Actually, what it's known for is Mike G intending to try the famous blue cheesecake, but never having the room by the time he's done with the famous duck burger...*

* By the way, I reversed engineered this dish for a little get-together not too long ago-- I used ground turkey meat (dark) from Whole Foods, blue cheese, a port wine reduction and some fig spread from WF, and I have to say... came out pretty darn well, even with turkey burger which I regard as only one step above styrofoam. Just don't be stingy with the port wine reduction, given how dry the turkey can be. Thanks, chef Alexander Cheswick, for the idea, and thanks GAF for incisively capturing the virtues of what I agree is one of the better and more welcoming two-stars in town.

We went to May Street Market on Saturday night for a friend's birthday. This place has improved significantly from my first visit last summer.

For my appetizer I started with rabbit ravioli with English peas, fava beans and a poached quail egg. Two ravioli were served on the side of the plate, completely unadorned. The rest of the ravioli were served in the center of the plate with the aforementioned peas, fava beans and quail egg along with a delicious sauce. I thought it was a pretty bold choice by the kitchen to let a couple of the ravioli stand on their own, but it worked well. The ravioli themselves were delicious, and when combined with all of the other elements they got even better.

For my main course I had a special of soft shell crab served with peppercorns, tomatoes and some greens. The crab was delicious, perfectly fresh. The peppercorns really added a nice note to the dish and combined well with the crab. My only quibble is that the dish was served with just a single (and not very large) soft shell crab.

Dessert was vanilla semifreddo with some chocolate ganache, caramelized bananas and caramel sauce. It doesn't sound like it, but this was actually a really nice not too heavy way of ending the meal.

As much as the food had improved, the service may have improved even more. Our waitress was friendly, knowledgeable and knew when to leave us to our conversation.

Finally, I thought the meal was actually a pretty good value. For four of us, the final bill came to $235 after tax but before tip. This included a bottle of wine, a cocktail, three appetizers, four main courses and two desserts.

I would definitely go back and would recommend May St Market for anyone looking for a nice night out.

Would just like to add that their appetizers are both appetizing (we thought the menu was fantastic) and filling, and that this is a fantastic spot for a late night date where you can sit at the bar, split 3 apps and have a few drinks. 2 cents....cheers

Had lunch at May Street Market a while back mainly due to dmnkly's blog entry/review below:

http://www.skilletdoux.com/2006/06/may_street_mark.html

It really does feel like you're getting away with something considering the price. I had an amuse of some sort of papaya shooter and the duck burger and fries. It was surprisingly satisfying and filling considering the actual amount of food involved (not a lot), and that's always a sign of a good meal. I'd go for lunch here a bit more often if it wasn't too far from work.

I thought I posted about my two meals at May Street Market here, but can't find them anywhere here. In any event, I'm amazed how seldom this restaurant comes up when people are searching for fine dining recommendations. In terms of quality, I think it's right up there with Blackbird, Naha and North Pond (i.e., the restaurants in the category just below the very high end splurge). I was extremely impressed with all aspects of the food - I wish I could remember exactly what I had, although I do recall selecting a game entree on my last visit and being very impressed. And despite some negative comments about the service, I was very pleased. I'm looking forward to visiting again soon.

Visited May Street Market last Friday night for the first time. Can't believe it took me this long to get there considering I live nearby, and while the service was good, I was disappointed in the food for two main reasons: most dishes were not temperature hot enough, and almost everything was under-seasoned.

Here's a quick review of a few dishes our group of 4 ate:
Malaysian Bouillaibaise - basic shellfish steamed in a Thai red curry sauce. Good idea, but poorly executed. Not temperature hot and zero spice heat in the curry sauce. Sauce was too runny. Bread served with dish is flatbread, but the whole point of bread with bouillaibaise is to sop up the broth.

Short ribs appetizer - room temperature and bland. Accompanying cauliflower foam was a poor pairing selection. Tasted like it contained zero salt or pepper.

Spinach salad - perfect bacon vinaigrette, beautiful poached egg and nice baby spinach.

Venison - very tough and chewy, even by venison standards. Good flavor but hard to overcome the texture.


Nice atmosphere, good noise level and a pretty dining room, but the food was very disappointing.

Dave

Hi,

We dined there for the first time on Saturday. We loved the room, service was good, and actually enjoyed all the food. Temperatures were not a problem - our issue was that the kitchen could not keep up with the level of business. The place was full when we walked in for our 8:30 reservation. The hostess was up front with us that they were running behind and asked us to have a seat at the bar. We were sat at about 8:50. We had a 2 course meal - apps and entrees and left at 11pm. The delay between our apps and entrees was pretty intense. Desserts and coffee looked good, but I couldn't bear the thought of sitting for another 45 minutes.

We too, had the spinach salad, which was very good. Crab cakes, lamb shank and house-made whole wheat pasta w/ chestnuts and mushrooms rounded out our meal. A nice bottle of red made the wait tolerable.

We both agreed we'd like to give it a try on a slower weeknight when perhaps the kitchen would not be so taxed.

I have eaten there a few times, service was good, and the food was excellent. One of the best saddle of venison I have ever had.

I dined at May Street Market last night, and although good, it was not as good as my previous dinners there.

The Maytag blue cheesecake was better than it has ever been. The additions of quince sorbet and pecans to the dish made for an absolutely perfect pairing that drew raves from the table.

The Baby spinach salad was also excellent, from the smoky bacon/shallot dressing to the perfectly poached egg.

Other starters -- the soups -- did not fare so well. In particular, the Lemongrass and butternut squash soup with black mussels had a silky smooth texture, but an excess of lemongrass overpowered and hurt the dish.

And the Chestnut consomme with bay scallops and crispy pork belly was disappointing. The scallops and pork belly were delicious, but the consomme lacked noticeable chestnut flavor and was a little too salty.

Main courses were good, if not a little hit or miss. The Roasted venison medallions are still on the menu and were perfectly cooked. However, much of the pistachio crust had fallen off all over the plate, and given the wonderful accompaniments of carrot puree, chive spaetzle and lingonberry sauce, I could have done without the crust. Last night, they offered an $8 addition of an elk chop to the dish (not crusted), and like the venison, the elk was perfectly cooked and delicious. Take away the pistachio crust, and this dish was perfect. With the crust, it was still very, very good.

The Boneless roasted quail stuffed with chestnuts and duck liver was decent, if not a tad dry, and some seasoning in the dish which we could not identify seemed a little odd and misplaced. However, the senf-kraut and sweet potato dumplings (spaetzle-like) were excellent and really improved the dish.

The Malaysian bouillabaisse featured beautifully cooked prawns, mussels, razor clams, sea scallops and lobster, but the broth flavored with kaffir lime, coconut, red curry and saffron did not work so well -- too many flavors that just did not really pair well together in this instance.

Two of our three desserts were outstanding. The Brown butter almond cake with a huckleberry compote and creme fraiche-vanilla ice cream was outstanding. So was the Meyer Lemon tart with a bruleed crust, candied fennel, citrus segments, mascarpone cream and a blood red orange granite. The crust and flavor from the Meyer lemons were both sensational.

However, the Roasted Jonagold apples, served in a vanilla-riesling broth with a cinnamon puff pastry twists and Goldschlager ice cream failed to impress. The apples were a soggy mess from the broth, and the Riesling was not reduced enough and stood out in a bad way. Finally, the single puff pastry twist was unable to rescue the lack of texture (i.e. mush) in this dish.

There was also a complimentary chocolate birthday cupcake (a perfect crumb and flavor) with a little passion fruit syrup and crispy milk chocolate dust. Seemingly simple, but absolutely perfect in every way.

We were served two amuse bouches: apples and mushrooms in a soup spoon which could have benefited from seasoning (salt), and a blood orange granite (also served with the Meyer Lemon tart) which was very good.

Service was very friendly and polished. There were a couple of lulls in the meal (particularly before ordering dessert) which lengthened the evening and might have annoyed some, but my friends and I enjoyed the break and the opportunity to spend quality time together.

Overall, a good meal that didn't quite measure up to previous visits, but which certainly merits a return.

I, too, forgot to post about this when we went here, so I'll do my best to recount the experience. We were in the city the Monday after Thanksgiving and took the long walk from Maple & Rush street to here. Needless to say, we were cold and very eager to get inside when we arrived right at 11 am when they opened!

Our service was good. The place was empty when we got there, but was about half-full by the time we left. I think coming here for lunch is a very pleasant endeavor. It's a nice space and is quiet enough to hold a pleasant conversation. Plus, we were dying to try those burgers!

Author's note: thankfully, their [online] menu hasn't changed since we were there, so I can fully "recall" everything we tried:

My husband started out with the dark chocolate brooklyn beer braised beef short rib with white chocolate cauliflower puree, and pickled purple cauliflower. He was really happy with this dish. I tried a taste of it and found the short rib to be very tender and flavorful. The accompaniments went very well with this.

Still feeling a bit chilly, I ordered the lemongrass and butternut squash soup with black mussels. I don't think I realized what a huge endeavor this was until it came out. The mussels were all right -- I'm admittedly not the biggest fan, and ordered this more for the soup. The soup was decent, but came in a fairly large bowl (so did the mussels). My husband was finished with his appetizer before I'd even gotten a quarter of the way through this. I did really like the lemongrass flavor in the soup, which was echoed when we went to went to Tallgrass recently and one of the soup trio items was a lemongrass soup.

I had to remind myself to save room for the burgers. Based on the pictures and raves here, I naturally went with the duck burger with port wine figs, maytag blue cheese, arugula, on a brioche bun. I optioned for the fries.

My husband ended up getting the venison burger with red wine poached pear, aged goat cheese, crispy pancetta balsamic, on a brioche bun, with a mixed green salad.

Honestly, I wish I'd gone with the venison burger. The duck burger was good, don't get me wrong, but didn't have half the flavor and juiciness of the venison burger. Plus, I think the combination of the pear and goat cheese just really did it for me. We both agreed that his had been the better choice.

I also liked the size of the plates. The burgers were manageable, not overwhelmingly huge. A normal person could come in here and order that as a lunch. (Because of my starter, I gave half of the burger to the DH, who finished it off, no problem.)

We skipped on dessert as well, so I can't report on that. All in all, I really liked this place. It's reasonable as a lunch destination, the service was professional and attentive, and the food was good. It was a nice experience.

Oh: a side note, though, as I'm reminded from looking at a picture on their website. If I recall correctly, their 'bread service' were pieces of thin, crunchy, cracker-like strips. Merlo on Maple served something similar for their bread service as well. Being a pretty big fan of bread (chewy, substantial breads, I might add), I guess I wonder what the point of this sort of thing is? Are there people out there who really enjoy this, or is the point to keep you from not getting too full on bread? In any case, I could just as well do without rather than being served these "crackers" in place of bread. Hmm.

Does anyone know their corkage policy? If I recall from my one visit, they have a nice wine list but I have some friends in town and we want to go somewhere we can bring wine at a reasonable fee

I haven't been to May Street Market, but Terragusto is my current favorite restaurant that is BYO. It's at 1851 W. Addison.

Katherine_84f wrote:I haven't been to May Street Market, but Terragusto is my current favorite restaurant that is BYO. It's at 1851 W. Addison.

Just to clarify - May Street Market is not BYO. I think the previous poster wanted to know what MSM would charge for a corkage fee if he were to BYO (which some diners prefer to do if they have certain wines they'd like to drink).

As May Street Market may have fallen off of some people's radar, I thought I'd post about a wonderfully simple and deftly prepared meal I had there recently. There are some small alterations afoot. A truncated bar menu is offered for those who just want a bite. Also, one of their burgers is now offered for dinner as well as lunch, at a very reasonable $9. There's also a "fancier" caesar salad on the dinner menu, which I think takes into account that not everyone wants a huge heavy and/or overly conceived meal every night of the week. In addition to that, MSM's entrees are very reasonably priced for what you get on the plate and the skill shown by the kitchen.

Although turkey burgers tend to be dry, tasteless things, MSM's was spicy and juicy, and came with very respectable frites and "smoked ramp" ketchup. As strange as that sounds, it was an unbelievably delicious smokey-sweet concoction worthy of eating with a spoon. A great way to work a spring bounty into a ho-hum condiment.

Spring pea gnocchi for $11 included pillowy gnocchi with a pea puree that was more pungent than you'd think, fresh al dente peas and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. It was garnished with some type of foam and pea shoots. For $11, it was a well-prepared, elegant and balanced dish.

I like that this place is affordable and casual enough that you can enjoy a skillfully prepared, well-conceived meal without committing to an expensive, multicourse meal. If you want to walk in without reservations, you can generally be seated in the bar area if the dining area is full, which is spacious and comfortably set up for dinner.

Superb dining at MSM this week. Two of us partook of the Yelp Eats prix fixe menu - what a value.
Entered to quite a nice room with a woodsy scent (our server concurred her nose picked up same when she first started working at the place). Started with yellow corn volute (parmesan flan therein was creamy rich) and sangria dressing based salad. On to pork chop atop ancho chili sauce - delicious - Chef revealed a coca cola reduction as a key ingredient. Grilled salmon wasn't quite cooked as hoped upon arrival but staff smoothly rectified this. It sat atop a nouveau take on a cole slaw base that nicely complimented the tender chop. Desserts outstanding - cupcake trio flight moved from subtle to bold and strawberry shortcake pastry was a pleaser. Highly impressed and will be back.
Afterward moved down the street to procure a mushroom and sausage pie from Coalfire for the next night's fare. A gentle re-heat did just the trick.
Grand on Grand indeed.

I had a wonderful meal at May Street Market tonight, the third in a row in a place that is way underappreciated, in my opinion.

I almost never rave about salads, but the Spring Salad on the newly-released seasonal menu was memorable: shaved radishes, pea shoots, peas, and some other fresh and crisp green were dressed with a beautifully balanced grapefruit-vanilla dressing, and garnished with sweet, ruby-red grapefruit segments and toasted walnuts. I could eat this every day for a long time before tiring of it.

Seared scallops were another revelation: they had been lightly smoked before being perfectly seared and crusted with chopped pistacchios. The revelation came from the two gorgeous sauces on the plate: a blood orange infused brown butter, and some earthy molasses that had been lightened with just a bit of lemon juice. Both of these sauces simultaneously contrasted and enhanced the succulent smokiness of the scallops. A remarkable dish that really taught me something about flavor combinations.

May Street Market is an imperfect restaurant. Service is friendly but not very knowledgeable, and dessert does not shine. The chef is one of the most talented I know, however, which is more than enough to keep bringing me back. From the sparse crowds I've seen of late, May Street Market could use some extra love. It deserves it.

Kennyz wrote:May Street Market is an imperfect restaurant. Service is friendly but not very knowledgeable, and dessert does not shine. The chef is one of the most talented I know, however, which is more than enough to keep bringing me back. From the sparse crowds I've seen of late, May Street Market could use some extra love. It deserves it.

FWIW, I totally agree with this assessment. Except for perhaps dessert, you never once doubt that the food you have there is prepared by someone who not only knows how to cook exceptionally, but is creative and experimental with his food in a meaningful way. I don't mean to cast aspersions on anyone else, but really, the results of the creative and playful process at MSM is, from a strictly food perspective, more successful than that I've experienced of late at the various "play palaces," and that would include Graham Elliot.

Having said that, Kenny is correct that the FOH is not what it should be, and I'll add that the bartending can be atrocious, and dessert needs improvement. But for the price -- and it really is reasonable -- you can eat here feeling like you just got a meal for which you should pay far more for.

I haven't been since the last meal I posted about in 2007. Based on that meal I would certainly agree that May Street Market is underrated. All of this talk has me inspired to make a return trip.

I was lucky enough to be at May Street Market with Kenny the other night and the one thing he did not mention was the delightful potatoes that came with his skatewing. I could not help but release an involuntary smile upon eating them- we could not ascertain what kind of potatoes they were, but they were perfectly rounded like mellon balls, a cheerful buttercup yellow color, pefect texture and delectibly balanced lemon-butter taste. Heaven on a plate. The mangement and chef could do a much better job of educating the staff on the food and wine, but the last few times we've been to May Street Market I've been enormously impressed with Chef Cheswick's ability to use the freshest ingredients, create unexpectedly successful flavor combinations and elevate each layer so it shines. Skip the dessert.

A hearty LTHForum welcome to wonderwoman, who is absolutely right about those potatoes. I suspect that they were scooped out raw with a mellonballer, then simmered with a healthy dose of lemon and butter. Delicious!

I just saw this note in today's Dish newsletter:

Bring your own bottle to May Street Market (1132 W. Grand Ave.; 312-421-5547) on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and pay no corkage—and get a three-course dinner for $25.

Not bad at all! I've been meaning to try them for a while now, and this might be the excuse I've been looking for...

danimalarkey wrote:I just saw this note in today's Dish newsletter:

Bring your own bottle to May Street Market (1132 W. Grand Ave.; 312-421-5547) on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and pay no corkage—and get a three-course dinner for $25.

I, along with three companions, availed ourselves of the new BYO special at MSM last Wednesday. It is a great way to experience MSM and keep costs down. As it turned out, Wednesday was a great day to dine at MSM, as it is market day. Except for the occasional out-of-season ingredients, MSM's menu is very heavy on seasonal, market items, so Wednesday you get to experience the menu at its freshest. (In fact, the server told us that Wednesdays is one of their busiest weekdays, as regular customers know that the chef goes to market that morning.)

As such, the best menu items are those that are seasonal, and the only misses during our dinner were those dishes that contained out-of-season ingredients, like a corn velouté or a tomato salad. (Bad ordering on our parts.) The chef here really does know how to cook and pair flavors, and almost every dish showcases the chef's talent, either because he makes a killer gnocchi, or he stretches himself (but only slightly and meaningfully), by applying modern cooking techniques or sensibilities, pre-molecular gastronomy (and more in the vein of Shawn McClain or Trio). In fact, I sense that MSM's food is really closer to what our friend, Mr. Forlines, aims to do - he'd do well to dine here and maybe pick up a thing or two.

$10 for $25 deal today - http://wegivetoget.com/chicago

Dave148 wrote:$10 for $25 deal today - http://wegivetoget.com/chicago

Yes, you can have $15 off by going through this convoluted process, or you can tell them you are on the mailing list and received the $15 off coupon that they sent to everyone earlier this week. Or you could simply say "I'd like $15 off" and get it that way.

From the Openings & Closings thread and also Grub Street Chicago it looks like May Street will be closing Oct 30th - time to call all of the deal sites (Living Social, Groupon, etc.) and ask for your purchase price back for unused vouchers. Too bad - I liked this place and the wait staff was always in fine form.