Three Aces

Went last night with my wife for a few drinks and some bites, the place has been open for less than a week and is still working out some kinks.

The place is DARK, even sitting at the bar in the front window it was dark. Cool for a bar, for a food place I would like to be able to see my food a little better.

Started with some of their bar popcorn. Popcorn with a topping of finely grated parmesean and deep fried scallion greens, with a side of roasted garlic hot sauce for dipping/pouring on the popcorn. The hot sauce was kind of Frank's meets Sriracha.

Next for the bruschetta of the day. We were sitting at the bar and the bartender explained it was Lardo. Excellent, so for $2 you get 1 pretty good sized piece. Great, that just about the amount of Lardo I want, and my wife could stomach watching me eat. What came out was a good sized cross section of a soft baguette with a huge schmear of what appeared to be fruity sweet cream cheese with a drizzle of balsamic on top? On one part of the bread that wasn't coated in "cream cheese" it appeared as if there was a layer of lardo that had melted on to the bread, but you couldn't taste it through whatever the spread was. I asked the bar tender what it was and she said "that's the lardo." Ummm, whatever. It was good if what you wanted was a piece of bread with cream cheese?

My wife got the margharita pizza. Football shaped, super crispy crust, nice color on the bottom, zero color on the top with "soupy" toppings and what appeared to be a healthy drizzle of olive oil (too dark to tell) and a layer of finely ground black pepper. The cornishon was cruchy like the rest of the crust and completely hallow all the way around. I liked it, kind of super crispy neopolitan, so no need to flip up the tip. My wife had more of it than I and the black pepper got to be overwhelming. It was served on a three inch thick cross section of a tree stump?

I got the turkey leg zampone, asked the bartender what zampone was - turkey leg with stuffing. Never had it or heard of it so didn't know what to expect, but here is what I got. Bottom layer of the plate covered with risotto, was fine but kind of tasted like one of those Lipton pouches. On that was a deboned turkey drumstick wrapped around a rutabega apple stuffing. The stuffing was non descript, wet and ranged in temp from hot to cold. The turkey had great crisp skin and the meat next to the skin was good but the meat closest to the stuffing was not cooked to the correct doneness. It was cooked to a safe doneness, but not cooked enough for dark meat. If you have ever roasted a whole chicken and got the breasts perfect only to realize the thighs needed 10 - 15 degrees more of doneness for help with their redness and texture then you'll know what I mean. It was like rare steak and not good.

The owner (Anthony Potenzo)came over and asked how everything was. My M.O. is to say fine and forget about it, but this place is in my neighborhood and I want it to do well so I explained the issue with the turkey (I had forgotten about my lardo issue.) He thanked me profusely, explained they were still in the soft opening phase and sat and talked with us for a couple minutes.

After another beer we decided we would try the pumpkin donuts with stout glaze, we asked the bartender to order it for us and she explained there was already an order in for us, comped by the owner as a thank you for the feedback. Great move. The donuts were homemade pumpkin donuts, not my cup of tea but they are what they are.

The enthusiasm and energy of the owner, he was showing people around like a proud new father, are going to get me back there to try some of the other interesting things on the menu (pork fried nuts? a beef heart something that the bartender described as friend mustard dough balls? porkbelly and lamb sausage...) The prices are right, all that food, 6 green lines, good soundtrack playing for 55 bucks plus tip (the green lines were 30 of that)

Their beer list has bottles, drafts and imports which they pretentiously describe as anything outside the midwest. There is some menu and drink menu overlap with Davanti Enoteca which is just down the street, and I will be eating there when I go out to eat, but when I go out to a bar and want some food, this is where I will go (if I don't want to go all the way to Simone's on 18th)

I assume jtminnesota is referring to this place:

Three Aces
1321 W. Taylor St.
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 243-1577

My family and I went to Three Aces for dinner the other night and had a pleasant meal.



We ordered the short rib agnolotti, beer-steamed mussels, duck confit, rapini pesto pizza, a few of the Ace burgers and a side of the brussels sprouts with pancetta.



Everything was quite satisfying, but the happy_stomach clan agreed that the burger was best. We all thought it was very similar to Owen & Engine's burger with the very beefy, juicy and looser patty on a gorgeous potato bun. The mixed lettuce, red onion, and cheddar topping were perhaps a touch distracting though not really excessive. Also excellent were the fries--crispy with some skin and well salted. Mama happy_stomach was right to insist off the bat that we order several burgers for the table. I didn't pay attention to the beer my brother-in-law ordered, but I was in a mezcal mood and thoroughly enjoyed the Fiery Jalisco--mezcal, St. Germain, grapefruit and lemon juice.

I'm very rarely in this neighborhood, but I'd recommend Three Aces without hesitation for bar food made with a lot of care. This is kind of what I hoped Acre would be; Three Aces is executing at a much higher level it seems.

4 of us had some very tasty food and drinks at Three Aces last week. I was surprised (not exactly sure why it surprised me) by how much I enjoyed what we had. It was mostly and primarily a social occasion, so I don't have detailed notes or pictures but here's the brief rundown, nonetheless . . .

Duck Fat Chips with Fennel Pollen
Crispy and the distinctive fennel pollen came through nicely.

Pork Roasted Nuts
Warm and seasoned, maybe with mix of spices that contained something smokey like pimenton.

Arancini - fontina, braised oxtail, celery leaves, parmesan
Crispy exteriors and wonderfully melty and pungent fontina centers that went great with the rich shreds of oxtail.

Short rib agnolotti - veal jus, brussels sprouts leaves, golden raisins, sage
Another tasty braise-based dish. The bitter brussels sprouts leaves were a nice touch.

Ace Burger - aged cheddar, trimmings, bacon jam, aioli, fries, garlic & hops pickle
Flavorful meat which was loosely packed and cooked, as requested, to medium rare. The burger was juicy and delicious throughout. The accoutrements were all tasty, too. The only miss here was the house-made ketchup, which was served on the side (for the fries). It was more like a sweet chutney.

Bolognese Fries - hand-cut fries, bolognese sauce, parmesan
Mighty fine poutine variant with well-cooked tasty potatoes and a delicious bolognese topping.

Pizzetta - shaved porchetta, blue cheese, caramelized onion, calabrian chili, fennel pollen
The blue cheese was strong but it didn't dominate and it worked very well here. I loved the spikes of heat provided by the chilis. The crust was supremely light and very cripsy.

It seems like the menu might have been undergoing a partial revamp, as a few items we tried to order were n/a. For example, we were told that the head cheese was, at least for now, no longer available. Turkey and apple meatballs were also n/a, which means they're probably gone for good, given that they were 86'd at 7 pm on a Friday evening. Cocktails were well-made, beer selection seemed to please our beer-fan friends and the spirit selection went way beyond perfunctory. Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond is always nice to see on a back bar and it was nice to see Evan Williams Single Barrel there, too. Service was excellent. I'd definitely return and look forward to doing so.

=R=

I had dinner here with friends Saturday and while I wasn't blown away by the food, I really enjoyed the evening. So you know going in, the atmosphere is more bar-like than restaurant, seating a bit cramped for groups of four, it's dark and it's loud, tvs in plain sight, you get the idea . . . probably not where you'll go for a romantic night out.

But service was really great, probably as good or better than the service I've received at all but the most expensive restaurants in the city. We were immediately greeted (and felt very welcome) when we walked in the door. Our waitress was outstanding - she displayed great knowledge of the cocktail and beer list and the menu. They just didn't miss a beat during the night. We began the evening with some terrific cocktails and beers - I thought Three Aces really excelled in both of these areas . . . some of the best made cocktails I've tasted in some time, and a really good beer list.

But the food, though good, didn't quite live up to the level of the service. We started with the scallion and parmesan popcorn with roasted garlic hot sauce. It was tasty - I was most impressed with how fluffy the popcorn was, with no unpopped kernels.

I absolutely love arancini, but these fell just a little bit short. Beautifully crisp, yes. But the filling was a little dry and it relied too much upon the bolognese sauce for flavor. And the bolognese sauce was decent, but a bit mild in flavor for my liking.

A better choice was the rutabaga agnolotti, served with a maple-cider brown butter sauce, pomegranate, sage and brussels sprout leaves. The pasta was beautifully cooked, the filling was tasty, and all of the components worked well together. The crisp brussels sprout leaves added a very interesting flavor and crisp texture to the dish (a little like kale).

Ricotta gnocchi with rabbit was really a miss - gummy gnocchi, very over-salted. You could detect some really good flavors underneath it all, but those two major flaws ruined the dish.

The oxtail on grilled sourdough with parsnip, fresh horseradish and mushroom duxelle was very close to a big hit - tender and delicious oxtail and very flavorful mushrooms on nicely grilled bread. The only problem was that the fresh horseradish was a little unevenly distributed such that some bites were just overwhelming tastes of horseradish which overpowered the other ingredients.

The Ace burger was quite good, cooked to a perfect medium rare. Although I subscribe to the less is more group when it comes to burgers, all of the components here worked pretty well. The fries were fine, but nothing special.

We also shared three pizzas - margherita, porchetta and short rib. I was not a huge fan of the crust on any of them - very crisp but I didn't think there was a ton of flavor. The tomato sauce on the margherita pizza was too thin and I would have preferred to taste some herbs in the sauce. The porchetta pizza was pretty good, although some bites delivered an overpowering taste of the mustard oil. The short rib pizza (with blue cheese, rosemary, mushrooms and roasted garlic cream sauce and beef jus) was my favorite of the bunch and I thought the flavors were all well proportioned.

For dessert, we shared what I believe was the only dessert of the evening - housemade chocolate cake doughnuts. They were served hot and fresh and were delicious. They were served with a hot chocolate (I believe it was spiked with cayenne) for dipping.

While I'd certainly be happy to return to Three Aces, I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to do so. If you're interested in checking out the menu (including cocktails, beer and wine), they're all shown on the website (link is above in this thread). Also handy to know is that they have a small parking lot, but parking is somewhat limited in the lot and there is no valet parking so you might have to drive around a bit.

There is a pay lot right across the street--$10 I think.

It's been several months since I first visited Three Aces, and I have to say that although it isn't in my neighborhood, it is very conveniently located to the Icon movie theaters on Roosevelt Road, and it's become one of my favorite spots for a post-movie bite and drink. In fact, based upon my last couple of visits, I'd say that my first visit there in January was definitely an off night for Three Aces' kitchen.

On my past visit, I thought the bolognese fries were terrific - crisp and nicely seasoned french fries, and a very tasty bolognese sauce, much tastier than on my first visit. No, not nearly as good as the amazing bolognese at Merlo on Maple, but seriously respectable.

Pizzas are also much better than the ones I first tasted. On my most recent visit, I thought the Calabrese pizza was excellent, both in terms of quality and distribution of toppings and the crispy, charred crust. On the other hand, someone in my party has ordered the burger on every visit and it's been one of the better burgers in Chicago each time. I'll admit that I didn't love the duck cannelloni, but I'll say I've never been a cannelloni fan, and this was better than most.

Three Aces also makes some pretty good cocktails and offers a very nice beer list. Service has been nothing less than terrific and very welcoming each time, and there's always a lively crowd albeit with plenty of noise (in case that matters). No, this is not a place I would drive halfway across the city for. But if you're heading to or from the United Center, if you're seeing a movie at the Roosevelt Road Icon theaters, or if you just happen to be in the area, I'm not sure you could do much better for a casual bite and drink.

I think of some casual pub-like spots I like to visit closer to my home on the north side - Bad Apple, Toon's, Laschet's, Hopleaf - and I think that Three Aces delivers at least equally in terms of food and service. If it were closer to me, I'd probably be there a lot more often. I've just come to enjoy it that much.

GOD BLESS IT THEIR BURGERS ARE OUTSTANDING!!!
Been meaning the give them props for a while. Three seperate visits and the burger delivers. Ground in house w/ a course texture and cooked to a perfect medium rare. Amazing balance between elements of the 'Aces Burger'. Quality fresh cut fries w/ bolognese and picked asparagus.

Link to pic
https://plus.google.com/photos/11202656 ... ODE9p7AtAE

Everything made in house. I believe the bartender said they do their own burchering as well as pickling. Really outstanding spot w/ again the BEST BURGER in the city.

Point of reference, my favorite straight forward burger is Big n Little's cheeseburger also excellent and also cooked to a perfect medium rare

Does anyone have any info about their West Town location in the old West Town Tavern space?

Closing for good on Sunday, 2/19/17, per their Facebook page:

We've had a absolute BLAST these past 7 years, but it's time for new adventures! Three Aces will be closing forever this Sunday night....
Way too many to thank, but just know if you've ever walked through these doors and supported us, we're grateful! Especially to our loyal regulars and amazing staff!
We'd like to invite each and every one of you to come say goodbye, and toss back a few Old Crows with us. We'll have patio tables out Saturday and Sunday starting at noon!!
Aces Forever!!

A very sad loss . . . at least Charlatan is still around.