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Mon-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
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Yum. yum. yum. Everything about this place was fantastic! My boyfriend and I went here to celebrate our 4 year anniversary, and we both LOVED it. The atmosphere was wonderful, and the food....oh the food.
The menu changes daily, and I can't wait to go back. Everything looked wonderful....I'll go back starving next time, so I can indulge a bit more!
He had handmade pasta with jalapenos, some kind of creamy sauce, etc. He all but licked his plate.
I had the whitefish with cauliflower, pumpkin seeds, olives....YUM. It was very light and very fresh.
The drink list is very extensive (cocktails, craft beers, wine), albeit a bit pricey for the area.
The only reason I gave this place a 4 out of 5 is because our waiter started to forget about us towards the end of our meal. Besides that, they've nailed just about every element:
Ambiance: 5 stars
Food: 5 stars
Noise Level: 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
People Watching: 5 stars
First off, I get annoyed when people say the area is "sketchy." It's not. If you are remotely urban, then it's not sketchy, it's fine. Ugh. Glad I got that off my chest.
Now, for the goodies. I loved this place. We were here to celebrate a friend's birthday, and they emailed us the menu for the night. I don't know if they do that for everyone, or if it was a request my friend made, but it was a nice touch. It gave us ample time to gchat about the menu, discuss our eating plan, and really get excited about the meal.
We got there, and were greeted by at least 3 people. There were 9 of us, so we were seated downstairs, which is a nice space. The place is nice, it's chill, cozy, and just an easy place to be in. (I do want to go back so that I can enjoy the outdoor space-it looked like a nice place to hang out and have a couple of drinks.)
We started with the pate, the fried mozzarella and the gnocchi. The pate was good! Even people that were scared to eat it enjoyed it. As for the friend mozzarella, I think the general concensus was that the greens that they served with it were better than the actual cheese...though who can pass up fried cheese? The gnocchi was delicious, but I am partial to homemade pasta. It is a little denser, but it's so good!
For the entrees, we had some burgers (delish-the ciabatta bread was a little too thick but they came with really good condiments and the meat was nicely seasoned), the rigatoni with fried chicken mushroom (which are actually a particular kind of mushroom... and are not fried mushrooms, or fried chicken bits in the pasta with mushrooms), the spaghetti with an over easy egg and short ribs, and the whitefish. Everyone really enjoyed their meals....I think the rigatoni was a little dense, but that is the whole homemade pasta thing.
We were all stuffed and didn't order dessert, but then they surprised us with a plate of their warm cookies and a candle for my friend! Yay! I love when people do this!
I would definitely go here again, especially since their menu changes everyday...that is part of what makes it so exciting! The vibe is nice, the employees are attentive, relaxed and helpful, and the whole experience was great. This was the perfect place to go with a group of friends for a long, fun, enjoyable dinner...that is if your friends are fun and are cool enough to know the area isn't "sketchy." Good thing my friends are awesome!
Celebrated a friend's birthday here, I don't live too far from it (The South Loop), so was pretty convenient for me to get to by car. I would describe the neighborhood as artsy/hipsterish/ethnic with a fresh dash of yuppie, make of that what you will.
When we arrived our table hadn't been setup up yet, so we went to the bar. My friend and I ordered this excellent German beer, I believe it was called something Adele Weiss (will have to double check on the exact name).
After about a short wait at the bar, we were seated. Really dig the seats and this place, very cool looking and comfortable. For the appetizers we had the Agnolotti with sardines and this cheese that was out of this world, it was like mozzarella with creme injected into the middle of it.
For my entree, I was a bit disappointed. I ordered the pork, after the waiter told me it was the last one left. Now I really like cured pork and ham and other pork like this, but usually when I order a pork roast, it's always almost too fatty, and sure enough here it was also. Even the center, which was surrounded by a gelatin-like layer of fat, seemed a bit fatty. Maybe it is just be me though, since everyone else seemed to like it. Despite not liking the texture, the flavor was very good, tasted a bit like a honey-baked ham, the sauce and the cabbage that were surrounding it were also very good, I just didn't care for the texture.
For dessert had the chocolate pudding with this sort of whipped cherry flavored topping with pieces of chocolate in it. The pudding itself was very thick and chocolately, highly recommend this if you like pudding and it's on the menu when you visit.
The menu at this place changes everyday, which I personally think is a very good thing, so there's many things to try here. Looking forward to going back so I can try a different entree.
Brunch was a dream at Nightwood. Our table enjoyed the burger, croquettes, the bagel sandwich and eggs benedict (quite possibly the most perfect combo of sweet and salty). That tater tot/hash browns were definitely a hit as well. My bloody mary hit the spot minimizing any lingering hangover from the shenanigans the night before. The staff was polite and helpful and the restaurant itself is warm and inviting. A definite must visit!
Hung over from Saturday's partying or just plain ravenous for some tasty Sunday morning grub? The guys at Nightwood serves up THE best brunch in Pilsen hands down and is ranked amongst my favorite weekend bruncherias. There are hearty stews, delicious fish, savory biscuits'n'gravy, and of course the crown jewel that is their chicken'n'waffles!
Their menu changes from day to day since they only nab the freshest goodies from the market. Although this is definitely a blessing, I consider it a double-edged sword as it makes the task of deciding on what to order is next to impossible. The solution? Take your friends... LOTS of them so you can rotate your plates (not unlike gastro-musical chairs).
Pull up a seat at the counter in their open kitchen and watch the masters at work churning out savory goodies. They're easy going and a lot of fun to watch. Don't forget to save a bit of room for the fresh made to order donuts covered in chocolate icing and sprinkle with the crack this is bacon! (For those of you saying "WTH? Bacon and chocolate??? Utter madness!" - try it first, you'll thank me later)
Round number 3. As in each of the prior meals the food was absolutely fabulous; fresh, tasty and creative. However service fell extremely short.
1- We explained our plan to share the six small plates we ordered and left the order of the plates up to the server. To our surprise all six plates came out at the exact same time, leaving us to eat and drink quickly, so that we could taste everything while still hot. In fact, we has not finished half of the bottle when the plates were finished and cleared. Which leads me on to problem two. . .
2.- As soon as the plates were cleared we were bombarded with dessert menus. We explained that we wanted to sit and savor our wine for a bit longer before we ordered (since we had most of the bottle left!). This seemed to confuse the server so we ended up ordering but specifying that it should not be brought for another 15 min.
3 - At the end of our dessert course my coffee cup was litterally taken out of my hand as the server barely asked me if I another cup.
I cannot figure out if Problem 1 was just a lack of effort or understanding on the server's part, if the kitchen was really bored or if they wanted us to leave . With the issues in Problems 2 and 3 it was evident that they wanted us out of there. 10:00 on a Friday night is not particularly late for a trendy establishment like Nightwood.
Of course I will be back, but this experience really soured my whole evening- the savoring of good food, wine and company was supposed to be the highlight of the evening and it did not even come close.
Believe the hype.
From my experience I would say that Nightwood truly achieves its goal of…
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Tremendously good, just in a very sketchy looking part of town.
Warm cozy room, friendly wait staff - perhaps a bit too informal, but competent enough.
Food was perfectly prepared - I was impressed that my trout had been deboned so cleanly. We tried three starters, four entrees, and three desserts (including 3 gelatos and 1 sorbet). The menu changes daily so this might not help anyone, but the marinated mozerella was delicious, the pate was good but overpowered by the potato chips (so ask for some bread), and the lobster risotto was not so lobsertry and even if the lobster reference was for the mushrooms it still wasn't that lobstery.
For the entrees - two people tried the duck dish - really delicious. My friend raved about the roasted chicken and my trout with almonds was perfectly executed.
The desserts were also good - soul satisfying bread pudding, chocolatly ganache tart, and four scoops with caramel being the best.
Thumbs up except for the location! No gimmicks, just well executed American comfort dishes.
I think I would dine here often if I lived close. We got one of the best seats in the house - near the windows, tucked in the corner. Had champagne to kick it off right, then just enjoyed dish after lovely sustainably organic farm-to-table dish of deliciously and perfected cooked/roasted/smoked foods. Service was very good. Our server had many tables, and she floated quickly and efficiently to each one of them. One of our dishes came out a little slow (we didn't really notice), and she promptly took it off the bill, apologized and brought me a comp'ed glass of wine (totally unnecessary but nice).
Our taxi driver got lost - no idea where we were headed, so bring your iphone with you if you don't know the area. Also, make sure the hostess calls a cab when you are done - not much going on down in this part of town (yet, but it's coming...)
Nightwood resides on the corner of Halsted and some cross street, but my first visit to this 4-month old weekend brunch spot found it nestled behind tables of water and Gatorade and Chicago marathon volunteers decked out in blue.
It was the perfect post mile 20 spot to watch runners go by on the marathon course right before they hit Chinatown. Good call out by the Chicago Trib!
And any place that offers fried chicken and waffles on their brunch menu has me lined up at the door. Nightwood has a cozy, contemporary feel, with wooden floors, and as open a kitchen as you will ever see towards the back. Though my entree was a little hard to eat (iif you want to get allll the meat off those chicken wings), the flavors of the poached pears, crisp waffle, and crunchy wings were the perfect fuel and worth every calorie. Thumbs up on the brunch!
Amazing brunch. Grilled pumpkin bread with maple butter...to.die.for! I had a biscuit and sausage gravy over kale dish and it was so rich and delicious! I'll admit, I ordered it specifically for the "cheddar biscuits" that were included....you had me at cheddar biscuit...and it was not disappointing, at all.
Bloody Mary was funk-key! had a strange thin, yet chunky consistency, a strange dishwater taste and an overall weird look to it. On the bright side our server was super nice and took them away and replaced them with Mimosas...you can't go wrong with Mimosas!
I will definitely make a trip here for dinner.
The bartenders's have an impressive amount of sex appeal...also the food was phenomenal.
The goods: browned butter pizzetta with burata, pistachio, anchovy and parsley, an outstanding mushroom appetizer with savory cornmeal and fabulously spot-on homemade rigatoni with browned butter panko crumbs, chicken, broccoli in a roasted garlic cream sauce. The food has definitely got the Lula quality/creativity. The decor is very nice and homey (fantastic old church fixtures?). The bad? We forgot that they take reservations and had to wait an hour and a half in a very, very loud front room. I don't know if sound bounces around the rest of the house, but in front near the windows it's deafening. The bar seating overlooking the kitchen looks awesome - that's my seat next time.
Finally made it to my new neighborhood dining experience.
We were given a choice of where to sit...we opted for the kitchen bar and got to watch all the action in the kitchen as it happened. This was excellent.
Appetizers: Short rib and potato pierogis. Delicious.
Entrees: Roasted half-rabbit served on a bed of braised cabbage, grape, bacon, Gorgonzola, and rabbit liver. Rabbit had a delicious sweet, smokey flavor. Portion was huge. Little pockets of flavor hiding throughout the dish.
Dessert: Pumpkin tart w/ a scoop of vanilla bean gelato. Perfect end to a great meal!
Service: Prompt, attentive, friendly, and helpful.
It's now pretty common knowledge that in France people are rude and pretentious. They have strong body odors, a President who wants to be a rock star and boring existential movies.
We are also heartless butchers and eat everything cute under the sun.
Cute baby lambs for Easter, calves that still feed at their mom's, baby deer, horses, snails (what? of course they are cute!), kids (baby goats not humans), you name it.
But my all time favorite is rabbit.
My mom makes a mean rabbit. And I do too. Sometimes. You know, when I actually cook.
Rabbit is at its best when you can fork the meat effortlessly off the bone. You just pull, and voila - a nice and lovely piece of delicate meat, just a tiny bit dry but it's always balanced by a rich sauce so you have nothing to complain about.
A real stunner of a meal.
We also say in France to never, ever order rabbit in a restaurant.
Rabbit is a home delicacy.
Well I failed my country wisdom last night and couldn't resist when I read "pit roasted half-rabbit with brussels sprouts, olives, grapes and creme fraiche". It was the most expensive item on the menu, but I had to have it.
The flavors were quite amazing.
The meat was not.
Way undercooked - especially the leg which was strangely enough the smallest piece.
I still enjoyed bits of it but was disappointed and wanted to call my mom and cry. Not a good idea with a 7-hour time difference.
Other than this really sad episode I enjoyed my time there, more for its future promises than for my actual meal. It's probably a weird thing to say, and certainly to feel but even though my dinner fare was not quite where I wanted it to be (my chicken liver pate was so strong in flavor than it tasted like pork) I liked my experience at Nightwood.
It just felt.....comfortable. The decor won me over, as well as my glasses of Dona Paula Malbec - one of my latest favorites.
I guess I had the impression for a while to be away. My eyes were constantly drawn to the beautiful lanterns hanging from the ceiling, to the flickering light of the candles, to my dining companion.
I felt good.
And for that - I will be back. Sans rabbit of course.
I've been to paradise, but have I ever really been to me?
Okay, so that quote has nothing to do with this review. Nightwood rocked my world just as elder sibling Lula did. What I enjoy about this place- and Lula too- is the attention to detail. Detail that foodies are sure to find reassuring. The seasonal menu is comprised of many local offerings, and they pair very well with the wine offerings. The preparation is exact without being fastidious or over bearing. The same with the service and the surrounding. It is enjoyable and slick without being pretentious. And like Lula they employ some tres sexy cooks.
I dined here last week with two friends and we made our own sampling menu. Starting with two salads- one of which was poblano peppers and bacon, another starter of duck confit raviolis and rabbit entre. All were carefully executed and presented. The server too was more than willing to make thoughtful suggestions on the menu and wine pairings.
In short I cannot wait to return!
*WARNING: the content of this review makes mention of the butchering of animals, in particular- furry, fuzzy ones. If you are squeamish and/or have a soft spot in your heart for such cute cuddly animals, you may not appreciate this review.*
Now, I have learned my lesson.
Don't order rabbit at any restaurant unless my wife says up front that she knows, for a fact, that they do it the right way.
You see, rabbit is quite difficult to cook (when done on the bone, as a whole or a half). For that reason, I have a hard time faulting Nightwood for their rabbit. It wasn't that it was totally bad since parts of it in fact were quite good. They seemed to pay particular attention to the skin of the rabbit. So much so that the skin flap that stays on the beast itself that is a part of the belly (but is split open in order to gut said beast) was folded over to the side during cooking to form this very nice, crisp bacon-like piece that was delicious.
Did I just mention rabbit bacon?
Did I just use the word "beast" to describe rabbit?
The problem with it, like at so many other places where I have had rabbit before is that it was not cooked perfectly. Once again, rabbit is a very challenging meat to cook, but I guess I had high expectations for Nightwood thinking that they would never put something like it on their menu without being able to master it.
The meat was not cooked down enough and at some parts was quite dry. Otherwise, the flavors were very well put together. Coupled with a delicious sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, red grapes and olives, this dish was well composed despite the not so perfect execution of cooking the rabbit half.
Bunnies are supposed to be soft (fork tender), not tough!
The rest of the meal was pretty nice. We also ordered ricotta gnocchi that was terrific- the highlight of the meal. The chicken liver pate had this incredibly strong flavor. It reminded me of liverwurst (usually made of pork liver). It wasn't that it was bad, just very strong and hard to take down as an appetizer. Just not something that I expected (the strength of the flavor that is). The pickled onions and cucumber was a good way to cut the rich flavor- but in the end the pate itself was a bit too over powering.
For dessert we ordered the cookie assortment. These cookies were quite good, but to get four small cookies for $7, I felt a bit let down.
Some other things that I really appreciate about Nightwood:
- They have an extensive wine list, including quite a few nice selections by the glass.
- Their menu changes daily which is usually a good sign of freshness and quality.
- Their ingredients, in particular their animal proteins (meat- OK?) all came from well respected farms.
- Interesting menu items that included a lot of variety.
- For someone who doesn't always want to drink alcohol with his meal, offering a non-alcoholic cocktail for a very reasonable price was a welcome site (though tonight I ordered a nice syrah/granach from Washington state).
I guess over all having experienced quite a few of these "new American" casual, yet stylish restaurants, Nightwood left some things to be desired. I hold this concept of food in high regards and when it doesn't come out near perfect (like I have had at Blue 13, Naha, and MK to name a few) I guess I leave a bit disappointed.
That is not to say that this place should be ignored. I love the fact that they opened up this side of town- at basically the cross roads of Chinatown, Bridgeport, and Pilsen. The space itself is warm and inviting, and over all, the concept is a good one.
Just remember this though. If you find yourself leaving Nightwood the way I did tonight- feeling a bit underwhelmed (then again can anyone ever be "whelmed"?)- walk due south on Halsted to Skylark and get yourself a pint of a good beer and some tater tots. Somehow that was the perfect "last course" to an otherwise almost forgettable meal.
9 pm on a Friday night. The restaurant is bustling and there's nary a seat in the house. Luckily I was able to squeeze in at the one available table on the patio because my party had 3 and not 2. Is this a first or what? I loved the whole layout of the restaurant with the dining room straddling the corner allowing for great window views onto the neighborhood, a wraparound counter overlooking the open kitchen, and the patio which though strikingly modern offered warmth with its deep woods and lighting.
The cocktail menu is worth checking out for some fairly innovative options, and the wine menu was impressive as well. I had high expectations for the cuisine being a fan of Lula and for the most part the menu did not disappoint. With the focus on sustainability, the menu changes daily. By the time my group rolled around for dinner they were out of a few menu items I was hoping to try, but our friendly waitress did make some great recommendations. Ravioli with goat cheese and honey in a light pesto sauce was divine. The pasta was so fresh and just a little al dente. A gnocchi with tomatillo sauce was good but not as spectacular as the first appetizer. Still hungry for more we tried the chicken pate which was like velvet. Should I say that this liver was better than my Grandmother's? It was and was accompanied by sliced cucumbers and a garnish of dill, onion salad.
Entree choices were tough. Everything sounded wonderful. What wouldn't I recommend? The burger. Our waitress said it's one of the best in the city, and if you're putting a burger on the menu at a place like this it better be good. My 2 dining companions ordered it and were underwhelmed. Apparently there was an overpowering cheese/mayonnaise on it they weren't wild about. I opted for the rabbit entree because its not something I'd make at home. The meat was tender and though I loved the originality of pairing brussel sprouts with olives and grapes, the olives were overpowering.
Will I go back? Most definitely. I'm practically foaming at the mouth to sit at the kitchen at watch the goings on. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes with the menu as we move into fall and I'm sure they're bound to delight.
On a whim I called yesterday afternoon to see if I could get a reservation for two at a decent time and was shocked to have the hostess say, "why yes, we've just had two cancellations - one at 19:30 and one at 20:00."
Me: "Might I take the 8PM, then?"
And we're off to the races. Who needs Bono and 71,000 of his closest friends over at Soldier Field, certainly not us! Pfftttt - to you, Bono, Edge, Larry-Bob, Jr and whomever that other guy is (is there another guy?)
We arrived and ordered some of the interesting cocktails: a blueberry gimlet and a drink called The Louisiana Purchase - which was fun and yummy.
We were directed to our table (this yelper is somewhat critical of the seats in his dining venue of choice) and these passed with flying colors. Baseball glove leather covered and totally awesome in every way.
First course: roasted corn and jalapeño soup with creme fraiche - and rabbit raviolis in some sort of spicy broth. Both were highly enjoyable.
**keep your damn menu throughout if your memory isn't so great**
Second course: duck breast with a jumble of beans - and - whole roasted trout with BACON and some other stuff. At this point we cracked into the wine list with a Cotes du Rhone which was cheap, subtle and pretty damn good, especially for $34 bucks. The whole mess was great, totally lovely perfectly cooked and spot on.
Third course: dark chocolate tart with raspberry goo, dusted with coco powder and finished with a dollop of creme anglaise.
We rocked out of there around 11PM with smiles on our faces a bill for about $175 (20% tip inclusive) paid for and that perfect feeling of satiated but, not stuffed....
I think this place is great, I will definitely be back but, must find viable public transport options to get there / back without paying $50 for a cab ride so I can properly imbibe...or dupe a friend into dropping me off....either or.
My first thought after walking in through the outdoor patio was that I wished I was here when it was warmer. It's a charming seating area with a centrally located fireplace. Step inside to an equally quaint dining area with classic old Chicago brick. There is an open kitchen toward the back with bar style seating around it. We sat at a table with another couple but I am anxious to come back for a more casual burger and sit there. I'll be the judge of whether they have one of the best burgers then.
This night I went with whole trout. The flavors were good, the service was decent and I will be back.
My first visit at night wood was wonderful , everything was good, food, atmosphere and my waitress Georgina was such a sweetie, the tab was about 115.00, I'm a coffee drinker , i later found out they charge for refills. I had fish salad and beets, my friend guy hand pork loin, I had no complaints, nor did he. However the following week I ordered Cornish hen and dressing, it was cold and nasty, and the presentation of the food was as if the cook knew me and hated me.my friend had fish and salad , when he was done he was still hungry, the waiter was nice,the cocktails was very good. consistency
Haven't you heard?? Long, diatribe reviews are so out for the Fall. Get with the program, Hemingway, this season it's all about clear, concise gushfests... especially if we're talking about my new paramour, Nightwood!!
Easily one of my new favorite restaurants in 2009 and here's why:
1. Love the location; off the beaten path in Pilsen it enlightens one to a new neighborhood with a ton of culture and fun things to see. Plus it's easy to do without a reservation (though one shouldn't to be safe) if you're feeling adventurous and up for a little road trip.
2. Great menu that revolves nightly. Never the same show twice, folks! Only the freshest, lushest and most decadent ingredients are here on display... if you can catch it, I highly recommend the pappardelle with braised rabbit and swiss chard as well as the spit-roast pork loin with creme fraiche and white anchovy. Holy Bazookas! That pork loin was enough to feed a small army and in the best of culinary style. We drooled, we tore into it, we conquered!! It was absolutely a meal for the record books.
3. Fabulous patio dining. While the weather still permits, I can't stress it enough.. it's absolutely luxurious! No haphazard street side folding chairs here. Nah.. the patio is stylish, sumptuous and the consummate setting for a romantic evening spent fawning over velvety chilled sweet corn gazpacho (with serrano chiles!) and the most fabulous 'Michigan' salad with sweet nectarines, salty mustard greens and creamy, smooth ricotta.
4. An equally matched beautiful interior. The folks of Lula Cafe has one-upped them hipselves at Nightwood. It's gorge! Especially love the open air kitchen with marble seat-and-eat bar... watch the chefs at work, or just wink at 'em as you pass by. Lots of eye candy among this staff!
5. Overall an extremely impressive experience that I can't wait to head back for. Nightwood... indeed, a night that gave me wood. What an apt moniker!
This place is too hip for its own good! The decor is cool, with chairs that look like they have come from someone's rec room from the early 80s. The waiter was a late 20s obnoxious, condescending hipster who told us that the burger was "gourmet" and that our cautiousness about its description on the menu was unnecessary. My friend is a burger purist so her cautiousness was apropos. When asked about tomatoes for the burger, we were told they are out of season...cut the crap, you're just out of them...tomatoes are in season year round in this country...keep some damned tomatoes in house bee-yotches! Then, there was no Splenda for the iced tea, and the omelets with root vegetables and paneer cheese was NOT good. In fact, it was odd. The root vegetables were undercooked and just way too big...dice those roots and really roast them next time. They were just bad. The paneer cheese was peculiar and did not remotely resemble paneer cheese I had ever eaten. I also felt remarkably queasy an hour later...it was just way too rich for my taste. Surprisingly, this place is owned by the same folks who run Lula Cafe which I love...meh, this place just underwhelms me.
Pretty good food but in my opinion, didn't live up to the hype.
Based on the reviews and the lines outside we've been wanting to come here for some time. We called and got in early on Saturday night. Once we found the door (hint: it's on the North side and you have to walk through the patio), we were quickly seated in the "window corner".
For appetizers we had the duck ravioli and fried green tomatoes. Both were excellent. As an appetizer, I got the "vietnamese sandwich" (pate, shredded meatballs, veggies on a french roll). A very good sandwich, but ultimately more bar food than an entree in a fine dining restaurant. My girlfriend got the trout and she enjoyed it, but it wasn't life-changing.
We finished up with the warm apple cake and sorbet/gelato combo. The apple cake was EXCELLENT. The best dish of the meal. The sorbet and gelato's were just OK. The vanilla bean gelato just tasted like vanilla ice cream.
All in all a good meal, but didn't live up to the hype. That said, I'm not sure that the restaurant itself has made it out to be anything more than what it is. Therefore, the 4th star.
I'd go back, but it's not at the top of the list.
This place is awesome. They have an open kitchen in the back, the centerpiece of which is a large rotisserie smoker. This is where the magic happens. We had smoked chicken and smoked pork. Both were excellent. The chicken came with a side of caramelized brussels sprouts. The pork appeared to be smoked as a bone-in roast, then sliced into chops and finished on the grill. It came with a nice side salad. For appetizers, we had tomato soup and gnocchi with goat and goat cheese. The portion sizes are ample and a good value. The only mediocre aspect of the meal was desert, so pass on that.
NOTE: The entrance is on the left through the patio. The building was designed with a corner entrance, which makes sense given the location. For some reason, they walled in the corner entrance, so folks who approach the building at the apparent entrance point have to turn around and walk back to the actual entrance. Remarkably, I saw at least 20 people make this turn during the 1.5 hours I spent at the restaurant, so it's a fairly substantial design flaw that probably should be addressed with signage.
MMM the food was out of this world great. I had the rabbit for an appetizer and the duck for my entree... I cleaned my plate it was so good. Also, what was cool was that we sat back by the kitchen. So it was cool to see our food being made as well as everyone elses!!
Expectations: Fresh, innovative menu; (possibly pretentious) hipster staff; quiet and not too terribly busy - especially since it was 8:45 on a Tuesday.
Experience: Fresh, innovative menu - so fresh, in fact, that they handwrite it daily; UNpretentious, accommodating hipster staff; a 45-minute wait for a table for two - yep, even on a Tuesday night!
Since I ate at Nightwood three days ago, something more seasonal may have bumped the gazpacho and ratatouille off the menu. So, sorry to tease you with a meal you probably won't be able to order -- but these were some of the freshest, most flavorful things I've tasted in recent memory. It's the kind of stuff you can feel good about ingesting. My dining partner felt the same; he cleaned his plate - a pasta dish with sausage - before I even thought to swipe a bite. Dessert was a plate of four assorted warm cookies, which were good but forgettable. I believe the dessert menu is fixed, so I would go a different route next time.
Every staff member I interacted with was patient and helpful. The hostess, who had to deal with me three times since we snagged an open bar spot in lieu of waiting 45 minutes for a table, actually smiled, used my name, and thanked us on the way out. The bartender, who ended up doubling as our server, patiently explained each drink on the cocktail menu, made just enough conversation with us, and was an all-around likable dude.
And that 45-minute wait on a Tuesday at 8:45? I asked the bartender and the only reason he could think of was that since Lula Café (which has the same owners) is closed Tuesdays, the regular crowd commutes from Logan Square to Pilsen to dine at Nightwood. I'm skeptical. I think the word has gotten out and Nightwood is getting the love they deserve every night of the week.
several things:
1. great atmosphere.
2. heirloom tomato salad + burrata cheese = ridiculous tomfoolery in my mouth (that's a good thing).
3. most delicious cheeseburger ever.
4. everyone else liked their entrees.
a few other things:
1. parking situation = not fun.
2. future FIL's chicken was a tad raw in a few places. he ate around and still enjoyed it.
to conclude, go here.
I love this place. I went here for my birthday this year and had a great experience. The two big highlights were the burrata appetizer and the duck confit I got. Both were amazing. Although, neither were as good as the trout I had here when I had dinner with a friend after it first opened.
The only downside was that our waiter recommended a less than amazing wine to us. Still, I'll be back here I'm sure. I can't wait to try it after a visit to Skylark one of these days.
A-OK, Nightwood. I like Lula, and had high expectations for you. I called last Saturday afternoon and got a 930 reservation for 2 the same evening.. All in all, I think I liked the interior and the cocktails better than the food. I would definitely come back for more food though...So we got 2 cocktails (tasteeee, very creative concoctins), glass of wine, soda water, salad and fried green tomatoes for apps, home-made pasta and half chicken for dinner, and 2 scoops of gellato with coffee for dessert....total bill with tip was about 150. Excellent service. I'd like to eat here in the summer time, place has great atmosphere.
Have been to Nightwood for both dinner and Sunday brunch. Food was excellent each time. I am also a big fan of their sister restaurant Lula Cafe so its inevitable that I (and probably many others) want to compare the two. Nightwood has less choices and probably a bit pricier but food quality is excellent. Liked the modern decor of the restaurant. Expect it to be jam packed like Lula Cafe very soon
I finally found a place that is worthy of saying, " I think I died and went to heaven"! I went here with 6 other ladies, and we decided to really go to town on the menu. This was over a month ago, while on my yearly Chicago vacation, so I'm sure the menu is completely retooled by now. However... Jesus Christ almighty the Trout BLT on Brioche bread with a Fried egg (everything is better with a fried egg) rocked my F'ing world. I'm sure that someone sold their soul to the devil to achieve the level of scrumdiddlyumptious achieved in the lamb pate with with fried got cheese appetizer. The burger: BEST EVER. Ditto on the fries.
I dream of the day when a restaurant with this type of atmosphere and generously loving expressions for all things fine and delicious grace the desert that I call home.
Just had sunday brunch this past weekend with a large group. The food was amazing! My personal favorite was the bacon covered doughnuts (I know, I know...).
However, the service seemed a bit lacking. I suspect this is just growing pains that any new restaurant has, but a number of things went wrong. Half our table had food for almost 10 minutes before the last person's dish came out. Had to ask for cream for our coffee, and the food took far too time (hence the complimentary bacon doughnuts).
Overall, it was a great time. And I'm willing to chalk up the service issues to it being new, but it really needs to be addressed...
Quite simply, the most satisfying meal I've ever eaten.
I took the afternoon to traverse to Pilsen. I walked around, checked out a few places, and then decided, while I was here, to check out Nightwood.
I walked in, and it's just beautiful. Warm, inviting. Simple. I love it. I am seated immediately, brought water and a menu. Menus change daily, so they're nicely handwritten. Nice touch!
My server comes over, and asks if I have any questions. I start my typical...what do you recommend routine. Ok...if the menu changes as often as they say (I'm sure they repeat items, but still...) he would have to be on his game. Effortless. I settled on a cheese starter that was somewhat like a combination of Brie and Mozzarella. It was served with a fennel sauce and toast points. I told him to surprise me on drink--beer, wine or cocktail. He got excited. I love it when a server loves their job, knows the food AND can pair a drink with it. Class act. He chose a beer which was amazing. Ephemere. It's a Canadian lager with an apple base (but no means a cider) and coriander. I couldn't taste the coriander until I got a bite of the fennel in the starter, and took a swig. Perfectly paired.
Next, I had chicken with a white bean and bread salad. It was exquisite. The bean salad was as good with the chicken. The chicken was seasoned well, yet not over seasoned. Once again, he brought me a perfectly paired glass of white wine. A french blend...I don't remember the name.
Desert was a glass of desert red (almost a port, but not quite) and a chocolate and hazelnut custard. Again, perfect.
Overall, no complaints. Was it cheap? No. Have I spent that much at "the best restaurants in the city". Yes. Was I nearly as happy when I left said restaurants? Absolutely not.
I loved it. I had high expectations, as I love Lula, and I thought there would be no way Nightwood could be different enough yet maintain the quality. It exceeded my expectations. Much better service. No attitude. Actually...they had pleasure in what they were doing. Everyone from the hostess, to the server to the gentleman who brought out my entree. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.
I love Lula so I knew I would love this place and from everything I had read about it, it did not disappoint. They were still working out the bugs a bit but in a few months I'm sure it will be much better.
I had a tiny problem with the hostess because I had read on citysearch that they did not take reservations and I had also read that on their website but when we got to the place they asked if we had any...so I told them what I had read and why I didn't make any and they said they had just changed that and it had been updated on the web but since I just had seen it a couple of hours ago..I was like ok whatever, can we get a table and it was early and it was honestly fairly empty...what's the big deal, right?
As the meal was progressing she suddenly interpreted us to tell me that I was wrong as she just checked the website and handed me a little Nightwood business card to check it out. Wow, that was a little aggressive.. I didn't care for the attitude and it was unnecessary at that point. Luckily the good food and super nice server put me back in the mood.
So we get seated and the server was just lovely and explained everything and was super nice all evening and all her suggestions were awesome. The tomatoes in the salad were so amazing and the Trout BLT was mouthwatering. My friend had the pasta with this yummy lemony sauce. We had great drinks and the deserts where to die for! The cherries in one of the desserts were heavenly.
It will become one of my favorites and I'm sure each time things will get better and better!
Nightwood made me quite happy. I had a cocktail with gin, vermouth, and muddled orange. It was the rose-something. I don't quite remember the name.
We shared the beef shortrib tortellini - at first taste, we were sort of confused. The sauce was a bit more tart than we expected. The second bite made more sense.
Entrees were the half roasted chicken and the trout. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, and it came with white beans. I love white beans. My friend said the trout was the most perfectly seasoned trout he's ever had.
Dessert was the spice cake - amazing. I was surprised to see it on the menu because I associate spice cakes with autumn - but it was lightly spiced, with a light texture and completely delicious.
I forgot to add how lovely the interior is. the space is great, the light fixtures are great, the chairs are great. The mix of classic and modern is really beautiful. The only thing that's not too lovely is the exposed brick (too much like a condo for me), but the rest of it makes up for it. The ladies room is really pretty - kind of reminded me of my apartment, with the moldings and the patterned floor.
Wow! Shockingly good and refreshing! Great French inspired cuisine in Pilsen? Hard to imagine, but it's true!
Gnocchi with sweet peas: awesome! The gnocchi are the very pillowing and covered in creamy sauce! The sauce is a little salty though...
Liver pate with pickled vegetables and jelly: very strange, too irony for me.
Honey biscuits with honey butter: OMG!!! if they sell this I'd buy the whole batch! They were purely heaven!
White fish with cream sauce: WOW! the fish was super fresh with no fishy smell or taste, with the cream sauce it was heavenly.
Duck leg confit: The meat fell of the leg without any cutting, the meat is a little salty, but overall very juicy and has crispy skin.
Will go back!
so i am fully obsessed. i have been 3x with different people. the bf, the guuuurrrlfriend, the parents, and EVERYONE loves it. nightwood is lovely, from the handwritten menus to the tasty cocktails (i love the blueberry gimlet), the food is super tasty (the trout blt is ammmazing) and the menu frequently changes.
i love nightwood.
ps. the entrance isn't obvious, it's on the north side of the building. and parking is a breeze over there.
Apparently this is the new place to go and I have been wanting to try it for some time now. It is a little out of the way, being all the way in Pilsen, but boy am I glad we went there!
You walk into the restaurant through this cute outdoor patio... I will have to go back when it is nice weather again (ugh, probably another 9 months!) and enjoy that lovely space. I walked in and immediately loved the decor with the exposed brick walls and the exquisite ceilings. Very cute and nicely decorated, but not in a pretentious or trendy way. (I didn't feel out of place in my Friday casual work clothes.) It is definitely more upscale than Lula but still the similar comfortable feeling.
We got there right after work and it was not that busy at all - maybe half of all the tables were full. They tried to put us at the bar at first saying all the tables were reserved. We were a bit upset as we just called about 1 hour before and they said that walking in wouldn't be a problem as they never reserve out all their tables... plus it was only 6:30 so it was still early. So we ended up getting a table which was really good b/c I don't think I would have enjoyed the dinner quite as much at the bar.
Instead of regular bread, they brought out these honey biscuits which were quite tasty! For an appetizer, we started with a butternut squash ravioli with egg yolk. It was good, a little interesting on the flavors, but still good. It reminded us of the stuff they would make on Top Chef. It was one (bigger than average size) ravioli which I thought was kind of skimpy since it was almost $10! For my entree I ordered the grilled duck. OMG! SOOOO good... the duck was tender and juicy and perfectly seasoned! I also liked how they had the skin on (not everyone would like that), since that is my favorite! The salad on the side with corn and apples was just okay but really, the duck made my night! It was delicious! My boyfriend wasn't super hungry so he just ordered the goat cheese gnocchi. That was good in flavor but nothing as impressive as the duck. He usually does not like duck but also thought my entree was excellent!
I will have to say that the menu is pretty limited. There are probably about 10 entree choices and I would only eat about 3-4 of them. And really, only the duck one stood out to me as looking really good. But I bet the menu changes pretty frequently so hopefully when I go back there will be some other dishes available. (Although I may just want to go back for the duck.) All the ingredients were really fresh and I think since it is Lula's same owners it is probably all organic. The service was good, as well. I also got a small dessert... one scoop of the blueberry-pear sorbet, which was the perfect amount to end the night with. I am not a huge dessert person and usually nothing really appeals to me. As far as the cocktail menu, nothing jumped out at me too much but I opted for an apple cider cocktail which was just okay. I pretty much enjoyed Nightwood for the Duck Entree and the atmosphere. I would recommend making the trek out there and checking it out!
My brother and I came here as my farewell to life in Pilsen, and it was overall, a delicious experience. The decor was modern and bright, and it was fancier than I expected, based off the casual (but nice) feel of Lula.
As others have attested, the service was excellent. Our server was helpful and gave good suggestions, without being intrusive. He recommended a good beer for my brother, and gave me some background on the one I chose as well. Later during the meal, he came to check up on how everything was and seemed to truly be passionate about the food and making sure we had a nice experience.
I thought the menu options seemed great- I couldn't decide what to get, because they all seemed delicious. They had just redone them, so it sounds like they probably make a lot of seasonal items or go with what's fresh. My brother went for trout, which came out whole, served with greens on the side, which he said was good. I ordered a trout BLT. Yes, a trout BLT. It was delicious! It was served on thick soft bread with bacon, lettuce, tomato, a trout fillet, and barbeque sauce (!) with a sunny side egg (!!) placed on top of the sandwich. It was SO good. It's making me hungry again writing about it.. Served on the side was a small side salad with a tart and light vinaigrette.
Great experience, though a little pricey, but I will definitely be back for special occasions.
Nightwood is the newest addition to this southern stretch of Halsted in Pilsen. Owned by the same people as Lula Cafe, they had been open for about a week when we stopped in for dinner.
Nightwood is named after the 1936 novel written by Djuna Dumas. It's an interesting choice as I was wondering what the link to the book would be- and as it turns out--there is no link. Just the mystery of why they named it that.
The interior is contemporary and bright. As our waiter said- they want it to be a "beaken of light" lighting their corner of Halsted. And the place is larger than it looks- with an outdoor patio, back seating area as well as a large room downstairs for private parties.
We were seated right away at a perfect corner, window table (it was early) and since they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more- if you don't want to wait- I'd suggest you go early as when we were leaving the place was pretty full. Our server brought over a simple menu that changes daily- so the food that we enjoyed may not be be there if you go but I'm sure they will be replaced with equally delicious creations!
We started with a couple of the appetizers- the ravioli in butter sauce and these interesting spears of asparagus coated with smoked trout and cream cheese, lightly breaded and deep fried. While the ravioli was good-the asparagus spears were amazing! What an interesting combination of flavors!
For our entrees- I had the chicken and my friend had the pork loin. Both were extremely tasty. The chicken was a huge portion. The pork looked great- the only challenge was there was quite a bit of fat on it.
Finally dessert. I love that you can order a plate of fresh, hot from the oven cookies in 4 flavors. The toffee one was my favorite- but the peanut butter one came in a close second.
Service was good- they work in teams so different people were bringing out food out- but our server always checked in to make sure things were good. And free street parking is still available in this area which is always nice.
The name Nightwood may remain a mystery- but the delicious food that they are serving shouldn't. It's a great addition to this neighborhood!
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