Broadway Cellars in Edgewater

Saw scattered mentions of this restaurant, but did not find a topic devoted to it. Apologies if duplicating another topic, but BC seems to deserve its own discussion.

A friend who lives in the neighborhood suggested Broadway Cellars. He has enjoyed many visits and has almost eaten his way through the menu, having enjoyed "everything", so far. We also enjoyed what we had and look forward to trying more.

According to the web site Broadway Cellars, the owners worked at RoseAngela Trattoria on Wrightwood and they aiming for a casual place for good food and wine. The setting is comfortable. The menu has a nice breadth, with most entrees in the $13-$20 range and appetizers-salads-sandwiches costing $7-$10.

Three of us started by sharing the Nosh Plate (duck and pork pates, olives, cornichons, artichoke hearts, double-cream brie and flatbread) and a Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheeses and walnuts. Very enjoyable.

All three entrees were worthy of having again. A special of Four-Cheese ravioli in a light red sauce (sorry -- I forgot the details). A Honey-Brined Pork Chop with a terrific side of gorgonzola mashed potatoes and braised leeks. I asked for the Chipotlke Braised Short Ribs with an extra kick of chipotle and it was very good -- no knife required. This came with mashed sweets and they had a nice, spicy touch, also.

Wine list seemed fine, though I'm no maven. We were too full for dessert and we're looking forward to having the leftovers. Definitely also looking forward to working our way through the menu.

i'm quoting myself:
This place is a bit deceiving from the outside... We looked up that they had $5 burgers and $5 fat tire (which are really big bottles) on Mondays... when we passed by initially it looked like a really nice sit down place, the kinda place you might not go into and eat $5 burgers... When we got in it was a little more comfortable than it looked from passing by and glancing in.

The burgers were tasty, and they came with fries that were very well seasoned. Service was good. Had mussels as well that were very good. Had a cheese plate that was decent.

When we went there was no need whatsoever for a reservation, the place probably had 20 empty tables.

I'd wanted to try Broadway Cellars for some time and and finally did about six weeks ago for their Thursday night prix fixe special: $23 for an appetizer, entree and dessert or $30 for the food plus wine pairings. I've been back twice since.

They offer a special prix fixe menu but there are several options that appear to vary each Thursday. My first night I had a good caesar salad followed by an enormous prime rib, medium rare just as ordered. Very little fat and about one-inch thick and so good I ate nearly all of it. It came with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes and green beans cooked to a perfect, snappy texture--and also huge portions of both. My girlfriend had soup and some sort of vegetarian pasta, which she liked. For dessert we split the chocolate cake and bread pudding. I love bread pudding and this was a good version, meaning, to me, bready and not overloaded with a sweet sauce. The chocolate cake was appropriately decadent; the waiter said it was the only dessert they don't make in-house, I think he said it's from Bittersweet. We had the wine pairings and enjoyed them.

We returned with her parents on a Monday night because they wanted a burger and we remembered it was $5 burger and $5 Fat Tire night. The burger was excellent for its type, large but not so thick in the center that I couldn't bite into it. The bun was large and fresh, proportionate to the burger. I like that because I love bread, fresh bread that is, and I've been disappointed with the large number of places around Chicago that serve sub-par or perhaps day old bread. Speaking of which, the bread basket consists of an Italian-type white bread and a whole wheat loaf served with olive oil and parmesan cheese. Both have a crunchy exterior and soft interior: fresh. Yum. Anyway, my girlfriend had some sort of roasted veggie sandwich, which she said was only ok. Both came with cole slaw and a choice of sides and we both chose fries, which were crispy and addicting.

Last Thursday we returned and had another great experience. Again we got the $30 prix fixe with wine pairings ($30!). The root vegetable salad was one of the best salads I've ever had. Mixed greens with roasted squash, onions and some other vegetable I'm forgetting, toasted pecans and lightly dressed. We also had an onion tart, which was good. For our entrees I had the pork chop (no prime rib on offer) and she had the tilapia. Again, the portions were huge, I could only eat about 1/3 of the pork chop, partially because I inhaled the also giant portions of mashed sweet potatoes and (again nicely cooked) green beans. We finished with gelato, her salted peanut and me chocolate. We shared them and are still talking about the salted peanut.

The service was also consistently inviting and friendly. The same woman (an owner?) greeted us each time and was friendly in that welcoming, warm neighborhood restaurant kind of way. Each server was also friendly, helpful and proficient; water glasses were uniformly replenished (I drink a lot of water and appreciate that). Last Thursday, we drained our wine for the main course before we finished our plates and our server didn't ask if we'd like to order a glass of something--she just took it upon herself to walk over and replenish our glasses!

Needless to say, this restaurant has endeared itself to us in a way that only one other restaurant has (Spacca Napoli). It is everything I could want in a neighborhood restaurant: solid food and excellent and friendly service.

For the record:

Broadway Cellars
5900 N. Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60660
773-944-1208

Do check the website, though - it's very funny. Sample: Directions to the restaurant, from the east:

"From the East: Start swimming from South Haven, MI. Eventually you will wash up on Edgewater Beach. Take Thorndale west to Broadway. Head one block south. We are located at the corner of Broadway and Rosedale. We'll have towels."

I've gone by there a million times, never stopped. Another place to try.

went by again recently...

it was half price wine night (i can't remember what night of the week is 1/2 price wine... i think tuesday maybe, every night it's something...)

...had a good meal. I ordered pork chops that were brined in a honey sauce.. served over mashed parsnips IIRC... quite good, no complaints... portion size was very large, i only ate half and half the next day.. SO ordered a salmon entree and enjoyed it

caesar salad, pretty good. carrot soup, was ok...the "cup" was about the size of a dinner serving, way too much...

for wine we went with J Pinot Noir, a good value at half price..

service good..

i saw somewhere that they're doing $10 entree specials every tuesday and wednesday as their "recession buster"

Mr. X and I have hit the Broadway Cellars a few times to take advantage of their specials. I think their prix fixe dinner specials on Thursdays with wine pairings is a great deal and the food is definitely enjoyable. We've also enjoyed their burger special. It's definitely on the list when we want to go out beyond Rogers Park.

I love this restaurant and can't wait to go back. I went for the first time a couple months ago on Wednesday, their half-price wine night. Service was extremely friendly and efficient as mentioned above. I went with one friend and the two of us stuffed our faces throughout the evening. The food was excellent and too good to stop eating.
We started with the appetizer plate of seafood sliders: three small yeast buns, one "lobster roll," one crab, and one shrimp. They were all delicious and served with a pretty swirl of red and green pepper coulis.
For our entrees, I had the veggie caprese sandwich, served open faced melting in chewy mozz and ripe with succulent spinach, artichokes, and tomatoes. My partner had a burger; gigantic and heart-meltingly good. The accompanying coleslaw and sweet potato fries that I got were phenomenol. The fries reminded me of tempura-style like I have raved about from Uncommon Ground.
Of course I couldn't resist dessert, even though I was already stuffed. We tried a couple: the lemon cheesecake, fluffy and light while still dense and decadent. Then the terrific pudding flight: three small ramekins, one with chocolate pot de creme, one with rice pudding (made with grand marnier!), and one creme brulee. OMG these three devils were out of this world.
I absolutely can't wait to go back. The chef herself came out to serve us the desserts and shake our hands. What a gesture!

We like this place, but it slipped off our radar for a bit. Rectifed that last night. Although we dined at the bar, I noticed that they've added outdoor seating since our last visit.

Noteworthy was my Tuna Putanesca entree. Perfectly grilled yellowfin, sliced and served atop linguine with Putanesca sauce. Capers and anchovies are two of my favorites so although it's something I can easily make at home, I'm frequently tempted if I see it on a restaurant menu. Their version was robust and did not disappoint. Nor did the wine selection by the glass...


Broadway Cellars
5900 N. Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60660
773-944-1208

They've renamed, but it's the same folks at the same place, with a slightly different menu:

Cellars Bar and Grill
5900 N. Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60660
773-944-1208

https://cellarsbarandgrill.com