Cuna

We went last night with another couple on what was Cuna’s fourth night in business. All of us had favorable impressions.

First of all, I can contribute some evidence to help resolve the question: Is Kendal Duque (formerly head chef at Sepia) really the on-premises, hands-on head chef at Cuna, or is his merely an “advisory” “menu-creation” role? He was there. He was working in the kitchen, and then, on our way out, he was taking a break by the bar and looking out over the room. I complimented him.

Rewinding to our arrival: Since we were coming directly from a matinee in the Theatre Building up the street, we were the first (and for a while, only) customers in the restaurant upon its 5:00 opening. So you’d expect that the service would be prompt and attentive, but we’ve all been in similar situations in which that wasn’t the case, so I didn’t take it for granted, especially in a brand new place. It was. Drinks arrived quickly (the martinis are very generous, served in stemless martini-glasses) and were good. Eating-wise, we opened by sharing the flat bread with wild mushrooms and roasted garlic, which we enjoyed; both main ingredients projected their flavors. One of our friends and I shared a calamari and chorizo salad, which was delicious; the squid was tender, and the sausage complemented it well. (I’ve never had this coupling before, which struck me as imaginative.) My entrée (the menu doesn’t use words like “entrée,” going instead with the “small bites, big bites” thing—whatever) was the skate wing with bacony collard greens and cranberry-pine nut sauce. Again, delicious, with all ingredients working well with each other.

Prices are very reasonable. Even within the “big bites” part of the menu, prices are no higher than $16. No other part of the menu sticks it to you in an “ah ha, that’s where they get you” way, either. I didn’t notice how much our drinks cost, but judging from the check at the end of the evening, they didn’t contribute an unreasonable amount to the total, especially for the quality and size of the pour.

It’s a large room with a combination of regular tables, hi-tops, and (excuse my impressionistic and inadequate knowledge) sort of “Moroccan”-looking banquettes with low tables in front of them. Exposed brick walls. There is one stylistic faux pas, at least in our opinion—the large flat-screens mounted on the wall. They weren’t turned on, but it wasn’t promising that they were there. I’m not against TVs in restaurants and bars. In fact, I’m for them, if it’s the right kind of restaurant or bar. So that’s not why we thought they were weird. We thought they were weird because they seem such a mismatch for the type of restaurant Cuna seems otherwise to aspire to be, and which based on our visit it is earning the right to be--a restaurant in which people will pay attention to the food, not the game. In Cuna’s context, the TVs give off a “we don’t really know who we are, so we’re trying to be everything” vibe, which I fear sends a confusing signal that will muddy the public's perception of Cuna; people tend to gravitate to places that project a clear sense of identity, wherever that happens to be on the spectrum. Maybe Duque and his partner will think better of it and do away with the TVs before too long. Or maybe I’ll prove all wet and the flat screens will turn out to be key to the restaurant’s success. The food marries unusual flavors together, after all, so maybe the place itself is going for the same kind of "you don't expect this with that" thing; maybe what they have in mind as a mission statement is "imagine a place where you can fine-dine, and watch the Super Bowl too! How great would that be!?!" The menu prices say that the place wants to be a casual, neighborhoody destination, so maybe I’m simply being thrown by the fact that the food is better than that.

Cuna
1113 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL
312 224 8588

Full disclosure: I am the PR guy for Cuna. Riddlemay -- thank you for your thoughtful review. Clarification about the TVs at Cuna: once they get all five flatscreens programed and running, the TVs will show lifestyle slides that feature photos of people and art. There's no plan at this time for Cuna's TVs to show Derrick Rose's assists, Patrick Kane's goals or Jay Cutler's interceptions.

You can check out the full Cuna press release, food menu, and specialty cocktail menus I posted on the Professional Forum here -- http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26990. We're finalizing three different Cuna NYE packages this morning. I will post those in the Professional Forum as well. Thanks.

EDIT: The three NYE packages for Cuna have been posted on the link/thread above in the Professional Forum. Thanks.

daveandrews3 wrote:Full disclosure: I am the PR guy for Cuna. Riddlemay -- thank you for thoughtful review. Clarification about the TVs at Cuna: once they get all five flatscreens programed and running, the TVs will show lifestyle slides that feature photos of people and art. There's no plan at this time for Cuna's TVs to show Derrick Rose's assists, Patrick Kane's goals or Jay Cutler's interceptions.

Ah ha! Thanks for the clarification. I'm glad my (natural) assumption turned out to be wrong.

went to "Cuna".... bummmmmmmmmmmmer (unfortunately.)

i really like "Sepia," and though i went there after "kendal duque" had left, i understand the menu still holds his mark (flatbreads et al). i was pumped to hit up his new resto after a long day of work (jk: unemployed) and was sorely disappointed. here's my round up:

the space: guh, this place is unattractive. it feels like a mid-90s dance club. the branding is absolutely terrible: "Cuna" in big pink script letters over the door. i thought i was at "Lumen" for a second! the space itself is okay, but weirdly shaped. about a quarter of the resto's tables sit in a hallway-like area by the kitchen. also, when i entered it smelled like chemicals and i got a wicked headache.

the food: better than the ambiance, but pretty bland. the bison burger was not that flavorful, it had a gorgonzola topping that made me think "hey, i didn't know kraft made gorgonzola cheese." the flatbreads at sepia are much better. boring calamari salad. i love chicken, but the high-point was the lentils in this lackluster dish. decent bread pudding for dessert.

the drink: in sum, there was an ice cube in my sazerac. sacerelig!

so, all in all, a mediocre culinary experience made worse by unfortunate ambiance.

sorry i have no pics, i didn't want to tip them off that i was an lth-er.

all best,
sailingfanblues

While I liked the food better than you did, sfb, I agree that Cuna projects a very conflicted sense of itself, which amounts to projecting no identity at all. It's been over a month now since our visit, but I recall some "racy" large "artworks" on the wall that seemed more "tasteless" than "erotic." Yet the food has ambitions to be tasted seriously. (Whether you agree that these ambitions are realized--and for us, they were, to a reasonable extent--you can tell the ambitions are there.)

I really want Cuna to succeed. I live around the corner, and nothing on Belmont west of the El survives with a price point over $5.99. I've been a few times now, and I'm still hopefully this place will be around for a while.

I thought the food was generally fantastic. The ridiculously rich onion soup with beef shortribs, the creative flatbreads, the crispy cauliflower and lentil dish (it really is incredible, even for meat eaters -- trust me), the pork cheeks...all amazing. My only disappointment was the pork cheek sliders. The bun was a just a bit too thick to appreciate all the good stuff inside. And yes...Kendal is actually working the kitchen. I've seen him there on every visit.

On the service front...I can say they're trying. Friendly enough, but not that knowledgeable about the food, cocktails or wine. And just a suggestion: if you serve bottles of wine, you might want to learn how to pour it without making a mess. They're branding themselves as a "upscale neighborhood bar" so maybe my choice of wine does not fit with where they're going.

On the venue...the place is huge. For a Fri/Sat night, it really works for them. During the week, I think they need to figure out how to make the place feel a bit cozier. And like many, I'm still not sold on the red, bobble-type stools.

For whatever it's worth: they are still hangin' on here, and the food I had the other night was very good - scallops, a risotto that was slightly thin but had great chorizo and squid, a smoked octopus dish, and pork belly sliders on pretzel buns. All dishes were prepared with obvious care. Apparently, Duque really was in the kitchen, and overall the menu looked imaginative. So, if you want to try his cooking, at a price point that's definitely a notch below Sepia, you might want to check it out soon... As others have noted, this place feels conceptually more nightclub than restaurant, which might be a hard launch in this neighborhood and economy. But in Wicker or on Randolph Street it would probably be packed. They are also trying to start a quality cocktail program here, including variations on currently popular drinks like the Dark n'Stormy.