The Southern

I came across the menu online, and since sooner or later someone will eat there, I figured I would start the thread. Unfortunately the menu does not lend itself to being cut and paste, so you will have to follow the link the the Chicagoist site if you want to see it.

Menu

The Southern (opening 2/5/2010 @ 5:00PM
1840 W. North Ave.
773-342-1840

"It's a Southern Big Star," was my first thought upon entering the revamped, de-glitzified Chaise Lounge, now renamed The Southern. I shot footage of chef Cary Taylor there last summer, then went to eat there in December, and while we were there I could see the way its multiple identities were running smack into each other: the glitzy, Miami-nightclub-inspired look attracted a young, hard-drinking but not terribly sophisticated crowd who weren't going for the upscale food (other than the Dietzler beef hamburger), while the Pimp My Ride vibe was scaring off the Wicker Park diners who should have been championing Cary's food (a point confirmed by owner Jim Lasky, who said, ruefully, that one of the things he's heard the most since redoing the place was "Now I can actually come in here!")

So they ripped out the glitz downstairs and made it into a rough-edged bar-restaurant with some tall tables, and revamped the menu to favor smaller plates to nosh on while drinking. It seems paradoxical but somehow becoming more of a bar actually makes it easier to see The Southern as a restaurant, maybe because you don't have to choose between dinner or drinking, but can just nibble as you go. And as at Big Star or Avec or The Bristol, go in for a drink and you'll soon find yourself tempted to just get a few plates, and then a few more.

A couple of things on the menu when we went in December are still on it— the duck orleans, aka cassoulet, and the mahi fish tacos, for instance— but the left side of the menu has been reconfigured for carb-driven bar snacks, starting with the authentically ubiquitous Southern nosh cheese straws, and the equally ubiquitous Chicago restaurant trendy pigout food of the moment, poutine. We started with delicate hush puppies accompanied by a comfy smoked trout dip (smoked trout from Susie-Q Fisheries, seen in Sky Full of Bacon #12):



This was very good, and okay, despite my repeated Twitter attacks on that gloppy mess poutine, I have to admit that the version here was pretty hard to resist while it was hot (though our dining companions said they gave the edge to the version at The Gage). I still don't think poutine is quite grownup food, but I guess someone who loves biscuits and gravy really has no standing to attack it.

But there was one dish that was really beyond reproach, that we all just instantly fell in love with, and when Lasky boasted that he thought it was the best dish in the city at the moment, well, you'd give the notion some serious consideration. It's called johnny cakes on the menu (though the jonnycakes were eggier and more crepe-like than the classic form; Cary said the change was made to make them easier to get out of the kitchen at their peak of freshness, I presume since it means they can be fried much more quickly). Anyway, it starts with some wonderful pulled pork, lightly but definitely smoky, and then you put it on the johnny-crepe and add a little sweet-sour note from Cary's housemade chow chow:



I've noticed some recent comments from local chefs about how the pork thing has been done to death on the Chicago restaurant scene, but pork ain't over as long as dishes this good keep popping up.

Cary sent us a few dishes to give us a picture of other sides of the menu. I liked his fried green tomatoes quite a bit; he salt-cures the tomatoes for an hour or two before frying them with a cornmeal batter, and they were served with thin slices of goat cheese and and a sprinkling of a lemon-caper-parsley garnish; a handsomely elegant twist on an iconic dish. Shrimp and grits we were just fair on; the grits (from an artisanal supplier that was not Anson Mills) had a great texture but the dish seemed overwhelmed by red and bell pepper; I prefer gooey creamy grits with a splash of heat, this seemed almost the reverse. The roast oysters were an interesting version, not that I'm much of an oyster afficionado, but he did a nice job of giving them some heat and a saltine crumble topping while keeping the integrity of the briny oyster itself.



Oh, and we had the hamburger, too. Which is pretty great, I have to admit; that Dietzler beef is sheer concentrated beefpower. Finally we got to a couple of entrees— the much praised duck orleans, or black-eyed-pea cassoulet, and a special of striped bass with bits of salty Virginia ham and deep-fried and steamed okra around it. All of that was good, but their show might have been stolen by the collard greens, which also had the salty country ham in its vigorous pot likker.

Collard greens, in Wicker Park. I just want to point that out— somehow we don't blink when an upscale taco bar or an upscale Greek place opens in Wicker Park, but a Southern place— I think that may strike some people as the most exotic thing to happen on Wicker Park's culinary scene since Baccala was serving lamb tongue. But I love Cary's approach— highly authentic in some cases, respectfully upscaling classic dishes without pushing them till they break in others— and I loved an awful lot of this food. I don't know if it will be an easy sell or not, but to my mind The Southern is easily the most accomplished upscale Southern restaurant this town has had, and if you'd line up at Big Star for a taco shell with some pork on it, you need to discover what The Southern can do with roughly the same idea just a few blocks away.

The Southern
1840 W. North Ave.
773-342-1840
http://www.thesouthernchicago.com

Glad to hear Cary's cooking is still goin' strong, and that The Southern is worth a visit. I must say I've been awfully turned off by the Tweets, which have made me think the changeover turned the place into even less of a food-first spot. Every time I look, I see something like "Come pound $3 SoCo shots with us tonight!" or "Get plastered! Cheap Jack and Cokes!" I've been waiting for Keg Stand night.

Kennyz wrote:Glad to hear Cary's cooking is still goin' strong, and that The Southern is worth a visit. I must say I've been awfully turned off by the Tweets, which have made me think the changeover turned the place into even less of a food-first spot. Every time I look, I see something like "Come pound $3 SoCo shots with us tonight!" or "Get plastered! Cheap Jack and Cokes!" I've been waiting for Keg Stand night.

Another affirmation the Twitter is useless, and just noise imho..

Mike G wrote:Collard greens, in Wicker Park. I just want to point that out— somehow we don't blink when an upscale taco bar or an upscale Greek place opens in Wicker Park, but a Southern place— I think that may strike some people as the most exotic thing to happen on Wicker Park's culinary scene since Baccala was serving lamb tongue. But I love Cary's approach— highly authentic in some cases, respectfully upscaling classic dishes without pushing them till they break in others— and I loved an awful lot of this food.

Brings back memories of Soul Kitchen, which opened at the apex of Milwaukee & Damen in 1996 (it had previously been in Ukrainian Village). For nearly ten years they served the Wicker Park crowds things like pecan-crusted catfish with sides of greens and black-eyed peas as well as collard green fettucine with smoked tomato-cream sauce. Soul Kitchen's slogan was Loud Food, Spicy Music; now The Southern's is Kickass Bar + Comfort Food. What is old is new again.

I don't at all mean this as a criticism of The Southern. Your post has made me think about visiting a restaurant I previously hadn't considered for a moment.

jinswside wrote:Another affirmation the Twitter is useless, and just noise imho..

In contrast to the nonstop stream of content-rich posts here on LTHForum?

That's funny, it didn't even cross my mind that there was a Southern-food predecessor literally a quarter mile away, but I liked Soul Kitchen a lot, for a while (especially early when it was especially cheap) it was a go-to place for me. (As was the predecessor in the space, Jimo's Cafe.)

There's an interesting beer list of mostly Southern beers (Abita figures prominently). I didn't look at it that closely, but I'm sure others will.

When someone first mentioned this place a few months ago (pre-opening I guess), I thought Soul Kitchen. There was so much right about that place that I don't see at all in the many brunch spots around town. Bloody Mary with a short beer chaser, eggs sardou. Few better hangover dishes exist.

Rene G wrote:Soul Kitchen's slogan was Loud Food, Spicy Music; now The Southern's is Kickass Bar + Comfort Food. What is old is new again.

Wasn't Loud Food, Spicy Music the slogan for Starfish Café on Lincoln in the 1980s?

I think you're right. I also admired that the owners said they weren't alcoholics, they were alcoholists.

That place was actually called "StarTop Cafe". For awhile I felt it was the most exciting place in the city.

Mike G wrote:That's funny, it didn't even cross my mind that there was a Southern-food predecessor literally a quarter mile away, but I liked Soul Kitchen a lot, for a while (especially early when it was especially cheap) it was a go-to place for me. (As was the predecessor in the space, Jimo's Cafe.)

There's an interesting beer list of mostly Southern beers (Abita figures prominently). I didn't look at it that closely, but I'm sure others will.

A list of mostly Southern beers is almost by definition going to be not very good, though I get that they wanted to do it as part of the theme of the place, and they did thankfully put on a few good ones from elsewhere like Two Hearted and Old Rasputin. There are very few breweries in the South (blame the alcohol laws down there -- for a long time until just recently you couldn't get a beer over 6% ABV in Alabama, among other places) and like everywhere else, some breweries are good and some not so much but without the volume it means there are almost no good breweries down there. I've never been terribly impressed with Abita's beers. Southern Star's beers are the only ones on the Southern beer menu that I'd consider ordering -- it will be funny to see people get a can though and wonder what's going on, as they're one of the craft breweries (like Oskar Blues) that only cans their brews. And I really hope the $6 Lone Star is a misprint.

I'll definitely swing in for the food though -- we had intended to go to Chaise once we found out that it wasn't entirely just a Miami-wannabe douchebag haven and had serious food, but didn't get there before the reconcept.

EDIT: Cary informs me that the $6 Lone Star is in fact a misprint, and should be the same $3 as the PBR is.

stewed coot wrote:That place was actually called "StarTop Cafe". For awhile I felt it was the most exciting place in the city.

You're correct. Y'know, sometimes the Alzheimer's kicks in ...

Ronna and I joined some friends for a very nice meal at The Southern last week, but I just can't shake the concerns that I had with respect to the multiple personality disorder of Chaise Lounge. As Mike G noted above, The Southern has been retooled and somewhat de-blinged from its days as Chaise. (At least the first floor has been -- the second floor is still fully nightclubbed out.) Like its predecessor, however, the vibe (and layout) of The Southern still feels like a place to go drink, that just so happens to serve food. It just so happens to be very good, and sometimes excellent food, but I'm not sure how many of The Southern's patrons are noticing. I'd much rather see Chef Taylor's cooking in the spotlight instead of $3 SoCo Shots and punchbowls full of spiked lemonade, but oh well...

A bunch of the things that we got to eat are described (and some are pictured) by Mike G above. I'll give my take on them anyway:

Hush Puppies - smoked trout, artichoke, scallion
These puppies were light, airy, and very different from the grease and cornmeal bombs that I've had elsewhere. Smoked trout spread was simple and delicious.

Oyster Roast - sun-dried tomato, horseradish, saltines
I had mixed feelings about this dish. The oysters were fresh, very lightly cooked, and excellent. I was surprised to hear from Chef Taylor that they were sourced from Florida. I liked the idea of horseradish in this dish, but didn't actually taste any. The only reason I knew it was there was because the menu said so. The oysters were also covered in saltine dust. This gave it a bit of a sandy texture that I didn't care for. Maybe a more coarse chop on the crackers?

Southern Poutine - hand-cut fries, tasso ham, cheese curds
I found this to be an excellent poutine modification (southernification?). The griddled cheese curds and tasso-laced gravy really worked for me.

Johnny Cakes - Gunthorp pork, chow chow, cornmeal
These are well-described by Mike G upthread. Tender, smoky pulled pork with sweet, yet acidic chow chow. I really enjoyed the dish, despite being thrown off by the Johnny cakes not being, well, not being Johnny cakes. I think of Johnny cakes as more of a raised, fried, dough. These are cornmeal crepes. They are tasty and they work well with the rest of the dish, but then again so would Johnny cakes. Anyway, this was Ronna's favorite bite of the night, so who am I to question?

Fried Green Tomatoes - Stickney Farm chevre, caper relish, lemon
The FGTs themselves are well-prepared, but standard. The accompaniments are great here, and are what elevate this dish. Having said that, where do you get fresh green tomatoes around here in the winter, and more importantly, why?

Crab Cakes - arugula, shaved apple, dijon mustard
I spent many years in DC, and downed many Maryland crab cakes. These are excellent. Light, well-seasoned, crispy. I highly recommend.

Shirmp/Grits - blue prawns, cheddar, Frank's Red Hot
I liked these better than anyone else at the table. Shrimp were tender and perfectly cooked. Grits tasted mostly of Frank's, which was fine for me, but I could drink Frank's. YMMV.

Duck Orleans - rosemary, garlic sausage, blackeyed peas
As Chef Taylor explained, this was inspired by a "life-changing" cassoulet that he recently had in Paris. Once again, he southernified it with blackeyed peas and threw in a very good, house-made garlic sausage. Cassoulet, it seems, is really hard to pull off. This winter, we've tried several cassoulets around town. Unless you are a French bistro that has been doing it for years, perhaps you just shouldn't bother. This one, nontraditional as it is, is one of the best around.

Southern Burger - Dietzler beef, smoked bacon, remoulade
This burger has tons of potential, and at $9, is somewhat of a steal. All of its component parts are terrific, it comes with some very good french fries, but it still fell short for me. The patty was just too thin (I'd guess somewhere between a quarter and a third of a pound). I have two problems with that. First, it's really tough to cook a thin patty like this to medium-rare. Second, the wonderful bacon and remoulade seem to need a bit more beef to stand up to them. Chef Taylor noticed that our burger was closer to medium well and immediately said he was going to go run into the kitchen and remake it. We'd already cut it into four pieces, and had eaten too much food to justify downing a second burger, so we declined the offer. Bottom line, I'd rather pay a few bucks more for a fatter hunk of Dietzler. This really could be an excellent burger.

Stripped Bass - okra, fingerling potatoes, Virginia country ham, smoked seafood broth
Nice dish, with some interesting flavors and textures. I particularly liked the smoky broth and the contrast between the fried and stewed okra pieces. I smooshed the potatoes with my fork and let them soak up some of the broth. This dish was a special, but if you find it and end up ordering it, you should think about using the smooshed potato technique.

I very much like what Chef Taylor is doing here and I really hope that this incarnation of the space works out for him. We'll be back soon.

--Rich

RAB wrote:Like its predecessor, however, the vibe (and layout) of The Southern still feels like a place to go drink, that just so happens to serve food. It just so happens to be very good, and sometimes excellent food, but I'm not sure how many of The Southern's patrons are noticing.

The Southern sounds a lot like Old Town Social, good to sometimes excellent food with the majority of customers not noticing. Cuna as well, but my one experience, a comped media meal, was uneven.

RAB wrote:Hush Puppies - smoked trout, artichoke, scallion
These puppies were light, airy, and very different from the grease and cornmeal bombs that I've had elsewhere. Smoked trout spread was simple and delicious.

I love hush puppies, love smoked trout, this sounds a must-have. Is the smoked trout incorporated into the hush puppies or on the side as a spread?

After reading The Southern posts I'm going to have to pay a visit, though most likely early as to avoid remnants of the bling bar crowd.

Enjoy,
Gary

Is the smoked trout incorporated into the hush puppies or on the side as a spread?

That's it in the bowl.

Round little balls aren't necessarily the most useful shape for a solid dip like this, but it tasted good.

Mike G wrote:That's it in the bowl.

Round little balls aren't necessarily the most useful shape for a solid dip like this, but it tasted good.

Thanks, sounds and looks delicious.

Fish in hushppuppies remind me of a Central Florida BBQ buddy, Big Jim, who is justifiably famous for his Tuna and Tomato Hushpuppies. He does a tasty basic as well as Jalapeno and Cheddar. Damn, now I'm thinking about lard fried hush puppies straight from Big Jim's giant home made wok shaped fryer and tofu, sprouts and brown rice no longer seem a good idea for lunch.

Enjoy,
Gary

Mike G wrote:Round little balls aren't necessarily the most useful shape for a solid dip like this, but it tasted good.

You cut them in half and spread trout on the flat side of each half... obviously.
Amateur.
--Rich

RAB wrote:

Mike G wrote:Round little balls aren't necessarily the most useful shape for a solid dip like this, but it tasted good.

You cut them in half and spread trout on the flat side of each half... obviously.
Amateur.
--Rich

As an added benefit, if you cut them in half, they are no longer a choking hazard.

It’s a wintry dish so may not be around anymore, but I loved the pseudo-cassoulet at The Southern. Unlike most versions I’ve had of its French cousin, here each parts of the dish maintained some textural integrity, while still managing to meld all of those deliciously rich, meaty flavors. Crisp fried okra were a treat too. I miss Chaise Lounge (especially the seafood offerings which seem less plentiful at The Southern), but was quite happy with the latest incarnation of the space.

They're switching to rabbit soon, I was told.

kates wrote:They're switching to rabbit soon, I was told.

Who is switching what to rabbit?

Just after I posted this...

I miss Chaise Lounge (especially the seafood offerings which seem less plentiful at The Southern), but was quite happy with the latest incarnation of the space.

...I got this, via email

Email wrote:The Southern is now offering a seaside fish-of-the-day concept with its new
Coastal Catch. One of the focal points of the spring menu, the rotating
special features various market fish preparations from Executive Chef Cary
Taylor. His goal is to utilize fish from the South as much as possible,
such as Mississippi bass, Carolina mahi mahi and Florida grouper.

Taylor's coastal catch was created as a way for him to serve fresh and
sustainable regional products while offering a Southern dish in a lighter
fashion fit for spring. "All our fish is sustainable and day-boat catch,"
says Taylor, who works with local fishmonger Carl Galvan of Supreme
Lobster and Seafood Company to order Southern and Southeastern fish on a
routine basis.

By ordering fish in small amounts, it affords Taylor the opportunity to
rotate product on a weekly basis and keep it as fresh as can be. It also
allows him to cook ingredients that are true to his heritage and his
philosophy. Of the coastal catch, he says, "It gives me the freedom to do
what I want. Rather than feel I have to get first-of-the-season Alaskan
halibut on my menu, I'm able to highlight fish from the East and South
coasts that are just as delicious."

In line with spring, the rotating fish special is served in a light
preparation with local accompaniments. Whether the catch-of-the-day is
bass, mahi mahi, grouper, rockfish or anything else, Taylor serves the
fish grilled, dressed with lemon vinaigrette and combined with seasonal
ingredients from local sources, currently shaved asparagus, sugar snap
peas and pea tendrils from Three Sisters Garden.

Sounds great.

I agree. I noticed the change on the menu on Sunday but was so focused on trying the shrimp and grits, green potatoes and crab cakes to even consider the fish as an option. It was my first time dining at The Southern and the shrimp and grits alone is enough to add the place to my regular rotation. I need to compare their version to Big Jones though. I ride my bike pass Big Jones almost daily and unfortunately have not tried it yet. I usually have trouble making it pass Devon Avenue (coming home from the Northside) haha.

Tried the Coastal Catch this evening, and I think it's fair to say that dish was my first official taste of spring. The two decent-sized pieces of lightly-seasoned, perfectly-roasted fish (Virginia fluke today) had a golden brown crust but were tender & moist inside. The fish sat on top of wilted baby arugula, very lightly cooked, lightly seasoned, crisp asparagus & sugar snap pea segments, and sugar snap pea tendrils.

While it seemed like the dish didn't have any seasoning whatsoever, the fact that everything tasted so...like itself, I guess...tells me that it was actually perfectly seasoned. The fish tasted fresh and ever-so-slightly fishy (in a very good way), and the veggies were crisp and technicolor-bright, and were the most "green"-tasting things I've eaten so far in 2010.

Also, the "dirty south" okra with pimento cheese spread might just be the ultimate bar snack. I ordered a Presbyterian cocktail (rye, club soda, ginger ale, twist of lemon), but after tasting one of those fried okra, I wished I'd gotten a frosty bottle of Abita Jockamo IPA instead.

Mike G wrote:That's funny, it didn't even cross my mind that there was a Southern-food predecessor literally a quarter mile away, but I liked Soul Kitchen a lot, for a while (especially early when it was especially cheap) it was a go-to place for me. (As was the predecessor in the space, Jimo's Cafe.)

If you're willing to step into the wayback machine, Dixie Kitchen once held the SW corner of Damen & Fullerton; the original incarnation of Wishbone was fringe Wicker Park; and by the time Soul Kitchen closed, Handlebar was there to fill the stewed southern greens vaccuum. Damen Ave. and its environs may have launched more collards restaurants than anyplace else north of Madison St.

ryanwc wrote:If you're willing to step into the wayback machine, Dixie Kitchen once held the SW corner of Damen & Fullerton;

You mean Dixie Que, opened by Mel Markon in 1990, perhaps the only barbecue house ever to feature Jewish-deli-style sweet-and-sour cabbage soup.

LTH,

Stopped at The Southern for a drink after Lillie's Q last week. Even though we had just had ribs Johnny cakes with smoked pork and chow chow beckoned. Light, almost delicate, johnny cakes, moist smokey pork and tangy/sweet chow chow rolled into a taco made for a delicious bar snack.

Johnny cakes, smoked pork, chow chow



We chatted a bit with Chef Cary Taylor, an extremely personable fellow, and he was kind enough to show us his smoker setup. Now this is real urban BBQ.

Chef Cary Taylor with 'Alley' Smoker



Chef Taylor was working on his dish for the now past Whiskey Dinner at Vie, where none other than our very own Ronnie_Suburban did the opening cocktail, The Moderator.





Shelfish trio, raw oyster (belon), poached shrimp, scallop "lardo'



Not sure if I've said yes quite so quickly* as when asked if I care to try one of the practice runs. Shrimp perfectly poached, oyster singing of the sea, but the silky wafer thin coins of cold smoked scallop have me twitching just thinking about them. One of the best bites of my 2010.

This is my second visit, first time was later in the evening for a drink and, even though I am not their demographic, they couldn't have been friendlier. Only planned on a quick check the place out and ended up chatting with bartender Erik and off duty hostess Erin for well over an hour. Two nicer people would be hard to find.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Possibly to Tammy T senior year in high school

Had brunch at the Southern this morning to celebrate a friend's birthday. At the direction of the person who answered the phone late last week, we arrived at the stroke of 11 in order to beat the brunch rush. However...they had opened early to accommodate a large group of runners who had been in a marathon that morning (something I was clueless about) and suffice it to say - the Southern was not really prepared for the onslaught. The hostess tried to persuade us to leave in a sort of non-persuasive way -- "It's going to be AT LEAST a half-hour wait", complete with this look in her eyes that was almost a pleading. I think if she could have wrung her hands and begged us, she would have -- they were totally slammed. Nevertheless, we opted to wait and were going to attempt to get drinks at the very crowded bar but honestly -- it thinned out maybe 15 minutes after we arrived and we were sort of haphazardly sat about 10 minutes after that. All the food that zipped by us was soo tempting looking that we really had little other choice.

There were other service issues -- our waiter, a very pleasant and nice guy, completely messed up our order (which was pretty easy because we all had the same thing) and we were presented with three Fried Egg sandwiches instead of the Fried Chicken and Biscuits we had ordered. They did fix the error quickly (really quickly considering that we were waiting a very long time for our food) but the waiter seemed baffled by the whole thing. We also had problems getting silverware, cream and sugar and we had ordered donuts that never materialized. All of these issues would probably have put me off ever going here again but everyone was very nice and it was a beautiful day and we just rode it out. And of course...then the real food came..and it was worth it.

First we had an order of their breakfast mac and cheese for the table -- absolutely delicious. Creamy shells with a nice smoky gouda flavor, dotted with large pieces of very good andouille sausage -- it was an artery clogging treat. Could have eaten a whole portion by myself easily but it was probably good we shared it. It also included scrambled eggs in the sauce -- it was an interesting touch -- not sure it added much to the mix but it didn't detract from it. Then...the fried chicken and biscuit. Some of the best fried chicken I've ever had in this city. Really good. Juicy, flavorful, perfectly done and the biscuit was a genuine southern gem. We also had a side order of their slightly spicy cheesy grits and I could have them every day. The chicken was accompanied by a great smoky tasso ham gravy -- would have liked more of it and next time I'll get an extra side of it.

Cocktails were uniformly good -- I had the Southern Belle with rum, prosecco, lemon juice and Chambord . Very nice and tart. Despite our odd service issues, I am definitely coming back for more. They only serve the chicken on the weekends (unless you order it 48 hours in advance with a large party) so believe me -- when I want fried chicken, this is where I'm headed.

great pics wiv.
i enjoyed the southern johnny cakes were outstanding.
that oyster was the best ever.
hat is off to chef cary

Read up post we serve chicken on Sundays at brunch and by special reservation. This is true, but I just wanted to update that by letting you know we'll be serving fried chicken every Wednesday night too! Sorry if this is a shill, but I just wanted to clarify our schedule.

Cary Taylor
Executive Chef
The Southern