-Grubbing in Chicago
Retro Fine Dining in the South Loop
You may have noticed a slight shift in my published posts this past calendar year. For starters I no longer post up to three times a week. I’m also posting less reviews of recently opened Chef driven and restaurant group type of openings. There’s a simple explanation for the latter and that’s the price of going out has skyrocketed over the last couple years. Honestly I can’t afford to eat at higher end spots as regularly, not when the mom and pop spots are also getting expensive (I recently paid $26 with tip for a bowl of noodles just the other day). That said we still go out just not nearly as much. But we recently celebrated an anniversary and decided to go out for a celebration dinner. We ended up at Oliver’s - a newish spot in the South Loop reminiscent Hollywood’s golden age (the 1930’s).
Oliver’s is a Jason Weingarten production. If the name sounds familiar it might be bc he was recently in the news when former Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas sold his stake in the restaurant group to Jason, a tech entrepreneur. Weingarten calls Oliver’s a passion project while others call it the best new restaurant in Chicago. It’s in a weird location in that there’s not a ton of other businesses on the block but that makes for easy parking. Once you enter you’re immediately in the bar area where they also have a handful of tables. I was surprised how big the space is as it includes a few dining rooms.
a peek inside
The food menu at Oliver’s is short…and expensive. It consists of six starters, five mains, and five sides (plus dessert). The drink menu looked good and considering the mixologist came from Scofflaw I bet they are. I don’t drink cocktails as often because I’ve cut down on sugar and also bc the prices are getting kind of silly. Since I had a few High Life’s earlier in the eve I decided to have another one as they were just $6 each. Erica tried a few of the wines but didn’t find one she liked. We knew we wanted to try the truffle gnocchi in Comte cheese sauce and we added the fried artichoke side for starters. The gnocchi ($23) was on point during our visit - I’d read mixed reviews as far as the texture goes but it hit both the buzzwords when it comes to good gnocchi - it was soft and pillowy. The black truffle mixed well with the Comte and it was much better than it looks. The fried artichoke ($18) starts with two whole Roman braised artichoke hearts fried naked and dressed with preserved lemon, black pepper aioli, and rosemary. The taste was there but they were a bit greasy from the deep fry.
truffle gnocchi black truffle, comté, aged parmesan
fried artichoke preserved lemon, black pepper aioli, rosemary
The choices among the mains are limited but there’s still something for every type of eater ranging from a NY Strip Loin for two to a meatless tomato risotto plus a roast chicken and seafood selection. I went to Oliver’s knowing what I was going to get which is pretty much always the case when I eat out. But I switched my order last second and decided to try the Millers Half Chicken ($46 as is) instead of the burger ($27 with fries). Erica got the risotto ($27) and I added on a side of the house made fries ($9) for us to share. The risotto was good though I only had a small bite but it was cooked al dente and had a nice tomato and cheese flavor. My roast chicken was bigger than just about any half chicken I’ve ever seen and that kind of turned me off but the skin had the perfect shade which really turned me on. So I was told they rub fat all over the skin as it roasts which in turns creates a beautiful lacquer. It’s served atop a delicious crème fraîche made with dill and shallots plus the fat drippings of the chicken. It was cooked to perfection but I should’ve got the truffle mashed potatoes to go with it. Better yet the truffle mashed potatoes should’ve came with it at that price. I did get two meals out of it and it was better than any grocery store bought rotisserie chicken so don’t get me wrong, it was very good. But I’m still not sure the price is totally justified as is. I probably should've got the burger.
tomato risotto smoked olive oil, aged parmesan, pimentón de la vera
miller's half chicken shallot, dill, crème fraîche, roasted chicken fat
We finished with a slice of the housemade Key Lime Pie ($13) which like the chicken was a big portion which does help justify the overall prices just a little bit, I’ve paid equal for lesser sized portions elsewhere. The pie was perfectly tart with an awesome gingersnap crust and whipped chantilly and pistachio praline. I’d be leaving out the biggest plus of this meal if I didn’t mention the fantastic service. Oliver’s is supposed to be like a spot you’d find in 1930’s Los Angeles meaning it’s rich and elegant with lots of ambiance including some world class service. It really did remind me of a previous era in that everything about the service was perfect. Expect to hear this place mentioned when what's left of local media starts mentioning Oliver’s among the year’s best restaurant openings.
coconut key lime pie whipped chantilly, pistachio praline, gingersnap
Oliver's
1639 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
(213) 320-3100
Website
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