Ruxbin Kitchen

I ate at Ruxbin Kitchen on Thursday with a friend and found it to be overall really good. This is a new BYOB in the Wicker Park/West Town area on Ashland. It's a small space, consisting of 32 seats. They don't take reservations, so if you don't get there early, you should expect to wait a bit. My friend and I actually ended up ordering the very same dishes, so I can only comment on three items on the menu. I didn't have a camera, so sorry that there are no photos.

First course: Croque Monsieur - This is somewhat similar to the classic French sandwich, but with two pieces served open faced. The ham is very good, as is the roasted tomatoes that is served on the sandwich. Instead of a more traditional mustard, there's a marmalade and an olive tapenade served on top. A very good start.

Main course: Hangar steak - The hangar steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and served slices in a circle over the top of a nice helping of goat cheese grits. There were roasted brussel sprouts and onions that were also roasted or perhaps sauteed that were served around the plate as well. This was an excellent dish.

Dessert: Lychee and Coconut Panna Cotta - The dessert list consists of only two items, the other being an orange and chocolate bread pudding. I chose the panna cotta because of the dessert wine I had brought, which was a Canadian late-harvest Vidal from Daniel Lenko Winery. The panna cotta was very good, with a sprinkling of toasted coconut over the top.

The service was generally excellent and pleasant, except at the end and this provided the only negative spot of the evening. It was clear that they wanted to turn the table and get us out of there, because the waitress hovered a bit while we were having dessert and actually started to take my friend's half eaten dessert when he paused for 30 seconds for our discussion. As soon as he was done, the bowl was wisked away and the check put on the table. As I said, it's a small place that is gaining traction. I think they would do better to start taking reservations instead of staring down early diners to get them to leave so they could get the later diners in there. BTW, we arrived there at about 6:30 and were done by 8:00, so it's not like we parked it at the table and dragged things out. Anyway, that was the only negative in what was otherwise very good service.

I'll definitely return and order something else to try the rest of the menu.

Ruxbin Kitchen
851 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
312-624-8509
Website
Tu-Su 5:30 -10:00

I agree with John. The tables are very close together and if they don't start taking resos, people aren't going to bother with the wait. The food I had was very delicious (hangar steak), but nothing over the top and a small menu, that I want to wait in line for, although that avocado bruschetta was something I would get again.

I had dinner at Ruxbin last night and it exceeded my expectations. We arrived at around 6:00 and only a few tables were occupied. This was probably as a result of the fact that it was a Sunday night and a holiday weekend. We had a bottle of champagne (Lallement) and perused the menu but had ordered some K-Town emapanadas for a snack while we chatted and looked at the menu. The empanadas were very good, but mostly because I have a hard time disliking fried items that are prepared well. The filling was a bit underwhelming but the crust was delicious.

We followed that up with a very good calamari bokkum (very tender calamari with potatoes and a few other items with chile paste) and my GF had a salad that sounded good but I didn't try. For main courses we had short ribs over goat cheese grits, chicken thigh carnitas and a very moist breast over cheddar and cumin waffles with apple slaw and two orders of trout over tabbouleh with asparagus. We had a bottle of Knoll 2006 Loibnerberg Gruner (Smaragd) and 2006 Knoll Loibnerberg Riesling (Smaragd) which were pretty well matched to the food (since they go with everything). Dessert was a bread pudding with chocolate and oranges that, while untouched by me garnered high praise from those who tried it. Since we were having such a good time talking, my gf insisted we open (and drain) a 1998 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin after we finished eating. I would have had it with the short ribs if I thought we needed it.

Service was efficient. We brought glasses for the champagne but did not bring wine glasses (which is very unusual for me). We relied on the restaurants glassware and they use something similar to the Riedel O glass (without a stem). I hate those things and will make the extra effort of bringing something resembling a wine glass next time. Corkage was $5 for the table.

I was there on one previous occasion on a weeknight and it was quite hectic with a lot of people waiting tables outside as there is no comfortable place to wait inside. Last night there were never more than four other tables occupied, it was pretty quiet (except for us) and I think that helped the experience. The menu is a bit small (maybe 7 starters and 5 mains) and it is a bit difficult for me to find something that I really want. I liked what I had last night and will certainly return before they change the menu.

I also thought the design of the room was very well done on what looked to be a very reasonable budget. They used mostly reclaimed items and managed to assemble them in a very striking manner. The ccokbook pages on the ceiling were a very nice touch. I think they used the same architecture firm as Simone's bar in Pilsen.

deesher wrote:I also thought the design of the room was very well done on what looked to be a very reasonable budget. They used mostly reclaimed items and managed to assemble them in a very striking manner. The ccokbook pages on the ceiling were a very nice touch. I think they used the same architecture firm as Simone's bar in Pilsen.

AlterEgo Form designed the space--yes, the same firm as Simone's. Probably not a super modest budget.

I found the food very good and can't wait to return, plus........coolest bathroom entrance ever.

deesher wrote:The ccokbook pages on the ceiling were a very nice touch.

FWIW...

Books, of course, have been used for decoration basically since the very first books. In contemporary design, they seem to come and go, but I've noticed perhaps a mini trend in the last year of books...on ceilings...in restaurants. It didn't help that I wasn't crazy about the food and general atmosphere at Ruxbin the one time I dined there, but as somewhat of a bibliophile, I really didn't care for the torn-up cookbooks above my head:


(photo by Chandler West for TimeOut Chicago)

It seems worse than the skewered books in Front Studio's design for the McNally Jackson cafe in SoHo:




(I think the book pages they used for wallpaper are facsimiles.)

I would prefer that no books were harmed in any design but especially not for spaces in which I eat. Nemo Workshop's design for D'espresso in Midtown Manhattan is one alternative. Inspired by the nearby main branch of the New York Public Library, the "books" are sepia-toned photos screened on tile that lines the cafe's floor, back wall and ceiling:



I reckon the tilted design would make me too dizzy to enjoy any food or drink, but at least no books were hurt.

Jan and I went to Ruxbin last night, and I liked it less than I did the first time in September. I think what drove that opinion was the small menu, where most of the options just didn't ring for us.

I started with the Croque Monsueir, which looked different than the first time I had it. It consisted of four half-slices of baguette grilled with ham, gruyere, roasted tomato and an herb oil. The baguette was grilled crunchy, which had a good mouthfeel, but a couple of the pieces were burned on the bottom. The topping was mostly the tomato, with the ham and cheese not really to be found. I just went with it and didn't question it, as we were engaged in conversation so I didn't want to interrupt the flow.

Jan started with the special soup, which was carrot lemongrass. I didn't taste it but she liked it a lot.

My main course was the braised short ribs with brussel sprouts and goat cheese grits. This was really good. The short ribs were cooked perfectly and the grits had a great flavor. The brussel sprouts were a little too al dente but not enough to be a problem.

Jan's main course was the hangar steak with crispy greens and kimchee potato hash. While she liked the dish very much, I thought it looked really unappetizing on the plate. It was essentially a plate of brown food. The potato has was pretty dark, and the crispy greens turned out to be spinach leaves that had been fried in a way to maintain their shape and make them crispy. The spinach leaves were creative, but had a strange flavor when eaten by themselves. Anyway, the dish probably needs some kind of color added to break up the brown.

The dessert menu is a complete non-starter for me, consisting of only two options (berry shortcake and lychee panna cotta). We high-tailed it to our old mainstay, Windy City Sweets.

Overall, the dinner was ok but I was left with a feeling that I won't be back for a long time.

I went to Ruxbin for the first time 4 nights ago. I really enjoyed it. My wife and I split the garlic fries and the calamari for appetizers. The garlic fries were addictively good -- the dipping sauce had a really nice smokiness (ancho chiles?). The calamari was nice too -- Korean spices provided a good change of pace.

I had the veal chop - a special that night -for my entree. (For the life of me I can't remember what my wife had - some kind of fish I think). The veal chop was great. Our waiter brought it out to me before it was cooked to just show me the awesomeness of the cut of meat -- it was a site to behold! Cooked nicely to a medium rare and plated with some sort of wine reduction that provided a nice sweetness, the chop was delicious. It also came with dandelion greens, a good bitter counter punch to the sweetness of the reduction.

The waiter was obviously very into the food. He was very happy to discuss our dishes (not just whether we liked them, but why), and after I finished the chop, he asked if I would change anything about the preparation.

Dessert was decent. Yes, I have read the comments about there only being two options on the menu, but I was satisfied with the one I chose.

I think Ruxbin is a great neighborhood spot. It's small, it's welcoming, and it puts out solid food.

Has this place moved?

A friend swears something else is in its space.

pairs4life wrote:Has this place moved?

No.

happy_stomach wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Has this place moved?

No.

Thanks.

I'm mad at myself for waiting until now to try Ruxbin. Stupid me. Everything was delicious. My favorites of the night were the calamari bokkum, hangar steak, and lychee panna cotta. The restaurant was full before 7:30pm this past Tuesday. When all the tables became occupied, the noise level increased significantly, but that didn't detract from the fantastic meal! Still re-living all that good food...


Calamari Bokkum.


Pan Seared Trout.


Hangar Steak.


Berry Shortcake.

I ate at ruxbin just after it opened. I met up with a friend who i had not seen in years, so i was more concerned having a good time with my friend than noticing food or service flaw
sardine toast
everything may have changed, but i had some sardine, asparagus, salsa verde , avacado, tomoato croute. It could have used more sardine or less garnish, and for a restaurant saying they "try" to support local farms adn cook within seasons it confused me that they had asparagus and tomato in winter.
Moules and frites
Another dish we had was the moules and frites with togarashi. the server brought out a heaping bowl of mussels, and it looked good. i first atethe fries and they were really crispy and delicious. . Anyway, we ate the frites and since there was a lot of the liquid left, i asked the server if i could have some bread to soak up the mussel jus. she gave me a flat out no. I told her that i would appreciate bread, and if she could ask the chef for some since we had bread on a dish earlier. she still said it wasn't poosible, so i asked for a spoon. the broth was thin and only tasted of mussels. i kind of was expecting some more saucework.
entrees
i think i had the hanger steak with caluiflower puree and possibly kale or other crucifereous veg. the puree was delicious- nice flavor, seasoned, and good smooth texture. i think my friend had the trout.

i used to live a block or two form the restauratn, so i was excited for a new neighborhood restaurant. having moved to lincoln square, i want to make a trip down to ruxbin to give it another try.

Anyone been lately? After their #5 rating I thought this place would have popped up with some recent reports.

Top of my list.

I haven't been in several months, but the wait at about 7:30 this past Tuesday was about 2 hours.

eh for me the place is in the "good but not worth waiting for" zone, so unless i'm eating super early or they get some sort of reservation system, i probably won't be back for awhile.

aschie30 wrote:I haven't been in several months, but the wait at about 7:30 this past Tuesday was about 2 hours.

We called on Sunday at 6:30 and the wait was also just under 2 hours. Apparently the word is out!

Lerdawg wrote:

aschie30 wrote:I haven't been in several months, but the wait at about 7:30 this past Tuesday was about 2 hours.

We called on Sunday at 6:30 and the wait was also just under 2 hours. Apparently the word is out!

Yes, indeed, the word is out.

Went to Ruxbin Saturday night and had a great time. The food and service were excellent. For the price- and quality-level I can see us eating here quite often. Everything was expertly prepared and we did not feel rushed in the slightest.

We showed up at 5:10 and there were already seven people in the queue. By 5:30 (open) there were around 30 people waiting. Needless to say, if you don't make the first seating you'll be waiting until 7 or 7:30 (minimum) when the first wave starts rolling out.

Some comments on the food:

• The starter popcorn was a nice little muncher while browsing the menu.

• The house made papaya soda was nice. The green tea blend with mint arrived in a French press and was also quite good.

• The apps rolled out quickly. The seared calamari with chili peanut sauce was really yummy. It looked exactly like the photo above; cooked perfectly with a nice sear.

• The garlic fries were, to us, absolutely perfect. Yes, they were "just fries" but they were just the right thickness and crispiness, with crusted-on garlic, salt and spices. Honestly you didn't even need to dip these in the chipotle aioli, they were so damn good. Of course if you did go for the aioli, they got even better. True reference-quality fries for me; I'm not sure I've had better anywhere.

• The soba was a bit of an adventure for me as I've never had it before and wanted to try something different. (I'm a sucker for things with poached eggs in them, people tell me.) My server advised me to just mix up the bowl and have at it so that's what I did. It was a fun experience. The accompanying pickled vegetables served as nice palate cleansers between the different bites.

• The clam bake was a monstrous bowl of clams served with sake broth, sweet corn and tomatoes. The sweet lap cheong sausage worked with the clams. The micro greens cooked in salt water were pretty fun, too. A perfect summer dish IMO.

• We ended with the lychee panna cotta which looked exactly as pictured above. Fairly light, tasty and refreshing after a really solid meal.

Can't wait to go back and try other items!

We liked this place so much that we went back this past Friday, again.


Garlic Fries | house-cut, double fried, chipotle aioli


Flatbread | housemade ricotta, dried beets, radishes, and some other tasty items I'm forgetting


Amish Chicken | roasted breast, confit leg on a bed of Israeli couscous


Halibut | olive oil poached, basmati, wild rice and summer vegetables


Berry Shortcake | balsamic reduction, all kinds of other stuff



After two trips we feel like we have a solid sense of Ruxbin, because of the small size of their menu.

There's something really special about Ruxbin: that neighborhood feel, the casual yet intimate space and the expertly prepared food. We have a ton of fun here.

(Edited to update new photo links.)

I went to Ruxbin the first time last week. It had been on my radar for a while, but I had put it off since they don't take reservations and I am coming from the suburbs.

We arrived on Saturday at 5:10, which is 20 minutes before the open. We were about the 7th party in line. They opened the doors at 5:30 and there were about 50 people in line. Only the first 32 were able to make the first seating.

We started with the calamari (I love squid and octopus and will order it whenever I see it on the menu). It was stuffed with some meat/sausage. I would have preferred the dish without the meat since it took away from the texture of the squid. This dish was OK. The dishes to follow kept getting better and better.

The other starters we had were the fries and the pork belly. Those were both very good.

Our entrees were fantastic. I had the roasted & confit chicken and the wife had the pork loin. The pork loin had crispy hominy which were tasty and gave great texture to the dish.

We were curious about their sodas so we ordered a celery soda. It was very refreshing and reminded me of the first time I had a cucumber drink. They had a couple of other flavors. I'd recommend trying one or two even if you BYOB.

The berry shortcake was the star of the evening. It was a biscuit with strawberries, (ice) cream?, basil and balsamic vinegar. Fantastic combination of flavors. We almost ordered a second one, but felt bad for the people waiting outside for our table.

The service was efficient, although it was more the type of service you'd get at a diner than a restaurant with great food. Our server came to the table and asked us what we want rather than talking about the menu or her favorites. I wouldn't have like that if it were not a BYO restaurant.

Since it is BYO, the tab for the two with tip was only about $120. Unfortunately for me, this comes with some drawbacks such as the tight quarters and lack of reservations or place to wait.

However, if I lived in the neighborhood or if they took reservations I would go here frequently. The food is really good.

Had a wonderful dinner here last night. We had:

Appetizers

Endive Caesar - soft boiled egg, frozen grapes, white anchovy, manchego and almonds

Pork Belly Salad - jicama, grapefruit, arugula, cornbread, danablu cheese and citrus vinaigrette

Calamari - chicken and pork farce, potato confit, Korean chili peanuts, pickled fennel and pea tendrils

Mains

Sablefish - maple and soy with barley, pickeld vegetables and black tea broth

Hanger Steak - wrinkled long beans, candied bacon, chimichurri, creme fraiche and heirloom potato salad

Dessert

Berry Shortcake - balsamic and creme chantilly

Great food, great service, crazy bathroom doorway. Arrived at 5:45 and got a table immediately. Not so sure that this will be repeatable in the near future as the "Check Please" crew was there last night filming the food and the crowd. While I'm sure that the owners - who might be the nicest people on the planet - are thrilled to be featured, the last thing this jewel box needs is the "Check Please" effect...

mchodera wrote:Not so sure that this will be repeatable in the near future as the "Check Please" crew was there last night filming the food and the crowd. While I'm sure that the owners - who might be the nicest people on the planet - are thrilled to be featured, the last thing this jewel box needs is the "Check Please" effect...

Oh man. Not good. I better go this weekend to get my fix before it all goes sour.

ChitownJackson wrote:

mchodera wrote:Not so sure that this will be repeatable in the near future as the "Check Please" crew was there last night filming the food and the crowd. While I'm sure that the owners - who might be the nicest people on the planet - are thrilled to be featured, the last thing this jewel box needs is the "Check Please" effect...

Oh man. Not good. I better go this weekend to get my fix before it all goes sour.

Not good at all. Hopefully, this bleak, increasingly dangerous stretch of Ashland scares off the Check Please crowds, but doubtful.

One way to deal is to show up at the restaurant, give them your cell phone, then disappear for an hour (or two) at nearby Chipp Inn or better yet, Leopold, until your table is ready.

We had an excellent meal about three weeks ago. Full house on a Tuesday evening, but worth the 30 minute wait. The highlight was the Mushroom Toast 
(Oyster Mushrooms, Savory Biscuit, Housemade Ricotta, Hazelnuts, Greens). Unbelievable dish. There is no way a dish with this depth of flavors should be called mushroom toast, almost like they are daring people to order it.

Miss Chitown and I were back at Ruxbin last night, greeted by some of the nicest restaurateurs in Chicago, followed by the best meal we've had there yet.

We brought our own Sauv Blanc which went perfectly with the meal. Let's get down to the biscuits:


Soup of the Day | tomato, fresh cream, tarragon (and more items I'm forgetting)
No photo. I suck.

Calamari | chicken & pork forcemeat, potato confit, korean chili, peanuts, pickled fennel, pea tendrils


Amish Chicken | chicken confit, sliced apples, pan seared brussels sprouts & shallots; totally new plating and style


Hanger Steak | wrinkled beans, candied bacon, chimichurri, creme fraiche, heirloom potatoes; totally new plating


Fried Hand Pie | quince & pear, candied walnuts, red wine caramel, fresh mint, house made ice cream


Several dishes we've had multiple times have taken on new personalities with new platings and tweaks.

It's come to the point where I'm probably starting to sound like a shill for this restaurant but I can assure you that's not the case; it's just that spot for me for this type of dining. Something about the choices and execution here are significantly better than almost anywhere else I go and I never feel let down by any of my choices. Chef Kim's execution is so very consistent and we love the fact that we can decide that very afternoon that we'd like to visit the establishment and get in with no trouble.

(Edited to add photos. Finally!)

Arrived at Ruxbin this past Saturday a little before 5:30pm to a substantial line. Of course, people in line were discussing the recent GQ article. Our party of two was seated a little past 8pm. My favorites of the night were the calamari and pork belly salad. They were excellent. The entrees and dessert were enjoyable, but not outstanding. I liked the entrees I had last summer more.


Calamari stuffed with forcemeat, confit potato, pickled fennel, pea shoots, Korean chili.


Pork belly salad, cornbread, blue cheese, grapefruit, jicama, citrus vinaigrette.


Bucatini and clams. Updated jajangmyun using lap cheong and dill.




Roast chicken breast, confit leg, pain perdu, brussel sprouts, apple, gouda, walnut.


Pear hand pie, gorgonzola ice cream, candied walnut, red wine caramel.

spiffytriphy wrote:Arrived at Ruxbin this past Saturday a little before 5:30pm to a substantial line. Of course, people in line were discussing the recent GQ article. Our party of two was seated a little past 8pm.

Why is it so hard for them to adopt a reservation system? I think this kind of thing shows a disrespect for their patrons. I realize that it doesn't put more people in the place now because they're full, but this kind of wait will solve that soon. It's great that it worked for you to wait 2-1/2 hours for a table, but that wouldn't work for many people (including me). Those folks will just go away and never return.

I agree completely with John. I've been there twice now. I would never wait almost three hours for their menu..never. I am really digging Leopold's right now. I just think the food is better,more diverse, and I can get drinks and resos. Same neighborhood. Last time I was at Ruxbin I was sitting next to a couple from Wisconsin. They heard about it on some TV show.

Considering that, within those same 2.5 hours, I can meet a friend at a restaurant, enjoy a leisurely dinner, pay the bill, go to a nearby bar for a cocktail, and make plans for our next dinner before parting ways, I think it's safe to say I won't have the pleasure of dining at Ruxbin until they either institute a reservation system, or the hype fades a bit.