Lure Pub - Izakaya in Chinatown Mall [closed, relocating(?)]

I stopped here for a quick snack today. The Littleneck clams in bonito-sake broth were pristine and delicious. The broth was quite subtle, not as fishy as the server led me to believe--very pleasant.



I also had the oak-grilled lamb chops over golden beets with a yuzu dressing. These were wonderful. The lamb was slightly more done than it needed to be but still ballet pink--very simple and all about the meat. Maybe the best thing I've eaten lately.



I had to save room for a late dinner tonight, but I'm returning to Lure with friends for geisha night next Friday. Each night of the week has a different theme such as geisha, pink, Green Hornet and fashion. According to the Reader, customers who dress for the night's theme get 10% off their bill. We shall see! A DJ spins at least Thursday and Friday nights (there may be more nights; I didn't understand fully) starting at 10pm.

Also, Lure now has a liquor license.

Lure Izakaya Pub
2017 S. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60616
312-225-8989

Lure sounds great -- I've always been overwhelmed by Chinatown. And I just have to say, if there were lthforum awards for Best Choice of Words in a Very Small Space then your ballet pink/lamb action would be right up there. Maybe it's becasue that's exactly how I like mine. Next time someone asks me how I want my lamb (or beef) cooked, I will say, happily, "Ballet Pink." (Not Red Shoes Bloody but rather Ballet Pink.)

To get back to the OP intent, any other dishes that shine here?

thanks!

bjt

I have to say I really am looking forward to trying this place - Thanks happy_stomach!

happy_stomach wrote:I had to save room for a late dinner tonight, but I'm returning to Lure with friends for geisha night next Friday. Each night of the week has a different theme such as geisha, pink, Green Hornet and fashion. According to the Reader, customers who dress for the night's theme get 10% off their bill. We shall see! A DJ spins at least Thursday and Friday nights (there may be more nights; I didn't understand fully) starting at 10pm.

Oops. Gave some wrong information here. Sundays are geisha night, not Fridays. This is the theme night schedule:

http://www.lurechicago.com/ wrote:Lure presents playful theme nights every night from 10pm - 2am . Come try our featured cocktail served by Geishas, Lolita Girls , or Green Hornets -- depending on the night.

Guests who dressed for the theme will receive a 10% discount
( and have more fun) !

Monday : Vampire
Tuesday : Fashion Week
Wednesday : Lolita
Thursday : Live Music
Friday : Green-Hornet
Saturday : Pink
Sunday : Geisha

happy_stomach wrote:Oops. Gave some wrong information here. Sundays are geisha night, not Fridays.

Found out the hard way.

The ride home on the Red Line was a bit uncomfortable.

cilantro wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:Oops. Gave some wrong information here. Sundays are geisha night, not Fridays.

Found out the hard way.

The ride home on the Red Line was a bit uncomfortable.

I went without dressing up last Thursday, and they said "oh, no, you need to come back on Monday." Need a tan, badly.

Boy, it's a really good thing my friend and I showed up in full costume and make-up at Lure last night because the staff had forgotten it was geisha night! Silly people. They changed into their kimonos after serving us our dinner. We now have the distinction of being the first Lure customers to dress up for any of the theme nights.

One of the owners, Angie, was so grateful for our participation that she brought us out a Blushing Geisha cocktail and doubled the usual theme night costume discount for our meal. Before we left, she also gave us an obi folding lesson since apparently my elaborate get-up (inspired by a YouTube tutorial) signified that I was a married woman attending a funeral. Now I know the proper way to to fold an obi like a prostitute.

I'll post a food report and photos when I recover.

Looking forward to all the photos. And maybe an obi-reading lesson so as not to make embarrassing mistakes.

Too funny!

happy_stomach wrote:Now I know the proper way to to fold an obi like a prostitute.

Ha, I thought I was the only one who folded his prostitutes that way.

happy_stomach wrote:Boy, it's a really good thing my friend and I showed up in full costume and make-up at Lure last night because the staff had forgotten it was geisha night! Silly people. They changed into their kimonos after serving us our dinner. We now have the distinction of being the first Lure customers to dress up for any of the theme nights.

One of the owners, Angie, was so grateful for our participation that she brought us out a Blushing Geisha cocktail and doubled the usual theme night costume discount for our meal. Before we left, she also gave us an obi folding lesson since apparently my elaborate get-up (inspired by a YouTube tutorial) signified that I was a married woman attending a funeral. Now I know the proper way to to fold an obi like a prostitute.

I'll post a food report and photos when I recover.

Lure posted pictures of you from Geisha Night on their facebook profile. You are internet famous

TAC Crazy wrote:Lure posted pictures of you from Geisha Night on their facebook profile. You are internet famous

Oh, f^©k. OK, my report is coming soon.

So Geisha Night on Sunday. My friend and I walked in around 10:30pm.

Friend: There's no one here.
Me: There's no one in geisha costume.

We had spent over two hours getting ready (obi-folding took over an hour; me figuring out how I was going to use the bathroom after getting into my costume, another 20 minutes)--so we stayed. I'll start with the excellent. The air-dried cherry wood-grilled mackerel was delicious and the best thing I've eaten at Lure so far. Cooked perfectly with some very nice aromatics from the wood. It's been about two years since my last visit to Sunshine Cafe for grilled mackerel; I think I may have a new favorite.



In comparison, the oak-grilled sardine with pickled Japanese ginger root was fine but not special.



I liked the idea of Lure's bone marrow maki, and it had a lot going on texturally. Unfortunately, the subtle flavors were washed out by the tomato garnish. I advocate for no tomatoes and a deeper infusion of marrow.



According to the menu, rock shrimp yamaim is "for the adventurous only." I didn't mind the foamy, viscous texture, and the quality of the shrimp was very good. This dish, however, we also found bland. Some heat would have helped tremendously.



The night's special cocktail was the Blushing Geisha, a sake-based concoction. It actually wasn't as sweet as it looks and was quite enjoyable assuming one isn't looking to taste booze. It was very kind of Angie to bring this out to us on the house (and to card us).


(Photo courtesy of Lure)

Before we left, we posed with the staff geishas.



FAQs:
Did I bike to Lure in my kimono?
No, I didn't want to mess up my make-up. It turns out that being wrapped in a obi is what I imagine it feels like to be a trussed chicken. I didn't step out of the car so much as roll out onto the sidewalk. Fortunately, there were lots of passersby to see me.

What did the staff say to us when we walked in?
At first, they didn't acknowledge our costumes at all. That was only extremely awkward. Finally, after making some small talk with us, our server asked if it was just coincidence that we were dressed like geishas or if we knew it was a theme night. I answered after a hearty pause.

Would I do this again?
Hell, yes. I've got the perfect little Helmut Lang number for Fashion Night, and I'm scheming my Lolita outfit. I hope Lure succeeds. It's nice to have a place that's trying to turn out good food and not take itself too seriously.

happy_stomach wrote:So Geisha Night on Sunday. My friend and I walked in around 10:30pm.






(Photo courtesy of Lure)

Before we left, we posed with the staff geishas.

Clearly the theme for our next Girls Night In, we dare you to top that Oak Park Boys.

Quite enjoyed a recent date at Lure. I'm not one for clubby restaurant decor, but some of the lighting effects were trippy enough to tickle my rave bone. Service was a bit scattered, a really nice, engaging hostess, then an awkwardly assertive server, followed by rushed bussing.
Drinks were fine. Beer pours seemed generous at $4, but it may have been an illusion with their large glassware. We both tried a refreshing drink of ginger, sake, and sparkling wine which seemed steep at $8 for a relatively light cocktail.
The food was consistently pretty great. Each dish seemed to improve on the last, the pacing was a bit hurried, though seemed considered. We ordered seven plates which was definitely just about right for two of us with moderate appetites. We ate:

Shishito
My trend-o-meter buzzing, I can't resist a plate of charred peppers. Perhaps the weakest dish of the night though, they were not quite grilled enough. And darkening seeds in chiles, I do not know the exact science of why this happens, but I've handled enough to know that the seeds seem to darken as they pass their prime.

Duck Breast
seared, jalapeño-mirin-soy marinated, serve chilled
Five thin slices of seared duck breast, lusciously pink. Could not detect jalapeño heat. Soy-mirin was drizzled on the dish, though perhaps not marinated as such. The meat was nested upon a nice tangle of shredded raw golden beets. The dish came together well, though was a notch too soy- salty.

Baby Octopus
spicy chile-sesame sauce
A nod to Korean bbq served in a gochujang-like chile paste fortified with sesame oil. My kind of dish. The smaller sized baby octopus, charred at the tips of its tentacles. Served atop an assorted seaweed salad which added textural intrigue. Nice.

Lamb Chops
Cooked medium, held properly. Mild tasting meat served very much like the duck breast with golden beets (no matter to me, love the stuff) with an enhanced soy drizzle, this time yuzu miso citrus which was nicely balanced between salty and sour. Good dish, the lamb lightly charred, was a bit dainty for my taste.

Tempura Avocado
One of the better valued three-dollar-snacks in town. Seemingly a whole avocado cut into bite sized chunks and fried in a light tempura. Good, but even better dipped in the ponzu that was served with our fish that came out later.

Black Mussels
tomato, butter-miso-coconut broth
The sleeper hit of the night. I'd been avoiding mussels for awhile, they are just so very disappointing when they aren't fresh, yet there they are on menus all over town where they probably shouldn't be. These, on the other hand, were plump, sweet, and just ever so briny. And the cooking liquor, which sounded a bit all- over- the- place to me, came together to sing a sweet, rich, and smacking with umami chorus. Off season grape tomatoes even tasted good in there.

Madai Himono
I've been on a major whole fish kick lately. My girl isn't as down with the oily skinny guys as I, so we opted for the "Japanese snapper" over the sardines and mackerel. This new-to-me fish had been on the brain from Sula's recent article anyhow. It was awesome. Butterflied with the spine and rib bones removed, it was really easy to pick at with chop sticks. The skin was perfectly charred, as were the fins. I happily crunched on the crispy tail which would have made my old man proud. The flesh of the fish was pleasantly dry- I know there is an air-drying process to the method with which they prep fish here and it yielded a firm, somewhat salty meat. There was not a scrap of edible left on this plate. I can't wait to work through all of their whole fish offerings.

Coconut Brioche Bread Pudding
with pineapple confit
This was fancily plated but served with smallish spoons that proved difficult to carve bites off the slippery, fancily rectangular slabs of alternating pudding and fruit. It looked cool and was fine for a dessert (my girl has the sweet tooth), but seemed out of proportion with more pineapple than bread pudding. And how can you confit w/o fat, isn't that candy?

The bill was higher than we expected, though we were liberal ordering drinks and don't usually do dessert. While all of the plates appear quite cheap on paper, some are pretty small (the duck, shishito, lamb) and they add up. However, other dishes were more bang for the buck (Avocado, mussels, whole fish). Overall for the experience and the creativity and skill with which the food is executed, I would consider Lure to be of very good value.

In pastry you confit fruit (I've only used citrus) by simmering it in a sugar syrup, letting it sit for a day, then re-simmering it with new sugar syrup, and repeating this process over several days, and maybe even weeks/months. I believe you poke holes in the skin of the citrus so the syrup can penetrate.

In pastry you confit fruit (I've only used citrus) by simmering it in a sugar syrup, letting it sit for a day, then re-simmering it with new sugar syrup, and repeating this process over several days, and maybe even weeks/months. I believe you poke holes in the skin of the citrus so the syrup can penetrate.

I find this so interesting...I never knew!

mbh wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:So Geisha Night on Sunday. My friend and I walked in around 10:30pm.






(Photo courtesy of Lure)

Before we left, we posed with the staff geishas.

Clearly the theme for our next Girls Night In, we dare you to top that Oak Park Boys.

Seriously?! Please don't tempt fate like that - the LAST thing you want to see is that motley crew in drag.


edited to add - you all look beautiful!

Lure is today's Bloomspot deal

http://www.bloomspot.com/chicago/lure-izakaya-pub/

I bought a bloomspot deal for Lure and a friend and I finally went to try it last night. I'd been to a more traditional (read: hole in the wall noodle shop type) in Atlanta, so I had a bit of an idea what to expect. Photos with iphone, so not amazing photography.

It seemed pretty empty for ~8 on a Saturday night. I'd grabbed the 5-plates-and-sake-flight bloomspot coupon, so we started with a split-for-two Sake flight.

I admit, I am not a huge sake fan; these were fine, complex, but I felt like they were a bit lost on me.



The cocktails were delicious, I forgot to take a picture but I had something made with muddled kiwi that was fantastic.

We started with four dishes: including the duck mentioned above (forgot to snap a picture).

The Ceviche: akayu fish, scallops, roch shrimp, red onion, avocado, yuzu white soy citrus. Delicious, fresh, and refreshingly different. Loved the melon.



The Summer Salad: Watermelon, feta, grapes, watercress, and pear cactus dressing. Could have used something a little more citrusey to make it pop, but then, I eat my watermelon with fresh lime on it most of the time so my taste may be a little skewed.



Spaceship crispy gyoza. Deliciously and perfectly crispy; my friend's favorite from the first round.



Braised pork belly with pickled bok choy and golden beet. I loved this, but then... it's hard to find a pork belly I don't like.



Lamb chops with yuzu miso citrus. Delicious but baaaaarely pink. We still gnawed the bones.




Baby octopus in chili-sesame sauce. Simple, delicious, perfectly cooked. (I have to say though we were pretty full by the time this came out, so it didn't get its full attention)



I ordered the yellowtail cheek at the suggestion of the waiter. Very strongly flavored fish, reminded me of the grilled mackerel I'd had. Perfect in its simplicity, though.



As I was chatting with the waiter near the end of the meal, I mentioned that I hadn't seen my absolute favorite izakaya dish, takoyaki, on the menu. He got excited and said "we CAN make that!" and ran off to place the order. It took around 25 minutes to come out, and he said that they don't have it on the regular menu because it takes so long to make, and you can really only get it when it's slow and they have the staff/time/etc to make it, and they refuse to resort to premade takoyaki. (it was probably nearing 10 by this point I think).



Not going to lie, it's one of my favorite dishes all around and was my favorite of the night, too. I burned the crap out of my mouth on the first one; I forgot how hot they come out, but they were perfect.

This was actually the first time in my life I've been to Chicago's chinatown even though I've lived here my whole life. I loved exploring the dishes at Lure; staff was friendly and attentive and I pretty much enjoyed every dish we ordered. I have a few I want to try, so I'll definitely be back.

lunanoir wrote:I bought a bloomspot deal for Lure and a friend and I finally went to try it last night.

Thanks for the report! Unfortunately, it looks like Lure has done away with the theme nights, which reminds me that I never posted on Lolita night. Now, that was a night for the books...

happy_stomach wrote:

lunanoir wrote:I bought a bloomspot deal for Lure and a friend and I finally went to try it last night.

Thanks for the report! Unfortunately, it looks like Lure has done away with the theme nights, which reminds me that I never posted on Lolita night. Now, that was a night for the books...

Hah, yeah, I'd actually noticed that they didn't have the theme nights mentioned on their website anymore.

Lure just tweeted at me: they still have theme nights!

Unfortunately, Lolita Night has been replaced by Pale Fire Night. I went and it was a confusing and allusive descent into madness.

cilantro wrote:Unfortunately, Lolita Night has been replaced by Pale Fire Night. I went and it was a confusing and allusive descent into madness.

Probably would have been much more disconcerting had they swithed to Ada Night.

Fiancee had never been to Chinatown though she's lived here her entire life, so I decided to change that. Had a nice stroll through town, pointed out Little Three Happiness, and finally took advantage of the Bloomspot deal mentioned above.

From the moment we stepped inside, Lure was not what we were expecting.

Very colorful, and very modern.

Sake Flight


Fresh Oysters

Didn't pack a whole lot of flavor.

Lobster Spaghetti with garlic mascarpone sauce



This was delicious. Overflowing with lobster meat.

Fried Quail Legs


Beef Sashimi togarashi mayonnaise, truffle oil, chive




Baby Octopus spicy chili-sesame sauce

substitute the words spicy chili-sesame for barbecue and we'll have a more accurate description. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this, though I do wish the octopus was cooked for just a minute longer.

Seafood Rice tomato fried rice with sausage, bacon, shrimp, lobster meat



My favorite. Hearty, meaty...though I'd never be able to finish it. This dish is never ending.

Caramel Coconut Gelato homemade caramel, peanut

...It was ice cream...

Yuzu Crème Brulée

When I asked our server how the Creme Brulee was, he replied, "It's Creme Brulee..." I would have to echo his enthusiasm. Not very good at all.

Overall, I enjoyed our meal. Probably not the first place you want to take someone who has never been to Chinatown, but I'll be back. Actually, I have to come back...I accidentally purchased the deal twice.

...Would anyone like a coupon?

*edit*
Forgot to mention how great the value was. Average dish costs about 5 dollars.

incite wrote:...Would anyone like a coupon?

If you're serious I'd be happy to reimburse you whatever you paid for it - how long is it good for?

I recently stopped in for a quick snack, and got a very tasty, sinus-clearing one: the scallops with wasabi sauce. It's made with a smack-you-in-the-face dose of somewhat rarely found fresh horseradish. Good stuff to liven up a cold, dreary day.

Made my initial visit to Lure Wednesday night.
I'm hooked.

My oldest daughter Rachel served as my lovely dining companion.



As you can clearly see she from the evidence below she gets her looks from her mother.



I had a Kirin but Rachel hit a home run by picking the strawberry-guava ginger ale.
The leaves of lavender in this were just a perfect touch.



The potato croquettes were a nice start but could have used a hint more salt, just seemed a bit flat.
The sauce was a nice rendition of Bulldog but just a little more fruity.



The kurobuta pork tonkatsu was great. This was one of the nights specials, not on the regular menu.
Porky flavor squared with just enough fat to make it luxurious without being greasy. The curry rice underneath was a good match but was not significantly better than we make at home.
Still, it was a great dish. The pork is clearly the star here.



Lobster spaghetti will be a must have for me on future visits.
We both skipped over most of the rice of the previous dish so we could carb-load on this.



Lamb chops were the stand out dish of the night. Just perfect. The tangy sauce and the golden beets were such a great combo I'd order just a dish of those.
We talked about this dish the entire drive home.



Spaceship gyoza was an unexpectedly large portion. Very well done and even Rachel, who doesn't really do spicy, loved the combo of toasted sesame and hot chilli oils.
The surprising thing about this dish was that we both commented on how good a match the tomatoes were and how they really brought it all together.



We finished with tiramisu I was a little apprehensive about the generous portion of powdered green tea which can be bitter but it complemented the sweetness of the cake very well.



I'm very happy to say we didn't have a single clunker on the table. Each dish was very enjoyable. Portions were larger than I expected given the very reasonable pricing, and the entire staff was welcoming and warm.

Rachel has already asked about bringing friends there for her next birthday.
I think it's a great idea.

Very excited to go here Saturday to use the Groupon I bought a while back. Plan to get the prix fixe stuff plus a bunch of extra courses!