Blue 13: An Impressive New Restaurant in River North

We just moved to Chicago from New York and have noticed a new restaurant that opened some 6 weeks or so ago on Ontario near Kingsbury in the River North area of Chicago. This place should be on the culinary map of foodies....something great and impressive is happening here. Its a bit intangible--I don't now if it was the sleek style of the restaurant that somewhat reminded me of the look of Perillo in NYC, or the edgy music that almost reminded me of Babbo, or the soft lighting and a king of informatlity that reminded me of Tabla/Bread Bar. But, put together, it worked its magic on me--I loved being there. Something impressive is happening in the place. Take my word for it.

We first noticed the menu in walking by---a menu that reached high and revealed some sophistication. Take a look: an appetizer of "Deconstructed Caprese: Tomato water, Tomato Confit, Fresh Mozzarella and pesto." Or: "Fish and Chips"--"tuna tartar cocktail, wasabi foam, and tarro root chips." For main courses--Rabbit Duo--loin strudel wrapped in grape leaf, braised leg, roasted cipolini onions, and baby carrots." There could be many more examples.

We walked into the restaurant that had the appearance of sophistication but the music and art revealed some edginess. The restaurant is sleek, with dark wood, mirrors, and soft lighting. The music speaks of east village. The tattoos on the arms of Chef Chris Curren reinforce the edginess.

This is one of the few restaurants in Chicago, outside such luminaries as Alinea or L2O, that I felt could truly and successfully compete in New York. This is a sophisticated chef in a stylish yet unassuming setting. I started with the lobster pizza--beautifully prepared with not quite New York-thin crust, but crispy and perfectly crisped in a hot oven, with a great tomato sauce and lobster. Lovely! My main course of pan seared halibut with asian vegetables and a mango nage was beautifully cooked--flirting with under-doneness as sometimes has been said. My partner had the a carpaccio which looked beautiful--with balsamico, horseradish foam and baby greens. A friend had the fish and chips which I tasted--very fresh sushi grade tuna. My partner's main course were the asian spiced roasted lamb chops with asian long beans, onion confit, and a potato gratin. The lamb was cooked medium rare and perfectly, IMHO.

Don't get me wrong--this is not a competitor to Jean Georges or Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in NYC....but for a newcomer start-up, this is a place to notice. My meal was excellent--with sophistication and integrity. Though the chef has a solid but relatively modest pedigree (he worked at several restaurants in Cleveland before Chicago), he has real native talent and is someone to notice.

I have no affiliation with the restaurant other than being a foodie and a recent resident of Chicago. But I was stunned at the quality and sophistication of the dishes for a new and thus far unheralded restaurant.

You should take note of this place and the chef. Very good things are happening here.

Blue 13
416 W. Ontario St.
Chicago, IL 60610-4014
312-787-1400

Sounds nice. Thanks for the heads up. Welcome to Chicago and LTH.

Edited for shooting first and asking questions later. My apologies.

Why would you doubt the issue of the food?

Just so everyone knows...I'm a psychologist who moved to River North after selling my condo in NYC. I was very excited to find this restaurant as so many local places reach high but fail to deliver. My first post on this site, though I have enjoyed lurking for a while. Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome to LTH, DM, and great first post... look forward to hearing more about Blue 13 and your other good experiences!

DutchMuse wrote: I started with the lobster pizza--beautifully prepared with not quite New York-thin crust, but crispy and perfectly crisped in a hot oven, with a great tomato sauce and lobster

Dutchmuse,

nice review, but I have top say lobster pizza with tomato sauce does not sound the slightest bit appealing to me. Maybe I'm guilty of Tom Colicchio type narrow-mindedness here, but that sounds like a bizarre and uncomplementary combination. Are you sure you got it right? The menupages description says "Lobster Pizza: manchego cheese, caramelized cipollini onions, roasted garlic puree, fine herbs". That sounds a little better to me, but I still think there are too many strongly flavored ingredients that don't belong with lobster (unless it's crappy lobster).

As others have said - welcome to LTH.

Kennyz

I've read DutchMuse's food and wine posts on numerous wine and food boards
(posted under his real name) This guy is for real and knows his stuff.
Welcome to LTH.... WvG

Guys---your palate may not line up with mine. Try it and see what you think.

Regarding the pizza, yes--your recitation is exactly right and is what the menu states. I recall there being tomato on it as well. I didn't mean to imply it was a traditional pizza with heavy tomato sauce and a bit of lobster; sorry if I misled.

Let me just put it right on the table. When I moved to Chicago, I was excited about the food as a lot of my chef friends in New York told me about the exciting food scene here. But when I got here, 80+% of the time I would leave a restaurant disappointed. A few times I said "If this were in NY it wouldn't last 6 months." There is just too much mediocrity around, if I may be so bold. When I went to this place last night, in my neighborhood, I was so refreshed--there was a real vibe in the place. The decor was sophisticated. And, at least as I thought, there were exciting things in the kitchen. As I say--this is not a gastronomic restaurant nor does it pretend to be. But for a new, local place, this restaurant is--IMHO--hands above many places I've been to since moving here.

Just one person's opinion. And no, I'm not a PR person. But I believe in raving about places I find strong.

Kennyz wrote:

DutchMuse wrote: I started with the lobster pizza--beautifully prepared with not quite New York-thin crust, but crispy and perfectly crisped in a hot oven, with a great tomato sauce and lobster

nice review, but I have top say lobster pizza with tomato sauce does not sound the slightest bit appealing to me. Maybe I'm guilty of Tom Colicchio type narrow-mindedness here, but that sounds like a bizarre and uncomplementary combination.

I think you're channeling Tom, Kenny

FWIW, while I haven't been to Blue 13, I've had a similar pizza elsewhere and loved it. To say nothing of numerous tomato and lobster pastas in Italy. The combination is not only not bizarre -- it's a natural.

Dmnkly wrote:

Kennyz wrote:

DutchMuse wrote: I started with the lobster pizza--beautifully prepared with not quite New York-thin crust, but crispy and perfectly crisped in a hot oven, with a great tomato sauce and lobster

nice review, but I have top say lobster pizza with tomato sauce does not sound the slightest bit appealing to me. Maybe I'm guilty of Tom Colicchio type narrow-mindedness here, but that sounds like a bizarre and uncomplementary combination.

I think you're channeling Tom, Kenny

FWIW, while I haven't been to Blue 13, I've had a similar pizza elsewhere and loved it. To say nothing of numerous tomato and lobster pastas in Italy. The combination is not only not bizarre -- it's a natural.

Fair enough. FWIW, I do think olives and grapes go great together

I have had tasty pasta dishes with lobster and tomato, but somehow the picture that formed in my head was of an unappealing, thick, sweet tomato puree with melted mozzerella and some lobster chunks thrown in. As the Muse noted, I should just try it for myself instead of dreaming up these gooey, unappetizing visions based on nothing but poor imagination and years of brain cell destroying activities..

DutchMuse wrote:I believe in raving about places I find strong.

Amen to that.

As I'm sure you know, the whole New York/Chicago comparison inevitably ticks off Chicagoans, much like the comparison between Paris/New York might tick of New Yorkers or Tokyo/Paris might tick off Parisians (given the recent granting of beaucoup Michelin stars to Japan's imperial city).

Any how, thanks for the thoughtful write-up and welcome to LTH.

True enough and certainly I don't want to appear as the stereotypic arrogant New Yorker--after all, I was born and raised in Kentucky (though I moved away in 1983)! I have lived in Los Angeles (13 years), New York (12 years) and now Chicago. We picked Chicago, by the way, out of choice--we love the city. I still work in NY 2 or 3 days/week but we wanted a change of pace and after selling our NY place, picked Chicago because its such a great city!

Thanks for the nice welcome! And I promise to become a Chicagoan immediately.

DutchMuse wrote:... after all, I was born and raised in Kentucky ...

A patrician, then. New York's not good enough for you.

Interesting to see the tattoo/rock & roll theme in this new restaurant. Seems like a trend. How essential is that element to Blue 13's presentation? Is this sort of the high-end counterpart to Kuma's Corner (heavy metal - it's in their blood), or are they just using the theme for a bit of color?

Personally, I viewed it as a minor element adding a bit of color to the place. For me, the two hits were the warmth of the decor/feel and the culinary sophistication for a neighborhood place. The music and the tattoo theme added a touch of color or interest.

DutchMuse wrote:There is just too much mediocrity around, if I may be so bold.

Ah, there's mediocrity everywhere, in NY and Paris too (and yes, I've been there - only visited Paris, but I used to work at Channel 13, so I've had a lot of meals in and around Manhattan)

Read here, and try some of the recommended Great Neighborhood Restaurants (tm)
check out http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=28 to start

When I moved to Chicago, I was excited about the food as a lot of my chef friends in New York told me about the exciting food scene here. But when I got here, 80+% of the time I would leave a restaurant disappointed.

IMHO, Chicago does not compare favorably to New York when it comes to high-end dining (though Chicago does have its share of standouts). Where Chicago shines, I believe, is in its more "modest" offerings. As Leek suggested, working your way through the GNRs and other LTH gems may have you rethinking you views on Chicago's food scene.

DutchMuse wrote:Thanks for the nice welcome! And I promise to become a Chicagoan immediately.

If you haven't seen it, here's another current thread from a recent NYC->CHI transplant which covers some similar city-to-city comparisons and how-to-get-started points.

And welcome! I tried to go to Blue 13 for lunch last week to find that they don't serve it–dinner only; it's only about a block from my office. Sounds like it might be worth dropping by after work one of these days...

Thanks, everyone; I will devour the info in the other thread asap.

BTW, I went to Argyle St the other day and had a terrific lunch at a restaurant--Hai Yen. Loved it.

I hope to be a regular contributor to this site. Thanks much for the welcome.

Golly gee, but this thread sure did take a turn...ok, now back to the subject restaurant! I went here tonight for the first time. My adopted dad lives across the street and has been about 1-2 times a month since they opened. His opinion is that the food is great quality but could come down a few bucks. Anyway, here's my take:

Arrived about 6:45 and fairly tranquil. To me, this is both good and not - they could have used a few more customers, but since it is a small place it was very nice to not be bombarded by noise of either loud patrons or loud music. Both were muted but pleasant. The ambience is very comforting, nice artwork, warm wood and brick, etc. The host, bartender and server were all very friendly and professional.

We started with a whiskey (Templeton Rye on da rocks) and perused the menu. Pops got the asparagus and prosciutto salad and the "rabbit duo" and I chose the deconstructed caprese salad and the buffalo strip steak. As it turned out, all excellent choices. His salad was on a bed of field greens, with warm blanched asparagus wrapped in warm sliced prosciutto, along with some SDT, balsamic vinaigrette and shaved pecorino. I had a bite, and the cool/warm combo was really excellent! My salad was more avant-garde, but still very tasty. Small bufalo mozz balls on dollops of pesto, with a tomato confit (slightly dressed) cylinder mold and tomato water (in a shot glass). Really bright flavors, and the tomato water had such an interesting note of tomato "meatiness" while still being light.


Asparagus & Prosciutto Salad


Deconstructed Caprese

The entrees were quite delicious. The rabbit was braised leg, nice and juicy, with a pastry and grape leaf-wrapped loin, along with roasted baby carrots and cipolini onions. Very tender and flavorful, good mix of meaty, earthy and savory. I ordered my buffalo steak "chef's recommendation" which the server said was medium. It was quite tasty, although next time I would go mid-rare. It had a savory pepper crust, the au gratin potatoes were creamy and savory, and the orange-braised endive leant a nice accent to the meatiness of the steak.


Rabbit Duo (action shot with strudel en route to my plate)


Buffalo Steak (with my piece of rabbit strudel on the side...yep, we like to share)

No room for dessert tonight, since I have Kopp's frozen custard in the freezer here at home fresh from Milwaukee...mmmm, custard.

I agree with pops that the entrees could be a few bucks lower which would fill the remaining seats more readily, but the portions were perfectly moderate (I hate the over-stuffing trend like Maggiano's, etc) and the quality was there in food, service and ambiance.

Nice report, Wino, and thanks for the illustrations. My interest is piqued.

you're welcome. Also, I forgot to mention wine...nice compact list, plenty of glass-pour options. We didn't want a whole bottle so chose 2 glasses of the Caperone 03 Zinfandel from central coast. Almost Italian in style, with a rustic nose and juicy fruit.

DutchMuse wrote:When I moved to Chicago, I was excited about the food as a lot of my chef friends in New York told me about the exciting food scene here. But when I got here, 80+% of the time I would leave a restaurant disappointed. A few times I said "If this were in NY it wouldn't last 6 months." There is just too much mediocrity around, if I may be so bold.

Where have you been going? If you are mainly eating downtown, that's the problem. While there are some very good restaurants downtown, there are many, many more bad ones. Generally speaking, many of the best restaurants are west and north of downtown. The GNRs will give you a great starting point, especially for ethnic places. But there are many great "3 star" places too - those that are a notch below places like Alinea and Trotters - like Blackbird, North Pond, etc.

Fun to read others' thoughts on Blue 13. I'm eager to return; I think it will be a go-to place for me in the hood.

Slowly I have been discovering why people say Chicago is so great--yes, expanding beyond 'downtown.' Went to L20 last night and loved it. Love the vietnamese places on Argyle. Love Salpicion (sp?) and Mercat. But that's all fodder for another thread....

Now that I've heard about the lobster pizza at Blue 13 I might have to stop in sooner rather than later to make up for the truly awful iteration I had at Duchamp. Bland and severely undercooked. A complete waste of lobster (and arugula, and lemon zest, and...)

I ate at Blue 13 last night and the meal was quite bad.

We started with 3 appetizers for the table: the lobster pizza, the home made bratwurst, and the salami and cheese plate. All three appetizers were solid. I liked the lobster pizza (though it was a tad bit greasy) and the brat was yummy.

Then came the entrees. I ordered the short rib with mushroom ragout and sweet potato gnocchi. It was just terrible. To say the meat was under seasoned would be an understatement. I'm not sure the meat was ever in the same room as salt. The mushrooms had one flavor--thyme--that dominated everything else about them. No subtlety whatsoever. And the sweet potato gnocchi were an abomination. They were hard, dense, gummy, and virtually tasteless. There was a sauce brushed on the plate that was pasty and vaguely gritty. The whole thing was just awful.

One of my dining companions had the veal cheek. My impression is that it was worse (he only ate half of it) though after tasting my gnocchi he agreed they were worse than any single item on his plate. Hopefully he'll post more details.

Our third dining companion had the steak and eggs, which he reported were fine.

On the upside we had a very nice Oregon Cab at a not outrageous price.

However, given the options out there, I wouldn't even consider returning for a moment. And I have to say I'm a little surprised that other posters find this place compelling relative to other restaurants at a similar price point in the area. Based on my (limited) experience, Blue 13 is clearly dominated by May Street Market, Le Lan, Spring, Graham Elliot, and many others.

This is too bad efood. For whatever reason, I haven't been there in a while despite my fondness for the place. Will have to go back and check in on it. My sense is they'd welcome the feedback. I just realized that Graham Elliot is in the area as well and want to go asap.

I was in the party with efood on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly--but unfortunately--my experience was pretty similar. I enjoyed the appetizers, though didn't think they were anything special. Lobster pizza was heavy on cheese but light on lobster, though had a nice subtle lobster flavor. (For the record, it had diced tomatoes but no tomato sauce.) The meat and cheese plate was predictable, but the ingredients were high quality. I especially liked the bleu cheese, can't remember the name. Housemade bratwurst was the highlight, served with grainy mustard and pickled onions.

The main course, veal cheek paprikash, was a big disappointment. The veal had a nice texture, a little crispy on the outside, tender inside. But the sauce was heavy and one-dimensional. I grew bored of eating it after a few bites. If you've had fill-in-the-blank paprikash at a nondescript Eastern European diner, you've basically had this dish. Had I been at a diner, I might have felt better about the dish. At these prices I expected a lot more. It was served with swiss chard that was, well, swiss chard. And then there was an "onion carbonara," which was a white, watery, slightly sweet but nearly tasteless goo.

The dessert selection was odd. There was apparently no written menu, because the offerings were described to us by the waiter. There were three options. A drink involving vokda, Bailey's, grenadine, and some other stuff I can't remember. Then there was an apple cake or some such thing. Finally, a chocolate brownie topped with coffee ice cream and raspberry foam, with a smear of mint paste on the plate. I remember the brownie because the combination struck me as weird. Maybe a talented, creative chef could pull it off, but based on the preceding courses I wasn't ready to chance it. I guess I'll never know because no one at my table ordered dessert.

What I like best about this place was the atmosphere. For my taste, they hit the mark perfectly with music, lighting, furniture, decor. I found it upscale but comfortable and intimate. I felt relaxed from the moment I walked in. I really wanted to like this place.

My overall impression was that this chef is just not playing in the same league as others in town at the same price point. If someone I knew really wanted to go to Blue 13, I wouldn't refuse. But I would not choose to go back on my own.

Where is Blue 13???????????

Leyla a wrote:Where is Blue 13???????????

(taken from the first post in this thread)
Blue 13
416 W. Ontario St.
Chicago, IL 60610-4014
312-787-1400

After a hiatus (for no real reason), we returned to Blue 13 last night. I was again reminded why I like this restaurant so much--it is, in my opinion, serious food in a non-serious atmosphere. Start with the cocktail--I had a martini made with Cascade Gin from a small distillery in Oregon. The gin is slightly tinted as it is made with wild picked juniper berries--but what caught my attention was the olives. They were large and plump--obviously somebody put some thought in getting 'proper' olives. They asked if I wanted pimento or bleu cheese stuffed; I said "Let me mixologist decide." Along came my martini with both type of olives on plastic spears on a plate for me to choose.

We had a selection of appetizers to share--lobster pizza, wagyu sliders, and the deconstructed caprese. The lobster pizza was, as always, great, and I liked the sliders--served on a mini-brioche bun. The tomatoes made the caprese--I don't know how they get the tomato so flavourful pre-season as it is. I had the stuffed trout for a main course which was good, but I loved the "tater tots" the chef served on the side. Two friends had the roast chicken and my partner had the pork duo which he described as good but not outstanding. The chef makes the desserts as well, and we loved the coffee doughnuts which they make a la minute.

Not saying Blue 13 is a gastronomic restaurant--it isn't, nor does it aspire to be. But for a neighborhood place that's a bit quirky with hip music and tattoo art everywhere (including on the manager and chef), this is serious food by a well trained chef. I still consider it a bit of a hidden gem in River North. To give you the feel of our response to the meal...the 4 of us had debated on Ai versus Blue 13 and had almost selected Ai--a sushi restaurant nearby--but at the last minute we decided on Blue 13 because it had been a while since we had been there. "I'm so glad we went there instead of the other restaurant" said one of our guests, which I think gives an idea of the quality of the restaurant. I left wondering why it had been so long since my last visit.