230 W. Kinzie (at Franklin)
We went here because it’s down the block from the Husband’s office. Chill vibe, fancy rustic look, good music. Truly nice service. PBR on the menu, served in a “Hoffman” which was explained as a large chalice; the restaurant received a shipment of Hoffmans by mistake and decided to go for it. We however, decided on Two Brothers Domaine Du Paige and a nice viognier.
We started with two outstanding salads: For me, a gorgeous plate full of celeriac, yellow beets, red beets, carrots, fennel—all thinly shaved and dressed with a delicate Champagne vinaigrette. For the Husband, mixed greens and shallot dressing. The menu is a la carte, so we ordered a side of roasted cauliflower. Husband had a Croque Madame with a fried egg on top. He’s a sucker for the fried egg. Two big ol seared scallops on top of housemade papardelle in a simple, barely-there butter and lemon and celery sauce. Completely delicious; $95.89 included 2 drinks a piece.
[Side bar: What’s with the annoying trend of waiters “explaining” the menu? This seems to happen at every place that’s opened in the past 2 years. Do we look like rubes who’ve never been to a restaurant before? It’s a menu. This is a restaurant. Unless the restaurant does something really crazy like “kill it yourself” or “we’re anti-utensil” it seems the explanation part could be eliminated.]