The Bar

Firkin is tucked in to quaint, “Mayberry like” downtown Libertyville.  It’s located next to its sister restaurant The Tavern.

 Manager Tom Olsen warmly greeted me and Giles from the Great American Cheese Collection.  Giles had been selling Tom cheese for many years and they had yet to meet. 

 Although Firkin has received a lot of attention for it’s deep collection of beer and vodkas (10 Best Suburban Bars, 50 Best Beer Bars), I was there to check out their food.  I would call this a bar and restaurant where the food has equal footing with the liquor.  And we can’t say that about many bar/restaurant combinations. 

 How can I judge it as such?  For one, it’s a “scratch” kitchen (they don’t purchase their food pre-made, except for some dessert offerings.  They also source ingredients locally (a local farm for a new upcoming burger, the local farmers markets).  To top that off, they are sourcing “best in class” ingredients like Giles cheese and Nueske applewood smoked bacon.  I embarrassed myself once at the fancy food show by eating all the smoked bacon samples from Nueske.  It’s just really good stuff.  They also use Boars Head meats in their sandwich offerings. 

Warned Goat Cheese

 And, finally this: Giles had a side sample of their coleslaw.  I love to try coleslaw from a variety of places and think that if a chef really cares about the taste of the coleslaw, well – they care about everything.  And, I was happily surprised.  The coleslaw piqued my taste buds with sweet (a touch of honey), spice, vinegar.  There was “stuff” going on. Tom said he’s “been working on it” for weeks just to get the right blend.  I love that!

 On this afternoon, we started by sampling the warmed goat cheese in a roasted tomato sauce.  The dish (in general) reminded me of a common tapas dish.  The tomato sauce had an inspiring kick and a deep tomato flavor.  It was just right. Then, the heat was comforted by that warm, mellow goat cheese.  Fire, comfort, creamy texture.  I would eat this every day.

Potatoes with Blue Cheese

 We moved to the Queso Fundido appetizer with rock shrimp, bay scallops and Chihuahua cheese.  So, in my mind, I was still picturing the taste of a typical queso fundido with chorizo.  This had seafood that stood up for itself intermingled with that warm stringy cheese and a nice broth on the bottom.  There are many who say cheese and seafood don’t belong together, but I believe they do!

 Firkin’s whole menu is very eclectic and anyone should be able to find something to warm their belly.  They have wings, pizza, quesadillas, baked escargot, fried asparagus, welsch caerphilly, warm sourdough pretzel’s.  Doesn’t it all make sense?

 We moved on to entrée’s.  I sampled their bbq pork (suggested by Tom’s wife).  I asked before ordering whether this swung sweet or savory. Tom said “yes, all of that and some spice.” He was not kidding.  I’ve never tasted pork dressed this way.  It was Thai flavored and hit all taste combinations in my mouth.  It’s served with cool, seasoned- just-right garlic mashed potatoes with sautéed peppers and onions. 

 I spotted some potatoes with blue cheese on the menu and asked for a side of them. I died and went to heaven.  The potatoes were thin sliced and cooked in balsamic and seasoned. They were topped with melted blue cheese.  In that moment (and the next day!), it was the best thing I ever ate.  The tanginess of the cheese, the soft comfort of the potatoes – just great bar food to sop up the booze.  I wasn’t sopping on this afternoon, but that would be a great way to use this dish.  There may have been other ingredients involved.  I am not sure I could duplicate this dish.  However, Tom – if you are out there reading this – please don’t take this off the menu!

 Giles sampled their Tallgrass burger (grass fed, hormone free) with slices of his Laack Brother’s aged white cheddar (which Tom highly recommends for a burger) medium rare.  It was gone and part of a second in no time.

 Firkin honors all holidays; we were just coming off Mardi Gras and they’ve started moving into St. Patrick’s day.  The chef adds holiday authentic dishes. 

 Next up: the menu is being re-configured.  Some of the classics will stay, but they are changing it up quite a bit.  The menu will also include beer parings so you’ll know what beer tastes best with each entrée.  They will continue to tell their patrons where they source their great ingredients and will continue to “evolve” dishes to make them better and better.

 I have to include a section about the beer.  If you are a beer connoisseur and have not made a visit to Firkin, the time is now.  They have Trappist Ales, Belgium offerings, Lambic, beers from England, Canada, and Germany to name a few.  They even have a gluten free beer! 

 Just a few more beers I’ve never heard of include such great names as Surly Furious, Kasteel Rouge, Trumer Pils, Mighty Arrow, Hairy Eyeball, Choklat and Supper Club. 

 Drive on down or up to Libertyville to eat the food and drink the beer at Firkin.  I guarantee you will find something here you’ve never had before that will become a favorite.

 Firkin

515 N. Milwaukee Ave

Libertyville, IL 60048

847-367-6168

http://firkinoflibertyville.com/

 
James, our great server!

I was invited to sample the menu at LuxBar and it had been some time since I’d been there.  Friday late lunch – in the main room next to the cozy fireplace. The Olympics were on, and some TV’s were tuned to discussion about Tiger Woods.

 Luxbar is owned by Gibson’s Restaurant Group which also brings us the famous steak house, Quartino, and Hugo’s Frog Bar.  It’s also known for having a well stocked bar, and a great wine list (with many selections by the glass).  So, many of their casual menu offerings are the perfect accompaniment to a few cocktails.

 I brought along my friend Katherine – who’s bigger than life personality can fill a room.  She would make a nice taste mate for the festivities.  We met James, our server and spent a little time getting to know him.  He did not know he’d be spending the lion’s share of the afternoon with us – but I do think we grew on him!  He’s a responsible and mature young man who’s studying to be a science teacher (everyone knows we need more of them!).  He also takes care of his customers.  As I have written before – make sure the front of the house is in order.  I complimented James to the chef – he’s lucky to have such a caring employee.

 As you may know, Luxbar is smack dab in the middle of the Rush Street area – so there are a variety of patrons that can show up there:  conventioneers, beautiful people from the neighborhood, film and television stars and regular Joe’s.  I think the menu fit’s the neighborhood.  We sampled from their lunch/appetizer fare.

 We tried the baby back ribs. James suggested we have the sauce on the side (and that was a good suggestion).  The ribs did have a rub on there – but either the rub was not spiked enough with flavors, or was applied lightly and close to cooking – either way the rub or the rib flavor did not stand out.  The ribs were small and did not have a lot of meat to sink yourself into either.  The accompanying cole slaw was watery and bland.

Truffle Fries

 Here’s some good news.  We tried the truffle French fries with grated parmesan served with a garlic aioli sauce.  These were just plain yummy!  There was a combination of crispy and soft fries (which I prefer).  They applied the truffle oil just right. This can be difficult – most people use a heavy hand.  Just a very light touch gives the fries some depth of flavor and earthiness that is perfect.  The parmesan cheese gave a nice, appropriate saltiness.  And, the garlic aioli was terrific – I thought about showering in the stuff.  Would that be a good thing?

 We tried the steak and black bean chili.  No one should be afraid of heat here.  It was much more like a beef and bean soup.  The meat was broken down so it tasted like mom’s pot roast.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I love mom’s pot roast – but I wasn’t expecting it in chili.  They used little black round beans. They felt al dente to me – I wanted those beans to spend a few hours in the chili.  And, there was no substantial chili seasoning to be found; it was much too mellow for my taste. 

 I was interested in the steak and iceburg wedge – that retro 70’s salad that’s easy to execute but hard to master. I asked James about the blue cheese dressing.  The wedge salad typically has blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, bacon and tomatoes.  He brought out a sample of the blue cheese dressing and the choir started, and the angels sang!  Yes, it was supercalafragalistic blue cheese dressing!  I started to swoop the fries in the dressing.  I started getting anxiety thinking that I would have to lick that little cup he gave me dry! I am an admitted snob about blue cheese dressing, and I tend to get really excited when I find a good one.  The last one I loved was at Jim McMahon’s (now closed) sports bar/restaurant on Milwaukee in Glenview.  And, what was it about the dressing that makes it great?  Why, it’s a kick of Tabasco.  The chef was kind enough to give us the basic ingredients. I think I can do a pretty good job (and perhaps you can too) with the listed items.  So, the steak wedge salad was a home run due to the terrific blue cheese salad dressing.  All of that smoked bacon, diced tomato and “good” blue cheese helped it’s yummyness as well!

1/2 of a steak & iceburg wedge salad with blue cheese

 Luxbar has so many other choices we did not get to: a variety of sliders, burgers, sandwiches and soups.  It’s also got some great sides like truffle mac and cheese, tangled onions and roasted veggies.  Desserts include retro favorites like a banana split, cookie sundae and chocolate cake.

 All in all, the experience was good – the atmosphere, James our server, a discussion with the chef, and great fries and blue cheese dressing filled our tummies with Friday afternoon happiness!

LUXBAR BLUE CHEESE DRESSING INGREDIENTS

 Mayonnaise

Buttermilk

Blue Cheese

Onion Powder

Tabasco Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

 LUXBAR

18 E Bellevue Place

Chicago, IL

312-642-3400

www.luxbar.com

Last Saturday night, the culinary rat pack descended upon Natalino’s on Chicago Avenue. They’ve been in the space a little over two years (certainly enough time to work out the kinks). We had a party of 10 during Valentines Day weekend (which typically is a busy time). This was no exception – the house was full.

Before I go into the rant on this evening, let’s be clear. The intention of my blog is to find great dishes. I am not looking for the bad dish or restaurant scenario – there are plenty of yelper’s out there for that purpose. However, I am making an exception because this evening was so bad I felt it was important to write about it.

We had an 8 pm reservation and all parties were present and accounted for. We waited a half hour to be seated and then another half hour before anyone showed up at our table. We were hungry and wanted a cocktail. When our server showed up, she spread her cheery energy and apologized for the delay. We felt a little better. Then the wine bottles showed up, but there were no glasses and no opener. This just started an evening that quickly went further down hill.

Fellow diner Coleen weighs in on the “welcome” experience: “Then to wait such an excessively long time to even be acknowledged- missing wine glasses missing plates and silverware missing chairs that we had to get ourselves Then to be given not enough menus and be told that he couldn’t get us drinks because he wasn’t our server Next on to our over bubbly waitress. Not that I’m not saying she was making the best of a bad situation but thank you Dori… I did find her obnoxious also. I really didn’t need to know she is going thru a divorce and that she still gets along with her ex or how many children she has …”

Although we are all real food lovers (and some of us are thin the business), I believe that typically, we are full of optimism and show up with an open attitude. And, throughout this long, painful evening – we kept saying “oh, the next round of food will be better.” And, it just kept getting worse.

I think we were so ravenous that when it came to ordering appetizers we could not stop. I am pretty sure we ordered almost everything: baked clams, mussels, eggplant, sausages with peppers, stuffed pepper, calamari two ways, Caesar salad. Every single dish was bad except the stuffed pepper. The calamari was cold and soggy (they forgot to bring us the second calamari). The Caesar salad was ordered without croutons. It came with croutons. We took it back, it came out without croutons, but the salad was mushy and the dressing was tasteless.

Giles went upstairs to speak to the manager. A few minutes later, the chef came downstairs. He appeared defeated, dirty and disheveled. He said the economy was bad; it was dead during the week, and hard to get people to work when the restaurant was busy. He took no responsibility for the situation. He claimed he would rise above all of this and ensured us that our entrée’s would be well prepared. And, we wanted to believe him!

This guy is part owner here. I think of executive chefs as CEO’s of their kitchens. They need to take responsibility and leadership roles – source the best ingredients and have good staff cooking. Put love in the food, serve it hot (or appropriately) and make sure it looks decent. None of that occurred. Why was he in charge?

The entrée’s came out – he was missing mine and Brian’s. They did not acknowledge this. And, our food did not come out for another 10 minutes. Out of ten dishes – two were edible: the baked chicken (hard to screw that up), and the veal saltimbocca. My risotto was overcooked. Giles seafood was overcooked. One of the pasta dishes did not yet make it to al dente.

We brought the chef back down. We showed him the problems with each dish. At one point, he yelled back at an employee who was with him (in front of all of us): “You tell _____, if he ever puts out a dish like this again, he’s fired.” The chef told us the only dish he made was the saltimbocca. So, even though he promised to watch over our dishes and take care of this, he did not even look at what he was putting out for us. 

Am I in a Reality TV program here? Where is Gordon Ramsey?

He said his dessert would be second to none. It was not edible. He placed mango and banana on a plate doused in some type of “bananas foster sauce”, and placed a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle. They used some type of butane lighter NOT to heat the fruit. It was really just there to soak the fruit with the foul smell of fuel.

We did not bother bringing the chef down after the fuel infused dessert. We know the economy ruined our dessert. Yeah – that was it!

I’d attempted to get in to Sepia at least three times in the past year and a half – and could not secure a reservation unless I was willing to eat at 930 pm. When my friend Rick from viva Las Vegas told me he was coming to town (with notice) I decided to give it another try and I scored a nice 7 pm reservation.

Chef Andrew Zimmerman (ex-MOD, Nomi) has stepped to the helm, replacing Chef Kendal Duque. The restaurant has already become a classic at a fairly young age. If they can maintain the comfortable earthiness of it’s cuisine, it will always be a winner.

Sepia is housed in an old print shop and caries this chic, comfortable ambience that could have been a speakeasy back in the day. Part of it is the lighting. A floor to ceiling wine wall always makes me feel at home. Rick found a rare tequila (47 years old) stocked at the bar. He warmed up to our evening immediately upon that find. (We all did, as our bartender and a few guests were all the recipient of some of that amazing tequila courtesy of Rick).

Sea Scallops with black pudding

Our server was top drawer – gracious and accommodating. We started off the first course with two appetizers. The sea scallops, celery root puree herb salad and black pudding. The scallops were plump, fresh, and succulent; They shone with a beautiful carmelization. I loved eating that scallop naked. I was also happy to add a slight bit of the black pudding – which changed the taste quite significantly. We followed this up with the house made cotechino sausage served on a bed of french green lentils. The sausage was not necessarily beautiful looking (it has more of a grayish cast to it). The flavor was mild and extremely satisfying – almost comforting. It was the texture and density of the sausage that comes to mind. It felt like a working class sausage from England in the 1920’s. The type you would wolf down in a pub after a long day. The lentils added such a nice crunchy texture to the dish.

Braised Short Ribs

I ordered the short ribs braised in Belgian ale, served with red cabbage. They were cooked to perfection and seasoned well. Rick’s pork porterhouse was succulent, pink inside (as he ordered it) and bursting with bourbon flavor. It was served with apples and grits.

Pork Porterhouse

We split the panna cotta. This was a beautifully constructed dessert – but not for my palate. I am more of a non-cheese infused panna cotta fan. Again, this is a matter of my personal taste.

The food is comforting and satisfying. So much of the menu has autumnal notes. The other comfort is the blending of liquor with the meat and vegetables. The portions are just right – we did not feel the need to back up the semi to haul us home.

I’d call Sepia a classy, happy and satisfying place.

Sepia

123 N. Jefferson

Chicago, IL

312-441-1920

Last weekend I went with my family to celebrate my parents 51st wedding anniversary. It was a low key affair (vs the big blow out 50th party last year).  We decided to go to the Wellington.  The Wellington has been in Arlington Heights for as long as I can remember.  It could be that we started to go there when I was in grammar school for gosh sakes.

It could be at least 10 years since I had been there.  We would always for some family birthday or celebration. As a result, we could count on the server coming out with something that had a lit candle in it.

Nothing has changed. It is exactly the same place it was years ago. In fact, much of the wait staff have been there for more than 20 years. I sat in the chair and thought to myself: “many have sat in this chair before me and rounded out the bottom.”

Here’s the gift of the Wellington (and the seniors certainly love it). The meal is all inclusive for a reasonable price.  Every entree will include soup, salad, potato, and dessert.

The wait staff does not use trays to carry out the food, but carts on wheels.  Using carts brings me back to other senior filled restaurants who also serve that way.  If the restaurant has enough room between tables – why not use carts? It’s easier on the back and probably prone to having less accidents.

I had the prime rib (as I always do).  It’s very good. I think they season the rib liberally and serve it as is – meaning if there is fat, they won’t trim it.  They also pride themselves in their twice baked potato – again not bad.  The salad with blue cheese dressing – not bad. There is a touch where they serve the plate cold, it does a little magic to the salad.

The menu is so 1950’s retro and tries to please many. Appetizers include saganaki, baked clams maison, oysters rockefeller or crabcakes.

Entrees run the gamut from steak au poivre to veal oscar to frogs legs provencale.  And, here’s a place you can get pepper steak, wiener schnitzel or dover sole almondine.  Sole is very hard to find these days. They also serve sautéed baby calf liver – remember that? So, the Germans, Greeks, carnivores’ and seafood lovers are happy.

There is a sense of comfort about this food.  We grew up with infrequent visits here to celebrate something so it became special. We were going out to dinner at the Wellington wow!  My father used to meet his old buddies at the bar – the buzz was that the Wellington poured a good drink.  No skimping.

Our dinner was completed with that complimentary dessert – a multiple choice selection of ice creams.   I picked the chocolate sunday. Low and behold, it was served in one of those chilled metal bowls (again my memory of childhood is triggered by the cold bowl).  I had to work and dig underneath to find that chocolate sauce; I finally did discover a little satisfying pocket.

So, if you ever went to the Wellington growing up – or feel a nostalgia for the type of restaurant it is, swing on by.  They don’t make em like this anymore.

The Wellington of Arlington
2121 S Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 439-6610