Not the biggest fan of their dessert options, but found their other food excellent. Cool space and I also like the way the cocktails are broken down by time needed to make...

I was completely underwhelmed by The Bristol. I thought the ideas behind several of the dishes were inventive, but the delivery was average. The monkey bread just seemed like a dressed-up dinner roll. The scotch olives were kind of bland. I love chocolate and peanut butter together but I thought the nutter butter dessert was pretty average.
I did enjoy the shaved pumpkin salad and a bay scallop dish.
Also, our waiter really rubbed me the wrong way (from the moment he dropped by to announce "You WILL be sharing everything tonight") and I found the timing of the dishes a bit odd--one small dish dropped off, then three small dishes dropped off, then a small dish and a main. I'm totally fine with communal tables and a loud, crowded dining room if the food is great (e.g. Avec) but The Bristol's food just doesn't do it for me. And it's not a cheap meal (we spent about $100 for two people--I believe 5 small plates, 1 large, 1 dessert and 3 glasses of wine). At least I remembered my A la card for once...

Edited to add that we got 2 small nutter butter cookies with this dish (not 4 as documented in photos upthread...not sure if they were running low or just cutting back due to the recession...)

thaiobsessed wrote:Edited to add that we got 2 small nutter butter cookies with this dish (not 4 as documented in photos upthread...not sure if they were running low or just cutting back due to the recession...)

How many of you were there? As reported upthread, my experience is that if there are 4 of you, you get 4 cookies. If there are 2 of you, you get 2 cookies. So, either 2 of the world's greates cookies, or 4 of the world's greatest cookies.

leekman wrote:Bristol just announced a Wooly Pig dinner on 21 December at which they will serve a Mangalitsa pig (see http://woolypigs.com for more info on this breed). Leek & I have made reservations - hope to see other LTHers there!

They now have more info about this available
http://thebristolchicago.com/blog/the-w ... e-bristol/

Made a last-minute reservation for Monday's wooly pig dinner. Here's the menu, courtesy of the Bristol's website:

Sample Menu Items:

Ciccoli & Radish • Trotter Milanese, House Mustard • Cracklin’ with Beans • Pork & Cheddar Biscuits • Pork Liver Terrine • Blood Pudding • Head and Tail Aspic • French Dip Loin Sandwiches • Mortadella Stuffed Belly • Shank Cacciatore • Meatballs, Ricotta Gnocchi • Cured Whipped Lard, Thyme, Toast • Whole Roasted Snout • Brain Agnolotti • Pork Scrapple, Fried Egg • Lard Foccacia, Crispy Fat, Herbs, Smoked Belly

It was, um, yum! Here's the full menu and photos.
Leek refused to let me post the photo of her.
All accompanied by ...
*
crispy back fat, malt vinegar
lardo butter, radish, toast
trotter milanese, violet mustard, celery heart, frisee, pecorino
**
blood sausage, apples, blue cheese
ciccoli, bleeding heart radish salad
head cheese, parsnip, horseradish
country pate, tenderloin, pistachio
rillette, candied mustard seed
***
fresh pancetta, sunchokes, herbs
kidney, watercress, egg, walnut
bitter greens, pickled tongue, crispy garnish
****
meatballs in broth, roman gnocchi
pappardelle nero, heart, chanterelle ragu
*****
baby cotechino sausages, lentils, candied kumquats
alder smoked ham, cheddar-hazelnut biscuit
fried bones
roast loin bahn mi
******
honey glazed belly, almonds, green olive
slow roast shoulder, bread crumb
ham steak gratinee, root vegetables
skin-n-beans
*******
bacon caramel corn
lard sugar cookies

leekman,

i was seated at the bar next to the only other solo diner, and we were both in a food coma around midway through. We received the same portions as larger parties, so towards the end it was unfortunately difficult to take more than a couple of bites of each item. it's a sad day when I don't finish a pork belly dish

it was an incredible evening though. never would have thought pork was such a versatile animal, which is truly a credit to John and his staff. This was my first experience at the Bristol, and I will certainly be returning.

There was a tremendous amount of food. We took only bites of most things too, and so far have gotten 3 lunches out of the leftovers, and have at least 2 more. We had 2 shopping bags full of little boxes when we left!

But today, for lunch, pork belly! Mmmm. I like pork belly, but this was just amazing. The fat was sweet. It doesn't even taste like fat, I don't have a greasy feeling left in my mouth.

@thaiobsessed: Mellonhubby and I had dinner on Saturday evening at the Bristol. We had your waiter (actually we've had him several times as we go there pretty regularly) and I can say that after Saturday night I officially hate that guy.

He's so condescending it makes my skin crawl. He's a fine waiter...but I think his attitude could use an 'adjustment'. He's a little like the food version of the Rob character in 'High Fidelity'. I usually ask the server what looks good to them that night (sometimes things turn out better than others and I'm sure Friday was no exception) and usually I get a helpful answer as to what's exceptional that evening coming out of the kitchen, how things are prepared, or if something is really popular that evening. The answer I got from 'Food Fidelity' guy was, "Well....everything looks great. If you're more adventureous, try the head-on shrimp or the bone marrow...if you're looking for something more safe (there was a slight ... disgust in his voice), try the chicken."

Now it wasn't that he pointed out that the roast chicken is 'safe'...it is 'safe' and it's lovely - but was how he said it that really rubbed me the wrong way. It was as if he was saying that if I didn't order my entire meal of 'snouts and tails' I'd be deemed unworthy of waiterly attention by this clown (note that I do eat my share of 'snouts and tails' - btw).

We had the shaved tendon salad (which was underseasoned and could have used an acidic zip from some lime or something) and the bacon flatbread (again underseasoned). We finished with the beef heart and the cellery root agnolotti, both of which were to die for.

Our waiter was lucky my husband was paying because he was tipped nicely...anything above the 20% he would have received from me evaporated with his 'safe' comment at the beginning of the meal. Anyway - from past visits I've noticed that 'Food Fidelity' guy usually mans the section nearest the kitchen so next time I'll be sure to ask to sit in a different section.

thaiobsessed wrote:Also, our waiter really rubbed me the wrong way (from the moment he dropped by to announce "You WILL be sharing everything tonight") and I found the timing of the dishes a bit odd--one small dish dropped off, then three small dishes dropped off, then a small dish and a main.

mellonhead wrote:He's so condescending it makes my skin crawl. He's a fine waiter...but I think his attitude could use an 'adjustment'. He's a little like the food version of the Rob character in 'High Fidelity'. I usually ask the server what looks good to them that night (sometimes things turn out better than others and I'm sure Friday was no exception) and usually I get a helpful answer as to what's exceptional that evening coming out of the kitchen, how things are prepared, or if something is really popular that evening. The answer I got from 'Food Fidelity' guy was, "Well....everything looks great. If you're more adventureous, try the head-on shrimp or the bone marrow...if you're looking for something more safe (there was a slight ... disgust in his voice), try the chicken."

Now it wasn't that he pointed out that the roast chicken is 'safe'...it is 'safe' and it's lovely - but was how he said it that really rubbed me the wrong way. It was as if he was saying that if I didn't order my entire meal of 'snouts and tails' I'd be deemed unworthy of waiterly attention by this clown (note that I do eat my share of 'snouts and tails' - btw). [ . . . ]

Anyway - from past visits I've noticed that 'Food Fidelity' guy usually mans the section nearest the kitchen so next time I'll be sure to ask to sit in a different section.

I know exactly of whom you speak - he was my server during my first visit to The Bristol (FWIW, I, too, was sitting near the kitchen) and he so turned me off that I refused to return there for months even though I liked the food. Since then, I've avoided him and have had excellent service. I've never encountered such a condescending twit on any other occasion in my life.

I think the waiter of whom you speak, if I am correct in my assumption of who this is, is just really really excited about the food, and wants to make sure everyone who comes in is too.

leek wrote:I think the waiter of whom you speak, if I am correct in my assumption of who this is, is just really really excited about the food, and wants to make sure everyone who comes in is too.

Dear God I hope so. I hate to think this guy goes through life never enjoying the pleasure of a properly roasted chicken skin because it's not an animal's a**hole!

Was also at the Bristol on Saturday night and came away thinking the food was pretty good but the service top-notch; our server (a woman, though I didn't catch her name) was informative, thorough, and friendly without being obsequious.

The Bristol landed in the #9 spot in Alan Richman's "The 10 Best New Restaurants in America" article in GQ.

Cue the Great Lake-post-GQ-pizza-article crowds in 5...4...3...2....

Went last night. Pretty displeased with the food. Had the scotch olives. Can't complain, but you can't really mess them up either. We then had the cauliflower, potato, blood orange, caperberry, and powdered bonito salad. Kind of a weird mix. Not bad, but maybe seemed like they were trying a bit too hard.

Next, we got the hamachi, which was completely tasteless. Last, the goat favoletti was good.

Here's what pissed me off, though. We ask for beer suggestions with the favoletti, and the waiter suggests either Bellhaven Wee Heavy or Wolaver's otter creek. We get the wee heavy, which I've had on tap countless times. He pours the beer and it's thin, has no head, and tastes like apple juice. I say to him, "it's strange how different this is from the tap. Normally it's really thick and malty." he's like, yeah, this is a lot different. In hindsight, though, we just had a bad bottle. The apple flavor should have tipped me off, but I wasn't thinking hard enough.

I probably should have known enough to send the bottle back, but when the waiter poured it or some time after I commented on it, he should have known it was no good. Especially for a beer he suggested!

so basically, the food really didn't do much for me, and the best dish was just solid. The worst was a waste of $15. The beer list was extensive, but had a lot of boring filler, too. I have no idea why I would eat at the Bristol instead of Avec.

Dined last night at The Bristol and, sadly, I was rather underwhelmed by the fare. We started with pre dinner cocktails – I had a Dark and Stormy which was deliciously spicy with ginger and molasses. My friend had the Koi which had slivers of orange peel intended to represent floating koi (this was pointed out to us by our server). Unfortunately, we were not given much time to enjoy our drinks as our food arrived a few minutes later.

We ordered one small, one medium, and one large plate to share. Our small plate choice was grilled sardines served with quinoa croquettes. The grilled sardines were served atop the croquettes with a few slices of wilted onion. Not listed, but served with the dish were three chunks of grilled pig snout which were fatty and chewy with a rich mouth feel. However, they clearly added nothing to the dish of sardines. The sardines were rather bland and, in my opinion, undergrilled (I like a little char on my grilled foods) and, again, there appeared to be no relationship between the sardines and the croquettes.

Our medium dish was Pasta Nero with grilled squid, octopus, and lemons. This was a very flavorful dish and the seafood was perfectly tender with the grilled lemon slices adding a tangy touch to this rich dish. Not much of a dish to look at but, by far, my favorite dish of the evening.

Our large plate choice was Braised Pork Belly with artichokes served with smashed Yukon Gold potatoes. The large plate turned out to be no larger than our medium plate. Additionally, this dish provided absolutely no visual appeal- pale pork belly against pale potatoes with a few faded artichokes. The pork belly tasted fine, but provided no memorable tastes.

We concluded our meal with the Chocolate Sabayon with Nutter Butter cookies. I expected the sabayon to be lighter and airier in texture. This “sabayon” was closer in texture and taste to a chocolate pudding. The cookies were warm and enjoyable but, alas, not earth-shatteringly good.

mellonhead wrote:
I hate to think this guy goes through life never enjoying the pleasure of a properly roasted chicken skin because it's not an animal's a**hole!

Best line of 2010. I'm calling it already.

Have to say I had an utterly disappointing time there on Mother's day. Aside from waiting 30 minutes for our table, nobody told us we could go upstairs and wait at the bar so we spent 20 of those 30 minutes outside trying to stay warm on a somewhat windy morning.

We then waited 30 minutes after being seated to receive the selection of baked goods. Note, these were all premade, so it was 30 minutes to arrange some things on a plate. Given what these were, basically a selection of sweet baked goods many hotel restaurants will have on your table the minute you sit down, and gratis, it was an incredible let down. Especially since we were now an hour past our reservation time with a toddler way past his meal time and growing more hungry and cranky by the minute.

Which brings me to my real rub. Why do restaurants take holidays as an opportunity to gouge their customers? The Bristol was doing a $19 fixed-price breakfast. This included a selection from a slightly pared-down regular menu plus those baked goods and coffee. Since most of their breakfast options are normally $9-10 and coffee $3, we paid $6-7 for those baked goods. Considering half the table didn't even have coffee, it was more like $10 (and the huckleberry buckle, one of 4 selections was better reserved for keeping doors open than eating). Also, don't get me started on the children's portion for $10. Since there wasn't anything really "special" about the menu, it was largely identical to the regular one, getting everyone to go through the door to pony up $19 was just a very easy way to make some extra money off of their guests. Getting taken advantage of is not how I want to feel when dining out.

I should have known better but having been at to The Bristol 3-4 times before, and knowing my wife likes it, I wanted to give a local restaurant our business with a larger (6) group. I guess that was my mistake. At least I know that many of the larger restaurants would go out of their way on a special day to make people feel welcomed, e.g., free mimosas for the mothers, in the hopes of getting people to return on non-special occasions, it seems a smaller establishment like The Bristol is just simply out of their comfort zone and looking to make a quick buck.

It unfortunately, but my experience will probably mean that the next time my wife and I are looking for somewhere to go on a date night or early in the evening during the week, I'll remember the experience and likely to suggest going elsewhere. At least they weren't doing a buffet, but then again, maybe then I would have had a chance to get my money's worth.

shadesofjay wrote:Which brings me to my real rub. Why do restaurants take holidays as an opportunity to gouge their customers? The Bristol was doing a $19 fixed-price breakfast.

Upcharging a few bucks to deal with a room full of overbearing, undertipping customers that are typical of a major holiday is actually quite reasonable. 19 bucks for brunch at a place like The Bristol on Mothers Day? Only an hour wait to get your food? I'd count your blessings, and cook brunch instead next year.

Kennyz-

Sorry, I have to totally disagree with your perspective. Basing your business on contempt (overbearing, undertipping) for your customers, which you seem to argue is the norm, if not to be expected, certainly means you need to be in a different business. It's also quite a leap to accuse people of being overbearing (you weren't there) and I felt a slight sense that was directed at me because of my expectations and your comment I should just stay home next year. I see you're a fan of the Bristol, and that's your right, but it shouldn't mean you dismiss perfectly reasonable expectations of others. I'm sorry, but I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect a morsel of food sooner than 30 minutes after being seated.

I didn't I've had plenty of good dinners on holidays. I'm not paying to have food at "The Bristol", I'm paying to have a good meal, at a fair price. and that I didn't get. And like I said, that's my point. That SAME meal, on any other Sunday would probably have been $14. So, just because of a small holiday, I get soaked with a 25% upcharge.

-Jay

Jay,
I never go out to dinner on weekends, and don't even like to dine out after about 6pm on weekdays. The ideal dining experience in my world includes me, the bartender, and an empty room save for 3 gorgeous women admiring me from a distance (none of them should be my mother). I apologize if you thought my comments were directed at you, but believe me when I say they are merely a reflection of my own idiosyncratic ways.
Kenny

That SAME meal, on any other Sunday would probably have been $14. So, just because of a small holiday, I get soaked with a 25% upcharge.

why would you have a problem with that? isn't is just straight-up supply/demand? *shouldn't* something cost extra if there are more people who want it than can be accommodated? I mean, it's still completely within your control--you can simply choose not to go during the peak-demand times.

and, honestly, $19 for a fancy brunch doesn't even seem bad at all. we went to Prairie Grass and I didn't even look to see what the per-person charge was, but I bet it was a lot more than that.

we went to Prairie Grass

Ed, are you saying that in the past seven days, seemingly half of the board has happily visited either Prairie Grass or Prairie Fire, and with multiple guests??

Mrs. Stegner should be VERY proud of her daughter!

i am not saying i like to be charged 25% more on holidays but isn't that the same when you buy flowers on valentines day, mothers day or staying at a hotel during peak vacation times? i agree that its simply a supply and demand thing

Kenny,

Your ideal experience sounds fine by me as well, though I'd happily have it just be my wife.

-Jay

Ah, supply and demand. Funny, it never bothers me to deal with price fluctuations around commodities, e.g. gas, hotel rooms, but there's something that just turns me off when it happens with food and the dining experience. It transactionalizes what should be a very involved experience. I realize, though, that this is definitely somewhere where people have different expectations.

That said, I'll end by saying I'm not sure I would have thought the meal was worth even the $14 it would have been on a normal Sunday. The Bristol's innovative fare just didn't translate into a memorable brunch experience for me either in concept or execution.

I have a small dwarf sour cherry tree. It's young, so its output is small. I got maybe 4 cups total this year, and didn't know what to do with it. I suppose I could have made a tiny bit of jam, or a quart of ice cream. It wasn't even enough for a pie.

So I took them over to the Bristol, around the corner and said "If the chef feels like it, could he do something with these? If so, we'd love for him to have them". And tonight we had one of their normal dishes, Pork Rillettes, but modified to have cherry jam and slightly pickled cherries. What a treat! And the chef thanked ME for bringing them in! They are just a nice bunch of people there.

And no, I'm not setting them up for invasion by the inspectors. Fruit and veggies are OK to be home grown, it's animal products that are not. Lots of Chicago chefs use herbs, etc, they grow in their own backyards.



Hyper local cherries - grown about a block away from the restaurant.

I had a really lovely dinner last night at The Bristol, and hadn't really intended to post about it until I pulled up this thread and saw all of the recent negative reviews of the food. I don't discount those experiences in the least, just want to offer my own thoughts.

First off, the service. After asking and discovering that my dining companion hadn't been to the Bristol before, our waitress launched in to a pitch about how the restaurant works, how and when we should order, how the food will be delivered, etc. It was all positioned as her delivering the chef's message ("Chef feels that... Chef thinks you should... blah blah"). Very prescriptive. This isn't Alinea and I'm not eating off of an antennae, you don't need to provide so much assistance.

It felt like the server and runners were told do deliver their lines at any cost, and ignored any and all cues from the diners.

All that said, the food was great. Charred summer squash with pickled onions, queso fresco, and marcona almonds was my favorite of the night. A vinaigrette of some sort pulled it together in to a fantastic dish. English pea ravioli with preserved lemon and (I think) thinly shaved celery was bright and Spring-like, while rich and satisfying. Grilled sardines over cooked greens were good, though not stunning. Apple, fennel, manchego and hazelnut salad (perhaps some pea shoots?) was crunchy, well-dressed and again tasted of Spring. A blueberry trifle could have delivered better fruit (perhaps the buyer didn't taste before buying), but was overall quite good.

I definitely plan to go back, as the food really was great. I just need to warn any first-time Bristol diners to lie and say they've been there before so that I never, ever, have to hear that pitch again.

-Dan

Anyone else going to their Wooly Pig dinner this week?

The Bristol is one of those places that I don't patronize as often as I like it, if that makes any sense. Based on how much I enjoy and appreciate their food, I should be eating there much more often. Part of the reason I don't is that I know it's fairly busy much of the time -- and rightfully so. The food is excellent and chef Chris Pandel is one helluva a skilled, creative and hard-working guy. John Ross runs a tight operation, service is excellent and they provide a really enjoyable experience.

Last night, in between stops at a few bars, I happily remembered that I was really close to the Bristol and figured that it would be the perfect spot for a late-night dinner. Great idea. I arrived there at about 9:30 to find the downstairs room almost completely full. But almost as soon as I walked in, 2 people got up from the bar and I grabbed one of the seats they vacated at the the end of the bar. From there, I was in the very capable hands of David, who took great care of me.

I started out with the Market Greens Salad with tarragon-buttermilk dressing, which boasted really nice quality, supple leaves and shaved fennel. The dressing, judiciously applied, was just tangy enough to highlight the greens without overpowering them. Along with the salad, I ordered the Pork & Rabbit Pate, which was served with house-made cornichons, grainy mustard and pickled cippolini onions. The pate was sensational, with a rich flavor and perfectly creamy and dense definition. I liked the accoutrements a lot because they were very well-made but I would have enjoyed a bit more sweetness in one of the 2 pickle elements (the cippolinis were definitely sweeter than the cornichons but not quite enough for my palate). Again, this is just a matter of personal preference because everything on the plate was really well-executed.

For my main course, I had the house-made Goat Merguez Sausage, which was topped with a generous portion of tender, charred octopus, almonds and spiced yogurt. The dish was served atop a mound of intensely-flavored faro, which was just tender enough but with a satisfying bite. I think there were also some slivers of olive on the plate, which accented the merguez really well. This was a sensational composition in which everything worked together harmoniously.

Desserts are made by the Bristol's new pastry chef Amanda Rockman and the house sent out 2 for me to try: Basque Cake and Ricotta Cheesecake. Both were stellar but the former, served with apply sabayon and walnuts really blew me away. As full as I was, it was hard to stop eating it. The cheesecake was great too, with a creamy texture and nice balance provided by some house-pickled cranberries. The fruitcake croutons atop the dish were a nice touch.

Beverage-wise I had a Glenkinchie 12-year and a house-smoked Maker's Mark. Both were good accompaniments for the food, each with its own style of smoke. I do wish the American whiskey selection was a little broader but the Scotch selection was very nice and I realize that this just isn't what the Bristol is all about. What they do, they do extremely well and I really need to get there more often. Really.

=R=