Daily Archives: October 14, 2009

The Bristol, a Delicious Bucktown-Wicker Park Eatery & Bar

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The Bristol: 
A Neighborhood Eatery & Bar

2152 N. Damen
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 862-5555
www.thebristolchicago.com


Hours:
Dinner:
Sunday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Mon.-Thurs., 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Fri.-Sat., 5:30 p.m. – midnight
Brunch:
Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Entrée (large dish) price range: $10-$18.

By Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman
Story originally appeared in StreetWise

Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods have become quite noteworthy for their diversity of restaurants and boutiques. It’s a great place to shop, eat, take in the art studios and people-watch. There’s a creative spontaneity to the area, and that’s definitely true at The Bristol, a new bistro self-described as a “neighborhood eatery and bar.”

The Bristol is a lively, come as you are gathering place. No reservations are taken, so you may have to wait, but it’s still a good call. There’s an exciting hubbub in the moderately sized dining room. The décor is semi-rustic but done with style. Some of the tables are large and communal; making new friends at these tables is part of the fun.

One look at the menu and we knew it was going to be hard to choose—so many things sounded great. Never fear, our server explained that sharing is welcome. The menu is divided into four sections: bar snacks, salads/sides, medium dishes and large dishes and the cuisine is contemporary American, which means there are a variety of global influences throughout. We picked up primarily a touch of France and Italy in the choice of food selections.

The bar snacks work well as appetizers, but a collection of them would also make for a fun, delicious meal. To start, we tried the Monkey Bread Pull Apart, a small loaf of warm, just baked bread served with dill butter and sea salt. It’s a nice, comforting beginning.  The Grilled Flatbread, with bacon and melted sweet onion, was simply delicious, bordering on addictive.

We moved on to the salad course and were pleasantly surprised. The very fresh Heirloom Apple Salad was a perfect blend of sweet and tangy. The Grilled Mackeral Caesar Salad was also very good; the mackerel was a special touch.

Medium dishes offer a variety of flavors in inspired combinations. Pasta lovers will enjoy the rich but not too heavy Ravioli with Ricotta, egg yolk and brown butter. The Grilled Head-On Prawns, with anchovy butter, were perfectly prepared and mouth watering. Those who want a taste of France might try the Roast Bone Marrow, served with red wine shallot jam.

On to the large dishes: We don’t tend to order chicken dishes unless we think they will be something special, and at The Bristol, we weren’t disappointed. The Ballotine of Young Chicken, served with chestnut spatzle and crunchy salad, was wonderful in flavor and texture; a very comforting dish, hearty but certainly not heavy. The Pan Roasted Skate Wing was another clear winner, served with Saor sauce (an Italian sweet-sour sauce) and delicately seasoned root vegetables.

The variety of dishes at The Bristol is joyfully wide and one can easily enjoy a light meal or a full course feast. It’s a great place for a group where some want a light meal and other are “starving.” For a rich indulgence, try an order of duck fat fries, served with a tasty house made ketchup and aioli, for the table. If you’ve still got room, try the desserts; we loved them.

Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you’d like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact DineWise@kurman.com.

Kan Zaman’s Lebanese Cuisine Stands Out from the Crowd

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Kan Zaman
617 N. Wells
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 751-9600
www.kanzamanchicago.com

Hours:
11 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday
11 a.m.-midnight, Friday
Noon-midnight Saturday
1-10 p.m. Sunday

Pricing:
Appetizers, $4.95-$10.95;
Lunch Entrées, $8.95-$10.95;
Dinner entrées, $10.95-$19.95

By Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman
Original story appeared in StreetWise

Chicago’s neighborhoods are filled with restaurants that are—from the outside—innocuous enough to simply pass by without a second thought. They’re typically not using a publicist to spread the word and so you only notice them when a friend you trust gives you the heads up. This is especially true among Middle Eastern restaurants. There are many of them around the city but most stay under the radar.

We were pleasantly surprised when a high-powered husband and wife chef team suggested Kan Zaman, a Lebanese restaurant in River North, telling us it was one their favorites in Chicago. In a neighborhood filled with stylish, chic eateries, this place is less noticeable but worthy of the recommendation.

We should say at the outset that we like Middle Eastern food and we enjoy it on a fairly regular basis. It has a comforting warmth and enough interesting spiciness to tickle the palate without overdoing it. It’s also a healthy way to eat, in moderation of course. We’re not experts, but we’ve been in enough Middle Eastern restaurants to have a point of comparison. Kan Zaman stands up to the competition in a big way. The food is accessible but very good.

Entering on Wells Street, we liked the casual, comfortable seating and the warm room colors. The front windows open wide, bringing in the fresh air and sunshine. A nice display of Lebanese artifacts and artwork envelops the dining room. There are Western-style table and chairs on one side and cushion-laden Middle Eastern style seating on the other side. Take your pick.

We started our meal with the Vegetarian Combo, offering a taste of many appetizers, most of which we have tried at other places. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality and quantity of food. The Hummos had just the right amount of sesame tahini, the Baba Ghannouj was flavorful and smoothly textured; the Tabouleh was nicely herbed and chewy. The Falafel was crispy, tasty and not greasy. The Spinach and Cheese pie was subtle and flaky. For our main course, we chose to share a Shawarma dinner. As we ordered, we wondered if that would be enough food. No problem—the portion was very large and we noted how excellent the preparation was. The spiced lamb and beef was moist, tender and fresh.

The Kan Zaman menu offers a large selection of mainly well-known, popular dishes. There are nearly a dozen and a half choices for appetizers alone. In addition to the Vegetarian Combo, other interesting selections include Sautéed Mushrooms in a special marinara sauce; Lubia (sautéed fresh green beans in olive oil with tomatoes); Foul Modammas (fava been dip with garlic, hot peppers); Dolma (stuffed grape leaves), and Grilled Cheese (Lebanese cheese sautéed with olive oil topped with crushed pistachios, tomatoes and calamata olive). Hot appetizers include Kibbeh (deep fired bulgur spheres stuffed with ground beef and onions); Arayess (seasoned ground beef and lamb with garlic, onions and tomatoes); Makanek (spiced beef and lamb baby sausages sautéed in garlic and lemon-pomegranate sauce).

Salads are an important part of Middle Eastern cuisine and Kam Zaman doesn’t disappoint, with six familiar choices. Choose the simple Lebanese or Feta salads or go a step further with the Jerusalem Salad, Chicken Salad, Shawarma Salad and Fattoush.

Pita sandwiches are served with delicious Lebanese fries (seasoned with Lebanese thyme). Choices include Falafel, Shawarma (beef and lamb), Chicken Shawarma, Kafta Kabob (ground beef and lamb), Shish Tawook (marinated breast of chicken kabob), and Hummos.

Lunchgoers can enjoy very reasonably priced specials from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Excellent choices include a variety of kabobs: Beef, Lamb, Kafta or the Combo. The Mediterranean Sautée offers a choice of chicken, lamb or beef with sautéed vegetables, potatoes, onions, green peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Dinnertime entrée specials that are worth a try include the Lamb Chops (baby lamb chops charbroiled and served with fresh tomatoes), Quail (juicy marinated charbroiled quails, served with tomatoes, onions and green peppers); Vegetarian Moussaa (sautéed eggplant, potatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes). Seafood lovers will enjoy the Grilled Salmon, Shrimp Kabob and the Shrimp Sautée.

If you’re in River North and want to dine simply but well, we like this place. It’s been around for a long time and, now that we’ve been there, we’re not surprised. It’s also BYOB, so bring along a nice bottle of your favorite.

Note: DineWise is a weekly column appearing in StreetWise magazine. Lee Barrie is on the StreetWise board of directors and he and his wife Cindy own Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle, restaurant and hospitality strategic branding, marketing promotions, media relations and social networking. If you’d like your restaurant to be featured on the DineWise blog and in StreetWise magazine, please contact DineWise@kurman.com.