You're right. I can't help being hyper-sensitive about food issues. Given what I do, it's hard for me to be a civilian. It just speaks of a bigger problem that has frustrated me throughout my career. The service not being up to the food quality, but in this case I'd say it was fairly equal. No matter how good the food may be, if you're pissed off when you get it, there could be gold on that plate, you're not going to like it. Waitstaff are ambassadors and good or bad, right or wrong they represent the restaurant. As a chef you put your faith in the fact that they have your best interests at heart and are watching your back and providing the experience you need them to. Its been my experience from the back of the house that its not true though in many cases, and that is frustrating to both the customer and the employer. Sorry for the rant. I've fought this particular nemesis for over 25 years.

After moving to West Town just over a month ago, we finally made it to West Town Tavern on Thurs 5/22. First impression was that they had achieved the "right" (could I be more subjective?) mix of being comfortable while still a bit upscale. I like a certain level of ambient noise in a restaurant - eating, to me, is always a festive occasion, and i tend to be slightly uncomfortable in restaurants where you feel like laughing at a story would draw uppity glances from pinky-raised diners. That said, having to use outdoor voices at a restaurant is certainly less than ideal. WTT was lively enough to obscure the clinks of silverware on china and support a communal level of noise, while never making it difficult to hear or be heard by pants, my fine dining companion. Its pleasant bustle combined with the lush wood and warm light made WTT a place where you're encouraged to feel at home, linger, and, of course, eat.

So, I seem to have forgotten that this is a food forum. We started with the aforementioned house-made chips, which thankfully made the transition to the regular menu. Dark and crunchy, they were minimally salted and drizzled with a combination of aged (or reduced?) balsamic vinegar, chopped rosemary, and white truffle oil. I could have used more truffle oil, but I suppose that's a result of my gluttony of truffle, in all forms, rather than a need to balance the dish. I'd use truffle oil as a perfume if I weren't convinced I'd turn self-cannibalistic.

After licking the bowl clean, I ordered one of the specials, a cornmeal-crusted skate with roasted fingerling potatoes, caramelized fennel, and a pepper-caper relish. The pants ordered the diver scallops with mushroom leek risotto and chives. Though we both like our own entrees, one bit of each other's and we switched plates. The scallops were simply seared and nicely medium, soft and sweet and rightly unadorned. The mushroom-leek risotto, a tad rich on its own, was tempered and freshened by the slivered chives. The skate dish was also a winner, a great piece of fish with interesting and well-chosen, but simple, accompaniments. Plus, I got to scarf up the remaining caramelized fennel, which pants was enjoying until I made the comment that, raw, it had an anise-y, licorice flavor. That turned him off the fennel and cleared the channels for my fork. I shared my risotto, because I'm an equal opportunity eater.

Too stuffed for dessert, we relished that it was but a short, digestive walk back home. Plus the bill, with two drinks each, was easily under $100. WTT is a great place in the neighborhood, but I'd travel to get here too - luckily I don't have to.

Went to WTT last night and had the duck confit, a fav of mine to make and to eat, and found it tasty, though was suprised that it came with a kind of herby rub on top. Not that this was a bad thing, but not exactly how I envision the dish.

This is becoming kind of a problem: I order dishes that I expect will be the traditional preparation (or what I believe to be the traditional preparation), then it's slightly different (because the chef, gasp, innovated) and I end up being slightly disappointed.

I thought about this yesterday at the American Cheese Society judging: are we holding each cheddar and gouda up to a paradigmatic standard or are we taking into account the value of innovating on the standard? As it turned out, at ACS, they do both: a technical judge evaluates conformity to tradition and an aesthetic judge evaluates more sensual qualities including variations on the traditional approach. I like that methodology; seems balanced.

I had no idea American Cheese was taken so seriously. Are the individually wrapped singles judged in a separate category from traditionally stacked slices?

mrbarolo wrote:I had no idea American Cheese was taken so seriously. Are the individually wrapped singles judged in a separate category from traditionally stacked slices?

Funny, I had never made that connection...

i just wanted to write that we had an excellent dinner on saturday night at west town tavern. i was a bit nervous being that they had recently been featured on check please and it was valentine's day. they handled the busyness well and the service and food were excellent. we had an 8:30 reservation and were seated just minutes after our arrival which was a pleasant surprise. we started with the tavern chips which were nice and crisp. my only complaint is that i find the balsamic vinegar they put on it a bit sweet for my taste. i had the scallops with mushroom leek risotto for my entree. the scallops were cooked perfectly and the risotto was not quite as creamy as i like but the flavor was delicious (i certainly enjoyed my leftover risotto for breakfast sunday morning). my finance had the peppercorn steak and was extremely pleased with it. i enjoyed, as did he, his potato au gratin side, which was so rich but so good. we finished with a lovely chocolate mousse cake that was a cross between mousse and fudge and absolutely decadent. service was the perfect attentiveness and we just had such a nice evening. i was just so pleased as normally i find valentine's day a terrible night to go out but did not have the heart to tell my fiance since he had made the plans.

ecs wrote:...they handled the busyness well

ecs,

Nice report, and it makes me happy to hear that the nice people behind WTT seem to be doing well. But I was even happier to learn a new word today. I had my doubts about whether "busyness" was the proper spelling for the state you described. I apologize for doubting your language skills, as my Oxford dictionary confirms that you are correct. Always a good day when I learn something new.

Kenny, still-smarting-over-losing the-6th-grade-spelling-bee-amidst-great-controversy, Z.

Some fellow LTH-ers and I got together a few days ago to try West Town Tavern. We decided to order a few dishes and share them.


Tavern Beer Cheese with crunchy toasts.

The Tavern Beer Cheese was a bit odd. It tasted an awful lot of carrots and tarragon but not much of cheese. It reminded me of a not very tasty chunky carrot soup I made not long ago.


Shrimp Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

The Spring Rolls were stuffed to the gills with shrimp and veggies, and the sauce provided just enough heat without burning our mouths.


Tavern Antipasto with herbed goat cheese, basil pesto, braised white beans, oven-cured tomatoes, marinated olives, country ham and crunchy toasts.

The Antipasto was my favorite of the bunch. A nice spread of beans with a slice of ham made a nice little sandwich. We needed seconds of toasts for both the Antipasto and the Cheese, and our waiter brought some by without even needing to be asked.


Diver Sea Scallops with Mushroom-Leek Risotto

The risotto was perfectly cooked, creamy, and very rich, with quite a bit of Parmesan. The tender scallops melted in my mouth. I think I got more of this one than anyone else at the table and I was all the happier for it.


The special (I’m sure I’m going to butcher the name), Friccassee of Vegetables on a Savory Waffle with Beet Purée.

This dish was the favorite of the group. The veggies were flavorful and hearty, with sizeable bits of broccoli and 'tater. The moisture and heat of the veggies turned the waffle soft and reminiscent of a thick, fluffy crêpe. I didn’t taste much beet, but the purée seemed to be dribbled around the plate as more of a decoration than an ingredient.


Honeycrisp Apple Turnover with Caramel Sauce and Caramel Ice Cream

This was a disappointment, despite the beautiful presentation. First, the good news: the caramel sauce was creamy and thick so it didn’t disappear into the ice cream or pastry, and the ice cream was some of the best and richest I’ve ever eaten. It was made with all cream and no milk, plus plenty of eggs and we suspect a hint of rum. However, the apples in the turnover were overcooked with no crispiness whatsoever and the pastry was undercooked, even a bit raw in the center. But there was no problem with it being taken off the bill when the problem was presented to the waiter.


Lemon Chess Pie with Berry Sauce and Thick Cream

The crust was crusty and buttery, and the filling was gooey and very tart with a crunchy golden top and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds. I never had warm lemon pie before, but I may not eat it any other way after this. I think I may have gotten more than my fair share of this too, but that's okay.

Overall, we were pleased with the meal and especially the service, which was attentive without being pushy. We were able to carry on conversation without shouting, despite the fact that the place was booked solid. For all of the above with one glass of wine, two cups of tea and two coffees, the bill came to just $92.

Pie Lady wrote:Some fellow LTH-ers and I got together a few days ago to try West Town Tavern. We decided to order a few dishes and share them.

Fellow LTHer here. Thanks, Pie Lady, for posting on our meal. I live right down the street, but this was my first visit to West Town Tavern. I was pleasantly surprised. There are still a lot of other places in my neighborhood that I'd choose over West Town, but it's not a bad option. I agree that the beer cheese didn't taste like cheese, but the antipasto was solid. I liked the scallops, but the risotto I thought was just so-so--too saucy for me. The vegetables over herbed waffle dish was excellent--nice variety of vegetables, perfectly cooked. I liked the texture provided by the waffle but only in the first few bites of the dish. Once the waffle got soggy, I couldn't detect it through the vegetables. The turnover was baffling--the pastry seemed completely unbaked. I enjoyed the lemon chess pie, but it didn't blow me away. The service was very good, and the space was fine even crowded. I thought it bizarre that their wine glasses have the West Town Tavern logo on them--kind of ugly actually--but that's just me. I think I had a more positive impression of our meal immediately following it I think because the company of LTHers was so lovely--couldn't have tried West Town in a better way.

happy_stomach wrote: I was pleasantly surprised.

Nice writup, which pretty much summarizing up my ho-hum feelings about WTT. After reading your luke warm review, I must conclude based on the quote above that you went in with some really low expectations.

Kennyz wrote:

happy_stomach wrote: I was pleasantly surprised.

Nice writup, which pretty much summarizing up my ho-hum feelings about WTT. After reading your luke warm review, I must conclude based on the quote above that you went in with some really low expectations.

I don't mean to be so negative about WTT, but my expectations actually were really low. I can't explain well my skepticism about the place. I hadn't read any reviews/posts, only knew that they had been on Check, Please. I walk past WTT practically every day. I see that they're busy, with more or less happy-looking customers. I read the menu and think occasionally I should go in and try the fried chicken and one or two other things. However, nothing about the place ever inspired me. The draw for last week's visit was the lemon chess pie and the company. When we sat down and then started to eat, I thought for a moment that WTT might be a good place to, say, bring my mom if we wanted to stay by my place and sit for a nicer meal. However, given the type of food and prices at WTT--again, nothing terrible or unreasonable--I know we'd be happier just eating at home.

I ate there recently and enjoyed myself quite a bit. I like the way she thinks about food, very in line w/ my own prior conceptions of composition. I can't comment on over all consistency, because everything we had was great, as was the service. However, I can imagine that some of the more ambitious dishes could have difficulties in execution on some days. Only in the hushed temples of places like Trotter's and Alinea, or your grandmother's kitchen can the execution and service be flawless every single time.
but I certainly give WTT props for doing what they do. There's a lot of soul shown there, from the heated entry to the great selection of bourbons to the care and attention shown in the menu to the choice of organic local products and dedication to them and larger issues. A lot of heart at WTT. My hat is off to them.

dk wrote:However, I can imagine that some of the more ambitious dishes could have difficulties in execution on some days.

What are some of the more ambitious dishes?

Grabbed a dinner at the bar here on Saturday night and thought it was ok.

I enjoyed the well-chosen selection of spirts and had couple Ron Zacapa 23's. There was a better-than-average selection of bourbons, too but this was a rum night.

Bread service was a bit strange, as my companion and I were each served one piece of unspectacular bread -- but different ones. An undescribed compound butter accompanied the breads. Given how dotted it was with herbs, it was remarkably devoid of flavor.

An appetizer of fried calamari was tasty and well-prepared. It was crispy and tender, and mixed together with a salad of fresh herbs (mostly cilantro), carrot and red cabbage. The salad itself was dressed very lightly with either vinegar or a vinaigrette. This herb salad added a refreshing note to the fried calamari and lightened the whole dish without making it soggy. It was a very nice take.

A couple of soups were less successful for us. A black bean soup was seasoned with spices I normally associate with sweeter applications, like pumpkin pie. Here, in what was possibly another attempt to lighten up a typically heavier dish, the attempt did not work for me. It was distinctive but not in a good way. A squash soup hit all the big notes with lots of cream and butter but once the initial flash of those elements wore off, there wasn't any notable (depth of) flavor. In essence, it was merely a butter and cream soup with incidental squash.

A domestic cheese plate was comprised of 3 cheeses: La Mancha Moo from Evergreen Lane Farm in Fenville, MI and 2 cheeses from from Lazy Lady in Westfield, VT - Filabuster and Lady in Blue. I liked all the cheeses, especially the 2 from Lazy Lady, which were made from raw milk. I also liked that the provenance of these cheeses and several other details about them, were provided to us in such detail.

An entree of skate was just too obscured by its heavily-dressed toppings for me to really appreciate. Tomato, onions, greens, herbs and white beans all were tasty enough on their own but probably weren't such a well-chosen match for the delicate skate. At the very least, this would have been more successful with less of the non-skate components or maybe, if the skate had been served atop them rather than buried under them.

We finished up with a piece of pecan pie, which was accompanied by freshly-whipped cream. This was probably the highlight of the meal for me. I thought the pie was very tasty, with a texture that balanced pleasantly between firm and tender. The crust was flaky and flavorful. The whipped cream was excellent and the only thing wrong with the delicious bourbon-caramel sauce that dressed the plate was that there wasn't enough of it.

Other than the soups, nothing we ate was bad but nothing was particularly compelling for me either. I'd wanted to try WTT for a while and am glad that I did. I can definitely see returning but I won't be in any huge hurry to do so, either.

=R=

Ronnie_Suburban wrote:A domestic cheese plate was comprised of 3 cheeses: La Mancha Moo from Evergreen Lane Farm in Fenville, MI and 2 cheeses from from Lazy Lady in Westfield, VT - Filabuster and Lady in Blue. I liked all the cheeses, especially the 2 from Lazy Lady, which were made from raw milk. I also liked that the provenance of these cheeses and several other details about them, were provided to us in such detail.

Agreed. The only thing I'd add is that the servings of cheeses might be considered large...for a titmouse.

Fine value, great service, warm atmosphere, street parking, inviting bar, and most importantly simple, well-cooked, honest food. What’s not to like?

I thought I'd turn this thread into a more positive direction. I might edit "fine value" into "good value" (some portions sizes might disappoint those with huge appetites), but in general the quote above from the opening post sums up my last couple of experiences here. One highlight from a recent visit was the duck confit (again, tho, not for the famished), very flavorful atop a crisp potato-parsnip pancake beneath a bed of garlicky spinach. But the real surprise was the beef tenderloin, perfectly cooked (rare), sitting on a wine reduction and accompanied by a rich disk of scalloped potatoes. It wasn't the huge hunk you'll find at the downtown steakhouses, but at half the price ($25), it could convert WTT into a reasonable alternative when you have dedicated meat eaters in your midst.

It's been awhile since this thread has been updated, but sadly, WTT is closing their doors. A note was posted on their facebook page:

"West Town Tavern has closed its doors. Thank you for all of your support, encouragement and downright love. We are proud to have been a part of Chicago's vibrant dining scene for the last eleven years and now it's time for us to explore other opportunities. Look for a change at 1329 West Chicago Avenue."

I was a big fan and am sad to see them go.

Bummer. One of my favorite casual, mid-range restaurants in Chicago. It will definitely be missed.

That's surprising as I ate there last Friday and everything seemed fine. Food was good, and the wine was excellent. The place was probably 75% full. Maybe they didn't do enough weekday business?

I guess I'm just surprised that a business that was so much a part of that neighborhood and that lasted so long didn't have a more celebrated exit. I would've thought they'd have given some notice and allowed their customers (and staff) time to say goodbye. I had a store on that block from 2003-05 and the Goss' were truly lovely neighbors. I hope everything is ok and that this decision was purely business related, setting the stage for something new and great to come from them.

boudreaulicious wrote:I guess I'm just surprised that a business that was so much a part of that neighborhood and that lasted so long didn't have a more celebrated exit. I would've thought they'd have given some notice and allowed their customers (and staff) time to say goodbye. I had a store on that block from 2003-05 and the Goss' were truly lovely neighbors. I hope everything is ok and that this decision was purely business related, setting the stage for something new and great to come from them.

I seem to remember that when they closed Zinfandel, it was just as abrupt.

I guess I don't equate the two since a) they were dissolving a partnership and that is something that usually can't/shouldn't be drawn out and b)both entities had other restaurants so they weren't leaving altogether--just moving on to focus on their other places. But, as I said, if it was just a business decision, that's their call--just hoping it was that and not something health or family related.

Did anyone see this tweet from Susan
https://twitter.com/westtowntavern/stat ... 4724376577

Chicago Taco? Opening at 5?

[/quote]

mgmcewen wrote:Did anyone see this tweet from Susan

No, but I read this yesterday:
http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/ ... o-taco.php

Three Aces partners buy West Town Tavern

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... own-tavern

So happy about this. Need bolognese fries in neighborhood stat.