Chicago Restaurant Week has become a misnomer. The event now stretches a full fourteen days, with almost four hundred area restaurants joining in with $24, $36, or $48 tasting menus for old and new clientele to sample some standout dishes. With that many options, it can be dizzying to be told to “pick a place, wherever sounds good” and be the ambassador of a narrow window of opportunity. With that struggle in mind, here are some interesting and crave-able menus that you might want to check out from January 25th to February 7th across Chicago and its suburbs.
Duck Inn: There are plenty of options for charcuteries and other specialty meats- Publican, Frontier, and Dusek’s being the most notable. But Duck Inn takes diners away from the endless Morgan Street crush and out to Bridgeport for an intriguing number of proteins. Any place with goats milk cajeta will draw my eye, but adding a surf’n’turf pork belly and scallops option kept it.
Frasca: This Lakeview/Roscoe Village border spot is a go-to for the young crowd in the area for Bumble dates and wine nights, especially on $5 Wednesdays. I confess to having sampled very few non-pizza items at Frasca before now, but their Restaurant Week offerings are intriguing. Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba’s menu disappoints this year, so try the bacon-wrapped dates at Frasca and then carbo-load with the entree pastas before walking over to the Southport corridor to shop it off.
Aba: One of Chicago’s hardest reservations, particularly in the winter without the extensive patio seating available, is offering three courses plus wine for $48. This is perhaps the most predictable choice on the list- everyone is telling you to try Aba. However, this menu is intriguing because it offers a chance to try at least four dishes in one reservation (and that’s if you aren’t sampling your companions). With a tough-get like this Fulton Market Lettuce Entertain You spot, the opportunity to taste lots of dishes on your first trip is key- especially since each diner gets to try two of their especially well-reviewed spreads.
HaiSous: This Vietnamese Pilsen spot offers both a standard and vegetarian menu, alongside a brunch menu that includes a mango mimosa option. In the haze of novelty Benedicts and monkey breads that is modern brunching, pho is too often forgotten as a morning food by Chicagoans who don’t live close to a good noodle joint. I’m also a big fan of the light and fun dessert options; a nice change from the cheesecake/chocolate cake choice that bogs down many of CRW’s menus.
The Kennison: This Boka-group restaurant is on the newer side of the groups offerings, only claiming big-brother status to Duch and Docs (and soon, Cabra, Stephanie Izard’s Peruvian project). This fairly traditional list of offerings is notable for the chicken and gnocchi dish, a standout on the a la carte menu, and the opportunity to choose between three of pastry chef Cati Molnar’s fantastic desserts.
Andiamo: This one is intriguing not so much because of the food, which is fairly standard Italian fare, but because it dared to participate from the far west of the O’Hare Hilton Hotel. The ability for those with long layovers, quick convention trips, or last-minute delays to try a Restaurant Week menu exemplifies how the event has grown since its beginnings. Any of these classic Italian dishes look like a good option to set you into a food coma that will hopefully last your whole flight.
Margeaux Brasserie: Many diners look at restaurant week as a way to try new things, sample cuisines, or explore mysterious restaurants with stark menus, all without overspending or committing to long tasting menu. However, many others look at Restaurant Week as a chance to just get away for less. For the classic date night that won’t add too much to the babysitters high bill, try this French getaway for traditional French dinner-out dishes like beef tartare and escargot.
Rojo Gusano: A menu resplite with taco options that doesn’t skimp on the other courses? I’m in. It also includes a chance to get away from the repetitive, semi-upscale Mexican that’s so pervasive throughout the Loop and its surrounding neighborhoods. The fried plantains with ginger are just an added bonus.
Table, Donkey, & Stick: This Logan Square bistro has a wealth of vegetarian and gluten free options and comes with charcuterie of your own construction. Choose from a variety of cheese and cured or pickled meats to start off, and then slide into an actually intriguing salad course- if you can call it a salad course when it includes the tempting idea of a cauliflower gratin.
Vermillion: The Chicago Restaurant Week menu for this eclectic Indian- Latin inspired River North restaurant greets you with the words “sensual global latitudes”- and it doesn’t slow down from there. The four courses pack together shrimp curry next to Indian pakora fritters with Spanish flavors and makes you choose between churros and flan with Southeast Asian flavor additions like mango and cardamom. It’s guaranteed to not be replicated anywhere else on this years list.
Sushi Dokku: I once went on an absolutely electric first date at Booze Box, the tiny bar underneath Sushi Dokku. It was made all the more exciting by how he deftly grabbed the very large check after we each finished off two fabulous cocktails. If you don’t have a Bumble boy to make that experience possible, use their CRW menu to get your own taste of the restaurant for less. Sneak down there for a drink after exploring their expansive offerings for CRW. The six different small bites/rolls offered will let you try the best of this trendy spot without going overboard.
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