Koda Bistro

It is located in the old fielos restaurant in beverly. Does anyone know if they are open yet? If so how was the experience? I always hate going to restaurants during the first 6 months they are open. Am hoping to get the yeah or nay from some more daring than I.

Koda
104th & Western
Chicago

Koda
10352 S. Western Ave.
773-445-5632

Koda is scheduled to open the fist week of May, 2006. Beverly has been buzzing for months about getting its very own French bistro. In fact, with so many excited neighbors stopping in to see what was going on, owners say they had to paper over the windows so they finish work in time for the opening. "Beverly has been totally underserved," says owner Janice Daley, who along with her husband Patrick, has been developing the space since late 2004. "That's why we wanted to open here." The menu, designed by Aaron Browning, a veteran of Everest, Brasserie Jo and Vichyssoise, will feature French classics, with a few twists – like his modern interpretation of corn-beef and cabbage ($16.95). The vibe goes for upscale contemporary rather than cliched French country--there's even a LED bar that lights up.

Hours: 5-10 p.m., daily

I finally made it to Koda.

...was pleasantly suprised, food was better that an I expected but the service/atmosphere was pretty close to what I anticipated. Among the best French bistro food I've had in Chicago. The "scene" and service was about what I expected in Beverly--nothing wrong with it just very neighborhoody. Probably the most "family yet somewhat sophisticated" feeling bistro I've been to in Chicago.

They serve a traditional Tarte Flambe, which is the French version of a pizza and hard to find anywhere in Chicago. It was very good. The onion soup was good (though since I'm super critical of my onion soup and use it as a benchmark to compare places, I will say it lacked some breadyness and was a little sweet for me..!). I had the braised short ribs served over wasabi mashed potatoes and seasonal root vegetables. I've never quite seen short ribs served up in the style they did, but they were delicious. The wasabi from the potatoes also seemed to be infused in the broth of the vegetables, which to me was the best and most interesting part. For desert we ordered profiteroles. They were unusually massively huge--about 4 times the size they should be--we asked about that and apparently people complained they were too small before. Despite their massive size, they too were good. When ordering them, she did offer to do a half order of profiteroles for half price, which might be a good idea next time if we just have 2 people. No souffle on the menu--no suprise here since few places in Chicago do have it--but oh I long for a good souffle.

I don't know if its true or not, but it did seem like the menu had a heavy influence of items that predominantly Irish neighborhood might find to be exciting. A few different lamb dishes, for example... though they were obviously prepared in a very French style.

The price point was very good, maybe the food was priced slightly less than other bistros in the city even. The wine list was vast and excellent.

A a few drawbacks:
--The 20-25 minute drive from downtown might be one for some. On the other hand not everyone lives near "downtown" ...
--They don't take reservations (though they do take them for parties of 8 or more, and they have a nice bar you can sit and drink at while waiting, or even eat at the bar tables). Though I think the rush crowd is earlier than it might be elsewhere in the city (meaning that I think after 7pm this place probably gets less and less busy...). We got there at 7:30 and the wait was between 30-45 minutes, so we took a leisurely stroll around Beverly to check out some of the neighborhood before going back to the bar and having some Champagne. I don't think we even waited 30 minutes though. When we were leaving aroud 10:30 the place was quickly becoming a ghost town, though still half full.
--They have a nice wine and good selection of bar items, but they didn't have Calvados. How can they not have a quintessential French after-dinner drink? I don't really like Calvados and don't order it (though I always have to smell and just take a sip of someone else's), but two of the people I was dining with were somewhat disappoitned in this.


Parking is plentiful, they have their own midget-sized lot but there is tons of street parking available.

The Chef has worked at Everest and Brasserie Jo in Chicago, and a few other places French places elsewhere... The food shows he knows what he's doing.

Service was 'just ok' ... our waitress was very nice, helpful, but showed a lack of experience occasionally when she pulled out hand written notes from the chef or the manager on how to describe various things. then when we asked to order calvados, she went and asked the manager and she came back and said "no but we do have sauterne" ... uhhhh, ok.. though if the service was bad there wouldn't have been had written notes on anything, so i applaud the effort to provide good information at least.

We were with two of our friends who now live in NYC... They're very into haut cuisine, particularly French given that one of them lived in Paris for quite awhile. The other is Irish. So it was a good choice, I think... I think they enjoyed it equally as much as we did, particularly food-wise.

What better reason to visit Beverly!

Due to the popularity of Koda another french restaurant will be opening in Beverly, it will be much smaller, but promises to have just as exciting a menu.
Cafe 103 on the 1900 block of 103rd (near the Metra Line) It will be BYOB since liquor cannot be sold east of Western in the 19th Ward.
No word on an actual opening date however.

NSH wrote:Due to the popularity of Koda another french restaurant will be opening in Beverly, it will be much smaller, but promises to have just as exciting a menu.
Cafe 103 on the 1900 block of 103rd (near the Metra Line) It will be BYOB since liquor cannot be sold east of Western in the 19th Ward.
No word on an actual opening date however.

wow, i think this is the best news i've heard all day!!

the restaurant "scene", or lack thereof, is actually quite shocking to those who know beverly. it's almost a joke.

in beverly itself, even typical "pub fare" is rarely found. i used to work at joe bailey's during a summer & winter break from uiuc, and just having a place with decent bar food, sunday brunches, and some higher priced menu items really is hard to find. yes, there are your typical pizza joints & fast food, but tell me where to find a good pub burger IN BEVERLY (and i'm not talking about places like wonderburger, top notch, etc.)....

the promised beverly brewery just south of 107th & western will hopefully find a good client base in need of some more options -- driving to palos/orland/la grange is pathetic just to find a casual saturday night dinner. i haven't driven by to see what type of progress has been made (ie, structure in the ground yet?), but this could be a gem.

lastly, i visited KODA with my mom about 2-3 weeks ago -- great spot, loved the bar area for an example of what beverly sorely needs. while this isn't going to win any contests with some of the more established joints on the north side, this is a hugely popular restaurant b/c of the dire restaurant situation in the surrounding areas.

the food was very nice; i had a lovely subtle pumpkin soup (i expected a bit more "oomph", but really enjoyed the lighter flavors that were present, even the color was lighter than i expected -- more yellow than orange) and more traditional spinach gnocchi. i was in the mood for more of a hearty dish, so this was a good call; although i might've been more "wowed" by the butternut squash risotto that was also featured....

mom tried the skatewing on the recommendation of the waitress. this was her 3rd visit, so she was interested in trying something new (loved the salmon that is still on the menu) -- and this was a standout. great light fish with nice flavors -- sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes, carmelized onions & a light sauce with capers to balance the sweetness of the fish. we really liked that one & finished it off; i took home some leftover gnocchi & enjoyed them the next night.

good wine selection, somewhat flighty service, but overall, i would go back & mom has plans to go again soon.

cheers,
miss ellen

Cullinan's stadium club makes a decent pub burger the scene is pretty "divey" however, Quigley's and Gillhooley's have that "Joe Bailey's vibe" sans the front porch. Bourbon Street has a pub menu, not the best food, but it is a great spot to veg out on a hot summer afternoon.
I saw Sean's Rhino Bar they brought back "the grill" haven't tried them yet but they do have a menu.
Also a big renovation of Dingbat's is under way possibly something more upscale than what it was?
Looking forward to the opening of the Beverly Brewery, no progress has been made since they dug the foundation. Since Ginger is head of the green committee I have a feeling it is being held up due to an environmental problem.
smellen is correct this is hardly enough options, the west side of Western ave should be crawling with nightspots, as it is, there are just a few good taverns ONE DECENT RESTAURANT!?, and a bunch of dive bars.

Koda



I'm an easy mark when restaurants use the word "bistro". And as a mark, I'm often left feeling conned at the end of my meal. While Koda didn't knock me over as the next great entrant in the anemic world of Chicago bistro fare, I certainly didn't feel conned.

My first bit of advice about Koda is to have your meal at the bar or in the bar area. The main dining room is bright, loud, cramped in spots, and very drafty (at least in late December). After we were seated in the dining room, we immediately got up and moved to the bar which was much quieter and cozier, separated from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the restaurant by panes of smoked glass. Also, it had a cool bar that kept changing colors (I'm easily entertained):



So, now we eat.

Our first course was the highlight. A cream of celery root soup for me and a beet salad for Cookie. The soup was expertly prepared, velvety, flavorful and garnished with fresh chive and tiny croutons. The beet salad was exactly how I think this dish should be prepared: limited dressing and a strong highlight of the sweetness of the roasted beets. Very tasty.

After the appetizers, the bartender brought us a basket of bread and apologized for it being late. "We're always baking it so once in a while it's not ready." She wasn't kidding. The bread was hot and crusty and billowing steam from the inside, clearly hot from the oven. It could have used a rest, but I didn't care. It was delicious and it went well with the soft pat of butter that they crumbled a little sea salt over.

Our main course. Steak frites for Cookie: Great steak, bad frites.



The steak was well seasoned and tender. The frites were clearly pre-frozen and had an unmistakable McDonalds-like quality to them. (I do not consider that a complement). The flavor of potato was tertiary to the flavors of salt and oil.

Sauteed skate wing for me with a lemon, caper, butter sauce, potatoes and spinach. Not bad, but I know I could reproduce the same dish with better results. The skate could have used a few more shakes to remove the excess flour, and the piece was a bit on the thin side. The sides were standard issue potatoes and spinach. Nevertheless, I was satisfied and I cleaned my plate.



For dessert, we split the profiteroles. These weren't just any bistro profiteroles. These were profiteroles, as interpreted by the south side of Chicago: big, tough, and aggressive. There were two of them, each the size of a 12-inch softball. I would not order these again.



Overall, Koda's a nice enough place that I probably won't make a special trip to go to again--unless they completely re-think the frites (they could have one of the best steak frites in town with a little effort).

If I lived anywhere near Beverly, I'd be thrilled that it was there, as many of the patrons seemed to be.

There is another Koda thread here.

Best,
Michael

I'm a big fan of the onion tart at Koda.

When we were there, the server and adjoining tables marveled that we had come all the way from Oak Park to little ole' Beverly for dinner. There's a discernable neighborhood feel to the place, which I like, though like EC, I'm not inclinded to make the trip again.

I was very dissapointed in Koda. Had the onion tart as suggested by a previous poster and i thought it tasted like a jar of liquid smoke. The onions were not sweet or carmelized. I then had the beet salad which i thought was fantastic but how hard is it to pair roasted beets with gorganzola walnuts and balsamic vinegrette. Followed up with the cassoluette (sp?). It was ok. Did not have any duck as advertized. Mostly lamb pieces that were tender but very gamey tasting. The wine flights were the best value. I happened to know the manager as he was my gm at house of blues many many years ago. The dining room is quite small and i never once saw him ask any table how the food was. He never approached us either. I had a party of 6. The service was not great. The waitress did not know much about the food and she was slow. I tried the skate fish, thought there was way too much sauce on it. The profiterole was delicious but the cranberry creme brulee was bleh. Bad consistency and had the canned cranberry on the bottom. I wouldnt go back. I live in Palos Hills, there is a bistro far better to me. Maijean in Clarendon Hills still tops the cake for me.

we were a little disappointed in our last visit as well.... my friend--who happens to be a chef--got the smallest piece of duck i've ever seen and it wasn't confit at all like the menu described. there were a number of other oddities that i don't quite recall. (with my entree, my frites were probably somewhat freshly fried, but the fries themselves were old)... the steak was on the small side too. also the menu prices seem to have hiked up, a lot of things in the $25-30 entree range, which for beverly is high. and some things seem less and less french too..