Per Eater Chicago, Au Cheval is now open for lunch. http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/01/21/lunchwire.php. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. - 1 a.m. on Sundays.

You just made my day!

Oh man... this could be very, very bad for me.

I was there today for lunch...and it was near empty. Now that makes sense, I didn't realize this is a new development ...food was great, burger was as good as anyone has said. I didn't like the fries (too hard on the outside, and i didn't care for the Pork fat flavor) the root beer was good. My server was a little bit of a smart a**, which only works sometimes and I was annoyed by it-he also used profanity VERY casually, which I'm not sensitive to-but I wouldn't want my staff swearing and being smart-alecky to the extent that this guy was...my one complaint with hipster joints is when the casual-cool turns into not taking your job seriously. I was very impressed with all the other staff, 5 different people refilled my water including one of the chefs-seems to be one of their things: anyone nearby helps when there is a need, rather than forcing you to rely on one person to take care of you. All in all, I enjoyed my lunch-hope it stays quiet that time of day (2pm). mid-afternoon is when I'm allowed out to play for a few hours. Look forward to another trip.

Most places open for lunch, even ones that do a big lunch business, are pretty quiet at 2 pm...

nsxtasy wrote:Most places open for lunch, even ones that do a big lunch business, are pretty quiet at 2 pm...

Yes, but Au Cheval is a tiny place that is frequently packed for dinner before 6pm. I won't be surprised if they are regularly full at 2pm.

I can't think of a single restaurant that is normally full at 2 pm.

Is this a new development? Maybe just formally announced? I am pretty sure I went to a weekday lunch there back in late September of last year and again a few weeks ago; just had assumed they were regularly open for lunch.

Matt wrote:Is this a new development? Maybe just formally announced? I am pretty sure I went to a weekday lunch there back in late September of last year and again a few weeks ago; just had assumed they were regularly open for lunch.

They were open fridays, but not other days. I work nearby and I'm excited for them to be open more. Fridays were typically packed.

mgmcewen wrote:

Matt wrote:Is this a new development? Maybe just formally announced? I am pretty sure I went to a weekday lunch there back in late September of last year and again a few weeks ago; just had assumed they were regularly open for lunch.

They were open fridays, but not other days. I work nearby and I'm excited for them to be open more. Fridays were typically packed.

Even at 2:00?

mgmcewen wrote:They were open fridays, but not other days. I work nearby and I'm excited for them to be open more. Fridays were typically packed.

That makes sense, as both of my visits were on Fridays. As others had set up the lunches previously, seems there was a plan there (of which I was unaware) to hit them on the one day they were open for lunch.

nsxtasy wrote:I can't think of a single restaurant that is normally full at 2 pm.

Purple Pig.

boudreaulicious wrote:

mgmcewen wrote:

Matt wrote:Is this a new development? Maybe just formally announced? I am pretty sure I went to a weekday lunch there back in late September of last year and again a few weeks ago; just had assumed they were regularly open for lunch.

They were open fridays, but not other days. I work nearby and I'm excited for them to be open more. Fridays were typically packed.

Even at 2:00?

Yep, depends on how many people. Once four of us from my office were able to get in at 2:30 without a wait, but almost all the other times we wait 20-30 minutes. Now we can start going on other days instead and hopefully it will be less crowded.

"au cheval" doesn't actually mean anything .. well, it means "at the horse", whatever that means ... I find that unovercomeably annoying ...

Roger Ramjet wrote:"au cheval" doesn't actually mean anything .. well, it means "at the horse", whatever that means ... I find that unovercomeably annoying ...

As Mike Sula explained: "The name itself, despite its equine association, is culinary slang for putting a fried egg on something, like a rider on horse (or a la holstein, if you're Deutsch)." Pretty appropriate name if you're familiar with the menu.

Roger Ramjet wrote:"au cheval" doesn't actually mean anything .. well, it means "at the horse", whatever that means ... I find that unovercomeably annoying ...

I don't know why. It's a perfectly cromulent word.

Rene G wrote:

Roger Ramjet wrote:"au cheval" doesn't actually mean anything .. well, it means "at the horse", whatever that means ... I find that unovercomeably annoying ...

As Mike Sula explained: "The name itself, despite its equine association, is culinary slang for putting a fried egg on something, like a rider on horse (or a la holstein, if you're Deutsch)." Pretty appropriate name if you're familiar with the menu.

But "on horseback" is "a (with an accent grave) cheval" not "au cheval". Although I'm not sure I should argue French grammar with somebody named "Rene"...

Met a friend at Au Cheval for dinner last night - shortly before 6:30, they quoted a 45-minute wait and they were pretty much on the mark. I was able to taste a number of items, including one cocktail, the Strange Brew. I really liked the cocktail - gin and pineapple juice, but also IPA which might satisfy many opposed to sweet drinks. I don't mind something a little on the sweet side (which this was), and this was terrific.

As for food, I had the matzoh ball soup which I thought was good, but nothing specials. Broth is a little darker than most, likely evidence of roasted bones in the stock, but in terms of chicken flavor, perhaps slightly underwhelming. The matzoh ball itself was massive and though perhaps a bit of a nod to fans of floaters, it wasn't so light as to offend me (a fan of heavy sinkers). Interestingly, as big as it was, the texture was uniform throughout, as if it had been cooked sous vide (which would be amusing). I also thought the ball could have used some schmaltz for more flavor. Overall, tasty but I've had much better. And the huge chunks of carrot in the soup didn't make a ton of sense to me. There, the longest review of matzoh ball soup ever!

We shared the crispy hash with duck heart gravy. We both thought it was decent, but not much more. Potatoes were nice and crispy, egg was perfectly fried, but neither of us thought the gravy itself was all that flavorful - a lot of pepper, a lot of salt, not much more beyond that.

And finally, the burger (which I ordered with bacon). A very nice burger indeed, including a great bun, but I wouldn't say transcendent by any means. In fact, I think I might have preferred a single patty (rather than two patties on the single). Also, a bit over-salted. Still, very good. But the pickle on the side was one of the best pickles I've had in terms of both flavor and crunch. And the bacon was fantastic, as good as I've ever had (although personally, I think the bacon is too thick to have on the burger - overwhelms the beef flavor - and so we ate it on the side).

Service was very good and friendly, from the moment we walked in the door to the minute we left. Overall, a fairly positive impression but not someplace I see myself going out of the way for.

Also, a bit over-salted.

+1 on the saltiness of the burger. In the first few bites, it didn't overwhelm me...but I found myself not enjoying the last few bites due the saltiness of it - and I also may have preferred a single patty, especially if you have the egg on it..

Roger Ramjet wrote:And finally, the burger (which I ordered with bacon). A very nice burger indeed, including a great bun, but I wouldn't say transcendent by any means. In fact, I think I might have preferred a single patty (rather than two patties on the single). Also, a bit over-salted. Still, very good.

I had brunch at Au Cheval last weekend and concur. A very good burger, but I actually thought the one I had at Acadia the night before was vastly superior. I asked our waitress if it would be possible to order the burger as a single and she said yes, you could. I really liked the space, the staff, our drinks (drinking Painkillers in January makes me long for summer), and enjoyed our meal enough that this will likely make it into our semi-regular rotation.

Data point - we arrived at 11:30 and had no wait, but by noon, it was packed.

Ursiform wrote:A very good burger, but I actually thought the one I had at Acadia the night before was vastly superior.

Are you sure you mean Acadia and not someplace else? I didn't think they had burgers on their menu. At least, I didn't see any when I had dinner there last month, and I don't see any on their website. It's really not that kind of place...

nsxtasy wrote:

Ursiform wrote:A very good burger, but I actually thought the one I had at Acadia the night before was vastly superior.

Are you sure you mean Acadia and not someplace else? I didn't think they had burgers on their menu. At least, I didn't see any when I had dinner there last month, and I don't see any on their website. It's really not that kind of place...

Yes, they have burgers . . . bar menu I believe, although I don't know that they expressly limit burgers to the bar area. And both on this forum and the internet in general, you'll find countless mentions of their burger.

nsxtasy wrote:

Ursiform wrote:A very good burger, but I actually thought the one I had at Acadia the night before was vastly superior.

Are you sure you mean Acadia and not someplace else? I didn't think they had burgers on their menu. At least, I didn't see any when I had dinner there last month, and I don't see any on their website. It's really not that kind of place...

It's on the bar menu and was featured in a Time Out Chicago piece about burgers in Chicago.

Thanks! I didn't even realize they had a bar menu...

rubbbqco wrote:

Also, a bit over-salted.

+1 on the saltiness of the burger. In the first few bites, it didn't overwhelm me...but I found myself not enjoying the last few bites due the saltiness of it - and I also may have preferred a single patty, especially if you have the egg on it..

+2 It definitely hit me about half way through as well.

nsxtasy wrote:

Ursiform wrote:A very good burger, but I actually thought the one I had at Acadia the night before was vastly superior.

Are you sure you mean Acadia and not someplace else? I didn't think they had burgers on their menu. At least, I didn't see any when I had dinner there last month, and I don't see any on their website. It's really not that kind of place...

I love the bar at Acadia for a fairly quick dinner before catching a movie over at the Showplace Icon. The bartender told us that a local media mogul (for whom they've named a drink) comes in weekly and orders two burgers at a time at the bar, but only dines once a month in the main room. It's a very comfortable space, and the bartenders are incredibly attentive and knowledgeable.

Au Cheval received an unflattering mention in a column by Frank Bruni in today's New York Times, which submits Au Cheval as an example of the "extremification" of our society.

Over the last decade, ambitious young chefs have jockeyed to one-up one another when it comes to fried, funky excess. ... Chicago welcomed Au Cheval, where there’s potato hash with duck-heart gravy and a fried bologna sandwich.

wjb302 wrote:Au Cheval received an unflattering mention in a column by Frank Bruni in today's New York Times, which submits Au Cheval as an example of the "extremification" of our society.

Over the last decade, ambitious young chefs have jockeyed to one-up one another when it comes to fried, funky excess. ... Chicago welcomed Au Cheval, where there’s potato hash with duck-heart gravy and a fried bologna sandwich.

First that pretentious twit from The Atlantic and now this guy, with the "such restaurants are a blight on society!!!!!" bullshit.

Is writing such articles a trend? Should people start writing articles decrying it?

wjb302 wrote:Au Cheval received an unflattering mention in a column by Frank Bruni in today's New York Times, which submits Au Cheval as an example of the "extremification" of our society.

Over the last decade, ambitious young chefs have jockeyed to one-up one another when it comes to fried, funky excess. ... Chicago welcomed Au Cheval, where there’s potato hash with duck-heart gravy and a fried bologna sandwich.

Wow, it also mentioned Salt & Fat. I was a regular there when I lived in Queens. And Animal, where I've always wanted to eat.

Sometimes people ask me how I stay svelte eating the foods I eat, where are largely very high in fat. I don't know- I do know I was overweight when I was a vegetarian on a lower fat higher carbohydrate diet. I was a certified binge eater on things that didn't even taste very good like chips and cereal- actual binge eating is rarely related to how luxurious a food is, it's a psychological disorder. Now I'm a perfectly normal weight and much healthier person on a diet of things people always told me were bad. After blogging some years about food I've made some friends who study the neuroscience of overeating. Maybe my own neurobiology tends towards satiation from fat- I just don't overeat foods like those at Au Cheval. Except maybe the fries, I have to be careful with those. I also wish the bread they serve a lot of dishes with was a bit thinner and less overwheming as it does tip some dishes into unpleasant levels of fattiness.
I've only made it to dessert at Au Cheval once and I frequently bring half my food home because I find it so filling.

I eat at Au Cheval a lot. It's hard for me to say my favorite items, but I'm coming close to having eaten most of the menu. I used to love the duck heart hash the most. It has a really fantastic fatty and crunchy thing going on, with all kinds of interesting goodies and textures. Surprisingly though it doesn't have that much character, you can hardly taste the duck heart. I think for that I go with the chopped liver- for liver it has just the perfect amount of liveriness, not too much or too little, with a distinct vegetal character from the pickles chopped in. I love love the bone marrow and beef cheek marmalade, which is dessert enough for me with its succulent salty sweetness. Foie Gras Terrine is another great pseudodessert- like a meat icing. I like the crunchy crispy spicy chilaquiles a lot, it's a pleasing dish to share, as are the fries. The burger I like a lot, I think it's one of my favorites in Chicago- the meat has just the right amount of silky fattiness. It reminds me of all the best pub burgers. I'm also a huge fan of the beer list here- they always have sours and good ciders, which are my particular niche. I guess my main complaint is that the menu can be a bit static compared to other similar restaurants I have frequented in NYC or Montreal like M. Wells or Au Pied, which always strived to find the newest and best ways to make concoctions of animal fat and offal. The menu can feel like an inappropriate monolith in the summer. I also don't like the fried chicken- too sweet, and the fried bologna sandwich sounds off-putting and I think I'd have to be excessively drunk to try it. Au Cheval does have a pretty good salad if you want to go relatively lighter, I also sometimes order the single-bratwurst appetizer for that, which comes with just the right amount of creamy mashed potatoes.

I also disagree with Bruni about whether or not these are luxurious- minus the foie these are frequently dishes with peasant roots, dishes I replicate at home out of odds and ends from the farm that aren't very expensive and would have kept well into the winter in the past. I think these restaurants are an offshoot of the nose to tail movement with a bit of Montreal (Quebec BTW is once of the skinniest of the Canadian provinces) -style conviviality.

I respect Bruni a lot and think he has a point. Try 'moderation' at Au Cheval--its difficult. We have swung too far the other way from no butter, to too much. I, for one, agree with Bruni.