Went last night and was underwhelmed, in particular in comparison to my memories of the previous version of this place.

Nothing bad. A pleasant evening. But the food didn't make much of an impression. If anything, it made less and less of an impression as the evening went on, with the first course being the most interesting, the second course being mildly interesting, and the third being just boring.

I began with a salad of greens with finely chopped anchovies and a medium/soft boiled egg. The anchovies were (thankfully) more than an afterthought in the total flavor of the dish. The greens/anchovy combo had a fresh taste, taken to a higher level by the runny yolk of the egg.

Next course was a couple of pieces of pork cheek over noodles. The noodles were the best part of the dish, nicely savory from the sauce they were in. The pork cheeks themselves--well, you could have told me they were a couple of pieces of beef short rib, and I wouldn't have disputed it. It can't be a good thing when pig tastes like cow (or vice versa).

Main course was the sturgeon, which was certainly mild enough in flavor, if all you want is to avoid fishiness in your fish. But it didn't really have much of any other kind of flavor, either, from itself or from its accompaniments. (Which I don't remember--that in itself being not a good sign.)

My dessert was described by the waiter as having disparate ingredients that joined to create a flavor akin to a root beer float, and his description was right on. And that was enjoyable--but lacking in the sort of intensity that might make you really turn your attention to it for a moment instead of the scintillating conversation at the table.

I remember having my attention drawn more to flavors at the "old" Custom House, but sense memory is notoriously unreliable, so I could be wrong about that. I also kind of remember more things to choose from on the menu before. You could argue, "well, you can only eat one thing at a time anyway, so what does it matter how many choices there are," but it seems to me that before, I was more able to find items that kindled my anticipation. Prices were not noticeably lower to me in this "tavern" incarnation of the Custom House than they were before. With drinks, tax and tip, bill came to about $100 a person.

In contrast, my recent meal at Custom House Tavern was quite good (I had not eaten at Custom House when it was being directed by Shawn McClain). Although apparently the change only occurred in January, I was told that the change had occurred a year ago (although perhaps there was a process).

While one should not compare Custom House Tavern to Grammercy Tavern (as the restaurant does), in the restaurant desert between Jackson and Roosevelt in the Loop, CHT stands up well. I began with a She-Crab Soup with a kick of sherry (Chef Aaron Deal is from Charleston). If it wasn't the smoothest, most flavorful crab soup I have ever had, it was very enjoyable - rich and straight-forward.

I followed this with Pork Cheeks with Papardelle and Mushrooms with tender chunks of pork and savory noodles. (Although I do agree with Riddlemay that they could have been beef shortribs - they were not notably pork, but very tasty). I thought it was a lively dish, well-cooked, and reasonably priced.

Finally I ordered a dessert of brown butter cake with coconut ice cream and berry jus, which I enjoyed as well.

Given the contemporary airiness of CHT, it is a restaurant that I will recommend without hesitation to friends staying at the Chicago Hilton.

GAF wrote:in the restaurant desert between Jackson and Roosevelt in the Loop, CHT stands up well.

In addition to Custom House Tavern, what you call a "desert" includes some of our most prominent restaurants of their type (Everest, Mercat a la Planxa, Oysy Sushi, and Hackney's), a couple of our most prominent breakfast spots (Bongo Room and Yolk), and several of our most prominent spots for deep-dish (Lou Malnati's, Giordano's, and Edwardo's). Hardly a desert at all, although you can find dessert at most of them. All of them are within walking distance and good recommendations for those friends of yours at the Hilton.

I'll give you Everest and Mercat, but if we are including Giardano's and Hackney's, I think my point is made. I was not suggesting that there is nowhere to eat within walking distance from the Hilton, but we can agree that it is not an GNR rich territory.

GAF wrote:we can agree that it is not an GNR rich territory.

No we can't. I would give GNR's to several of those restaurants, even though they don't get hyped here like the GNR's do.

And just because some people may not like Giordano's or Hackney's does not mean that everyone feels that way. (FWIW, I love the stuffed pizza at Giordano's, and while I don't go to Hackney's very often, it's still a good place for a burger or an onion brick.) Love them or hate them, they are local instititions that have been around for a long, long time (1974 for Giordano's, 1920s for Hackney's).

I guess I don't think of Giordano's as either "great" or "neighborhood"...but at times some of its locations approach the concept of "restaurant."

Never underestimate the capacity of LTHers for sarcastic insults for places they don't like. This is why this board has such a reputation for intolerance, often implied using softer terms like "a tough crowd".

Wait a second! This mini-dispute started when nsxtasy criticized me for suggesting that there weren't many GNR-quality restaurants near the Chicago Hilton. (That the area was a food desert).

Sometimes the tough crowd may not realize that they are the tough crowd.

Let us see if we can find common ground: the Peninsula is in less of a food desert (and more of a food dessert) than is the Chicago Hilton.

GAF wrote:Sometimes the tough crowd may not realize that they are the tough crowd.

There's a HUGE difference. I realize that my tastes are different from others, that there are places I like and others don't, and places others like and I don't. I don't mind - it's all a matter of taste. Unlike others, I don't go around making snide, nasty remarks about places that other people like - like claiming that they're not "restaurants", or that they represent a "desert". And I don't go claiming that someone else is necessarily going to agree with my opinion, either.

Don't try to equate expressing a different opinion with demeaning the opinions of others. They are not the same thing at all.

My final comment on this thread is to note that there is a difference between "snideness" and "teasing" - I didn't take Auxen's comment as a personal attack, but just a funny remark. But of course it wasn't aimed at me.

As for "food desert," I made that comment before I knew that you would disagree, but the point of my post was - and let us not forget this - was simply to say that Custom House Tavern was a pretty good restaurant in an area that needs more good restaurants.

nsxtasy wrote:

GAF wrote:we can agree that it is not an GNR rich territory.

No we can't. I would give GNR's to several of those restaurants, even though they don't get hyped here like the GNR's do.

I was under the impression that a GNR is only a GNR if it is nominated and approved by the Community to be a GNR. There may be a lot of restaurants in the area that you like, but GAF's statement is factually accurate.

BTW, you are free to nominate any restaurant you'd like for a GNR and hype any places you think are underrepresented.

Nothing personal at all in my post and wasn't trying to be snide.

I'd describe Giordano's as ok, maybe good. But not great. And, I don't think of it as a neighborhood restaurant. I think of it as a chain/franchise. Agree that it is a restaurant but the last Giordano's we ordered a pizza from -- more than 10 years ago -- was in Rogers Park and strictly carry out. I did like that they grew their own basil in the window.

I wouldn't call Edwardo's a GNR either. And I want to say one of its original locations was in this area...Printer's Row. I prefer Edwardo's deep dish spinach pie on whole wheat w extra sauce when eating deep dish. It's good, not great. And not neighborhood. Not the sit down "experience" I'm looking for in a restaurant either.

GAF wrote:in the restaurant desert between Jackson and Roosevelt in the Loop

I do have to agree there is not a lot good food in the area. (I have worked at Jackson and Clark for 12 years and go out lunch everyday for lunch when in the office.) Probably not really the loop but perhaps the South Loop. But why quibble. OK jackson part of the loop, south of Van Buren, not, right?
I do like Tamarind in that area.
http://www.tamarindsushi.com/
$10 lunch menu that includes soup and salad.
Only Pho near the loop that I know of outside of chinatown. I like the beef lettuce wraps.
Give it try. It will not knock your socks off, but better than most around there.
(I also want to mention, Hackneys in that area made my "do not eat there again" list. I outlined why in another post.)
Tamarind
614 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605-1808
(312) 379-0970

Sorry this post was about the custom house.

Back to the discussion of the Custom House:

GAF wrote:I followed this with Pork Cheeks with Papardelle and Mushrooms with tender chunks of pork and savory noodles. (Although I do agree with Riddlemay that they could have been beef shortribs - they were not notably pork, but very tasty). I thought it was a lively dish, well-cooked, and reasonably priced.

Here's my question. Isn't it weird for pork to taste more like beef than pork? I agree with you that the dish, intrinsically, was tasty. And probably if it had been titled on the menu Beef Shortribs with Papardelle and Mushrooms, even if that were a lie, my appreciation of the dish would have been less alloyed, since I would have experienced less cognitive dissonance between what I was eating and what the menu said I was eating. I just can't remember a time before this, when eating pork, even run-of-the-mill pork, that the meat I was eating wasn't identifiable as pork. But I don't have much experience with pork cheeks. Perhaps this part of the pig has a more beef-like flavor and texture than other parts?

Since I am easily distracted, just a simple question.
Should I go eat at the Custom House?
I have walked by it 50 times, but have not stopped in yet.

lhbeetle wrote:Since I am easily distracted, just a simple question.
Should I go eat at the Custom House?
I have walked by it 50 times, but have not stopped in yet.

But you're not easily distracted! If you were easily distracted, you would have been distracted by The Custom House one of those fifty times, and walked in.

You are right!
I am usually on mission with a friend going to another place. We have discussed it, but well, it looks fancy and my friend is a slob. No offense Al but...
Oh god it is late

riddlemay wrote: Isn't it weird for pork to taste more like beef than pork? I agree with you that the dish, intrinsically, was tasty.

I suppose we shouldn't stereotype pork. In today's world pork no longer needs to be the "other white meat," but can be itself in its rainbow of tastes. But Riddlemay has a point in that if diners expect something, they might (or might not) be disappointed if it is something else. But it was a good dish that reminded me in some ways of a similar dish that I had at Babbo (I can't recall the meat, but the noodles and sauce were similar).

lhbeetle wrote:You are right!
I am usually on mission with a friend going to another place. We have discussed it, but well, it looks fancy and my friend is a slob. No offense Al but...
Oh god it is late

I say, if it feels good, do it! Take the plunge. Check it out. The menu and vibe have supposedly morphed a bit (towards the more casual I think) so Al should be ok, as long as he's wearing a shirt

Custom House is running a special for Lit Fest [nee Printer's Row Book Fair], $5 for their burger (normally $12 with fries, but fries are a $3 addition).

Billed as "one of the best burgers in Chicagoland" I can't really agree.
A very good burger yes, but nothing special.
Served past the requested medium rare for all three of us (and server did not respond when I said, "it's a little overdone"), it was probably underseasoned. Very good cheddar and a bbq-like sauce kicked it up a few points, along with a terrific bun, but really, not anything special. Fries were nicely brown but limp.

I had a lovely meal at Custom House Tavern tonight. My dining companion was allergic to both dairy and tomatoes, and the waiter and chef were so accommodating in coming up with creative alternatives for him to enjoy his meal.


Bread Service / Custom House Tavern by TrackBelle, on Flickr

I loved that they offered both olive oil and butter, along with multigrain and white bread.


Green Bean Salad / Custom House Tavern by TrackBelle, on Flickr

Arugula, roasted tomato, corn bread, feta vinaigrette
I was skeptical, but surprised at how much I enjoyed the feta vinaigrette


Pan Roasted Summer Flounder / Customer House Tavern by TrackBelle, on Flickr

Summer beans, glazed & pickled, smoked almonds, beet puree, brown butter
Flavors and textures were perfect..loved the pickled and glazed green beans and the sweet beet puree offset the nicely seasoned fish...the smoked almonds were the perfect touch.


Chocolate Menage a Trois / Custom House Tavern by TrackBelle, on Flickr

Royaltine, dark chocolate pavé, milk chocolate mousse, topped with caramel white chocolate, apricots, pistachios, creme chantilly
Even though I'm a dark chocolate snob, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I would definitely come back and wanted to share my meal because I noticed this restaurant hasn't been getting talked about much lately but they're doing some great things.