Marion Street Cheese Market, The Cafe: Oak Park

Marion Street Cheese Market, The Cafe: Oak Park

Soft opening tomorrow for what I believe will be Oak Park's most significant eating-zone (and, yeah, I hesitated about using that adjective, but after some thought I decided it was well-deserved).

Address, phone, pix and more details to follow.

I was lucky enough to get a walk through of the store a week ago and it is beautiful. They have really done a great job inside and are trying to do as much as they can to be "green". It will be great having a store that stocks local farm goods available every day.

Walked past it five minutes ago, and there is still a flurry of activity (candle deployment, clipboard check-offs, waves and smiles through the window). Looks like they're in for a late night yet.

BrianD wrote:It will be great having a store that stocks local farm goods available every day.

Erik Larson and Mike the Chef will grow a lot of the stuff in their own backyards, which I think is pretty cool.

Most cool, to me, will be the opportunity to sample the over 150 cheeses (many not local) they offer, with many wines and local draft beer. Sample:

British Cheese Plate with Gorwydd Caerphilly, Appleby's Cheshire, Colston Basset Stilton with plum chutney and walnut oak crackers ($10) and a five-way flight of Flossmoor Station Hattenot Hefeweizen, Goose Island Matilda, Kalamazoo Amber, Two Brothers Prairie Path and Three Floyd's Dreadnaught IPA ($9).

Tables are designed to accomodate fondue pots or raclette grills.

I stopped in today and was blown away. You enter to a little gift/kitchen tool section and the red wine. Around the corner is the chilled white, register, and a few other things. 'Round the side - the place keeps going! - there's the cheese, of course, Red Hen bread, a pastry section (sort of coming soon, with an in-house baker, apparently), then a wine bar. The place is gorgeous, spirits clearly high, and there's plenty of room to grow. It's not 100% fully operational, but there's more than enough on hand already to make my mouth water. I talked with a couple of people working there, and they mentioned that the full-on cafe will be opening hopefully soon, salads and sandwiches to go will be offered as well, and most intriguing, there'll be a regular selection of fresh fruits and veggies akin to what you'd find at any farmer's market. And of course, the overriding theme is local, local, local, and sustainable. I liked the place before. The new space exceeds expectations.

I bought some incredible tasting fresh goat cheese for the wife, but couldn't help staring down the huge hunks of bacon. I did resist, but only because I had taken the bike.

Vitesse98 wrote:I liked the place before. The new space exceeds expectations.

My thoughts exactly. Really, what it reminded me of was Vegas. It had that kinda design richness and splashy-ness (in the best of ways). It's really a snazzy place!

I've stopped by the MSCM a few times over the past few days. Erik Larson (pictured here with his wife, Michelle Sherman) has never seemed happier; this place is a dream for him and I think it will be very good for Oak Park.



Erik reminded me that the first day they opened at their old location, I came in to buy a gift of cheese for The Wife, and Michelle actually gift-wrapped a few wedges for her. I'm really glad these guys are poised for bigger things; they deserve it.

I agree with VI that there's a slickness there, but those cool looking chairs are made of recycled automobile seatbelts and the wood tables and wall coverings are made of sustainable woods. Just writing this, I feel that it sounds gimmicky, but Erik and his crew are true believers in the green way, and -- pretentious as it may sound -- I believe their restaurant is a kind of community model for environmentally conscious behavior. And the bacon does look incredible.

Marion Street Cheese Market
100 S. Marion, Oak Park
708-848-2088
Open every day, 9AM-9PM

I stopped in recently at MSCM for some lardo. The nice lady behind the counter sliced off half-dozen slices, which was just about the right amount for me (I intended to have it as a snack right before dinner). The cost? 25 cents.

If you haven't had lardo before (or even if you have and want it again), the entrance fee for a taste is very reasonable.

I don't think I could (or should) have eaten 50 cents worth.

I just had the greatest egg salad sandiwch in the world at MSCM.

The lightest and fluffiest egg salad almost floats in your mouth, with perhaps a slight kiss of garlic. I've never had egg salad that seemed like it would scatter into the wind if you blew on it. The bread was said to be "brioche", but unlike any i've ever had. It was frankly the perfect compliment to the sandwich, with its airy and soft composition. You can tell just by looking at its slightly toasted appearance that its going to melt in your mouth with nothing required but salival enzymes.

I can't say enough about this sandwich. Who knew you could take egg salad to a form of higher art? (. .well everyone on this site does, of course, or we wouldn't be here).

I say in complete honesty that i may be returning there for lunch several days in a row.

Here is a little video promo spot on the Marion Street Cheese Market, courtesy of "The Hungry Hound," as seen on ABC today:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/food/restaurants&id=6329850

David Hammond wrote:I stopped in recently at MSCM for some lardo. The nice lady behind the counter sliced off half-dozen slices, which was just about the right amount for me (I intended to have it as a snack right before dinner). The cost? 25 cents.

David,

Paid my first visit to Marion Street Cheese Market Sunday and was quite impressed with the spacious well laid out store, knowledgeable friendly staff and well cared for selection of cheese. Small quality selection of cured meat included La Quercia prosciutto and lardo, clove scented lardo particularly delicious.

Restaurant and bar area seem inviting, and there were a couple of guys at the bar in animated sports discussion, all in all a very appealing place.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Small quality selection of cured meat included La Quercia prosciutto and lardo, clove scented lardo particularly delicious.

Meat selection will increase radically in the near future when the old MSCM space just north of the El tracks becomes an artisanal butcher shop.

I was over in Oak Park the other evening but it was late and I only got to take a walk through the shop and browse a bit because it was near closing time. It's a very lovely space, large wine selection, everyone was very friendly. There were lots of people sitting and snacking and chatting on the tables outside having a good time.

I hope to get back over the weekend with more time to explore if I make it to the OP farmers market the store seems to be a lovely addition to the area.

They have sunk a ton of money into the facility. The bathrooms are some of the nicest I've ever seen, with custom tiles and stained glass windows, etc. I really question the ability of the place to cash flow, but I hope it works out for them.

I enjoy making spagehtti Carbonara with guanchale (sp?) purchased from the Joseph's on west Irving Park Road. The product seemed peppered almost like pastrami. I believe that it was imported from Canada. MSCM had guanchale in the cured meat case at $20 lb. The product appeared much more pale than the Canadian product. Is there a difference? Is the price point way out of line?

I would love to read of review of the cooked or prepared foods served on the restaurant side such as the onion soup.

Thanks

Babaluch

We have eaten there a few times and overall the food is outstanding.
We really enjoyed the Elk Sausage Raclette, sausage wasn't gamey, raclette nice and gooey, served over some onions and fennel I believe. Broccoli rabe gratin, also fabulous, cheesy crust over slightly crunchy bright green broccoli rabe. Fried green tomatoes, lightly fried with a delicate crunch, panko crusted I think. Humbolt fog and mushroom crepe, was great, a nice thin buckwheat crepe filled with wild mushrooms and humbolt fog cheese. The country pork pate is also great, earthy and rustic.
Ok dishes - chorizo and shrimp- the chorizo was very good, spicy. The shrimp were a bit lame, they tasted like those you buy pre-cooked, although my kids ate them all...
Not so good - Lamb provencal- it was very dry.
Other current faves at the market - Rembrandt Gouda - its like no other gouda I have had. Its a bit salty, and intense, fantastic. TJ's eggs - bright yellow yolk, taste like eggs I had as a child. Traderspoint (from Indiana) cottage cheese and yogurt are the best I have had in awhile, tastes like the wonderful dairy products they have in Switzerland. They also have these homemade breakfast sausages that taste like someone made a breakfast sausage out of bacon. The family was almost fighting over them, especially my 16 month old.
Overall I am a huge fan of the market and cafe and really hope they succeed. Business seems pretty good every time we have gone.
They currently also have Lagunitas Sirius on tap, which is hoppy, fruity, and just an outstanding beer.
LO

Other current faves at the market - Rembrandt Gouda - its like no other gouda I have had. Its a bit salty, and intense, fantastic.

My wife also bought the Rembrandt Gouda from them and I agree that it is one great cheese. It is basically a well made, more aged gouda than the usual kind you will find, and so it has the crystalline texture that I love in aged gouda's so much - almost like a good Parmesan, but more pungent and yet sweet.

I hope the Marion Street Market continues to do well! I am looking forward to eating a dinner there sometime soon.

To place one small cumulonimbus over the parade down the cobbled Oak Park street:

I have received unintentionally funky selections from the Market on two occasions now (one meat, one cheese). I believe they order ambitiously and in good taste, and that the turnover for the rarer selections just isn't there to provide uniform freshness. Some of the staff, too, doesn't seem knowledgeable or well-trained enough to differentiate between deliberately-included cultures and atmospheric visitors.

I expect this will improve in time, as well some other issues, like not being able to process credit cards (overload from the Oktoberfest last weekend) and not having any staff paying attention to the outside seating when it's very busy inside. It's nearly impossible to figure out what the process is for securing a seat, or if you can get that heralded egg salad sandwich at the deli counter or if you have to order it through the kitchen (even they don't have a consistent answer). At $9 a sandwich, I also challenge handing a takeout package to a customer without any garnish or accompaniment (does the egg salad sandwich come with anything if you order it eat-in?)

I've eaten in once and taken out about five times now, and I do applaud the interior design, selection of comestibles (the pickles, olives, and condiments as much as the meats and cheeses), and wines at all pricepoints. I expect all of the staff to be at the level of knowledge and professionalism of the owners (who are great) soon.

And not to lay it on as thick as they do with the cheese on the dinner menu, but be warned: do not order the elk sausage raclette and macaroni and cheese duo at one sitting. Everything is the same texture, heat, and sharpness, and you just won't make it. One thing in their favor is that they undersell / underestimate the portion size on the small plates, which is ample. The olive and pickle plate is big enough to sink a small seafaring vessel if, er, loaded into tiny vegetable cannns or something. Losing my metaphor a bit.

Anyway, is "Cheese Market" not in the title? Take that as a warning. I've found lunch and salumi shopping much more enjoyable than the monumentally-melted and caper-coated evening fare.

Matt, I have eaten dinner several times at Marion St. Cheese. Sure, we've ordered different items, and you can never compare experience to experience, but I gotta say, I have never found anything remotely like you are saying. I've been derelcit, I believe, in not lauding Marion St. enough. I believe this is one of the great openings of 2008, and the extraordinary standards of this place are not being fully realized.

Sure, I have a bit of a relationship with the owners of this place. I will put forward that I am not exactly unbiased at this point, but my bias comes from meeting these guys and seeing what they are doing (and then experiencing that doing on many occasions). This is a kitchen first of all, commitment to sourcing the best ingredients. Then, they have a staff of 1,000's to put those ingredients to use. This is Mado on steroids (although w/o yet the chaucuterie, that will come soon). Just take the mozzarella; it's made in house from Trader's Point Creamery and/or Blue Marble milk. Using this approach of high quality ingredients and ample staff, they have been putting out an ever changing menu of simple fare. Simple in the sense that it's all about a few ingredients per dish.

Like I say, my take-away of this place is that it's quite extraordinary, that people are not realizing how good it is because it is seen more of a neighborhood cafe. I concede that I'm not much of a restaurant goer these days. I cannot compare my meals to Paramount Room or Bristol or others that are roughly in the same category. Still, I feel I have a decent nose for good cooking, great food, and I am seeing it in spades here.

Still, I feel I have a decent nose for good cooking, great food, and I am seeing it in spades here.

No argument there. I agree that the sandwiches are spectacular if pricey, and mentioned in my first post that I have nothing but admiration for their selection of meats, cheeses, wines, and condiments (they stock a Napa Valley Red Pepper Ketchup that is dynamite, approaching Hammondesque stratospheres). It is a much, much needed (and long overdue) addition to the neighborhood.

My issues, which I don't believe were overstated above, are simply that they are a bit heavy on the melted cheese (no surprise there, you could chalk this up to generosity) on prepared dishes, and that service is not yet up to snuff. The macaroni and cheese duo could be better labeled "two pounds of melted cheese in Le Creuset pots into which a few textureless pieces of macaroni happened to stray and drown." The elk raclette, which above was described as being served over onions and fennel, was simply sliced sausage, blanketed with cheese, with a few capers on top, on a hot plate. But as their website points out, they haven't even had their "official" grand opening yet. So my caution to out of Oak Park visitors is to recognize that the dinner portions are larger than they suggest, heavier than they suggest, and that you might have to look a host / hostess straight in the eyes and get them to focus before sitting down to come to an agreement on exactly what your expectations are for lunch or dinner service, inside or out. They still have some kinks to work out there.

A positive I forgot to report about last night's dinner: the beer flight is a ridiculous deal for $9. Five totally excellent beers including the Three Floyds milk stout, decent pours, good descriptions, nice planking.

I took the wife, two kids and MIL to the MSCM on Saturday night. We got there around 5:15 (the kitchen opens at 5). The food was good...

olive/pickle plate (fine but not huge like the previous poster suggested)
veggie pizza (unusual but excellent...some sort of whole grain, non-leavened crust)
potato raclette (fine, but could have used more cheese oddly)
mushroom filled crepes (very good)
nice bottle of a spanish white wine for $26

but we had to wait an hour for most of it to come out....even the olives! thankfully the wine came out right away. the server was apologetic but she gave the impression that it was not an uncommon situation. trying to keep two kids under four sitting at a table for that long is more a nightmare than an enjoyable dinner out, so unfortunately we will probably not be going back. however, i would recommend it for a childless couple without any time commitments.

Thanks for the report - another data point (in addition to many comments from off-board neighbors and friends) that suggests pizzas and crepes are the best current dinner menu items. Will try soon.

Until now, this place had escaped my notice on this board, so when some friends of mine invited me and Ms.Snax out to Oak Park to have lunch at MSCM yesterday, describing it as "our neighborhood cheese shop". I was expecting something more humble. The space is very sleek and modern, with a vibe that actually felt more New York than Chicago to me...I was surprised by the level of sophistication. Smooth jazz I associate with standard Sunday brunch pumped out of the speakers, a little louder than necessary.

Overall, the food was exceptional but the service was a mess!

First course, we sampled the pumpkin bisque, broccoli cheese soup and green salad with goat cheese, and all were fantastic. With "cheese" in your name, your curd had better shine, and shine they did. However, we had a toddler in our party, and the staff seemed totally unprepared to offer kid-appropriate serving dishes or utensils. Here's a hint, don't give a two year old water in a tall glass with an even taller straw, and give them a teaspoon for soup so they can actually put the food in their mouth.

After the appetizers, many of us took a stroll to take in the truly impressive selection of inhouse and specialty label items for sale in the market area, we came back to a totally empty table. Not just our empty plates, but our drinks, silverware, everything. Our friend, who had stayed behind with her daughter, said that three staffers came over and, before she could stop them, whisked everything away on the assumption we were finished with our meal (did they think we skipped on the bill?). So an honest mistake born of overexuberance was soon corrected, replacing the half finished drinks with apologies. That said, one rule of service requires extra attention to a party that experiences a slip up, but the staff fell down on that count. The embarassed servers couldn't resist trying to subtly blame each other in front of us, which was uncomfortable to say the least. In fact, they got so caught up in this, while they did bring new water glasses, those glasses remained unfilled through the next course, despite two requests.

The entrees were all quite formidable in both flavor and presentation. No complaints at all about what we got, just kudos, although I can't comment on the bread and preserves that was supposed to accompany our meals, since that amenity never made it to our table (we did envy our neighbor's, however, it looked good). A chicken torta was deconstructed into open-faced quarters laid out along a skinny plate, which made the sandwich into rather hearty finger food. The sweet potato/roast pork skillet, with its iron pan nested smartly in a buffed walnut tray that lent some elegance. was sweet and smoky, but really needed the added eggs to bring the dish together, so I would recommend making those standard instead of an option. Those over-easys were incredibly soft and creamy as if poached, a texture that I thought impossible to achieve in fried egg. The apple crepe was also impressive, with perfectly prepared fruit that still had crunch and bite while wrapped in a pillowy case.

Our server also got both of our desserts wrong, bringing lemon sorbet instead of vanilla gelato, and forgetting the gelato altogether with the croissant pudding. When this was pointed out, they brought a pain au chocolat on the house, which was nice if rather beside the point. The pudding was quite interesting, consisting of several day-old pastries (danish, muffin and croissant) crumbled together rocky-road style in an enameled iron pot and baked, but the whipped cream wasn't substantial enough to replace the gelato in lightening the dish. The hazelnut gelato was superb, however.

So the food was impressive enough to warrant another go round at Marion Street, but I think the staff, while friendly enough, needs to get on the same page with each other.

Met some Oak Park friends here a little while back and had quite a good food and wine experience. I thought the wine selection was decent. Everything on the menu was extremely well-priced. The cheese flight we had with La Quercia prosciutto was excellent. However, I really liked the execution of the tapas-style meals we had. Elk sausage raclette showed a non-gamey side to elk, a pork and sweet potato hash was popping with flavor and texture, a beet salad with blue cheese was not mind-blowing, but showcased quality, fresh ingredients. What also surprised me was how much food you received for the prices they're charging and the quality you're getting.

I don't understand comments above about the raclettes being too cheesy. Cheese is the essence of a good raclette! My elk sausage raclette was appropriately cheesy.

My only quibble was that service was really inexperienced, ranging from younger servers not schooled in subtlety to older servers who seemed to be less comfortable working in a setting where more sophisticated food and wine is served and discussed.

The room is quite beautiful in neutral earthtones, and the two-sided bar wrapping around the open kitchen provided a lively counterpoint to the dining room, which was crowded on a recent Saturday night.

teatpuller wrote:The bathrooms are some of the nicest I've ever seen, with custom tiles and stained glass windows, etc. I really question the ability of the place to cash flow, but I hope it works out for them.

Giving the bathrooms their due as they are quite swanky, the women's room is the most bass-ackward bathroom I've ever seen. Toilet out in the front, and sink in the anteroom in back. Setting aside for the moment that it's more sensible to put a toilet in the more private area of the bathroom (which would be the anteroom), but you actually have to walk away from the door in order to wash your hands and then back to the front of the bathroom to leave. Mind-boggling.

It's funny reading about the service issues here. I go to this place a lot (obviously), and have a couple of dinner experiences that were, maybe average, but anyways, most of my interaction with the staff is over the sale of danish or a hunk of cheese or whatnot, and my experiences are so vastly different than the ones reported.

Again, let me say that the experience in helping a customer buy cheese is not the same as waiting a table...but I am constantly, and I mean constantly bombarded with niceness and helpfulness, like Eric and Michael only pay on evidence of customer service. I mean either they hire truly nice people or they have some incredible incentive system--I do know the bosses learned from the masters in Ann Arbor. I love this place, and one of the reasons I love it, is the staff.

"It's funny reading about the service issues here. I go to this place a lot (obviously),"

Maybe that's the difference between you and the rest of us. We've been twice in the last two months and have had service issues both times. Once our server ACTUALLY told us that she didn't know we were there because she was busy chatting with someone in the back. Points for honesty? Don't think so. Their service sucks and I wish it didn't. On the other hand service when getting cheese or chocalates was great.

I've been to the Market a few times, for market items - cheese, meat, bread, etc. However, my wife and I finally ate there for dinner over the weekend, and lo and behold, the service was pretty inadequate and the server pretty indifferent to their duties. The food was only so-so, too (my wife disagrees), but the beer I had was awesome and the goat cheese flight was great. Maybe I should have tried the pizza, but frankly Oak Park - and Chicago as a whole - is awash with great pizza options these days.

Happened to be in Oak Park the other day and dropped in here for a bite. I thought the atmosphere and wine selection quite nice, but the food was uneven.

The pricing seemed very strange. Wine prices are reasonable, and I like that you can get a tasting pour, but $9 for fried sweet potato -- four panko-crusted planks that might have added up to one potato -- is outrageous, even if it did come with a tasty aioli.

Our service was very good, although our server was unable to answer questions like, "What is the cheese in this dish?" and kept having to go back and ask the chef. Other staff members gave me an uneasy feeling. They said all the right things, but with an edge of superciliousness that bugged me a bit.

I've been to MSC three times now, for breakfast, lunch and evening drinks/light dinner and have been very happy with the food each time. No service problems whatsoever.

I really enjoyed the roasted pork/sweet potato hash for breakfast. It's really a pile of pork with some cubed potatoes, creme fraiche, and carmelized onions sprinkled in. I think they used Twin Oaks meat, and their pork is a beautiful thing. It doesn't look like a big portion, but it's rich. Unctuous. Porky. Whole bunch of other overused food words. I finished about half and took the rest home. Bread basket came with beautifully presented accompaniements of Vermont cultured butter, lemon curds, and locally produced jam.

I was hoping to get that again when I met a friend there on NYE for a late lunch. They were serving an abbreviated menu and closing the kitchen at 3 due to the evening's planned events, but our server never made us feel rushed. The roast pork/sweet potato hash wasn't on the menu, but I noticed they were offering a pulled pork sandwich. I asked for the pulled pork on fried potatoes, topped with 2 fried eggs and the kitchen happily accommodated us. So 2 orders of that, plus a Bell's and a Lagunitas Brown Shugga were $36.

They used to have these bistro tables in the counter area, just outside the cafe, that had a highly polished swirled steel finish. In the evening, those tables paired with very bright overhead lighting, were almost seizure-inducing. They've replace those with table tops that I'd say are 99% seizure-free.

Grace