Habibi wrote:
Anyways, we had a fantastic meal. I second the best praise that has been heaped upon this gem in this and other threads. The atmosphere could not have been better - convivial, relaxed, urban, and uber-boozy. We walked in with a nice bottle of french bubbly and a french granache/syrah blend, and ended up drinking maybe another half dozen or so wines that other patrons hadn't finished or the kitchen had on hand. I knew we were in a for a good night when the chef eyed our warm champagne before the first course, told us we shouldn't drink it in that state, refused to pour us our red (red wine with an amuse and a cold crab salad?), and proceeded to pour us a fantastic, crisp Spanish white that was perfectly chilled.


Schwa is awesome. They played hip hop (Atmosphere, a classic alt-rap outfit from Minneapolis), give us tons of wine, joked with us, and basically earned every penny of the 3 bills* I dropped on the check. My girlfriend loved it. The night began with what was supposed to be a surprise destination for her, and ended with both of us being surprised by scoring a reservation at one of Chicago's best.


*a "bill" is Chicago urban slang for $100.

My wife and I were also there last night, and that "crisp Spanish white" was ours. I live two blocks from Red and White on Milwaukee and Oakley, and hit it up before heading over to Schwa. They have been doing many pairings with Michael; particularly in the last few weeks. Our friend at Red and White pretty much told me all of Michael's favorite wines as of the last month, so I bought them all, and took them to Schwa. Michael was then able to explain, in detail, each of our wines and determine the best pairings.

Enough has been said about the food, but I'll add that everything seemed very pure. What I mean is that there were no cheap tricks with overly rich sauces and seasonings. Also, loved the atmosphere; we felt right at home. Definitely my new favorite restaurant.

If anyone here is going to Schwa, Mado, or Bon Soiree anytime soon, make sure you hit up Red and White as they seem very well-connected to all three restaurants and their current menus.

Red And White Wines
http://www.redandwhitechicago.com
1861 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-4769

Sweetbread,

That was a great wine. Good look. Do you remember what it was?

I was very happy with my meal and the wine we drank. I'm glad that someone got to enjoy the champagne that my girl and I didn't finish.

Schwa rocks. Can't wait to go back.

One of my favorite parts about eating at Schwa is finding new wines by doing a little trading with table neighbors. Last time we were there, we sat next to one of the women from Lush who shared a white Pinot Noir from Alsace with us as we let them finish our Sauternes with their cheese course.

Another of my favorite parts is generally that when you walk through those doors, you are in Carlson's space and you more often not get more than what you expect, wine included. He shared our wines with other tables, but was clear about it being our decision. Everyone seems very shocked about how polite and charming Carlson is (likely because the reservation is so difficult).

Steve Plotnicki wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

Steve Plotnicki wrote:. So given that background, I doubt you actually have the juice to do it. Of course I could be wrong.....

In Steve Z's case you would be wrong.

Hey's it's a function of credentials, not claims. I haven't seen any credentials. All I have seen from him are class resentment arguments which leads me to a certain conclusion.

This same crazy argument has now spread to two threads like a cancer. Let's say, for the sake of making this stop that Mr. Plotnicki is correct. I am no one. I could never be in the same league as Mr. Plotnicki. I'm scoffed at when trying to eat anywhere from temples of haute cuisine to temples of the haut dog. Hell, I'm not even from New York. Now make it stop.

Habibi wrote:Sweetbread,

That was a great wine. Good look. Do you remember what it was?

I'm really impressed that Schwa has the balls to collect wines from its patrons and dish them out where and when needed. Unless I'm mistaken, that is what's going on there. I wonder if anyone ever asks for their bottles back? I wouldn't. Of course, this only works if many of the patrons show up with more than one bottle.

I was very happy with my meal and the wine we drank. I'm glad that someone got to enjoy the champagne that my girl and I didn't finish.

Schwa rocks. Can't wait to go back.

Botani 2008
http://www.redandwhitechicago.com/wine/ ... lucia.html

As Michael poured from someone else's bottle, he said, "and I might share some of yours, if that'sokay with you". Of course we said yes, and were happy to have the best possible pairings from the "communal" wine. If anyone is wondering, it definitely evened out in the end for the best.

Ate at Schwa last week, and still glowing when I think about it... such a great experience. They'd cancelled on us, and I think threw in a couple random extras to make up for it. Amazing night... wonderful food, great friends, good (and plentiful) wine... when I woke up the next morning with a slight wine hangover the night before had seemed like a wonderful dream.

I figured I'd share the Schwa menu I had since I know I was looking for something like this prior to going.

-Cucumber Bubble tea with rosewater tapioca balls and tarragon – a play on Hendrick’s gin
-Beet risotto w/ escargot roe and with horseradish foam, pickled beats
-Pea Soup with pea salad and lemon curd and powdered peas
-Cauliflower tortelloni with cocoa nibs and cocoa nib curry broth and a Italian cows’ milk cheese
-Root beer flavored white fish maki and two kind of roe (one freeze dried on top) – with a shot of homemade root beer and a root beer dipping sauce for the maki
-Mini beignet with pretzel dust stuffed with Chimay beer cheese
-Quail egg ravioli with truffle oil brown butter and sage
-Poached lobster (amazing seared Hamachi for me with my shellfish allergy) dish with pancetta, fava beans, pickled onions, and parsley
-Chicken liver with turmeric coating and rutabaga balls and beer broth
-Pata negra collar cooked sous vide then grilled with peanut puree (and anchovies? This part of the night gets a bit hazy)
-Creamy rich cheese in a little pot with with honey powder (again - hazy...couldn't remember the type of cheese he said, though I can recall how it looke and tasted. Some Italian cows' milk cheese)
-Strawberry and rhubarb dessert soup with pepper ice cream and foie gras powder and baby basil leaves. There was some rhubarb thing served in the spoon too.
-Beet ice cream in a mini waffle cone with bacon bitters dropped on (he said the bacon bitters were from the violet hour)

Everything was amazing. Personally not a huge fan of tapioca's texture, so I texturally didn't love the bubble tea starter, but the flavors were amazing and I still downed the whole thing. My other slight miss was the curried cocao nib broth they served with teh cauliflower tortelloni... the broth and the dried roasted cocoa nibs seemed to overpower the rest of the dish. The liver was amazing, and of course the quail egg ravioli was to die for. The mini beignet was also that amazing sweet and salty combo with the richness and everything that makes you smile from one bite-sized piece of food. A great meal, and a fun dining experience. Super attentive to my dealthly shellfish allergy and very accomodating.

One word, "RUDE !" And that's before we even crossed the threshold.

We received a call from the restaurant inquiring if we were attending that evening, Friday. We hade made reservations for the next day, Saturday. Some less than polite discourse took place. We asked if they could maybe accommodate us on Saturday even though we knew it was unlikely as their space is small. Hung up the phone. The phone rang and it was Schwa. Conversation ended with "F@#% !" and a click.

Not sure what exactly transpired from reservation to confirmation to the rude discourse on the night of the missed reservation. Everyone in our party knew the reservation was for the Saturday and one member in our party works on Friday nights so we never make reservations for weekday nights. It may have been that the reservation was written down for the wrong night and then somehow confirmed by DH incorrectly. I really don't know. I realize their space is small and missing a 6 person reservation can be devastating, but there's no excuse for rudeness.

I've been in the restaurant industry and retail industry. In no situation should you ever lose your cool. It destroys your reputation. Even if you tell yourself you don't care about that. Your business loses and, more importantly, you lose your own dignity.

I'd still like to try Schwa but not sure that DH will even give it a fair chance.

I'm unclear on the first part of the story, and without clarity on that, I'm not understanding what the rudeness was. The Friday call that came from the restaurant--was that in the afternoon, or was it in the evening? In other words, was it, "We're calling to confirm that you'll be coming this evening," or was it, "It's Friday night and you're not here. Where are you?"

Well, yes, and we all have to deal with those things in our own lives, and the object is to try to deal with them. The question (at least for me) is, did the caller from Schwa do a very poor job of dealing with stress, or didn't he? There are too many ambiguities in Peety's story for me to have any sense of the answer to that, starting with the purpose of the phone call.

riddlemay wrote:starting with the purpose of the phone call.

Reread the post.

Peety wrote:We received a call from the restaurant inquiring if we were attending that evening, Friday. We hade made reservations for the next day, Saturday.

I agree that there are too many ambiguities in Peety's post, as written, to be able to actually judge it. Although Peety states several times the reservation was made for a Saturday, there is one mention that it "may have" in fact been confirmed for that Friday by her husband (I'm assuming "DH" stands for her "dear husband") when the restaurant called to inquire and confirm about their reservation.

If the restaurant called to confirm for Friday, and the caller stated that yes, that's correct, that changes things quite a bit.

G Wiv wrote:

riddlemay wrote:starting with the purpose of the phone call.

Reread the post.

Peety wrote:We received a call from the restaurant inquiring if we were attending that evening, Friday. We hade made reservations for the next day, Saturday.

Rereading the post doesn't help. The central question (unanswered by the post, no matter how many times you read it) is what time on Friday that phone call from Schwa was received. Was it a routine daytime "We're calling to confirm your reservation for tonight," or was it "It's 8 o'clock and you're not here. Where are you?" If it was the former, it's hard for me to understand how the conversation could have devolved into unpleasantness, which causes me to doubt Peety's version of events. If it was the latter, I can see how the conversation could have devolved into unpleasantness.

As DutchMuse points out, this isn't the only confusing ambiguity in Peety's post, but it's the main one for me. I just don't know how to feel about whether Peety has any kind of legitimate gripe until that gets cleared up. Perhaps she will.

Apparently, a few of us feel there are ambiguous elements that need to be clarified before we can gather our thoughts and conclusions. Obviously, that isn't true for G Wiv. Would you mind to humor us, Wiv, and let Peety respond to our request?

I think that GWiv is just trying to stir the pot, as they say.

Peety wrote:The phone rang and it was Schwa. Conversation ended with "F@#% !" and a click.

We don't even know - for sure - from Peety who it was (DH or the Schwa caller) who spoke the immortal word "F@#%!" Perhaps Serena Williams.

Wow. Maybe it's time to start a completely different thread; I had backed off this one for a while a ways back - and see that the content-to-BS-ratio is about where it was when I left it.

Mhays wrote:Wow. Maybe it's time to start a completely different thread; I had backed off this one for a while a ways back - and see that the content-to-BS-ratio is about where it was when I left it.

well, you could always read this one

One universal truth on LTHForum: when people complain about the "BS" in other people's posts, those people post more, as do the people defending and further criticizing them, and the threads grow further out of control. Better off just staying out of it than to post stuff like what Wiv, you and I just did

About two years ago I called Schwa and got a BUSY signal. Can you imagine?
I am NEVER calling THAT place AGAIN!

Perhaps it was the $0.50 ramen noodles from Saturday night's dinner, since there was a mix-up in our reservation at Schwa and ramen was the only thing in the pantry, causing the synapses to falter. Sorry I don't think and write well when I'm not properly fed.

The initial call was on Friday night at 7 pm from Schwa basically asking, "Where the h*%% are you? You're supposed to be here right now ?!?" (Okay, I'm embellishing but I'm still p^$$ed.) My Dear Husband (DH) explained that the reservation should be for the next day, Saturday. Both parties were displeased when the phone call had ended but I can say that my DH did not use any rude or improper language. 5 minutes later, Schwa called again. Not sure what was said between the parties as I was not next to DH by this time as he rushed ahead of me. When I did catch up with him to ask what had been discussed, he said to me, "Would you really want to go to any place where the staff says F@#$ and hangs up on you?"

So was that RUDE enough ?

Now, even though I wasn't around to hear what my husband said to the Schwa staff, I know him well enough that he would not use profanity. Additionally, I wasn't around and didn't have a tap on the line when the reservation was made with Schwa and when Schwa called to confirm the reservation a couple of days before so honestly I can't say what was said by either party - correct day, wrong day, wrong time, etc. Therefore, I can't really say what transpired and who was more likely in the wrong. But I do know that we never make reservations for Friday night because one of our friends works on weekday evenings. Further, this is the first time we've ever had a mix-up in any dinner reservation.

From other posts and reviews I have read about Schwa, it seems that the difficulty in reaching someone at Schwa to make, change, cancel, confirm reservations is normal, almost arrogantly so. A friend found it easier to reach someone at French Laundry than it is to reach someone at Schwa. So it seems that it is possible that the Schwa staff made a mistake in writing down our reservation. Possible. 18, 19, it ends in a teen, doesn't it?

In any event, is it ever proper for staff to direct profanity to a customer? And at this point, does it really matter any more?

Thanks for the clarification, Peety. Thats really a bad story and inexcusable on the part of the restaurant.

DutchMuse wrote:Thanks for the clarification, Peety. Thats really a bad story and inexcusable on the part of the restaurant.

Just wanted to second DutchMuse's thanks, Peety, for taking the time to clarify the story. It's fully clear, now. I'm not sure if your report falls under the category of "BS" for some, but it doesn't for me; I don't see how any report of a restaurant interaction, whether with the food or the people, fails to be relevant to LTH's purpose.

Number of the 27 posts on this page so far which contain, even glancingly, any comment about the food at Schwa: 2

Having both started and continued this thread with lengthy essays on the food, yes, that seems wrong to me.

Seems like two separate threads would be the way to go (one for poor phone etiquette and one for food).

also need one for people who offer no information about the food or the phone system, but just like to comment about what is or is not in the thread, and offer suggestions to others about what is or is not post worthy. That might be the longest of them all.

Contrary to some of the opinions above, the service I experienced at Schwa last week couldn't have been better. The chefs were extremely gracious, and every one of them personally and individually thanked my wife and I for coming in. They were wonderful hosts. Oh, and the food was amazing, too.

One of my favorite bites from Schwa last week: maki, wrapped in hoja santa (which has a rootbeery taste), drizzled with fresh and dehydrated roe, with a shot of root beer and some green curry. Like many of the dishes we had, this was quite sweet, and I found myself quite amused by this and other dishes, as well as the (yes, I can't help talking about it) personalities of the place. I had dinner with my oldest daughter Abigail, who said the dessert of cold foie gras squiggles in rhubarb was the best dessert she ever had.



ABIGAIL: This is the best dessert I ever had.
[Enter, Carlson, intense, red-faced, but healthy looking]
HAMMOND: Tell him what you said about the dessert.
CARLSON [to Abigail]: What. You didn't like it? I don't care.
ABIGAIL: I said it was the best dessert I ever had.
CARLSON [unfazed, strokes Mephistophlean beard]: Oh, cool.

Incidentally, the heavily tatted Three Floyd's guy (who appears in the second shot in this thread) was there, too. Forgot his name, but G Wiv knows him. He brought in some new TF brew, which Carlson sampled in the kitchen steps from our table.

CARLSON: So, you guys like beer?
[Hammond pauses, perhaps .3 microseconds]
CARLSON: What, you don't like beer?
HAMMOND: No, I like beer.
[Carlson brings beer, which is pretty good, though Hammond was drinking wine]

David Hammond wrote:Incidentally, the heavily tatted Three Floyd's guy (who appears in the second shot in this thread) was there, too. Forgot his name, but G Wiv knows him.

Lincoln Anderson of Three Floyd's, a swell fellow.

One call at 5:10PM on a rainy day, and 45 minutes later dansch and I were sitting at a pleasant 2-top in the window, ready to begin our 9 course feast. I loved it. Course after course contained jarring flavor combinations - some that worked in magnificent ways, and others that I didn't care for at all. At Schwa though, somehow I was happy even as I ate things I didn't like, because those courses still provided plenty of food for thought and conversation.

On the most magnificent end of the spectrum, a dish that combined earthy mushroom puree with silky, sweet banana puree blew my mind. Bananas and mushrooms? I'm neither talented nor creative enough to think up that flavor combination, but man did it work.

On the least-cared-for side: cocoa nib consommé in which cauliflower ravioli were placed. I had a hard time eating this. It was way too bitter, with not nearly enough contrasting flavors to balance it.

I loved the relaxed atmosphere and passion that emanated from the staff. It was a cool, stormy evening, and Schwa was the perfect respite. I was so excited about our meal that toward the end, I began anticipating a return with my wife. Sheepishly, I asked a staff member if it would be possible to put me on the books anytime in the next 2 months. I'd take any available date. "Sorry, we only take reservations over the phone."

Oh, Schwa.

Kenny, its coincidental that I went to Schwa as well--we went Saturday night in fact. I loved it. Loved the gastronomy; loved the informality. Everyone was incredibly friendly and the food was splendid. The maki was a real favourite. There was a rolled fettucini with many ingredients (I didn't write them down) that was stellar. A quail egg ravioli that I just loved, a tigerfish with watermelon and red pepper that wasn't as memorable, and sweetbread with popcorn that was a great combination. They also did a jamon iberico with pasta that combined flavors beautifully. Loved the place, loved the food, loved the vibe, loved the chefs. I'll be back!

DutchMuse wrote:Kenny, its coincidental that I went to Schwa as well--we went Saturday night in fact. I loved it. Loved the gastronomy; loved the informality. Everyone was incredibly friendly and the food was splendid. The maki was a real favourite. There was a rolled fettucini with many ingredients (I didn't write them down) that was stellar. A quail egg ravioli that I just loved, a tigerfish with watermelon and red pepper that wasn't as memorable, and sweetbread with popcorn that was a great combination. They also did a jamon iberico with pasta that combined flavors beautifully. Loved the place, loved the food, loved the vibe, loved the chefs. I'll be back!

You must have had a slightly different menu than we did, even just two days after our meal. We didn't have the rolled fettuccine or jamon iberico with pasta (though we did have the a dish with collar of the iberico hog, just not the ham). I really enjoyed the tigerfish dish (Israeli couscous, fried quinoa, pickled watermelon rind), though the fish itself was probably the weakest item on the plate. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the maki you mention as a highlight of yours, I loved the combination of fresh and dried roe over the maki, pickled carrot and house-made rootbeer sides.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post up some photos from our meal sometime soon.

-Dan

dansch wrote:I really enjoyed the tigerfish dish (Israeli couscous, fried quinoa, pickled watermelon rind), though the fish itself was probably the weakest item on the plate.

That was definitely another of several highlight. Toasty, almost-burnt, crispy quinoa and soft, luscious, buttery couscous made for a memorable combination.

Though there is some overlap, it indeed sounds like the menu changed substantially between DutchMuse's visit and ours, which I take as a sign that the kitchen hasn't lost an ounce of its enthusiasm or creative leanings.