Erwin

BF and I are going to Erwin for the first time this week to celebrate Valentine's Day (not on the actual day...we know better than that). A cursory search on the board shows some fans of the porkchop and the burger. These are right up BF's alley, but not really what I'd be into. Any must-haves? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Erwin
2925 N. Halsted
Chicago
www.erwincafe.com

I would HIGHLY recommend the calf's liver with bacon and the mushroom cakes. My vegetarian girlfriend said the mushroom cakes were the closest things to meat she had had in a long time. The beet salad is good, and the duck and venison is also good.

Probably not very responsive to your actual question, but erwin is one of those places that has a small menu that is all solid IMHO. Anything that hits you should be fine. Having said that- the Caesar salad, while pretty tasty, is not probably not what a Caesar fan would be satisfied with.

That doesn't really upset me to hear, in fact the contrary. Then, I can just order what sounds good to me, rather than worrying about the not-to-miss dish.

The menu is really solid.

My favorites are:
onion tart
pyrenees cheese salad
crabcake (spicy)
beet salad

flank steak
mushroom cakes
liver

sour cherry pie is legendary
peanut butter mousse is fab, super rich.

It's been a while for us, but only because there are so many places right at that price point to try. Our last dinner there was excellent. They do a fine job with a bistro-style steak. An autumn squash soup was excellent and was served with that little bit of table-side soup drama that I'm a sucker for: huge, broad shallow soup dish filled at table by the waiter from a steaming urn. I know we had some sort of seafood that was also excellent.
For many years we had consistently and outlandishly rude behavior from front of house staff every time we went, so that we were gnashing our teeth before we even sat down. We had virtually given up. But as of last visit, all was just fine.
Enjoy.

mush cakes
skate fish
are great

you have to try the beet salad. it is amazing! sit at the bar for a cocktail and introduce yourself to David, who is usually tending. Nice guy who has good insights into the menu.

I heard recently that Erwin will be opening another location in the north suburbs. Can anyone else from here confirm?

By the way, this is my first post on LTH, after reading without registering for a short time. Glad to be a part of the community!

Welcome, Lerdawg! Don't have any info about erwin, but I just wanted to tell you I'm glad you do. We're glad you're part of the community too.

Pyrenees cheese or onion tart to begin.

I've always been very happy with my seafood dishes at Erwin. I recall a really warming salmon, lentil, and greens preparation from a few winters ago. One of my brothers really, really enjoys the burger and the flank steak.

You must get the peanut butter mouse pie for dessert. Heaven on a plate. When I lived on the south side my friends and I would sometimes take the CTA up just to have drinks and dessert.

Enjoy!

Ditto on the beet salad. We went there for the first time a few weeks ago and were blown away by that, and by the "lake superior whitefish" (still on the menu, if the one online (http://www.erwincafe.com/dinner.html) is accurate). We had a bunch of side vegetables, too: braised red cabbage, sugar snaps, spinach--all terrific. Not least, the martinis were also fabulous.

We want to go back just to try the sour cherry pie, which we were too full to sample...

Have fun tomorrow night!

Erwin is one of our favorite restaurants. The menu is interesting in that at first glance it seems incredibly static over time, but on closer inspection the dishes are changing all the time. For instance, while they always have the flank steak or liver as entres, the way they prepare them, as well as the sides, change frequently. You could come back once a month and have the same fish or meat prepared in quite a few different ways.

I also recommend the beet salad and the onion tart. Both are very tasty (and make great starters at a dinner party, I might add). I personally love the duck and venison, but then I'm a duck and venison kind of guy. The burger is really nice, as well.

I'm with others that have said you can't miss at Erwin. Try and you will like.

Taft

Surprisingly, no one has made mention of the vinegar potato chips Erwin serves at the bar. I wouldn't say they are the best chips I have ever had but they are HIGHLY addictive.

Reporting back on dinner at Erwin's. We loved it. Everything. The food. The atmosphere. The service.

We started out at the bar for some martinis and of course, the fabulous chips. The martinis were really good. And such a generous pour - I told BF that there was no way I could finish mine and still be coherent for supper.

Dinner was great. We split a caesar salad to start - the perfect amount and nicely garnished with some balsamic red onions. I had the whitefish and lentils which managed to be both light and hearty at the same time. The fish being delicate and the lentils had a stick to your bones quality about them. BF had the porkchop which he loved, proclaiming it to be the best pork chop he'd ever had.

We finished up with the peanut butter pie. A nice graham cracker crust and rich chocolate ganache added richness and depth. We actually heard the table next to us complain that it was to rich to the server - it's not like you're not warned...it's peanut butter pie after all!

Top that all off with a nice bottle of wine and warm friendly service - just a great experience. My only problem is that I waited so long to go.