The time has come for me to pay homage to one of my favorite bars in River North: Gilt Bar. As it's conveniently located across the street from my place of employment (and visible from many of the windows in our office if you happen to gaze downward), I've been there a few times since its opening this spring. (I have not, however, been to the downstairs cash-only bar Curio yet. No worries -- it's on my list.)
But every time I go to Gilt, I get caught up in the upstairs and find myself sitting in a banquette, ordering three things off of the menu there: the pork meatballs, the burata on toast and an order of the frites. I'm not saying I've never strayed and that there aren't 100 other items I mean to try, but those three things are staples for me, regardless of the seasonal accompaniments happen to be adorning these dishes at the time. (This varies. Currently, it's an heirloom tomato salad with the burata and a fig glaze and some wilted escarole for the pork meatballs.)
The interior of Gilt is stylish and more than a little swanky. Best of all, it hearkens back to the days speakeasies and the roaring 20s, which gives the bar a solid dose of actual personality instead of being just another run-of-the-mill, relatively upscale scene in River North. (However, this also means the place is a little on the dark side and can get pretty loud. Embrace it. Or consider yourself warned in advance.) And given the fact that the chef cut his chops everywhere from the French Laundry to the Ritz Paris, the owner is a vet of Chicago's own beloved Lettuce Entertain You and the space previously housed the amazing Aigre Doux, this place has some serious cred behind it.
All that glitters isn't gold, but sometimes -- if you're lucky -- you stumble across the real deal. Visit Gilt Bar and judge for yourself at 230 W. Kinzie, across from the Merchandise Mart. Then give me a call and the odds are good that I'll mosey across the street to meet you. And also force you to order (and love) the pork meatballs, even if you claim you don't like pork.
In case you hadn't noticed, Fall has arrived. Since today was cool and cloudy, Jeff and I decided it'd be a great day to head to Silver Cloud for one of our favorite cool-weather meals. Silver Cloud is a bar/restaurant in Bucktown that specializes in comfort food. The atmosphere is nice and cozy, the service is friendly and competent, the bar stocks great seasonal beers (most of them craft) and features an out of this world seasonal cocktail list. (Their winter drinks are my absolute favorite.) To top it all off, they do comfort food really, REALLY well. We have two favorite items on the menu: 1) the chicken pot pie (perfect for a winter dinner) and 2) the stuffed turkey sandwich, which is what we ordered and what we'll be chatting about today.
The stuffed turkey sandwich is comprised of white meat roasted turkey (for real roasted; I believe they cook a turkey daily at Silver Cloud), cranberry sauce and stuffing in between two pieces of toasted white bread. Normally, the sandwich comes with mayo. Naturally, I ask for it without any. Fortunately, I feel that the stuffing and the cranberry sauce do enough on their own to prevent the sandwich from being too dry. This thing is like Thanksgiving in a sandwich, but better -- because you can get it any day of the year! Given that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, it's not surprising that I like to experience the glory that is that meal multiple times a year (or month if I'm really feeling extreme).
The toasted white bread isn't something I'd normally choose for a sandwich, but it really works here. The toastiness adds to the flavor and provides an important crisp textural component. The turkey is cooked perfectly and layered in thick slices just like real Thanksgiving leftovers. The stuffing is savory, served warm and never too dry. It's the perfect complement to the natural sweetness that is the cranberry sauce, which is an ideal final touch to a great sandwich.
I also like to start my meal with a Bloody Mary, which they do very well at Silver Cloud. Every Saturday and Sunday, they have $4 Bloody Marys -- and for an additional $0.75, you can get one of their "Snazzy Skewers," which consist of a blue cheese-stuffed olive, a shrimp, an artichoke heart, green pepper, red pepper, celery and a pepperoncini pepper. I highly recommend splurging and spending that extra 75 cents -- it's a delicious addition to an already well-made drink.
I can't wait to go back for my first chicken pot pie of Fall 2010. It is the best chicken pot pie in the city. Yes, I have tried quite a few chicken pot pies around town and yes, that does officially make me Cartman. I'm okay with that. Trust me when I say that this thing is the real deal. More about the chicken pot pie and the winter cocktails to come... In the meantime, spend a blustery day nice and warm inside a booth at Silver Cloud -- enjoying an early Thanksgiving.
The time has come for me to pay homage to one of my favorite bars in River North: Gilt Bar. As it's conveniently located across the street from my place of employment (and visible from many of the windows in our office if you happen to gaze downward), I've been there a few times since its opening this spring. (I have not, however, been to the downstairs cash-only bar Curio yet. No worries -- it's on my list.)