Dillman's

Dillman’s

Well, I wasn’t expecting this. I was expecting, having read absolutely nothing about this place, that Dillard’s would have a refrigerated cabinet with hunks of pastrami, pickles, that kind of thing. Couple of tables. I guess I was imagining a LEYE reproduction of a deli.

We stopped in Dillman’s after dinner elsewhere. I got to say, this place bears no resemblance to any deli I’ve ever seen before: low light, leather banquettes, “crystal” chandeliers, a back room lined with books and a bar with wooden stools.

I grabbed a menu and saw beef tongue on there.

ME: Serving beef tongue, hunh? That’s bold. Brad Rubin at Eleven City Diner tried serving tongue and at the end of most days, he had like 12 pounds of tongue left over. It wasn’t moving. He had to take it off the menu.

SERVER: Honestly, we usually have a lot tongue left over. We have it for staff meal a lot. But we expect to get a lot of foodie types in here, so…it’s a Brendan Sodikoff place, and he knows what he’s doing.

ME: Those look like the most uncomfortable bar stools in the world...

SERVER: I know. They are!

Actually, the tongue comes in a kind of Reuben, with kraut and 1,000 Island, which sounds good to me

This place is in a tough location, in the spot where Steve’s used to be, across the street from the “in transition” Baume & Brix, without a great deal of foot traffic.

Dillman’s makes their own bagels, which is cool. Being from Chicago, though, I don’t know much about delis, and aside from the checkerboard tiles on the floor, I didn’t see much that would signify Deli. Which is not to say this is not a worthy place, not at all, and there are lot of deli standards on the menu. They do have pastrami and pickles. Wine is served.

Dillman’s
354 W. Hubbard

Along w/Dr. Browns Cel Ray, wine is de rigreur @ all delis. Manischewitz August 2013 no doubt.

Anybody who has never had cow tongue is missing out. I don't consider it "out there" at all. Most authentic mexican places in town serve it with their tacos/burritos. The good stuff tastes like great pot roast. Look forward to trying it there.

Back when I was boy.................

Milwaukee Jewish delis all had pickled tongue. Tongue was common as pastrami, corned beef, chopped liver, herring, lox and just as delicious.

Tongue has the culinary disadvantage, at least for some, of being easily recognizable and relatable.

marothisu wrote:Anybody who has never had cow tongue is missing out. I don't consider it "out there" at all. Most authentic mexican places in town serve it with their tacos/burritos. The good stuff tastes like great pot roast. Look forward to trying it there.

I don't think anyone here considers tongue to be "out there," which is why the server at Dillman's thought tongue might actually make it as a menu item (see comment about foodies and Sodikoff), but as Rubin found out, selling tongue on the northside (as opposed to the barrio) might prove challenging.

Tongue: The only food that tastes you back.

The description of Dillman's reminds me of a former deli in St. Joseph, Missouri; Ben McGooon's. McGoon's was a little more rustic; rough wooden floors in place of the checkerboard tiles, but the high leather banquettes and the long bar sound familiar.

They were around for decades before I met my wife, a native of St. Jo, and only lasted a few more years after we were married. We had the opportunity to eat there a couple of times before they went out of business. A string of new owners and new names followed, none of which were particularly successful.

The current owner restored the name Ben McGoon's, but the place doesn't have the same ambiance it once did. They serve food once again, but the place has become more bar than deli. We tried to eat there a couple of years ago, but walked in during off hours when they weren't serving.

I might make the trek down to Dillman's just to see if it has that Mcgoon's vibe.

Buddy

P.S. I too grew up with tongue as a frequent entree and would happily order it at a restaurant if it was prepared properly.

B.

David Hammond wrote:Dillman’s

Well, I wasn’t expecting this. I was expecting, having read absolutely nothing about this place, that Dillard’s would have a refrigerated cabinet with hunks of pastrami, pickles, that kind of thing. Couple of tables. I guess I was imagining a LEYE reproduction of a deli.

We stopped in Dillman’s after dinner elsewhere. I got to say, this place bears no resemblance to any deli I’ve ever seen before: low light, leather banquettes, “crystal” chandeliers, a back room lined with books and a bar with wooden stools.

I grabbed a menu and saw beef tongue on there.

[i]ME: Serving beef tongue, hunh? That’s bold. Brad Rubin at Eleven City Diner tried serving tongue and at the end of most days, he had like 12 pounds of tongue left over. It wasn’t moving. He had to take it off the menu.

SERVER: Honestly, we usually have a lot tongue left over. We have it for staff meal a lot. But we expect to get a lot of foodie types in here, so…it’s a Brendan Sodikoff place, and he knows what he’s doing.

I've just never been a huge fan of Eleven City, although I want to like it all the time. On the other hand, I've found Brendan Sodikoff to have preternatural abilities to deliver delicious food at his places (the ones I've tried), so maybe that will explain the difference.

Looking forward to trying Dillman's (next year?)

David Hammond wrote:I don't think anyone here considers tongue to be "out there,"

See, this is something I believe gets overlooked here...

The people on this site are decidedly not normal.

Now before you take offense I mean that in a statistical fashion, as in we do not represent the norm. The folks who are attracted to this board are the folks who would gladly enjoy tongue, but we're not the general population, we are skewed.

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:P.S. I too grew up with tongue as a frequent entree and would happily order it at a restaurant if it was prepared properly.
B.

My mother made tongue all the time. I'd eat in a heartbeat. Their problem is going to be getting people who have never had it,and will be naturally squeamish about it,to try it. Free samples for the time being would be the way to go,IMO.

zoid wrote:

David Hammond wrote:I don't think anyone here considers tongue to be "out there,"

See, this is something I believe gets overlooked here...

The people on this site are decidedly not normal.

Now before you take offense I mean that in a statistical fashion, as in we do not represent the norm. The folks who are attracted to this board are the folks who would gladly enjoy tongue, but we're not the general population, we are skewed.

I completely agree with this. I have many non-foodie friends who wouldn't eat tongue even if you offered a free taste, and cringe when they hear me order it.

My mom cooked beef tongue on a semi regular basis. Once, she made it in a Polish, sweet and
sour style sauce, which I liked so much that I asked to have it on my Bar Mitzvah buffet luncheon.

Pickled tongue was very popular at The Standard Club of Chicago, where I was the chef for ten years. It was included
in our chopped salad, one of the most popular lunch menu items. We also served it sliced thinly on corn rye on request. I
often put that sweet and sour tongue with oranges, lemon and golden raisins on the various holiday buffets, as a filler
item.

I confess that I bought the pickled tongue pre cooked and individually vacuum packed from Vienna Beef. Nice product, but
quite expensive.

Tongue would not be an easy sell at The Casino Club! ;-/

I spent a wonderful Friday night at Paul McGee's new Three Dots and a Dash, where I must've sat just a few seats away from Mr. Hammond at that fine bar. Needless to say, after such a night, I needed a hearty breakfast, and Dillman's filled that role nicely this Saturday morning.

It being brand new, I did some heavy-duty reconnaissance for one man, ordering corned beef hash, a bagel with cream cheese, and latkes.



As per Dillman's menu, the hash would come with a fried egg on top, but I'm not much of an egg eater, and asked for it without. Also accompanying the hash were some fine pieces of toast and a corned beef gravy of sorts. The house-made beef is not nearly so salty as the canned hash I'm used to ingesting (a childhood favorite of mine, don't judge). Definitely one of the better versions I've ever had. Scooping up a bit of hash onto a toast point, then topping with gravy, made for a pretty delectable bite. The gravy really concentrates the "corniness" in addition to lending some moisture. A solid dish for which I will return.

Latkes were pretty good, but not as good as the ones I make. However, I'm often too lazy to make them. These were pretty light, with potato threads approaching angel-hair pasta shape. I'd also like to point out that these latkes were A) much better than the ones at Steve's Deli and B) the same price. Steve's charged nine bucks for three, Dillman's charges six for two. This drives home an important point for me: this place is better than Steve's by a mile, and with similar prices. Can't beat that.

They do make the bagels in house. They also charge almost as much for cream cheese as they do for the bagel itself. Bagel was good, but I'm not an East Coaster. Whipped cream cheese was tasty; butter and a couple types of house-made jams were available as well. Apologies to KennyZ, but this did come toasted, although staff would doubtless accommodate. Also, they aren't yet offering bagels to go, but I was assured they would in the future.

All this came to thirty four bucks or so, tax and tip included--right in line with costs at Steve's. Portions were more reasonable, especially the hash. I can definitely see people scoffing at the notion of paying 12 or 13 bucks for hash, but honestly, given what you'll pay for a mediocre breakfast elsewhere in the area, it's not too dear. It was a bit odd not having a deli counter in a deli, but eh, ambiance is something I seldom pay attention to. I sat at the bar, too, and the stool wasn't terribly uncomfortable or anything, but again I barely paid attention. Much like Three Dots and a Dash, it does seem like Dillman's is trying to market an old concept to young people--clientele seemed like young professional types. Anyhow, for such an improvement in quality, at fair prices, I will be back quickly to do more exploration.

mtgl wrote: Ordinarily the hash would come with a fried egg as well, but I'm not much of an egg eater.

Could you please clarify: "Ordinarily the hash would come with a fried egg (at other places but not at Dillman's)", or "Ordinarily the hash would come with a fried egg (at Dillman's but I ordered it without an egg)"?
Given that, best I can tell, Dillman's falls in line with my only beef with some other Sodikoff spots, and does not yet have a website, with a menu, I was not able to discern the distinction myself. While I respect your right to choose, for me a runny egg delightfully adds the unctuous moisture you received from the gravy.

Sorry about that--edited for clarity, hopefully!

As for the eggs...it's a texture thing that I still hold onto from my youth, a childish neurosis that I've yet to overcome. I've caught plenty of flak for it over the years.

They were definitely still trying to get their groove on--staffers were asking lots of questions of one another, learning the ropes--and so I'm not surprised there's no website or up-to-date menu.

Smassey wrote:only beef with some other Sodikoff spots

Speaking of 'only beef,' no pork products here whatsoever.

mtgl wrote:Sorry about that--edited for clarity, hopefully!

As for the eggs...it's a texture thing that I still hold onto from my youth, a childish neurosis that I've yet to overcome. I've caught plenty of flak for it over the years.

Thanks for the clarification. I actually had the same neurosis, and overcame it through envy over food my husband was eating and I wanted to try. My first foray was a duck confit salad with a poached egg. I was irretrievably hooked during a trip to New Orleans, starting with an egg yolk raviolo at Restaurant August, then Eggs Benedict at Antoine's. Ever since, I love runny yolks, and make a pretty good poached egg myself, but still can't cope with the texture of hard-cooked eggs.

mtgl wrote:They were definitely still trying to get their groove on--staffers were asking lots of questions of one another, learning the ropes--and so I'm not surprised there's no website or up-to-date menu.

Smassey wrote:only beef with some other Sodikoff spots

Speaking of 'only beef,' no pork products here whatsoever.

Very funny, and thanks for the info! Even when delis are "kosher-style" rather than kosher, I can tolerate corned beef with Swiss cheese but have a hard time when they serve ham and cheese, a side of bacon, and other porky ilk.

mtgl wrote:They do make the bagels in house. They also charge almost as much for cream cheese as they do for the bagel itself. Bagel was good, but I'm not an East Coaster. Whipped cream cheese was tasty; butter and a couple types of house-made jams were available as well. Apologies to KennyZ, but this did come toasted, although staff would doubtless accommodate. Also, they aren't yet offering bagels to go, but I was assured they would in the future.

Looking forward to trying Dillman's, but I'll say they've got some work to do on those bagels. The exterior suggests the need for more malt powder/syrup and baking soda, for sheen and color. That and the cost of sesame seeds must have gone way up because they really skimped on them. They look too much like Lender's bagels.

I was there with a party of 5 yesterday. I think, if anything, David is underselling how non-deli this place looks. It's low lighting supper club meets Brooklyn library speakeasy meats a diner tiled floor/red banquette.

But this is River North. These are the rules.

Anyway, there were a number of things to recommend this place.

My cocktail, The Toronto, was a rye, fernet, demerara combo that was smooth and refreshing. It was not, as the server suggested, too fernet-forward or an inappropriate starter cocktail.

The latke appetizer was terrific. It was not overly dense and a little bit lacy. It was savory to the point that we suspected schmaltz.

I ordered a shmear of whitefish salad with rye toast. Everything about this was fabulous. The rye toast was great. I'm assuming they're making it in house, but I did not ask. The whitefish salad was light and lemony and you could really taste the fish.

The sour and new pickles (made in house) were not much to my taste. I'm a sour man and the pickles were not garlicky enough. The news were better, but nothing I'd write home about.

The roast chicken was great roast chicken. Very well seasoned. The tongue was a bit of a mess and not cured all the way to the center (you could see the different color of the meat). It also didn't really taste pickled.

The pastrami was anything but lean. I think I like mine a bit more peppery/cured tasting. This was lighter on spice, heavier on the unctuous side. It was fine, but nothing I'd personally crave again.

The coconut cream pie with mocha whipped cream was not overly sweet and tasted like coconut. It was a real winner.

I was frankly surprised about how much I enjoyed the food given the decor and location (yes, I am sometimes guilty of judging a book by it's cover). Some things, like the inconsistent cure on the tongue and service confusion may be attributed to opening jitters. I do think that there are some quality things coming out of the kitchen. For me, it's not destination dining, but I'd definitely be happy to check it out again when in the area.

Had a pretty mixed first impression of Dillman's yesterday. Here are some quick thoughts:

Whitefish salad, very good. Light, fresh, and herby.
Pickled tongue sandwich, poor. Pink ring around brown center. The cure had not fully penetrated the tongue and it should never have been served this way. Also, bland bland bland. This tongue is not going to change any minds about the oft-misunderstood deli meat.
Matzo ball soup, fine. Giant matzo ball in a little puddle of soup. Seriously, this was a softball-sized matzo ball. A very tasty, airy softball-sized matzo ball, but still. Broth overly dilly, but rich, chickeny flavor.
Pastrami sandwich, not bad. Decent, smoky, fatty pastrami, thinly shaved and served on thinly sliced rye. I would very much prefer a thicker, hand-cut pastrami, but the flavor was pretty good. Can't touch the Montreal smoked meat a few blocks down Clinton at Fumare, which can't touch great pastrami. So there's that.
Latke, nice. Light, lacy, crispy, and richly-flavored.
Fries, solid. Good, salty, well-fried, fresh-cut fries. Thick, wonderful aioli would eat with a spoon.
House pickles, half and full sour, yawn. Not bad, but nothing special.
Coconut mocha pie, terrific. Subtly sweet coconut cream pie filling with an even less sweet coffee whipped cream. Crumbly butter cookie crust. Liked everything about this little slice.

Service was pleasant, enthusiastic, but obviously still learning and quite wobbly. Atmosphere is confused or at least confusing. Dark, clubby, with big, red leather booths and chandeliers and tons of subway tile. Only the menu says deli.

We're not running back.
--Rich

mtgl wrote:They also charge almost as much for cream cheese as they do for the bagel itself.

I never put cream cheese on bagels, so that's good, but that pricing seems odd. Wonder if it's "special" cream cheese...

RAB wrote:Pickled tongue sandwich, poor. Pink ring around brown center. The cure had not fully penetrated the tongue and it should never have been served this way. Also, bland bland bland. This tongue is not going to change any minds about the oft-misunderstood deli meat.

Well, that's not good. If the only thing about that place that says "deli" is the menu, and the deli standards are not done right, that's a problem. But, then again, the place has been open only a few days. Like VI, I'm going to give it some time (though likely not a whole year).

gastro gnome wrote:I was there with a party of 5 yesterday. I think, if anything, David is underselling how non-deli this place looks. It's low lighting supper club meets Brooklyn library speakeasy meats a diner tiled floor/red banquette.

But this is River North. These are the rules.

Let me correct that for you:
It's low lighting supper club meets Brooklyn library speakeasy meats a diner tiled floor/red banquette.

But this is a Brendan Sodikoff restaurant. He's never met a bright light that he likes.

By the way, just because that immediate 'hood has had a number of failed places doesn't mean it's a bad spot to open a good resaturant. Sodikoff's other spots nearby are nuts and Kinzie Chophouse (don't like it, but it does OK), G&G, Coco Pazzo (seems almost as old as G&G, but going strong) and any number of places within 2 blocks to just fine and only more people are moving in. Inexplicably, to me, those blocks have also become a "bridge and tunnel" weekend destination of sorts, which you know has happened when a John Barleycorn opens up.

The real question in my mind is how a decent deli can fail in the shadow of the East Bank Club. Granted, one must serve a matzoh soup that can hand with EBC's healthy but very good version, but none of the "bad" Jewish stuff (pastrami, CB, latkes) is in the offing at EBC.

JeffB wrote:By the way, just because that immediate 'hood has had a number of failed places doesn't mean it's a bad spot to open a good resaturant. Sodikoff's other spots nearby are nuts and Kinzie Chophouse (don't like it, but it does OK), G&G, Coco Pazzo (seems almost as old as G&G, but going strong) and any number of places within 2 blocks to just fine and only more people are moving in. Inexplicably, to me, those blocks have also become a "bridge and tunnel" weekend destination of sorts, which you know has happened when a John Barleycorn opens up.

Here's a relevant question and response from Sodikoff in a rare interview with Chicago Magazine:

In the restaurant business, certain locations where good restaurants have failed are considered snakebit. But you’re not afraid of those locations. An example is Gilt Bar.

"I don’t really believe in the jinxed idea. If there is a lot of crime in a neighborhood, that can be a problem. But the best way to improve a neighborhood is to put in a restaurant that people want to go to. I look for those locations. I live in River North, and if I can walk to a place on a moderately warm or cold day, it’s a good location. It’s that simple."

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... od-Empire/

Went here today and liked it fine. This group can do no wrong, second only to, maybe, Kahan's team. Burger is like Au Cheval, but notably thicker, single-pattied and medium rare. Schmaltz herring was very nice, but maybe a bit pricey for 3 thin fillets. Pastrami notably smoky and on the chewy Manny's side of the spectrum (as opposed to the toro-buttery Langer's side). There's room for both kinds in my tent and I don't think it is useful to compare pastrami apples and oranges. Fumare is great, Langer's great, Manny's (at times, though less and less) great, Dillman's, pretty, pretty good. Fried baloney from AC is here too, so that's nice. Ditto the matzoh soup, except the salt bomb approach is notched up to Dead Sea here, at least today. Better down the block at EBC. Chopped liver was a different spin, not dense and rustic (see Manny's, Katz's, Langer's) nor light and fluffy (B. Greengrass), nor the typical Chicago in between (Myron & Phil's, Gibson's, Carson's, Romanian) (so I like chopped liver), it is not scooped but is a loose, timid affair. One place where a restart is needed in my book. I agree with others that the decor is odd. I like the Balthazar homage in the other spots, but here it's awkward. The service was very good, place was packed, and Jewish grannies were in the house. I think they are going to be OK. It is an already quite good and a useful addition to the area. The all-day hours make it a natural to become sort of like Balthazar, to strain the comparison, in the sense that it is a serious, higher end breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night place. As people continue to move into the Loop and the immdiately adjacent part of River North, I predict Dillman's might become a sort of fancy corner diner the way Au Cheval really can't be due to location and hours. Oddly, it's a "Jewish" place open Saturday but not Sunday. I'd think there'd be immediate pressure for Sunday brunch in these parts. And, for the record, I thought the pickles were very good (though the Lord frowns upon charging money for pickles, viz., Numbers 11:5).

anyone have the matzo ball soup here and from Au Cheval? i've had it at cheval and enjoyed it, but i'm a sucker for soupy carbs.

Like I said, it's the same, but even saltier, which is impressive.

David Hammond wrote:

JeffB wrote:By the way, just because that immediate 'hood has had a number of failed places doesn't mean it's a bad spot to open a good resaturant. Sodikoff's other spots nearby are nuts and Kinzie Chophouse (don't like it, but it does OK), G&G, Coco Pazzo (seems almost as old as G&G, but going strong) and any number of places within 2 blocks to just fine and only more people are moving in. Inexplicably, to me, those blocks have also become a "bridge and tunnel" weekend destination of sorts, which you know has happened when a John Barleycorn opens up.

Here's a relevant question and response from Sodikoff in a rare interview with Chicago Magazine:

In the restaurant business, certain locations where good restaurants have failed are considered snakebit. But you’re not afraid of those locations. An example is Gilt Bar.

"I don’t really believe in the jinxed idea. If there is a lot of crime in a neighborhood, that can be a problem. But the best way to improve a neighborhood is to put in a restaurant that people want to go to. I look for those locations. I live in River North, and if I can walk to a place on a moderately warm or cold day, it’s a good location. It’s that simple."

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magaz ... od-Empire/

Well, lots of people walked by last night, and they were either miffed at Steve's departure, or said, in a derogatory fashion, "it's a restaurant." While I'm sure this place will be mobbed soon, it was never even half full on Wednesday.

In some ways, that's okay: this is Sodikoff's everyday restaurant, if you will. Loved the starches, and the reuban is some excellent stoner food. I'm looking forward to having this in the nabe for pickup or grazing.

Had lunch at Dillman's today. The surprises keep on coming. This was not the tongue sandwich I expected...it was way better. Crisp, thin slices, flavorful, moist, loved it. Now, as I'm no expert on deli (from Chicago, as referenced above), maybe this is typical, but I don't think I've ever had tongue in a deli. I've had it at loads of Mexican places here and in Mexico, and south-of-the-border tongue seems to be usually very soft, almost spongy, but not this cured stuff, which I liked a lot more.

When I asked about the upcharge for pickles, I was told the pickles are free if you "demand" them as the menu and sign outside beckon one to:



But if you want, they will be glad to charge for them. We demanded them.

I refuse to believe you didn't frame that picture exactly as planned!

Sodikoff stumbles: Dillman's is no longer a deli

My take from the linked article is that the food/menu is not changing but that they will no longer use the word deli to describe it.

312 Dining Diva wrote:New River North eatery Dillman's has been open for less than two weeks and principle owner Brendan Sodikoff is already making changes. He admits that his vision for a contemporary deli concept has been lost on some customers, so he'll be "dropping the use of the word delicatessen in association with Dillman's," effective immediately.

He added, in a message to 312DD:

"The food style will remain the same with the coffee bar, all-day casual dining and strong classic drinks. Guests are having the most difficult time wrapping their heads around what were doing. They've been so disappointed we don't have a deli case, it borders on anger.