only classic sweet and savory crepes from Brittany on the Atlantic Northwest coast of France, but the coq au vin crepe. One of my first tastes of French food ever, brought back after the reopening by popular demand, it's practically a Chicago-style dish at this point. It makes no sense to enclose rich chicken in Burgundy wine sauce stew inside a delicate buckwheat pancake. Thankfully, it endures. $15. 2845 N. Clark St., 773-528-9050, lacreperiechicago.com — Louisa Chu

Grace Wong / Chicago Tribune

Calf brains, or cervelle de veau, are considered a delicacy in France and for good reason — they are unabashedly decadent with a melt-in-your mouth, puddinglike consistency. Cafe Marie-Jeanne is one of the few places in the city that serves them. Available for breakfast or dinner, the sauteed calf brains are brined in caper juice before they're fried in butter and served on toasted brioche with crispy edges. A savory grenobloise sauce (browned butter, pan drippings, fresh herbs and lemon juice) is spooned on top, and the aroma from the herbs and lemon zest rises with each bite. This is not a light breakfast. The richness of the calf brains combined with salty capers and bright lemon makes you feel like royalty and will have you sitting back in your chair afterward feeling remarkably satisfied. $9. 1001 N. California Ave., 773-904-7660, cafe-marie-jeanne.com — Grace Wong For more on brains: A look into a Midwestern dish on the brink of extinction

Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune

Bistro Campagne has been serving French classics in an adorably low-lit Lincoln Square space since 2002. Along the way, a few of its dishes have become staples, especially the poulet roti forestiere, a half-chicken almost completely covered in onion frites. But the dish that appealed to me the most on a recent visit was new. The quail ballotine features a mostly boned serving of quail (its legs being the obvious exception) stuffed with a delicate pork and game mousse. The meat rests on a creamy celery root puree and arrives drizzled with an assertive dijon au jus. Enjoyed in the golden light emanating around the room, this is the sort of refined and confident dish that can immediately transport you to France, if just for a bite. $15. 4518 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-271-6100, bistrocampagne.com — Nick Kindelsperger

Louisa Chu/Chicago Tribune

Walk into Pierrot Gourmet, the corner sidewalk cafe at the Peninsula Chicago hotel, and you might feel like you've stepped through to the chic Right Bank of Paris. Get the raspberry rose macaron, clearly inspired by Ispahan, made by the legendary Parisian pastry chef Pierre Herme. Here, big pink macaron shells sandwich a ring of fresh raspberries, hiding vanilla rose cream and raspberry gelee within. No lychee as in the original, but it's a breathtakingly beautiful delight in its own right. Your server will offer silverware if you dine in, but I advise just picking up the whole thing and taking a big bite. That's what I've done countless times to its Parisian cousin. It's indulgent and ridiculous and a celebration of joie de vivre. $8. 108 E. Superior St., ?312-573-6749?. peninsula.com — Louisa Chu

Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

Bistronomic is making affordable French food but it's not skimping on the details. This is evident in the ahi tuna nicoise salad. The tuna is beautifully seared, with a salty and peppery exterior giving way to a soft, ruby red middle. Nestled against it are a halved hard-cooked egg and a creamy avocado wedge. Sharing the bowl are finely chopped haricots verts, fennel shavings, briney nicoise olives and thin slices of soft fingerling potatoes, all dressed in a lemon vinaigrette. Chef Martial Noguier says that the vinagrette is made like a sauce — made by reducing lemon juice with shallots, garlic and thyme and letting that mixture cool before stirring in honey and olive oil. The dish is served with an arugula salad, also lightly dressed, and both are topped with Parmesan shavings. After a month of eating buttery, creamy dishes, this one was a welcome reprieve with its bright flavors and delicately prepared fish. $18.95. Order the salad for prix fixe lunch with a dessert (try the creme brulee) for $22. 840 N. Wabash Ave., 312-944-8400, bistronomic.net — Grace Wong

Grace Wong/Chicago Tribune

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By Phil Vettel

PUBLISHED: January 19, 2017 at 8:41 AM CST | UPDATED: May 2, 2019 at 5:48 PM CDT

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The latest restaurant for the Boka Restaurant Group (Girl & the Goat, Swift & Sons, GT Prime, Momotaro) will open this fall in the Viceroy Chicago Hotel (1118 N. State St.).

And Lee Wolen, executive chef of the group’s flagship Boka restaurant, will be running the kitchen.

Somerset, an American restaurant, will open on the street-level floor of the Viceroy, which is being built on the site of the old Cedar Hotel in the heart of the Gold Coast.

It will mark the 14th restaurant for the Boka Group, and its first in the Gold Coast.

“We’ve long coveted this space,” said Boka Group partner Rob Katz. “Obviously it’s a modern building, but they’re bringing back that beautiful (original) facade. And we get to keep that patio, landscaped and tree-lined. It’s one of the best locations in the city.”

“When we started thinking chefs (for the restaurant), our partnership with Lee for three years has been pretty magical,” said partner Kevin Boehm. “He was easily our first choice.”

Wolen will continue to oversee Boka restaurant.

“I think it’s challenging,” Wolen said about running two restaurants, “but we have really good people in place. I’ve had the same three sous-chefs with me for the whole time I’ve been living in Chicago, great cooks who need to be promoted. I look at this as opportunities for people who are ready for bigger responsibilities.”

Wolen said Somerset won’t be a major departure from his style of food (“Obviously, I cook the food I enjoy cooking,” he said) but will be somewhat less complex than his food at Boka.

“I want to have a wood grill, a small rotisserie, a few pastas — dishes that don’t have to be plated with tweezers,” he said. “Not a beet salad punched out of a ring mold and dressed beautifully, but maybe fire-roasted beets tossed with nuts and cheeses and super flavorful. A whole-roasted chicken for sure, maybe a suckling pig for two. Whole fish.”

That’s all pending what shakes out in the testing process.

“We spend a lot of time in the test kitchen,” Boehm said. “We spend months putting a menu together, and we’re just starting (on Somerset) now.”

Somerset’s interiors will be designed by Avroko; the New York-based company previously designed Boka Group projects Swift & Sons, Momotaro and Duck Duck Goat.

“The restaurant will be divided into three spaces, each with a different atmosphere,” Katz said. “Downstairs will have a marina, yacht-club feel, and upstairs will have a country-club look. It’s playful and fits perfectly into the Gold Coast.”

Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.

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Boka Group to open Somerset in Viceroy Hotel; Lee Wolen named chef

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