Ada Street--new from the DMK team...

Stopped in tonight for a drink and a snack after Soup & Bread at the Hideout, not realizing it was opening night.

Greeted at the door to this out of the way, but very beautifully appointed, space with a jello Aviator "shot"--hmmm...will this be kitschy silliness or a sweetly welcoming intro for those hanging out awaiting a seat inside...guess it beats standing outside drinkless and unloved in the cold, right?

Immediately escorted to two seats at the bar and, thankfully, all was well. Enjoyed great cocktails by the "spiritual advisor", Tim Lacey from the Drawing Room, and the man from Santa Fe, Joe--started with a dealer's choice of Rittenhouse Bonded Rye, Fernet and a bit of lemon with a torched orange peel, followed by a small sample of Joe's riff on a Negroni (Amaro, Aperol and Brokers Gin), and, finishing up with my favorite, the Felonius Monk (Plymouth Gin, Abbey style ale, Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine, lemon, Agnostura and egg white). All balanced, food friendly and intriguing. Dare I say it--I enjoyed the vibe and talents of this bar team as much as the vaunted folks at certain other highly praised (including by me) new spots...

And the food--nothing fancy here--but all above (way above) the expected. We only took a quick pass through the menu since we'd snacked on some soup but each dish was pretty damn good. Mackeral ceviche combined the oil of the fish with an acidic component to make a creamy, satisfying dish in both taste and texture. Each bite of the steak tartare topped with a tiny quail egg consisted of a wave of flavors--first minerally meat, then pops of mustard seed followed but bursts of great sea salt and capers. Finally, I've been making salmon tartare for 20+ years and never thought to gently mix in salmon roe. Or bacon. Now I will. Completely delicious. Maybe could've used a bit of heat but not really necessary...

Last, but not least, we couldn't resist the brioche donuts with port wine caramel sauce. You shouldn't either.

Outdoor patio will be open when weather permits--and it doubles their seating which, I think, will be much needed.

Get there before the hordes...

Ada Street
1664 N. Ada St.
Chicago, IL 60642

Made it in with an early reservation to check out the cause for recent accolades from Chicago Mag. Food was almost uniformly delicious and creative - chicken fried quail with a rich porky aioli, escarole with nutty parmesan and lemon, incredibly luscious smoked trout with home-made creme fraiche and roasted beets (the best dish of the evening), clear multidimensional salmon consommé, roasted brussels sprouts, and nicely grilled octopus (the only partial miss - served atop a "tomato mash" that was unfortunately evocative of heinz).

The place was completely bumpin', full by 6:45, music a tad too loud. Atmosphere friendly, and we spotted a Bucktown chef of some renown at the bar, greeted by numerous parties.

Only concern was the service -- the kitchen is *tiny* and the wait between our courses was easily 30-40 mins. We might have ordered more food (one never can tell at a new small plates place how many plates to order), but didn't think we had the time. Hard to say whether they cannot manage the demand after the press, or whether the server had some issues placing or order (for which she apologized), or both.

Considering its proximity and creativity, I think we'll go back.

On Wednesday night at about 7:30 it was an hour wait for spots at the bar (there were 4 of us) and all the tables were filled (reservations only). Needless to say, we didn't stick around. Hoping to try it out eventually, though.

=R=

I always wondered this about the Hideout, and now this place: if one ends up having one too many at one of these places, how does one get home? Do cabs start showing up in that area later in the evening? It always seems to desolate there to me.

Khaopaat wrote:I always wondered this about the Hideout, and now this place: if one ends up having one too many at one of these places, how does one get home? Do cabs start showing up in that area later in the evening? It always seems to desolate there to me.

Walk a block south to North Ave. Not a bustling area by any means, but it is between LP/OT and WP, plenty of cab action.

I ate and drank here a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed the food by chef Zoe Schor. A couple of dishes -- Southern Fried Quail, Pasta with Poached Egg and Duck Confit* -- stood out as real winners but we had 6 dishes and I'd order any of them again. The others we had were Crispy Black-Eyed Peas (bar bite section), Salmon Tartare with Bacon with Bacon two ways, Octopus with Cannelini Beans and Tabasco Mash, and a Salad (daily special) of Shaved Brussels Sprouts. *One minor annoyance was that the servers have apparently been trained to smash open the poached eggs in the pasta dish when they serve it. I'd much prefer to do it myself.

I was surprised that I didn't like the cocktails nearly as much as the food. I've been a fan of Tim Lacey's for a while (he's actually left Ada Street since our visit) but his menu was populated with a lot of drinks that contained sweet fruit juices and/or no hard spirits at all. In fact, only 8 of the 13 drinks on the menu actually contained hard spirits and one of those was an intentionally sweet Limoncello. This gave me the sense that the cocktail menu was aimed more at non-drinkers than cocktail enthusiasts. However, there were no vodka drinks on the menu, which suggests otherwise. In any event, this menu was just not my bag.

That said, I did enjoy his take on tiki: Hot Rods to Honolulu (Old Weller 107, pineapple, lemon, tiki bitters, Minero torch). Another successful one was the G&T (Winter), which was comprised of North Shore #6 and a wonderfully complex housemade sarsaparilla. We tried a few others from the menu that I didn't care for as much. I also ordered an old school Old Fashioned and it was terrific.

In spite of what's been said publicly, I wonder -- now that Lacey's out of the picture -- how or if the cocktail menu at Ada St will change. I also wonder if the menu we experienced reflected Lacey with carte blanche or Lacey restrained by forces/factors unknown. I guess time will tell.

=R=

We were pretty on the fence about our meal here last night, though we generally enjoyed ourselves.

I know there was a bit of a cocktail shakeup, so to speak, but that menu looks like it's remained pretty stable, if indeed light on the hard stuff (and heavy on the amaro). I had a Spin the Black Circle (their mild take on a margarita, adorned with messy dirt-looking black salt around the rim) and then the Fistful of Dollars, with bourbon as its base with a bit of amaro and mole bitters (I think?) in there as well. Both OK, but neither knocked my socks off. My wife's G&T (with rhubarb tonic) was tasty.

The food was tasty, if a bit salty (which I suppose is par for the course). Fried black eyed peas were perfect bar companions, house olives hit the spot. We were surprised the grilled peaches (with prosciutto and ricotta) were cooked in advance and therefore cool. Salmon tartare was rich but good, octopus was excellent, quail was solid but unexceptional, as fun as it is to gnaw on teeny, tiny bird parts. The rare steak and arugula was a good summer dish, a nice meat-centric salad whose protein did not overwhelm the greens. Everything reminded me a bit of Girl in the Goat in execution, if not quite consistency.

Service was pretty erratic, however. Our drinks took a long time to emerge - it was a busy Wednesday night - and it was at first a bit challenging to flag down our server. Our water glasses remained empty for much of the night, too, though the service became more attentive and genial when the large nearby party and their table full of empty wine bottles was cleared. They had added to the incredible volume level of the otherwise awesome space, with the PA pumping the Allman Brothers, Doors and later (early) Dylan as part of I guess this evening's classic rock block. The crowd seemed divided between quiet friends and couples out for a casual bite or special occasion stop and boisterous bros off for the day and out for a post-boating blast. At one point I longed for the more laid back environs of the Hideout right around the corner, but eventually a sense of equilibrium was achieved and the evening became a bit more comfortable.

The space looked gorgeous at night, with the patio lit beautifully and casting its glow back into the bar proper. I loved the tall walls that allowed you to see the sky but no surrounding buildings, which really added to the atmosphere. I wonder how they handle the patio when the weather is not perfect. Do they just shut it down and halve the number of seatings? Or do they have some secret awning I could not see?

Also, due to the location: ample free parking, always a nice plus.

So my wife has been on this healthy eating/diet thing, and will be until the end of the month. As a result, most places have been off of our* list for the last few weeks; Longman, Bite, Owen & Engine, etc. After reading this thread and checking out their menu, it seems like the two of us can go there and both walk away quite happy.

For those who have been, would you consider Ada St. to be healthier/lighter eating? Obviously it depends, on what you order, but it seems most things wouldn't be considered "heavy".



*though I'm good at finding me time

I'd say it can go either way - I'm not sure any of the dishes we got could be called healthy, necessarily, save the grilled peaches - but the portions are (appropriately) modest and the prep simple, which made even the richer stuff seem less so, and there is almost always some sort of vegetable or green component.

Sweetbread wrote:So my wife has been on this healthy eating/diet thing, and will be until the end of the month. As a result, most places have been off of our* list for the last few weeks; Longman, Bite, Owen & Engine, etc. After reading this thread and checking out their menu, it seems like the two of us can go there and both walk away quite happy.

For those who have been, would you consider Ada St. to be healthier/lighter eating? Obviously it depends, on what you order, but it seems most things wouldn't be considered "heavy".

I think it would meet your criteria. My wife and I ate there a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it. We tried a bunch of plates, many were on the lighter side. The soup (which changes daily) was pea and it was excellent...it was not heavy and creamy. Both tartare dishes would meet your criteria. We had the salmon tartare. I didn't have the octopus this trip, but I had enjoyed it a previous time. I didn't order the steak salad dish (beef tenderloin, arugula), but, based upon the server's description, I would have ordered it if I had your goals

The desserts are crazy good. Everyone but you should try the chocolate on brioche (although I don't see it on the menu now?). Same goes for the beignets.

There are plenty of light options. Most are really good. The plates are small, which always helps me when I'm trying to watch what I'm eating.

Some other notes...We sat outside and it was charming. The outdoor seating area floor is a padded astroturf and there is a ping-pong table for guests to play. The music went from quiet to loud at around 8:00.

-Matt

Thanks. Both replies were helpful, and we'll be checking it out soon. We both really enjoyed Fish Bar a couple weeks ago, so the relation will make it an easy sell.

Had dinner here last night. Never heard of the place before. Really enjoyed it. Food & drink quality was in line with pricing. Place had a relaxed vibe, though it was full. I liked it a lot. Alas, if I go to a place it usually means it is on the last stage of its life cycle. Enjoy while you can!