Surf & Turf for the 21st Century at Tallulah, Lincoln Sq

Tallulah is not the sort of place that I normally rush to try. From the street it's an elegant, subdued room in tones of ivory and espresso lit with votive candles. The bar is a glowing slab of some miracle stone. The wait staff wears black shirts and jeans, and there are black napkins on the white leather-topped tables. Me, I am just not as chic and cutting-edge as some others on the board, and I'd rather eat at Spoon Thai than just about anyplace on the planet. (Plus, Tallulah is two blocks from my home, whereas Spoon is one block away and delivers.)

However, I had Spoon delivery last night, so tonight I deviated from my groove and tried Tallulah, which occupies the former She She space at 4539 North Lincoln. Chef Troy Graves, formerly of Meritage, has put together an interesting menu that simultaneously evokes American comfort food and Asian mainstays. A starter of spicy Lobster Devilled Eggs seemed unavoidable, yet threatened to disappoint, if only due to its lofty aspirations. How could this best and most humble of starters be improved? The answer: with lobster very lightly cooked and mixed with roe (tarama?) and wasabi. It reminded me of a delicious spicy scallop roll at a good sushi restaurant., that is, something half a world away from a devilled egg. Next, a mesclun salad with sesame-ginger vinaigrette reminded me of spinach goma-ae, though I would have liked a bit more acid in the dressing.

I think the waitress was happy that I ordered the Skate Wing with Braised Oxtail, Brussels Sprouts, and Blood Orange. She described it as the chef's personal favorite. The skate wing itself was perfectly flaky, moist, and very lightly browned, just as I always imagined Julia Child's sauteed sole would be, if it came to life out of the pages of my cookbook. The combination of braised oxtail and skate, while rich, was balanced by the bitter flavors of the blood orange and a citrus-infused oil ever so lightly drizzled on the dish. The earthiness of the brussels sprouts served as a bridge between the oxtail and the skate, which struck me as a Surf 'n Turf For Our Times.

Finally, chai creme brulee had lemongrass notes, and a burnt crust that introduced a nice bitterness and prevented this classic dish from becoming just a concession to popular tastes. In fact, based on this one visit, I'd guess that Chef Graves will be able to satisfy both those who are seeking a fine dining experience at a lower price point and those who want a hearty, rich bistro dinner and generous portions, not an easy task.

Tallulah has been open only since last Thursday. It's difficult to assess the service, since I was the only person in the place tonight. I felt that the wait staff ought to know the names of the artisan cheeses served as an appetizer. Otherwise, dishes were described in adequate detail. No liquor license at present, but the house is offering complimentary wine for diners who have an interest.

I would return to Tallulah, as I thought it was a fine meal and a good value, with very generous portions -- entrees around $20, starters mostly under $10 (lobster devilled eggs $7).

On a return visit I would try the sweetbreads and calves liver and the parsnip soup with deep-fried escargot and bacon. The prospect of an escargot in soup just did not fill the bill tonight, but I imagine it could be very good under the right circumstances.

I hope others on the board will post their impressions of Tallulah. And yes, for those over 50, the place is named for that Tallulah.

Tallulah
4539 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL
773-942-7585

Thanks for the review. I loved Meritage and was sorry to see it go. When I passed by Tallulah last weekend, nothing on the posted menu really grabbed me. Now it's going on my short list of places to try.

I went last night with the GF and some wines we needed to try (they should be getting their license any day) - but on a side note, the sign on the host stand said that every Tuesday will be BWOW, as in bring your own wine...not beer or liquor, just wine...seems like a good idea, no?

Anyway, the room is very warm & welcoming, soft earthy tones and great lighting. My only criticism is that there is no vestibule so when the door is open, cold air shoots right in. We got there about 8:30 and it was half-full, with every table having brought wine. We were seated immediately by the gracious staff and brought a bottle (refillable stopper-style) of tap water. I really like this approach, as there is a bottle on the table and you don't have to worry too much about dying of thirst. Anyway, on to the menu.

Website here with full menu, so you can follow along!

We ordered the deviled eggs to start, since we are both deviled egg fans, and if you add lobster and spice - all the better!


Spicey [sic] Maine Lobster Deviled Eggs (photo in new Time Out mag is much better)

They were very tasty, with the crunchy flying fish roe adding great balance to the creaminess of the rest, and lightly-dressed greens to give good color balance.

We tried both soups, and they were both delicious, although they need to either increase the portion size, or decrease the size of the bowl.


Split Pea Puree Curried Cauliflower and Creme Fraiche

Roasted Parsnip Soup Escargots and Wild Boar Bacon (YUM!)

Since our red wine was cabernet, GF had the steak frites and I had the calves liver & sweetbreads (I am a sucker for organ meats!).


East-Meets-West Steak Frites Peppercorn Crusted Steak, Garlic-Soy Jus & Yuzu-Togarashi Frites


Calves' Liver and Sweetbreads Fingerling Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Port Reduction

The steak was my favorite of all of this, perfectly cooked with nice char & peppercorn spice (loin, not skirt so thick and juicy) and the fries were savory. The calves liver was delicious (cooked medium and juicy), and the sweetbreads were very tender but could have used a bit more crunchiness IMHO. Fingerling potatoes perfectly cooked and the port reduction was so reduced that it was tough to get off the plate (but tasty, nonetheless).

We jumped on the ancho chocolate mousse to finish out the red wine, and it was very nice, although GF thought the ancho chile was too subtle.


Ancho Chile and Chocolate Mousse Roasted Banana Bisque

The banana bisque tasted like delicious banana pudding although thinner, and the caramelized banana slices were a nice touch. And who doesn't love spun-sugar corkscrews, am I right?

Their wine list is small, but has a really nice selection of different varietals which will pair well with their menu.

We will definitely be back.

I had a memorable dinner last night at Tallulah. The seared scallops, which were expertly prepared, were served with an apple-fennel salad. Delicious. I followed that with the duck breast, served with duck confit egg rolls, mustard greens, and kumquat chutney. I didn't think I liked mustard greens, but I was wrong. The chutney was an unexpectedly great combination with the duck, and if an advant-garde Chinese takeout joint ever offered duck confit egg rolls, I would be in serious trouble. They have a liquor license now, and have a wine list full of interesting choices. Two restaurants have occupied this space before Tallulah. I'm betting that the third time is the charm.

Tallulah
4539 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
773.942-7585

I have not yet been to Tallulah for dinner, and before I do, I'm first going to have to get over my extreme disappointment with today's brunch which left me more than a little bit angry.

I went to Tallulah with a friend, and when we first walked in, we were both impressed. Although not packed, there was a good size crowd and yet the place was not very noisy. I began to wonder about differences between Tallulah and Chalkboard (they have somewhat similar appearing interiors), until I noticed the fabric and noise-cancelling material on the walls (take note Chalkboard). It's a relatively attractive restaurant, with small exceptions (the vinyl white tablecloths and the strange back dining room which seemed more like a large, walk-in closet).

We were seated after a short wait, and sat for several minutes (more than 5) before our waitress said hello. Nobody brought us water and in fact, I noticed only one busperson in the restaurant. This might explain the fact that there was a neatly set table right next to us, with food scraps on the floor next to the chairs (who knows how long before someone notices or decides to clean this up). We ordered drinks and with the drinks, our waitress finally brought us water.

My friend and I both ordered the Tallulah benedict, which is advertised as eggs benedict with Maine lobster, prosciutto, poached eggs, and a pesto hollandaise sauce. The dish was also served with large cut-homestyle potatoes. The highlight of the dish (and it was not much of a highlight) was the pesto hollandaise which was very tasty, although there was very little of the sauce.

The negatives of the dish were many, including the fact that there was not enough of the sauce. Much worse was the fact that my eggs were firmly set and not the least bit runny (one of my friend's two eggs ran slightly). The lobster and prosciutto mentioned on the menu? Good luck finding much of either. There was about a tablespoon of diced lobster in the entire dish, if that, and the thinnest single layer of prosciutto. Talk about making your customer feel ripped off . . . don't tell me that there's lobster and prosciutto in the dish if finding them requires the use of a magnifying lens.

Finally, the potatoes served with the dish were room temperature so they had obviously been prepared well before we ordered the dish. Afterall, the food was brought out about ten minutes after we ordered, so the potatoes would not have had time to cool down even if they had been prepared for us. (I will admit that I liked the seasoning on the potatoes -- I think they would have been tasty if served fresh). Little bothers me more than a restaurant staff thinking that I'm so dumb that I will not notice the fact that my dish was not all freshly prepared, or not caring that I might notice and tell others about my experience. It would have been nice if they had at least taken the potatoes and put them in a saute pan for a minute or two before serving.

So that's my experience with Tallulah. And I have to say that it's unlikely that I'll return . . . there are just so many restaurants in Chicago and even if they do a great job with dinner, they annoyed me too much with today's brunch. On a happier note, I quickly got over my anger with a bag of cookies from Pasticceria Natalina.

I had the pleasure of eating dinner at Tallulah over the weekend. We arrived on time for our 8pm reservation to find that they were running about 15 minutes behind, so we sat at the bar for a cocktail while we waited. (The bellini I ordered made the wait enjoyable.) The restaurant got quite crowded in the time that we waiting, so I was happy when were were seated. We were led to a table in their cozy back room, which is apparently brand new. We got a nice view of their back patio, which made me yearn for spring and summer!

We ordered the scallops to start, which were perfectly prepared. I had the duck, which was delicious, and as previously noted, terrific with the chutney. I wasn't too crazy about the mustard greens, so I passed on those and ate up the spring rolls. My dining partners ordered the prawns, which were a little too salty, and the halibut special, which was absolutely delicious (I was a little jealous that I hadn't ordered it). For wine, our helpful server suggested a great Italian bottle of red wine that set us back only $28 but was great, but I regret not taking a note of the name. Dessert was the blueberry crumble, which was also tasty.

All in all, an enjoyable dinner, topped off with complimentary cognac dessert wine from our server. We found the restaurant to be cozy, the service to be warm, and we look forward to returning on a summer Tuesday evening when we can BYOW and sit outside!

Four of us had a great meal at Tallulah last night. We will be returning.

We started with two appetizers: the cured meat and cheese plate and the spicy deviled eggs with lobster. The eggs were probably the highlight of the meal; a wonderful dish. For entrees we had the wild mushroom gnocchi, scallops with curried risotto and spring peas (two of these), and a halibut dish (which I didn't taste but was reported to be very good. The gnocchi and scallops were wonderful. The only negative note that I have is that the risotto and peas were a bit dry. I kind of like raw or lightly cooked peas, but the rice would have been a lot of better if it has been a little better lubricated. The gnocchi was made wild mushrooms and it would have been nice to have a few pieces of sauteed wild mushrooms in the dish also.

For dessert we shared peanut and chocolate pot de creme and a pistachio cheesecake. Both were excellent. We also had a great Italian white wine called Gavi "Filagnotti" that was in the mid-$30s.

Tallulah has a really nice, comfortable outdoor seating in the back of the restaurant.
Service was excellent.

As I said, we will definitely be returning.

My wife, brother, his partner and I had a great meal at Tallulah on Satruday night. We arrived a few minutes past our 7PM reservation time, due to the inability in finding parking in the area due to the street festival. (Tallulah called in the afternoon confirming our reservation and warning us about the festival and lack of parking in the area, which was a definite plus).

When we arrived we were given the choice to eat on the back patio, which we accepted. We had a server that allowed us to take our time with the evening, which lasted about 4 hours. We never felt rushed.

I had the corn soup with an ancho chili cream and a salad of jicama, cilantro and red onion. It was a nice portion and a great summer type soup. Others had the crab cakes, deviled eggs and beet salad and all enjoyed the apps. For entree, I had the marlin with soba noodles and napa cabbage with a mango ponzu. Others had the east meets west steaks and the prawns. All again enjoyed the meal.

Overall a great experience....The resaurant was a bit loud on the back patio, but not so much as to affect a conversation at the table. I would definitely go back in the future.

KevinT

BR wrote: . . . And I have to say that it's unlikely that I'll return . . . there are just so many restaurants in Chicago and even if they do a great job with dinner, they annoyed me too much with today's brunch . . . .

Well, my memory is short and Friday night was the first time I've had dinner at Tallulah. And you know what? The food was great and any lasting resentment is gone. The place is still loud . . . I mean really loud. So if you're averse to that, you've been warned. And it was packed, which I guess is a good thing . . . I want Lincoln Square to keep offering more upscale dining options.

The good news is that the service was very good all through the meal. And although I enjoyed my starter (a tuna sashimi if I recall), my main course (a special) was just fantastic -- a beautifully prepared, medium rare combination of antelope and venison, shrimp grits with goat cheese, chioggia beets and a sauce I wish I could specifically remember. In any event, I'm glad I gave Tallulah another shot . . . the kinder, gentler me!

My wife and I went to Tallulah for Brunch Sunday. Despite a few missteps, it was very good and we'll definitely come back to try out dinner. My wife had the Tallulah Benedict mentioned above. We both enjoyed it; there was just enough prosciutto to add flavor without overwhelming the dish. She also ordered a side of the smoked pheasant sausage. It didn't come out with the rest of our food, so when we asked about it a few minutes later, our waitress admitted it had been forgotten and comped it.

I had the braised rabbit skillet (with boar bacon, cheese, asparagus* and fried eggs.) The skillet was rather heavy on the fat - there was about a 1/4 inch of fat from the bacon and cheese sitting in the bottom, which was too much even for me - and there was no starch there to balance it. Once I asked for an English muffin to soak it up, it was great. Very rich definitely, but quite good. I do think it was a failure of execution not to include a starch with the dish from the start. Afterward, we decided that toasted baguette slices would be perfect.

*I thought the menu listed brussels sprouts in place of the asparagus, but I might have confused this with another dish. In any case, the asparagus went well with everything else.

When we finished, our waitress asked if we'd like dessert. I'm not used to being offered dessert after brunch, but we decided to take a look at the menu. I'm glad we did. We split the blueberry malted milk bread pudding with lime sorbet. It was the highlight of the meal. The rich bread pudding and tart sorbet complemented each other beautifully.

I should also mention that their coffee was very good. I'm too often disappointed by mediocre coffee with an otherwise good meal, so I was pleased to find good coffee here.

eli wrote:My wife had the Tallulah Benedict mentioned above. We both enjoyed it; there was just enough prosciutto to add flavor without overwhelming the dish.

My brunch. Far from thinking the prosciutto was overwhelming I could have used a little more of that hammy flavor. Still, pleasant enough, and it's Father's Day, and my daughter was paying, so I loved it.

My friend, counsel, and culinary twin, Troy, recommended I go soon, if only for the lobster-stuffed deviled eggs. He's a tough crowd, and has a great palate, and Tallulah delivered. Good enough for me!

Apparently, Tallulah, one of my favorite restaurants, and closest three-star dining to my home, is being sold and turned into a new "Contemporary French" concept. What a shame. Sounds like they're liquidating the very young Eve as well. Hopefully Chef Graves sticks around and keeps cooking up awesome stuff.

http://chicago.grubstreet.com/2009/08/t ... lm_re.html