Chez Joel: Je T'aime

After attending an alumni event in the old Ignatius hood a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I'd been meaning to go to nearby tiny French bistro Chez Joel since it opened over a decade ago. At that time, I was attending high school at St. Ignatius and Chez Joel was really the first nice restaurant to take hold on Taylor Street in the changing neighborhood. Back then, Ignatius was still surrounded by housing projects on two of four sides and Taylor Street was still the heart and soul of Chicago's close-knit Italian community, Little Italy.

As such, Chez Joel was an anomaly on a street defined by numerous Italian hallmarks (Al's Italian Beef, Ro Sal's, Mario's Italian Ice, Serafina's, Tuscany, Pompeii, Rosebud) and randomly, a restaurant called The Thai Bowl... along with the abomination that was Nea Agora, with raw racks of lamb being carted in and out at an alarming frequency by blood-spattered workers who grinned greefully at the horror on the baby faces of tiny freshmen students being crushed by backpacks twice their height and weight. A French Bistro? All right. Everyone said the neighborhood was transitioning; we supposed this was proof.

And it was. Ten years later, Chez Joel doesn't look the least bit out of place on this stretch of Taylor Street. In fact, it fits right in on what is an absolutely cosmopolitan and downright adorable spanse of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. The neighborhood has, in fact, changed and is now known more as University Village than anything else. The last of the housing projects were razed shortly after my senior year. Little Italy is still alive and well, but the residents and families who've been there for generations find themselves fighting for space with students and yuppies -- and combating the rising property taxes and rents that have accompanied the change in their neighborhood.

Being the thoughtful guy -- and fan of good food -- that he is, Jeff surprised me with a reservation last Friday night. History and ties to the past aside, I was delighted to discover my new favorite French restaurant in Chicago. I am not one myself, but the place is a Francophile's dream. As we entered, we were greeted with airy "bon soir" after "bon soir" from a staff that seemed absolutely capable of continuing an entire conversation in French if visitors were willing/able. We were then presented with a wine list largely dominated by French gems. Being rather unfamiliar with French wine, we asked our friendly and knowledgable server to assist us in picking a bottle. She did an excellent job; we were very pleased with her selection -- a 2007 Chateau Mangot St. Emilion Grand Cru.

As we sipped our wine, we sampled some of the bread, which was excellent -- always a good sign -- and an unusual, but delicious olive oil/olive tapenade mixture. Of course, being a little French bistro, butter was served as well.

To start, we ordered the mussels in a white wine and herb sauce. The mussels were extremely large and tasted exceptionally fresh. But what really made this dish was the sauce, which was nothing short of phenomenal. At one point, Jeff literally had to remove the bread basket from my side of the table with a reminder that if I continued on at my current pace, I wasn't going to have room for dinner OR dessert. It's a good thing I came with someone to save me from myself, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss a bite of my entree or the dessert that night. But seriously, get the mussels. Even if it's just for the sauce. It is so worth it.

For my entree, I selected the filet mignon with a Bordeaux red wine and thyme sauce. It was honestly a better steak than the one I had at Gibsons the week prior. Same cut, but perfectly seasoned and cooked exactly as I'd asked: medium. The sauce was phenomenal and the filet was served atop an colorful melange of hericots verts and slender carrots, along with a mushroom fricasee. The presentation was artful, but the execution of the flavors was the true star of the show. This entree was brilliant. Every element worked on its own, but together they made the meal outstanding.

Jeff ordered the duck, which was comprised of a duck leg and breast, which were accompanied by a delicious Bourdelaise sauce and some cranberries, whose tartness was a perfect complement to the richness of the duck, served atop a mushroom fricasee. Each of the elements in this dish worked as hard as those in mine and the payoff was the same: the entree was amazing.

We really struggled to decide which dessert to order. So many sounded appealing that there wasn't one I didn't want to try. After a lot of deliberation, we narrowed it down to the nightly special, an apple tart tatin, a dense chocolate cake served warm and with vanilla ice cream atop it and an almond cake, also served warm and with an accompanying scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ultimately, we decided to go for the special apple tart tatin and it could not have been better. (Or more beautiful. Sorry for the lack of photo. I forgot to take one in my excitement to dig in.) The apples were hot, fresh and sweet, the pastry was perfect, the ice cream was cool and creamy -- and the caramel artfully swept across the plate was unbelievable. This dessert was spectacular. In the same fashion as our appetizer and entrees, each element stood out on its own, but when combined they worked together in perfect harmony to create something truly unbelievable.

All in all, the service was wonderful, the food is phenomenal and the atmosphere is cozy. (However, I'll definitely be sure to come back in the summer as they have a much-acclaimed outdoor patio for al fresco dining. Like a creep, I took a peek during our visit and I can imagine it's just perfect for a summer meal.) I was crushed when they closed Old Town Brasserie, but I definitely have a new favorite French place in town. Chez Joel, after ten years, I'm so glad I finally got to know you. I'll be back, sooner rather than later.