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Restaurant Hospitality
Chicago Tables: Reflecting on heritage
Apr 18, 2018

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Popular Chicago restaurants are emphasizing the heritage behind their food.

The Ladies’ Room at Fat Rice
Fat Rice

The beloved Macau-inspired Logan Square eatery Fat Rice now has an adjoining cocktail lounge with a throwback sensibility and small bites to aid in the support of sipping drinks.

Website: eatfatrice.com

Address: 2957 W Diversey Ave.

Phone number: 773-661-9170

Number of seats: 18

Entrée price range: $5-$16

Popular dishes: Pork and ginger dumplings with grilled scallion, Sichuan chile oil, sweet soy and wood ear mushrooms; jamon Iberico with papaya, a sherry reduction, arugula and olive oil; Goan croquettes with chouriço, mint chutney and yogurt

What others say: “The lounge is inspired by Chinese gambling halls and Macau's red-light district circa the mid-19th and 20th centuries, which is evident as soon as you enter due to its dim red lighting. Its decorations also harken back to that period, with many sourced from partner Adrienne Lo's grandparents’ house as well as 1920s-era Chinese pinups.” — Daniel Gerzina, Eater Chicago

The Ladies’ Room at Fat Rice
Fat Rice

The bar

The Ladies’ Room at Fat Rice
Fat Rice

Pork and ginger dumplings

La Sirena Clandestina
La Sirena Clandestina

Chef John Manion, who grew up in Brazil before starting a two-decade stint in kitchens in Chicago, introduced his unusual vision (which he expanded at his beloved spot El Che Bar) at this home of cuisine inspired by “the sneak-away beachside joints of coastal Brazil that inspire its name ‘hidden mermaid’.”

Website: lasirenachicago.com

Address: 954 W Fulton Market

Phone number: 312-226-5300

Number of seats: 40

Entrée price range: $14-$36

Popular dishes: Moqueca: stew of snapper, prawn, mussels, cilantro risotto, coconut broth dende oil and cashews; frango a passarinho: Brazilian fried chicken with chile, lime and garlic; pork Milanesa: fried pork loin with mushroom gravy and a fried egg.

What others say: “A lot of people do ceviche; John Manion makes his rise above the rest with touches like homemade saltines. And his mojo, which uses tons of roasted garlic, guajillos, charred tomatoes, pineapple and a trifecta of fish sauce, Sriracha and mezcal.” — Graham Elliott, Food & Wine

La Sirena Clandestina
La Sirena Clandestina

The dining area

La Sirena Clandestina
La Sirena Clandestina

Frango a passarinho

Booth One
Booth One

The space that was formerly the storied Pump Room in the Ambassador hotel was taken over and reimagined — with proper tribute paid — by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a home for seafood and steaks and some throwbacks to evoke the glow of yesteryear.

Website: boothone.com

Address: 1301 N State Parkway

Phone number: 312-649-0535

Number of seats: 250

Entrée price range: $19.95-$47.95

Popular dishes: Roast Chicken Frites with Kennebec potatoes and roasting jus; Dover Sole cooked on the bone and brown butter; Crispy Duck à la Booth One with fruits and vegetables.

What others say: “The Booth One name is a nod to the restaurant space’s past. In the Pump Room’s heyday, Booth One was the table available only to top celebrities — the A-pluses on the A-list — and guests would crowd into the restaurant just to see who might be seated there.” — Phil Vettel, Chicago Tribune

Booth One
Booth One

Crispy Duck à la Booth One

Booth One
Booth One

Roast Chicken Frites

Tied House
Tied House

Connected to the popular Schubas Tavern concert venue, this sharp, design-minded restaurant plays home to the creative flashes of chef Debbie Gold, a familiar face to many for her time on the TV show Top Chef Masters.

Website: tiedhousechicago.com

Address: 3157 N Southport Ave.

Phone number: 773-697-4632

Number of seats: 86 in the dining room, 12 at the bar, 48 outside

Entrée price range: $11-$38

Popular dishes: Okinawa sweet potato turnip with fromage blanc and sunflower; monkfish with kohlrabi with green apple, barley and bonito; short rib with black garlic, blue foot mushroom and lemon grass.

What others say: “The name is inspired by the bars and saloons that were tied to breweries shortly before Prohibition. Brewing companies would pay for a part of operation fees, such as liquor licenses, and in return, these taverns would only serve their products. Schubas was originally a tied house for the Milwaukee-based Schlitz beer and still boasts a large terra cotta globe on the facade recalling that role.” — Grace Wong, Chicago Tribune

Tied House
Tied House

The interior

Tied House
Tied House

Milk braised pork

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

The evolving neighborhood of Humboldt Park got a surprise guest with staying power in the form of a grand caviar bar with other offerings pointing toward Eurasia.

Website: heritage-chicago.com​

Address: 2700 W Chicago Ave​.

Phone number: ​773-661-9577

Number of seats: 82 in the dining room, 18 at the bar, 40 on the patio

Entrée price range: $25-$38

Popular dishes: Duck confit biscuits and gravy with fall vegetables and sunny side duck egg; sunchoke and cottage cheese pierogi with beets, horseradish gremolata and dill; grilled Korean short rib machanka (an East European stew) with purple corn grits, gravy and kumquat mostarda.

What others say: “Served on an iced dish, premium caviar varieties come with additional gobs of golden whitefish roe and red tobiko as consolation, which seems a bit like seating Beyoncé next to Kenny G. It's served along with terrific black Russian rye bread, buttered, lightly toasted, and imbued with cocoa powder and molasses, plus thin, fried-to-order Kennebec potato chips and tart, pickled carrots and cucumbers that almost manifest as a Mexican escabeche.” — Mike Sula, Chicago Reader

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

The main dining room

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

Salt cod

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National Tables: Something for everyone
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