Red Door on Damen

Red Door is the newish restaurant in the old Duchamp space. A group of us stopped by last night around 11:30. What an improvement! The cocktails were solid; including a Thai-based cocktail that was not overly sweet, and not shy on fresh Thai herbs. They had sno-cones, which seemed a little too novel until we noticed the Malort-Chartreuse combination. It was delicious, but the ice was too much work. If Miko's schooled Red Door in the art of ice, then I would get it again and again.

The food was great. We ordered:

Bone Marrow w/escargot. Three perfectly roasted bones, topped with three perfectly fried snails. We all loved what the deep fry did to the texture of the snail. Almost creamy. A steal at $6.

Poutine w/chicken confit. Also really good, but I would have liked a slightly crisper fry to stand up to the Indian-curried gravy. The pan seared and pressed cheese curds were the star. A good deal at $8.

Bacon wrapped artichoke heart. Two hearts, and exactly what it sounds like. A great deal at $4.


They are taking full advantage of one of Chicago's best patio spaces, but I could use less of whatever sub-genre of house they were playing. It took the atmosphere in a slightly lounge-y Division St. direction that I generally avoid. No beer on tap yet, but they have an extensive bottle list. The kitchen is open until 12:00, which is a plus.


Red Door
2118 North Damen Avenue
(773) 697-7221
http://reddoorchicago.com/

Looks like a nice place and the food prices seem very reasonable.
Thanks for the heads-up!

Stopped by for brunch today and had a pretty delicious meal. All the brunch dishes are $11. We got the duck confit chilaquiles which were the second best chilaquiles I've had (after Au Cheval). A really generous portion and well constructed chilaquiles. We also got the crab benedict. A really nice rendition with nduja adding a nice spicy, meaty element. Lastly, we shared a curry spiced pumpkin bisque. I definitely plan to return to check out the dinner menu.

fropones wrote:Stopped by for brunch today and had a pretty delicious meal. All the brunch dishes are $11. We got the duck confit chilaquiles which were the second best chilaquiles I've had (after Au Cheval). A really generous portion and well constructed chilaquiles. We also got the crab benedict. A really nice rendition with nduja adding a nice spicy, meaty element. Lastly, we shared a curry spiced pumpkin bisque. I definitely plan to return to check out the dinner menu.

I thought I saw you heading in there! I was walking behind you on Damen, but didn't want to yell out in case I was mistaken. Glad you had a good meal.