Deleece

I'd only been to Deleece once or twice in the past as it's not quite my neighborhood and I had been very slightly underwhelmed when I went.

As it happened, I heard there was a new chef and the place is walking distance from our preschool, so the stars aligned to end up there for Mrs. B's birthday dinner last Fri.

In short: based on this one experience, it fills it's particular niche perfectly.

We were 3 adults craving something local, mid-priced and moderately creative/upscale/grown-up. We also had 2 toddlers in tow and didn't want to ruin anyone else's dinner, or our own digestion while enforcing discipline.

We called about being allowed to eat our own birthday cake (yummy yellow cake, ganache filling and choc. buttercream from Angel Food). They charged $1 plate, said it was no problem and also took a res.

Arrived at 6:00. You can see and hear directly into the kitchen from the entryway and I enjoyed watching chef gearing up his line folks for the evening.

The room is spacious and there was only 1 other table already there--a couple with a 18 mo.-2 year old. The child was enthusiastic, though well within noise limits and we were grateful not to be the only family there. We were seated next to them. Our son and his friend were fascinated by the "baby" and comparing her gross motor skills with their own incomperably more sophisticated ones.

Despite 2 tables with youngsters to be taken into account, our waitress was genuinely welcoming and friendly and took the kids completely in stride. She also produced a kids' menu which we were unaware of and which dispelled the mild anxiety produced by wondering what the adult menu would offer the kids.

The new chef's menu is solidly mainstream neighborhood upscale with a pronounced tendency to asian inflections. Our apps. were chicken and veg. potstickers, potato skins with lobster filling, polenta with wild mushroom/leek sauce. All were flavorful worthy versions (though I have to say that the skins, though delicious, didn't really highlight lobster-tude).

Our friend had tuna steak in an asian broth with vegetables. She pronounced it very good. I didn't sample it.

Torn between braised short ribs (apparently the upscale comfort item du jour around town), and a red seafood curry, the waitress offered a definite preference for the ribs and I accepted her rec.

It was a very generous portion of flavorful meat with just the right amount of heat - a tingle that didn't interfere with other flavors or wine.

The only problem was that the presentation actually undercut the dish, to wit: the meat was perched atop a mound of sesame/jalepeno slaw, which was on a pool of tomatillo mole. There were also 2 very nice arepas leaning against the pile. All the flavors were very good. But it hurt to have them all pre-mingled.

The cold crunchy slaw sucked the heat right out of the meat, while the slaw dressing mixed itself immediately into the tomatillo mole. Again, lowering the temp. and muddying the flavors. It wasn't ruined - I enjoyed it a lot. But I would have preferred to keep the various sauces separate, at least for a while.

The kids each had pastas: one with a basic tomato sauce (very good, if a touch sweet for my taste), the other butter/cheese. Noodles (penne) perfectly done and nicely seasoned. The portions truly adult-sized by my measure.

Business picked up while we were there, but given that it was after 8:00 on a Fri. when we left, it wasn't all that full. Nonetheless, they did a very nice job on both service, food and overall atmosphere (to use the Zagat yardstick). Even the busing throughout the meal was timely and unobtrusive. We look forward to going back.

Price-wise, I think they come in just a bit under peers like Tweet. Some entrees were over $20, but most were under, and the apps. were all closer to $6-7, rather than nearer $10 as one so often sees. Wine prices were also just a shade below average, it seemed to me. (I had a very nice Rioja.)

4 apps,
2 entrees,
2 kids entrees,
2 glasses wine,
4 soft drinks
$5 plating fee for outside cake
plus tax = $115


Deleece
4004 N. Southport Ave. [Mod edit: In November 2011, Deleece moved to 3747 N. Southport.]
773-325-1710

The menu sounds very similar to what it has always been. Dependable american food with an asian flare.

They do have a new chef. He's creative.

Great outdoor dining option, too.

Last night we went to Deleece for New Year's Eve. I had eaten there earlier this year before a Cubs night game, and enjoyed it a lot. Their NYE menu, posted on their website, was enticing and (like their regular menu) not terribly expensive, so we booked dinner there.

I really loved both dinners. There is something very appealing about Deleece, and it's not only the delicious food. It is very much a neighborhood restaurant; the tag line on their website is "An affordable, eclectic, neighborhood haunt", and that's a good description. It doesn't get the press that the restaurants downtown do, and you rarely hear much about it. The only topics about it here on LTH are four, oh wait, I mean five years old, which is why I thought it would be appropriate to create a new topic at this time. But the food is delicious, the atmosphere is lively/casual, the service is friendly/efficient/casual, and I was once again impressed. This ranks as one of my best meals of this past year.

Menu

Deleece's everyday menu is very moderately priced, with entrees in the high teens to low twenties. (On Mondays and Tuesdays they also offer a limited three-course prix fixe menu for $20, which is what I did earlier in the year.) Last night they offered a special four-course prix-fixe menu for New Year's Eve for $60, with wine pairings available for an additional $15. Their everyday menu was also available, which is nice because they aren't just taking advantage of the occasion by forcing everyone to pay higher prices.

Food

When we were seated, we were brought two kinds of sliced bread - a sourdough and a whole-grain millet - with a scoop of nicely-flavored butter (I think it had a little honey in it and I'm not sure what else). We both decided to go with the special NYE menu.

First course

Salad of Belgian endive, watercress, grilled pear, toasted cashews, goat cheese, emulsified sherry vinaigrette - this was very good, tasted exactly like it sounds.

Horseradish-beet cured salmon gravlox, caraway potato cakes, dill crème fraiche, pickled vegetables - this was excellent also. The beets gave the gravlox a redder color than usual, and the horseradish added a slight flavor although without the hotness. All four items, arranged across the plate, presented a nice contrast of flavors and textures, which was true of many dishes throughout the meal.

Second course

Parsnip-chestnut soup with roasted apples and white truffle oil - this was outstanding. There were chunks of chestnut, diced apple, and diced parsnip in the velvety soup, and the truffle oil added one more flavor to the mix. Just yummy!

Shellfish bisque with lobster and shrimp, VSOP brandy cream - Another excellent dish, also with a velvety/creamy consistency. It had that characteristic lobster flavor you get when you simmer lots of lobster shells in the broth, and it was also somewhat spicy. There were some chunks of seafood in it too.

Third course

Five-spice Indiana duck breast, butternut squash-sesame puree, roasted Brussels sprouts, leg confit spring roll, orange scented duck jus - This one requires some explanation, because it was more than the sum of the parts makes it sound. The spices gave the duck breast an Asian flavor that carried over to the other components. I don't care for Brussels sprouts, but these were really wonderful, with lots of added flavor; when we asked, our server explained that the sprouts are roasted and then simmered when sauteeing the duck breast. The whole thing worked beautifully.

Porcini crusted Chilean sea bass, celery root, fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, celery, trumpet royale mushrooms, port wine-thyme emulsion - Another excellent dish. The porcini mushrooms were in a layer on top of the thick sea bass filet, and added flavor without overpowering the buttery deliciousness of the fish.

Fourth course

Flourless chocolate torte, peppermint gelato, whipped marshmallow, espresso caramel - I asked to omit the espresso caramel because I don't care for coffee flavoring; they substituted some caramelized banana slices. I enjoy a really good flourless chocolate cake, but too often, I find that they are too dense (like a pavé) or too dry. Not here! This one had a moist, creamy consistency, but it was also light in texture, not dense and fudgey. This is one of the best flourless chocolate cakes you'll find anywhere.

Carrot cake with goat cheese frosting, candied walnuts, roasted pineapple, orange-maple sauce - This was very good, very moist without the overwhelming, cloying sweetness you sometimes find in carrot cakes.

As you can see, every dish was excellent, both delicious and creative/interesting!

Service

The service was friendly, efficient, and unobtrusive. Our waitress, Julie, was helpful, and checked back with us shortly after each course was served to make sure everything was okay. I asked whether the parsnip soup still had chestnut in it - that word appeared in the description on the website menu but was omitted on the printed menu - and she was happy to check with the chef to find out. Everyone did their jobs with no glitches or problems, even though I'm sure New Year's Eve is one of their busiest nights of the year.

Atmosphere

Deleece is very casual; the dining room has a long exposed-brick wall with artwork, and a large bar is in the middle of the room. It got a bit noisy at times, but not oppressively so, and besides, it was New Year's Eve, people were celebrating.

Summary

Again, this was an excellent dinner in every way. Granted, there was a special menu for New Year's Eve. But the entire experience was consistent with my previous dinner there. Chef Canfield, who was previously the sous-chef at MK, is quietly turning out great contemporary American food in a delightfully casual and intimate atmosphere and at very reasonable prices. Rock on, Chef, rock on!

Deleece
4004 N. Southport [EDIT: In November 2011, Deleece moved to 3747 N. Southport.]
Chicago 60613
773-325-1710
deleece.com

Parking around Deleece is easy, as long as it's not when a Cubs night game is going on. There were spaces on Southport, and the nearby side streets are NOT restricted to residents with a specific parking permit.

I should also clarify that the restaurant I am referring to is the one on Southport about half a mile north of Wrigley. I am not referring to their sister restaurant, Deleece Grill Pub, on Clark half a mile south of Wrigley. I would imagine they sometimes get confused with each other, and I bet this is the reason that they recently changed their names as shown on Opentable to add the street names in parentheses.

nsxtasy wrote:The only topics about it here on LTH are four, oh wait, I mean five years old, which is why I thought it would be appropriate to create a new topic at this time

You might have missed this one because the restaurant's name is spelled incorrectly in the title. I'd suggest that the 2 threads be merged.

Kennyz wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:The only topics about it here on LTH are four, oh wait, I mean five years old, which is why I thought it would be appropriate to create a new topic at this time

You might have missed this one because the restaurant's name is spelled incorrectly in the title. I'd suggest that the 2 threads be merged.

Even if one did miss the thread, it might be fine to start a new thread anyway if one thought that Deleece rocked, as opposed to merely being good. Or it might not.

By chance, we were at Deleece last night at the same time as nsxtasy, a fact we've been PM'ing about a bit today. (We haven't met and don't know each other, other than through this board.) Our NYE experience reinforced my affection for this place, which (like nsx) I believe deserves more LTH attention. As it happens, I also had the Asian-accented duck breast/leg confit dish that nsx describes, and I can't improve on his description. Every part of the plate was delicious. Service was just as friendly and expert as on all our previous visits.

We get to Deleece two or three times a year, which is not often enough. Every time, we leave asking ourselves why we don't go there more. Maybe we'll make that a resolution. While Sola received more notice once the Wallach sisters split their businesses apart from each other, I've always preferred the food at Deleece (not that Sola is shabby).

Deleece has completed their move, and is now open at their new location at 3747 North Southport, next to the Mercury Theater.

We went to an invitational pre-opening night at the new location, and even then, there were very few signs that the restaurant wasn't already completely up to speed. My entree was fantastic--a sliced duck breast cooked to exactly the right temperature (slightly pink yet fully-cooked, tender and bursting with flavor). Dessert (which unfortunately I can't remember at this point) was also spectacular. I love the new decor, or ambience, or whatever you want to call it. They didn't reinvent themselves; instead, they took everything positive that contributed to the character of the old place, and upgraded it significantly.

riddlemay wrote:We went to an invitational pre-opening night at the new location, and even then, there were very few signs that the restaurant wasn't already completely up to speed. My entree was fantastic--a sliced duck breast cooked to exactly the right temperature (slightly pink yet fully-cooked, tender and bursting with flavor). Dessert (which unfortunately I can't remember at this point) was also spectacular. I love the new decor, or ambience, or whatever you want to call it. They didn't reinvent themselves; instead, they took everything positive that contributed to the character of the old place, and upgraded it significantly.

How's the noise level? Their old space was LOUD!

chgoeditor wrote:
How's the noise level? Their old space was LOUD!

I think you'll find it more to your liking. I never minded the noise level at the old location--to me, as long as I can hear my dining companions without straining, restaurants are not over-loud--but at the new location, tables seem a touch farther apart, and (just going from memory) the ceiling is a bit higher. There's still an interior brick wall, but because the square footage of the room is bigger, most tables are a bit farther from the sound-reflectiveness of this wall than before.

riddlemay wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:
How's the noise level? Their old space was LOUD!

I think you'll find it more to your liking. I never minded the noise level at the old location--to me, as long as I can hear my dining companions without straining, restaurants are not over-loud--but at the new location, tables seem a touch farther apart, and (just going from memory) the ceiling is a bit higher. There's still an interior brick wall, but because the square footage of the room is bigger, most tables are a bit farther from the sound-reflectiveness of this wall than before.

LOL...I hate to sound like an old fuddy-duddy! But glad to hear that it seemed a bit quieter. At the old place I had to strain to hear things when the room was crowded & I was sitting with >1 other person.

We ate dinner at Deleece this past Monday evening. I don't usually post a detailed report on a restaurant when I've already done so about a previous visit, so I'll just touch on a few highlights.

This dinner was every bit as outstanding as our previous visits. This time there were five of us, and my friends who were there for the first time - two from out of town, and one local - were absolutely thrilled with it. Two dishes deserve special mention. I really enjoyed the warm onion tart with caramelized onions, goat cheese, pine nuts, rosemary, dates, and balsamic reduction; it was a perfect blend of flavors. And four days later, my companion is still raving about the albacore tuna with baby bok choy, shiitakes, cashews, roasted garlic, sweet potato fritters, and lemongrass-chili aioli. All the other dishes were excellent as well.

This was our first visit to their new location at 3747 N. Southport. It's very nice - more spacious as well as bigger. I can't really compare noise levels because it wasn't very busy on Monday and our previous visit was New Year's Eve, but the spaciousness should help (and as noted above, I never found the old location overly noisy anyway).

This relative unknown neighborhood gem is a place where I've loved everything I've been served, dish after dish, visit after visit.

riddlemay wrote:Dessert (which unfortunately I can't remember at this point) was also spectacular.

Maybe you had what we had - a chocolate sampler consisting of a small slice of flourless chocolate cake, two small chocolate French macaroons, and chocolate pot de crème. Spectacular, indeed!

Just a quick update, since Deleece now has a new chef, Ernesto Palaia. We've eaten there a couple of times in the past few months and it is as good as ever under Chef Palaia. We particularly enjoyed our December 25 dinner there, with the owner, Lynne Wallack, at the hoststand. They were offering a special $40 prix fixe menu for the holiday that day; everything was outstanding as usual:

First Course: Choice of:
Chestnut, Celery Root and Apple Bisque
with Grappa crema
Or
Deleece Winter Salad
baby field greens, cranberries and figs with candied pecans and sherry vinaigrette

Second course: Choice of:
Slow Roasted Amish Turkey
organic and hormone free...24 hour brined & citrus-herb rubbed with rosemary-sage infused giblet gravy

Prime Rib Roast
herb crusted and slow roasted with thyme scented red wine jus and horseradish Chantilly

Seared Red Snapper
wild Gulf Red Snapper fillet with celeriac puree, winter root vegetables, lime-garlic beurre blanc and sweet potato hay

Winter Vegetable Risotto
Carnaroli rice, butternut squash, mushrooms, cranberries, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, walnuts, sage and Grana Padana

Above main course selections are served with “family style” sides such as:
Fig and hazelnut stuffing, creamed onions, Yukon gold whipped potatoes, praline sweet potatoes, cranberry-orange relish, glazed, Jasmine rice & apricot pilaf, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, Brussels sprouts with cranberries...

Third course:
Your choice of our pastry chef's holiday inspired desserts:

Flourless White Chocolate Cake
cranberry compote and candied mint
Eggnog Panna Cotta
with crème anglais
Sticky Toffee Pudding
with warm toffee sauce & freshly whipped cream

I'm really glad you bumped this thread, Nsxtasy, I have been remiss in not posting about the changes at Deleece. My RDC and I eat at Deleece weekly, and we really love Chef Ernesto and the changes he has been making to the menu. He has lived and cooked all over the world, which is reflected in specials such as Lugow. Slowly but surely, new items are working their way onto the menu. I particularly enjoy the biscuits and gravy with duck fat potatoes and the short-rib hash. Chef Ernesto is really breathing new life into a neighborhood favorite, it's fun to see what he is going to do next.

We were there on Christmas as well, it was a treat.

My RDC and I eat at Deleece weekly

"RDC"? Research & Development Council? Rural Development Commission? Remote Desktop Connection? Recently Deceased Cat?

sundevilpeg wrote:

My RDC and I eat at Deleece weekly

"RDC"? Research & Development Council? Rural Development Commission? Remote Desktop Connection? Recently Deceased Cat?

Regular dining companion, I feel silly referring to him as my boyfriend .

Ursiform wrote:Regular dining companion, I feel silly referring to him as my boyfriend .

I figured it was something like that. Someone here frequently uses

LDC = Lovely Dining Companion

although I can understand how that could be less appropriate for a boyfriend.

We may give it another try based on your new review, nsxtasy, so thanks.

As you know (and as evidenced in this thread), I was once high on Deleece. But our NYE experience there the year after the one I posted about--i.e., not 12/31/10, but the following year, 12/31/11--put us off the place. They'd already been in the new location a couple of months, so that couldn't have been the excuse. Suffice it to say the food was substandard, and with the relatively pricey (for Deleece) prix fixe, we felt royally taken advantage of. (A friend who was also there that night, dining with her husband, told me their experience--and the way they felt about their experience--was much the same.)

I felt it was so dumb for Deleece to do this. I know that NYE is a big "profit center" for any restaurant like Deleece. I also know that one can and should expect to pay a premium for dining anywhere on NYE. I also know the menu may be simplified and even "dumbed down" a little. But when the restaurant doesn't hold up its end of the bargain even within these parameters, and makes customers feel like fools rather than extravagant celebrants, it causes the kind of bad will that hurts the restaurant in the long run more than one lucrative NYE can help it. As I say, we haven't been back since. Perhaps we will go now.

I'm quite certain the current chef was not there on 12/31/11. I think he was brought in this past fall or maybe late summer. For months before that, they did not have a designated executive chef, and that may have included your dinner. I'd suggest giving it another try. And not on a holiday.

Incidentally, I can't speak to their business model. I did notice that they're offering what is for them an unusually expensive (and unusually elegant) menu for Valentine's Day. But they're also offering a pared down version of their regular menu at the same time, so a moderately-priced option will presumably still be available.

The food at Deleece has always been such a bargain, including many of their holiday menus (Thanksgiving was similar to Dec 25 IIRC), that they never seemed to me to be a place that was taking advantage of people. But there have been two holidays where I've eaten at other restaurants and felt taken advantage of, and those have been Dec 31 and Feb 14. Since those experiences I've been very careful about going out on those dates and checking out any special menus beforehand.

nsxtasy wrote:But there have been two holidays where I've eaten at other restaurants and felt taken advantage of, and those have been Dec 31 and Feb 14. Since those experiences I've been very careful about going out on those dates and checking out any special menus beforehand.

Yes, this is excellent policy, to which I'm no stranger. If it hadn't been that our party had a delightful NYE dinner at Deleece on 12/31/10 (about which I posted upthread), I'm sure we wouldn't have gone back for an encore on 12/31/11 (and been so disappointed that we've stayed away ever since). The restaurant we knew as Deleece simply wouldn't have done what this restaurant named Deleece did. That's why the bad taste in our mouths was about more than one unfortunate NYE dinner.

The new chef offers us a reason to give the place another chance after our thirteen-month moratorium. I'm sure we will before long.

Deleece is starting a series of wine dinners; the first is scheduled for Tuesday June 4th at 6:30pm. It is a six course meal (with pairings included) for $75 per/person.

The menu looks nice:

Amuse-bouche
Chef's whim and culinary greeting...
2009 Tangent Ecclestone, Edna Valley CA

Spring Salad
Spring baby field greens, Belgian endive, Bartlet pear, caramelized spicy pecans, dried cherries, Stilton and Champagne vinaigrette
2009 Tangent Ecclestone, Edna Valley CA
Special blend of: Pinot Gris, Albarino, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat, Grenache Blanc, Viognier

Seared Diver Scallop
butternut squash puree and sweet corn veloute with Yukon gold gaufrette
2011 Tablas Creek “Patelin de Tablas Blanc”, Paso Robles CA
Special blend of: Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussane, Marsanne

Crispy Duck Breast
risotto fritter, Pacific northwest mushroom and caramelized shallot marmalade and cherry-pomagranite port wine syrup
2010 Beckmen Cuvee Le Bec, Santa Ynez Valley CA

Heritage Pork Tenderloin & Braised Oxtail
Spiced Berkshire pork tenderloin, braised rainbow swiss chard, quince-apple compote, creamy horseradish polenta, coffee braised oxtail and julienne winter vegetables
2010 David Bruce Petite Syrah Select, California

California Farmstead Cheeses
Laura ChenelChevre, Bellwether Farms Carmody and Point Reyes Blue, served with local honeycomb, house made fruit jams, mustards and roasted nuts
2010 David Bruce Petite Syrah Select, California

Pastafrolla
Sweet and flakey pastry with warm carmelized pears, star anise, cinnamon and hazelnut sabayon
2010 Quady Elysium, Madera CA

Reservations with are mandatory. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated.
Call (773) 325-1710 or book online through our website at www.deleece.com

I was really impressed with the wine dinner at Deleece tonight; this was my first visit in 15 months to Deleece and was a huge step up from my prior visit. There was not a single dud and the duck and the scallop courses were outstanding. The new chef (Ernesto) came on board approximately eight months ago and appears to have really elevated the quality of the cuisine; creativity, presentation and taste were all noticeably superior than my prior visit. Service was also far more warm and the owners were very friendly and spent a lot of time mingling during the course of the evening. Portions were generous for the food and there was a nice sweet/savory balance on the courses. Wine pours were beyond generous (pretty much a full pour for each of the six courses and they were topped off if you somehow managed to finish a glass before the next course was ready). This meal definitely inspired me to want to return sooner rather than later; with Chef Herring having left my favorite neighborhood restaurant (Socca) Deleece may very well become my favorite walking distance venue.

Deleece is closing down at the end of the year for renovations, fighting what the owner calls a "misconception" of being stuffy and overpriced. It'll reopen in early January as the brand-new Grassroots, with a different menu and "downscale" style, said owner Lynne Wallack.

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20151217 ... ts-january

Closing.

email from Grassroots Grill wrote:New Year's Eve Dinner

Come enjoy a final meal at Grassroots on New Year's Eve and drink a free Champagne toast to an old friend.

We'll be serving our regular menu for the last time.

Make your reservations now.


A heartfelt message from the owners Lynne & John,

Regretfully and with a heavy heart, after 24 wonderful years (20 as Deleece - 4 as Grassroots) we will be closing our doors after Tuesday, December 31st. We have proudly served the Southport Neighborhood with pleasure, providing the best in food and drink. We have developed many friendships and loyal customers throughout our years, and we shall miss you all. We are forever grateful to everyone who has supported us, worked for us, and we hope to see you all one last time.

The restaurant is for sale and in the interim, though our in-house dining will cease, we will continue our catering operations. We'll also be hosting pop-up chef events, as well as opening our doors for private parties and event space bookings.

Email info@deleece.com for inquiries.

I don't know accounts for it, but (IMO) they were really good when they were north of Irving and not at all the same when they moved south of Irving.