The Purple Pig: A Review

What do you expect? You’re at the Purple Pig!

This is what our server said to my group on my first visit to the Cheese, Wine, and Swine emporium. She was referring to the fact that the place is always crowded and loud, though apparently some people submitting reviews on a site that rhymes with “welp” did not get that memo.

I don’t mind the crowding, though. On a recent Thursday evening, when faced with an hour wait, they gladly took our phone numbers so we could wander Michigan Avenue and have drinks elsewhere before they had room for us. When we were seated, a mere 30 minutes later, they sat my friend and I across from each other at a large communal table, right between a single diner to our left and two hip, retired, Loop-living couples on our right. At the head of the table, our single-dining companion, a marketing director in town from Toronto, told us she felt like she had just been seated with someone’s big fat Greek family. And while none of us knew each other before our first bite, by our last we were passing plates and sharing laughs over plenty of wine.

But more than that, the Purple Pig is about the food. Yes, the wine is spectacular and the communal dining arrangement lends its own sort of flair to your evening, but with every dish that came to our table, I asked myself why I don’t come here weekly. Or nightly, for that matter. Between roasted bone marrow and house-cured lengua (pig’s tongue), they have the more exotic offerings down, but don’t pass up the home-style comfort foods either. A braised pork shoulder served atop mashed potatoes was voted (by me) best dish of the night. And a potato salad with braised artichokes was perfect in its simplicity, but not simple in flavor.

So here are the nitty gritty details: The Purple Pig is open nightly - until midnight on weeknights and until 2am on weekends. It's always packed, so plan for a wait. Their patio is open, covered, and heated for now, but when summer comes, the tent comes down and exposes one of the best outdoor options in the city. Food is served small-plates style and is meant to be shared. And don't forget, seating is communal. See you there.

The Purple Pig
500 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312-464-1-PIG (744)

In Search of Quiet ...

March 17 ... St. Patrick's Night  in Chicago's River North District ... not a good time for an older, single person looking for a quiet place to nurse a few glasses of wine and enjoy a leisurely dinner.  Ditto New Years' Eve ... Valentine' s Day ... Super Bowl Sunday. And, in fact, just about any night in this area where most of the iDine-member establishments are either more bar/lounge than restaurant or hugely-popular watering spots for the early-dining crowd.

Fortunately,  if you're  just looking to relax instead of partying, there are at least a few options for a quiet early-evening meal.  On this St. Pat's  night, I found refuge in ... 

Elate

111 W. Huron
312-202-9900
elatechicago.com

All too many places try to be both a cool cocktail lounge and a quality restaurant. This  is one of the few that can actually pull it off. Its spacious corner room at Clark and Huron Streets is large enough to keep noise from one function from interfering with the other.

With an 18-foot-plus high ceiling and waist-to-ceiling windows on two sides, combined with recessed and subdued lighting in the dining area, Elate provides  a quiet respite from the hectic atmosphere found in most of this neighborhood's eateries.

You'll pay for the privilege. Elate is affiliated with an upscale boutique hotel, the Felix, and its prices --- especially wine prices ... are well above the neighborhood average. But the food is imaginative and generally very carefully prepared and presented. The menu's very limited and the  emphasis is on smaller "tasting" dishes rather than heavy entrees, but there are a few full-dinner-size options in the $22-28 range   --- I had a superbly prepared, 6-7-ounce fillet of cod one evening and will gladly order it again.  The scallops, at $27 on the dinner menu, are also delicious, although perhaps not filling enough to call a full dinner. 

Before 5pm. you can order from a lower-priced bar menu but I'd recommend avoiding the burger. Go for one of the more imaginative plates. Consider adding a $5 herbed side salad from this bar menu to your dinner entree.

Elate is about a quarter-mile west of the main Rush St. night club district but, if you're in search of quiet, it's a worthwhile detour. 

Update: Elate dropped out of the Rewards Network programs in the 2nd week of June, 2011.

Phil Stefani's 437 Rush

437 N.Rush
philstefanis437rush.com

Merlo on Maple

16 W. Maple
merlochicago.com

Of the two very upscale Italian restaurants in iDine's Chicago River North universe, Stefani's is by far my preference. Both it and Merlo on Maple offer high-quality food, carefully prepared and served with flair and professionalism. But ...

Merlo looks quite inviting when viewed through the front windows, but the interior consists of a  collection of  several smallish rooms, with tables often too close together for real privacy. The greeter and headwaiter seemed overly pretentious, the menu seriously overpriced, and there seemed to be a bias against single diners. My pasta with meat sauce was cooked to perfection, and delicious, but lay naked on the plate --- bereft of greens, vegetable or even a hint of garnish. I left still feeling hungry.

 Walking  into Stefani's, you'll find yourself in a big, bright, busy, and likely boistrous, bar and cocktail lounge, jumping with young professionals celebrating the end of the work day. But don't be alarmed ...

Tell the hostess you want a quiet table for dinner and she'll escort you to a much more private dining room two doors beyond. Here, you find immaculately-set, white-linened tables and, unless the  place is unusually busy, the quiet, unperturbed atmosphere you crave.

Stefani's positions itself as "An Italian Steakhouse," and steaks and chops ARE a major feature here. (Samples: Filet Mignon $35, Petit Filet 31; 8-oz. Prime Kansas City Strip 41; 10-oz. New York Strip 34.There are, however, the classic Italian traditions: multiple pasta options, chicken and veal selections and, from the broiler, a half-dozen inviting-looking seafood entrees. I've stayed with the pasta menu so far and, each time, my dinner came to the table piping hot, perfectly cooked and, except for one surprisingly bland gnocci entree, imaginatively seasoned and flavorful.

Servers were, without exception, professional and attentive without a trace of obsequiousness. They tended to anticipate when I was ready for service and leave me alone until then.

The back dining room at Stefani's should be a safe bet for quiet dining until 7:00 or 7:30; after that it may start getting busy.

 Mario's

31  W. Goethe
mariosgoldcoast.com

This classic, moderately-priced Italian restaurant is tucked into the 1st-floor corner of a large high-rise condo on N. Dearborn Parkway, a block north of Division. It's not an iDine member and I'd walked by it many times, reading the appealing-looking menu but never stopping in. But in researching this article, I wondered --- might THIS be the "quiet community restaurant" for a noise-free evening meal? It may be, indeed. 

The space is large enough to keep conversations at the 12-seat bar  from impinging on customers dining further inside and some booths with shoulder-height dividers also help. It's not always completely quiet  --- it's a neighborhood place and customers tend to greet new arrivals a bit exuberantly --- but on balance, my first evening here was reasonably noise-free and quite pleasant. The window tables filled up rapidly after 7pm, but my booth further inside remained neighbor free.

Mario's menu is traditional Italian: Pastas, Pizzas, cacciatories, scaloppine's, marineras. Veal and chicken dishes prevail but several seafood options are available.  Menu prices are reasonable for this neighborhood; wines by the glass are a bit high but within line given the high-tax district we're in.

 If you don't mind giving up the mileage, and walking a block north of the main night-club district, Mario's is worth a try.

Two of my favorite ethnic restaurants, Sayat Nova (Armenian) and India House (Indian), which I've recommended in earlier columns,  have booths in the back of the house that are reasonably isolated from up-front traffic and bar conversations. On weeknights, at least, these are generally good for quiet dining up to at least 7 p.m. or so.

Followup: I recently returned to Mario's, this time on a Friday evening, and, by 6:30 or so most of the tables had filled  up and it could no longer be called a "tranquil trattoria." But by that time I'd finished a quiet, relaxing glass of wine, was ready to start a really well-stacked pizza prosciutto, and didn't really care. 

Lillie's Q, a Review

Of all the food trends happening in Chicago right now, the recent insurgence of BBQ is one of my favorites.  Slow smoked meats. Dry rubs. Sauces. Pedigreed chefs. Goodness.

Sure, you can head to Texas, or Kansas City, or North Carolina for great authentic BBQ, but in Chicago, you can find the traditional and authentic paired with a sleek atmosphere and a fantastic beer list.

Lillie’s Q took over in the former Aberdeen space on North Avenue, and ever since they opened, the place has been hoppin’. They join a slew of new BBQ restaurants opening up all over the city, but these guys are stocked and loaded with award-winning, grandma Lillie’s secret recipes.

You must order the mac and cheese, of course. And the pimento cheese - a slightly spicy and tangy cheese dip served with crispy, thin slices of toasted bread. Really, anything you order will be a hearty, southern-style plate (or tray) of really flavorful food.

The meats were phenomenal. Juicy, tender. The ribs fell off the bone. Five very special sauces are on offer, including an “ivory” variety that is peppery, slightly vinegary, and of course, creamy. The Carolina is the most traditional BBQ sauce – sweet, tangy, and the perfect consistency to slather over meat. Carolina Gold is similar to the original Carolina but with a mustard after-taste. The last two – Smoky and Hot Smoky – were my favorites. They taste like the names suggest, smoky, a little spicy, and all around good.

Lillie’s also has a unique atmosphere that stands out from other BBQ joints. The interior is industrial and hip, and the beer list is as good as the food. Metropolitan crafts a special Lillie's brew that pairs perfectly with a smoky piece of brisket. On nearly any night of the week, you'll find the space brimming with Chicago's young, meat-craving elite.

Lillie’s Q

1856 W North Ave
Chicago, IL

773.772.5500

www.lilliesq.com



Warm Weather Brings Dining and Drinking Outdoors

As I write this, I am looking out the window, watching people walk by without coats on as they taste their first bites of Chicago spring. By the time this piece is published, though, I predict at least one more freakishly cold, shiver-inducing, dig-out-the-coat-I-already-packed-away day. Such is springtime in Chicago. Nonetheless, nothing makes us Chicagoans lust for patio season more than that first 60-degree day, when daylight finally extends past 6 p.m. and we start choosing to brave the outdoors for lunch, or errands, or a leisurely walk.

So, in celebration of the approaching warm weather, I’d like to take this time to remind us all where those yearned-for patios actually exist.

Big Star. Did I even have to remind you of this one? It is possibly the best patio in the city, with some of the best tacos in the city to boot. Pair those tacos with a tall, icy michelada, and make sure to show up early – this patio fills up quickly.

Cedar Hotel. Formerly of Catcus and, most notably, Melvin B’s fame (where celebrity sightings were not uncommon), Cedar Hotel’s expansive patio will leave you with plenty of room to sit a few tables away from those noisy Wisconsin fans.

Ten Cat. Unlike my previous mentions, Ten Cat’s patio is rather inconspicuous. Shady and covered by trees, the patio can be found through the back door of the bar. The crowd is mostly locals with a chill vibe. If you’re lucky, the tamale guy might even show up.

South Branch. The jury is out yet on this brand new spot, but I’m willing to bet this expansive, riverside patio is going to be hot hot hot with the after-work crowd this summer. Brought to you by the same folks who perfected patios at The Boundary and Sweetwater, the food and beer menus look just as promising as the expansive outdoor space.

The Southern. Besides having one of the best comfort food brunches in town, The Southern boasts a great patio and garage doors for walls that turn the indoors to outdoors when the weather is warm. Rich, indulgent food and a drinks menu heavy on whiskey and southern beers, this place will keep you outdoors long after the moon comes up.

Not ready to commit to one patio? Just make your way to Division Street in Wicker Park. You'll be able to scout the patio competition before you settle into your seat. Or, when searching for outdoor dining, use Rewards Network's Advanced Search feature to narrow down your choices.

April is a member of Rapid Rewards Dining^TM 

India by way of Chicago

You're sitting 30 to 40 feet away from the kitchen with your back to it when you HEAR your  dinner coming--it's sizzling that loudly. You smell the spice-laden steam wafting from it long before it actually reaches the table. Welcome to  Chicago's Indian dining scene!

India House, 59 W Grand Ave, Chicago

 If ever there were a single place where one can sample the huge variety of flavors and cuisines found on the Indian Sub-continent, it's probably here in Chicago's River North district. The menu, all 11 pages of it, lists 204 distinct items, "From simple tandoori cooking to the sophisticated food of the royal families."

There's Chaupati, "Bombay Street Fare," and Hyderabad Khana, described as  "Spicy and aromatic, characterized by the liberal use of aromatic spices...and named after a famous Indian city."

The India House staff is well aware that many Midwestern U.S. palates are not equipped to cope with the levels of spiciness so dear to traditional Indian cooking. The waitstaff will gladly recommend dishes that are mildly enough spiced for non-Indians and will ask the kitchen to tone down the heat for those of us who would like to try one of the more  traditional dishes. The tandoori entrees are especially recommended starters for the spice-shy among us; the very high heat of this traditional clay oven provides a crisp outer crust, yet relatively miost and tender interior that doesn't really need much seasoning.

(The tandoor was not at all what I'd expected; rather than the big barrel-like clay pot I'd envisioned, it resembles an ordinary steel oven. The pottery cooking vessel, more like a big washbasin than a barrel, is inside, surrounded by burning charcoal. The photo came together when the chef loaded in a big slab of naan while I watched.)

My single best recommendation for a first-time sampling of Indian food would be the "Tandoori Mixed Grill Special"--worthwhile just for the chicken and shrimp even if you eat nothing else. The lamb sheesh kebab and rogan josh, both consisting of cubes of meat marinated in exotic spices, may be a bit too spicy of first-timers but you won't know until you try. Ask your server for  small, complimentary dish of chilled yogurt on the side. It's a very effective "fire extinguisher" should you bite down on something too hot to handle.

If you order one of the combination dinners, it will probably come with a multi-compartment silver tray with a variety of sauces. The green is mint-based and works well with lamb. The sauce that looks like orange marmalade is fruit-based but packs a much heftier tang; it's still reasonably mild and worth a try. The blackberry-colored sauce is reasonably safe but red sauce is best described as "DANGEROUS."

India House started as a single restaurant in one of Chicago's Northwest suburbs; it now has five locations in the greater Chicago area, plus one in Rockford, Ill., and  another in Ft.Lauderdale, Florida. The Chicago River North location has luncheon buffets daily, but closes during the afternoon before re-opening for dinner at 5 p.m.

Bar prices are quite reasonable for a location this close to downtown.  Behringer Founders Estate Merlot is $8 the glass, $30 the bottle; there are some relatively comparable wines at $7-9 per glass. Pina Coladas, mojitos and similar drinks are generally $9.95; martinis go for $10.95.

Indian food for most of us may be an acquired taste, but India House is a very good place to begin cultivating that taste.

Raj Darbar, 2660 N Halsted, Chicago 

Location is the operative word here--in the heart of the busy "Northalsted" neighborhood about halfway between River North's India House and the large cluster of Indian/Pakistani/Lebanese restuarants along West Devon Ave. It's a rather plain storefront, perhaps 40 feet wide, with a small bar in front and a line of not-especially-comfortable booths along the opposite wall. That said, the options are many and varied, the food good, and the prices quite reasonable. Given the modest decor and modest prices, I'd be tempted to call it "India House Lite."

Raj Darbar has all the classic tandoori selections, curries, and lamb dishes you'd expect of an Indian restaurant but, whereas India House emphasizes the clay-oven entrees, Raj Darbar devotes much of its menu space to dinners from the Karhai, described as an Indian cast-iron wok. Karhai dishes are, according to the menu,   "Stir-fried and very low in fat and cholesterol." Chicken and kamb dishes prevail, but there are seven seafood options and half a menu page of vegetarian dishes.

I'm not comfortable basing a review on just one visit, but can safely say that this would be a good source of Indian food in the greater Lakeview neighborhood.

The West Devon Enclave

One of Chicago's greatest concentrations of ethnic restaurants--especially Indian, Pakistani and Middle-Eastern ones--is along West Devon Ave., roughly between Damen (2000 West) and Kedzie (3200 West.) Two that appear on the March AAdvantage Dining  roster  are Chopal Kabob and Steak, 2242 W. Devon, and Indian Garden, 2546 W. Damen. I haven't been able to try either one of them yet.

John is a member of AAdvantage Dining^SM, Hilton HHonors® Dining, Mileage Plus Dining^SM, Priority Club® Dining, and SkyMiles® Dining.