Ecce returns as Kanok w/daily brunch, too

Just as I finally got over to Ecee to enjoy a meal or two, they closed on me! Since then, there have been a number of times when Ecce would have perfectly fit into my short list of Lakeview hankerings. They were closed for remodeling, but I began to lose all hope with the website down and more time passed.

Here's a link on some of those discussions.
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... light=ecce

Thankfully, it's now reopened as Kanok. Here's a blurb from Metromix:

Kanok

3422 N. Broadway
773-529-2525

The folks behind Ecce Cafe, which closed last fall, gave the space a fresh contemporary look, added additional Asian offerings to Ecce's menu, and rechristened the space as Kanok in early January.

The brunch-lunch menu offers unique choices like a tuna curry sandwich, a Vietnamese omelet and a Korean bulgogi burger. The regular menu, which is loaded with rice and noodle dishes, plus Asian entrees like steamed halibut with Thai chili lime sauce, honey walnut shrimp and salmon teriyaki, is served all day. Nigiri, sashimi and maki still make the lineup with faves like a dragon and rainbow, plus choices like the "Roscoe" maki with unagi, smoked salmon, avocado and unagi sauce.

Hours: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. daily; sushi bar opens at 11 a.m. daily

Here's an article from Metromix that talks about Kanok and a couple other new places:

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dini ... op_hedsh2o

I'm excited to see Ecce/Kanok back in the neighborhood. I hope that I'm able to still get some of the old Ecce favorites while finding some great new items.

Hubby and I headed over there for dinner tonight. I'm not quite sure why the remodel took so long. It's different and in more of a Ping Pong (nearby restaurant) vein, so new nonetheless.

I had once been to Ecce once or twice before the remodeling. Hubby and I were happy to see the soft shell curry crab on the menu again. It's not only curry and crab, but has assorted veggies mixed in. Yum, and only about $12. Hubby and I shared this entree along with an appetizer of gomae and yellowtail maki. As with our prior visit, the maki was slow to come out, making an appearance after we were well into the crab curry entree. The maki was 6 tiny pieces, smaller than what I'm used to, but tasted pretty fresh.

Service could use a bit of improvement. A couple times we needed to ask for things that should have been provided as we were served. However, they quickly accomodated us when we asked for something.

The brunch menu looked interesting. I think it's a cool idea, but I wonder if the selection and quality will bring in enough business for this.

Not a destination type of place, but from my couple experiences, Ecce/Kanok has its merits for the neighborhood.

I hope they get back into the swing of things, and that their 6-month closure wasn't the kiss of death. But...I've eaten there twice since they reopened (once for lunch/brunch, once for dinner), and both times left a bit to be desired.

I was curious about brunch, since they hadn't previously had one, but it was lousy. There weren't many other diners, but it took forever to get served, and when we did, our dishes came out separately and were lukewarm. (I didn't try my friend's dish, but my sandwich was below average.)

Dinner had some hits and misses. Almost every dish we ordered was on the old Ecce menu. Some things were spot-on, but it's obvious that the kitchen/sushi bar is still learning to make others. (And our waitress wasn't a carryover from Ecce...she seemed unfamiliar with all of the items we ordered.)

I want Kanok to succeed, because when Ecce was doing well, it was a good neighborhood/takeout place. I'll give it another try in a few weeks, but right now it has some room for improvement.

chgoeditor wrote:I hope they get back into the swing of things, and that their 6-month closure wasn't the kiss of death.

Recently went back for my 2nd "now Kanok" meal. I wanted to stray from our usual order, so I went for the "stir-fried seafood w/chili bean paste, squid, shrimp, crabmeat, bell pepper, carrot, zuchini, kochujang". Horrible mistake. Crab was fake. Shrimp was overcooked. The flavor wasn't what I expected.

Hubby tried chicken pad thai, which seemed just okay.

I guess I will go back to my soft shell crab yellow curry.

By the way, the other Broadway Asian spots were really busy, but we didn't have a problem getting a table at Kanok.

i just want to know if anyone has actually eaten a bulgogi burger there... cuz.. THAT WAS MY IDEA !@(#@$%)#$%

actually. my idea was a bulgogi burrito but... close enough.

TonyC,

Yes, I have eaten the bulkogi burger. Once. I don't think I would do it again. It was a mess. Most of the meat fell out of the bun. And, really, the combination of bulkogi and white bread was not (to my taste) a success.

A burrito, I can imagine, would work a lot better.

That said, I have visited Ecce/Kanok for lunch several times in its new incarnation, and have been pretty happy. I'm especially fond of the lunch boxes--I love to have lots of little bits of different things.