Bistro Campagne al fresco

Five of us showed up for dinner Sunday night at Bistro Campagne for dining al fresco on a warm evening. This is one of my favorite restaurants in town, not only for the food, but the overall atmosphere is very cozy and charming. In many ways bistro food is simple, but prepared fresh and served in the right atmosphere can make such a difference in enjoying it. I like to eat outside on their patio in warm weather. Unfortunately they still have their tent up from the winter, but we enjoyed a nice evening of food that we mostly shared:

Appetizers:
Fried pork belly w/potato and celery root puree - very interesting taste and texture, like a seared foie gras
Frisee salad w/ soft poached egg and lardons - I always like this bistro salad, and with the help of some salt and pepper brought out a great flavor
Jambon Serrano w/dates - yeah, ham and dates, not so noteworthy
Escargot, breaded and sauteed in garlic butter - classic that they do well
Potato garlic soup was a special; didn't think it tasted so special
Foie gras - I was disappointed; with all of the interesting things you can do with foie gras to show off its flavor, why just serve it as a pate? Cold too, which further muted the flavor. My opinion was in the minority, FWIW.

I had to go put more coins in the parking machine in the lot across the street, which is cruelly enforced on Sunday nights until midnight. When I came back, the following entrees were mostly gone:

Rabbit w/spinach, prunes and lardons - mixed reviews: some thought it was great, others too quiet
Pork chop
Salmon
Fettuccine w/ mushrooms - fresh wild mushrooms gave it a lot of flavor (they left me a few)

Sides:
Onion frites - not on the menu, but it's served with the chicken. I noticed it walking in and ordered it as a side. I'm a sucker for homemade onion rings, and these were delicious: thin, crispy, delicate.
Fava beans and haricot verts in vinaigrette - light but substantive and tasty

Wines:
Pouilly fume
Gigondas

Desserts:
Profiteroles - were hogged by someone else who enjoyed them
Chocolate pot-de-creme - rich and smooth
Creme brule - nothing spectacular, but in a larger than standard size
Lemon tarte - not a fan

Bistro Campagne
4518 N Lincoln
Chicago

I couldn't agree more. What you didn't mention is that Chef Altenberg has a huge commitment to "clean" food -- food grown in organic, sustainable family farms. He goes way out of his way -- and cuts his own profits considerably -- to provide the best organically grown meat and produce at reasonably prices.

I have occasionally had a disappointing dish at Bistro Campagna (and its predicessor, Campagola in Evanston), but by-and-large, I think that Altenberg may be the most underrated chef in Chicago.

I ate at the Evanston Bistro Campagna a couple of weeks ago.

They have a good belgian beer selection (I had a Rochefort 10) and they have an all French wine list, so don't bring any ultra-conservatives.
There's a generous appetizer of mussels steamed in belgian ale, a nicely done frog's legs, and a simple but very tasty rabbit with prune.
For dessert you better order your own profiteroles - chocolate-drenched cream puffs filled with ice cream - cause no one's gonna share theirs.

The service is a little absent, but if you don't mind a casual pace, it's fine.


Frog's legs


Profiteroles

LTH,

Had dinner at Bistro Campagne tonight. In the past I've been mildly disappointed by both food and service, tonight less so. Service wise our waiter seemed oddly off-put by the fact, even though we were there at 7 and the place was not busy, the four of us wished to converse a bit before ordering. He also evidenced a bit of waiter fade halfway though the meal, but nothing really egregious.

Appetizers were good, though the thinly sliced cucumbers on the salmon tartar were salty, onion strudel was quite good. My wife and I split a shaved fennel salad w/cracked olives and preserved lemons, nice, but slightly salty as well, and our friends the farm greens (what ever the hell that means) w/warm goat cheese, which they seemed to enjoy.

I had the organic beef burger, which was slightly past my request of med-rare, with aged cheddar, but the terrific thin shredded crisp onion rings more than made up for any minor burger faults.

Duck breast was quite good, though slightly overcooked as well, and the trout wrapped with Serrano ham, dusted with herbes de Provence w/roasted asparagus looked delicious. Roasted chicken looked like, well, roasted chicken, which is to say quite good.

We ordered a rustic peach tart w/vanilla ice cream for the table, which I did not taste, though it met with approval.

Warm bread was very good, mini baguettes from, I'm guessing, Red Hen, and the outdoor patio looked pleasant as always, though we ate inside due to heat and humidity.

All in all a nice evening if one takes good conversation, a convivial bartender and terrific onion rings into consideration.

As an aside, the Schweppes Bitter Lemon, bought last week at Sam's, is really hitting the spot as I type.

Enjoy,
Gary

Bistro Campagne
4518 N Lincoln
Chicago, IL
773-271-6100

A building permit, dated March 17, for a garden room addition is posted. Demolition of the old tent room was pretty complete on Wednesday as was boarding up the doors to the couryard. Today a backhoe has excavated for the foundation of the addition. It looks as though the front half of the courtyard will remain.