inter4alia wrote:I just heard that Nathan left Schwa. Does anyone know if this is true? I sure hope it is not. If so, anyone know where he went? Please tell me this is not the beginning of the end for my favorite restaurant.

Uggg... don't tell me that, this is one I"ve been wanting to try, and had been putting off for various reasons. I was just re reading the thread before calling to make a mid August reservation (wife's b-day)

Anyone know anything?

SSDD

Nathan has been gone since at least mid-May, and a friend of mine went last night and had a stellar experience - better than tru or trotter's, in his words.

This is not to minimize the talents or value Nathan brought to Schwa, but Michael Carlson is still there, as is the rest of the crew, and they don't seem to have had any quality issues since Nathan left.

I definitely want to know where he's going next, though.

Pardon me for being so brash, but does anyone know who I can contact to make a table magically appear at Schwa for June? If they're closed through all of July that presents a problem for my timeline here in Chicago?

Anyone know if they're taking resos for early August now?

Has anyone picked up a cancellation table, like, ever? It's not really all that feasible given my work schedule but if I have to call like everyday it's what I'll do.

Call every day, at I think 10 or 11am.

Note that the person answering the phone might very well be the chef or the sous chef, so sometimes they don't pick up

I'm well acquainted with the rather arduous reservation process. I was calling for two weeks only to find out they were closed and their phone system was messed up. Then I had an Amex concierge call for a couple days only to find out they don't take Amex so they couldn't take my credit card so they couldn't give me a table through that service. Sooo...those couple weeks kind of crushed my soul. My sense urgency of getting there has now been incensed upon hearing of the July closure.

Someone has to have a Schwa contact somewhere, no?

The place has 13 tables. Its books are filled 6 weeks in advance. There are no maitre d's or hosts to bribe.

Your contact is (773) 252-1466, just like the rest of us

BryanZ wrote:I'm well acquainted with the rather arduous reservation process. I was calling for two weeks only to find out they were closed and their phone system was messed up. Then I had an Amex concierge call for a couple days only to find out they don't take Amex so they couldn't take my credit card so they couldn't give me a table through that service. Sooo...those couple weeks kind of crushed my soul. My sense urgency of getting there has now been incensed upon hearing of the July closure.

Someone has to have a Schwa contact somewhere, no?

Your Amex concierge could not score a reservation (must not have the black card)...have you considered offering them a reservation at Z Kitchen, in exchange for one at Schwa?

I've found the Amex concierges to be less than reliable/competent/helpful/timely etc but that's a topic of discussion for another thread.

The problem is that I'm simply not in a position to call Schwa during the workday (8:30 AM-oblivion). Anyone want to call for me?

Schwa is my must-eat-at restaurant for the summer. I have too much respect for the concept to not eat there and am not above begging for a table (see above). And Schwa is what I'd most want Z Kitchen to be, but again, that's a whole different thread.

I'm sorry, that service is only available with an LTHForum Select™ membership.

Seriously, they're real folks, leave 'em a message telling them what you want with maximum flexibility and that you're dyin' to eat there but can't call during office hours, could they pick a date and leave you a message. It'll work out.

My dear husband got us a reservation for the end of this month, and I believe he got it only last week. So, I think there is hope for you if you give them your availiblity. I bet it will work out, too. Keep trying!

Amazingly, I called earlier this afternoon and A. talked to someone directly (no phone tag) and B. scored a reservation for June 27 (he said that a big party just cancelled) <i>and</i> I even had a choice of 6:30 or 8:00. Keen!

He did confirm that they will be closed for all of July, too.

My dining companion isn't much of a wine drinker, though she likes beer. Any tips for a beer pairing, at least for the beginning of the meal?


thanks,
dan

I left a message on Friday, got a call back today, and got my reservation for the wife's B-day in August. I guess patience works sometimes.

I would also echo the above question, and suggestions for beer pairings, I'm just not much of a wine guy, definitely more into cocktails and beer.

SSDD

danimalarkey wrote: Any tips for a beer pairing, at least for the beginning of the meal?

You might want to pose this question in Something to Drink. I would think a beer-pairing would be difficult, but I'm no beer (or wine or booze) expert in any other sense than I kind of like them all. Funny thing is, the night I went, we stayed until closing and someone on staff jetted out for a beer run and came back with a case. So don't think they're wine snobs. You might even call and ask for a suggestion.

I really liked the Champagne we brought (Duval-Leroy), so that might be a good opener, b/c even if you don't like wine...it's hard to argue with Champagne. Plus, it's got bubbles. Like beer.

Or, if a cocktail would do, why not bring a flask and a mixer?

I brought twice as much wine as we needed and asked for a little guidance, which worked very well; no reason the same tactic couldn't work for beer.

crush- I thought they didn't have wine glasses, how did you drink your champagne? I like the idea of bringing a champagne.

nicinchic wrote:crush- I thought they didn't have wine glasses, how did you drink your champagne? I like the idea of bringing a champagne.

Straight out of the bottle.

They provide nice little bistro glasses. Other patrons brought their own wine glasses, but I've never really bought into the idea that you have to drink certain wines out of certain types/shapes of glasses. If it's good, it'll still be good whether it's in a diamond-encrusted chalice or a Dixie cup.

oooh I don't know about that. I actually went to a Reidel wine glass tasting once, very eye opening experience. Bistro glass I suppose is ok, hey I used to drink wine out of jelly jars at Hilarys. Man, I miss that place.

Yeah, I've seen reports and done those tastings, but I can't say I have the kind of palate that picks up such subtle differences. There's also the argument that perhaps Riedel has a vested interest in convincing people that there's a significant difference in the way a wine tastes in certain glasses. I'm just sayin'...

But seriously...the Champagne was just fine in the bistro glasses. We also cracked into a white and a red over the course of the meal, and served each in the very same glasses swished and rinsed with water between pours. (oh! the horror!)

There's a discussion here on the virtues/tomfoolery of Riedel.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p= ... ght=#16288

I just ate at Schwa for the first time. We opted for the 3-course dinner, but each got different starters, entrees and desserts, plus they served us a couple additional courses (ravioli and cheesecake), so it felt like a 9 course meal when you counted up the different dishes.

I won't rehash all of the courses, since others have done that before me, but I did feel that the meal started weak and got progressively stronger. The amuse was cute, but not spectacular, and the starters (sunchoke soup and risotto) were just eh. But the pork was amazing, and I loved the beet semifredo and the chocolate w bacon semifredo! I think we weren't alone in feeling that the dinner got stronger as it progressed. The couple next to us were giving off a negative vibe at the start of the meal, but by the end he was raving that it was better than Tru and Trotters.

I was pleasantly surprised to get the 2 extra courses. Is this standard at Schwa? We were dining late in the evening, so presumably they confidently knew there were extras to give away. Plus, the table next to us (also eating the 3-course menu) was celebrating a birthday and got the same extra courses, so maybe the kitchen felt somewhat obligated to give us the same extra courses.

chgoeditor wrote:I was pleasantly surprised to get the 2 extra courses. Is this standard at Schwa?

I don't know if it's standard, but we ordered the 3-course and received some extras--the ravioli and an extra dessert. I think those ravioli have such a ubiquitous connection to Schwa now, maybe they feel obligated to give 'em to everyone.

I think those ravioli have such a ubiquitous connection to Schwa now, maybe they feel obligated to give 'em to everyone.

Yeah, that's what they're going to be serving at their Taste of Chicago booth-- three of them on a stick.

I had the three-course meal at Schwa on Friday and also received the ravioli and the cheesecake. I may be alone in this opinion, but having had the chocolate/beet dessert twice now, I have to say it is my least favorite course at Schwa. The chocolate is pretty good, although it is on the salty side. My partner and I usually leave most of the beet part untouched though. This coming from diners who lick the plates clean for the other courses.

I was at Schwa in December and they served a chocolate/beet amuse - a truffle and a "milkshake" (maybe beet juice with chocolate?).

I thought they were both conceptually interesting, but I could barely choke them down. In fact I only ate about half of each, which is rare for me. And I am a huge fan of roasted beets. Fortunately, 9 of the remaining 10 courses were outstanding, so they were forgiven, but I figured that the choco-beet concept would die an early death.

wak wrote:I was at Schwa in December and they served a chocolate/beet amuse - a truffle and a "milkshake" (maybe beet juice with chocolate?).

I thought they were both conceptually interesting, but I could barely choke them down. In fact I only ate about half of each, which is rare for me. And I am a huge fan of roasted beets. Fortunately, 9 of the remaining 10 courses were outstanding, so they were forgiven, but I figured that the choco-beet concept would die an early death.

maybe they needed to tweak the combination and adding the bacon sure does not hurt...Naha has a beet and chocolate dessert as well

mepp wrote:I had the three-course meal at Schwa on Friday and also received the ravioli and the cheesecake. I may be alone in this opinion, but having had the chocolate/beet dessert twice now, I have to say it is my least favorite course at Schwa. The chocolate is pretty good, although it is on the salty side. My partner and I usually leave most of the beet part untouched though. This coming from diners who lick the plates clean for the other courses.

Please, get it packed to go and I'll buy it off of you! I could eat it morning, noon and night!

As a function my laziness and conflicting schedules, I was unable to make it to Schwa this month. Had a reso tonight but had to cancel because of another dinner planned at Naha--I suppose there are worse problems to have...

Anyway, I write this post to say that Schwa is currently taking reservations for the month of August, one of which currently belongs to me. The first week and a half of the month are pretty booked up but around the 14th or so there are supposedly more openings.

It seems possible that most of August will be booked up before they close for the month of July. That is all.

Just FYI - someone on egullet reported calling Schwa on a Wed, being put on a waiting list for Friday, and getting a call on Thursday that they were in. So it does happen...

Yeah something like that happened to me too, but I couldn't make it because I'd already scheduled another event. Indeed, there are ways to make it happen on short notice.

I checked the schwa website today and noticed that they have revamped their website quite a bit. It now features pictures of many of the courses on their menu.

I also noticed that they have new menus up. Interestingly, their nine-course menu makes no mention of meat ingredients. The last two courses before dessert listed are "seitan: pomegranate, turnips, queso de valdeon" and "tofu: persimmons, chestnut".

http://www.schwarestaurant.com/nine-course.htm

I am sure these dishes will be interesting, but I wonder why they made the choice to exclude meat and seafood. A meat option remains on four-course menu: "berkshire pork: napa cabbage, parsnips, black truffle".

http://www.schwarestaurant.com/four-course.htm