Endgrain

Did a quick search and was surprised to see that there doesn't yet seem to be a dedicated thread for Endgrain, Enoch Simpson's new Roscoe Village spot. Time Out reviewed it last week and deemed it "inconsistent," calling out an underseasoned trout dish several times and implying that there are several other dishes on the menu that also suffer from underseasoning. You can find the full review here:
http://www.timeoutchicago.com/restauran ... ant-review

I have to say, I was surprised at how mediocre the reviewer found the place. I've been twice now, once for brunch and once for dinner, both times with friends, so have had a chance to try about half the things on the menu. I cannot recommend this place enough! There are so many dining choices in Chicago that it's rare for me to go back to the same place two weeks in a row, but I was so impressed with everything I've had that I'm hoping to make a third visit in the not too distant future. I haven't tried the offending trout dish but my experiences were overwhelmingly positive. It's been awhile since I've been so excited about a new neighborhood restaurant.

For brunch, i had the chorizo sope with soft boiled egg. It's on the small side, so I was worried it wouldn't be enough to fill me up, but ended up being just the perfect amount to be full but not stuffed. The richness and heaviness of the sope & chorizo were offset by a bright, tangy, crunchy slaw, add in the soft boiled egg and you have perfection on a plate. I also tried my friend's biscuit smothered in gravy/eggs/crispy onions. This dish was much larger & more filling than the sope. Why more people haven't thought to do open faced biscuit sandwiches is beyond me. Another winner.

For dinner, had the smoked walleye fritter, which was fine - nothing to write home about but well fried and tasty nonetheless. The pork & kimchi hand pie was the night's big revelation. Yes, even more so than the fried chicken, and that's saying something. The crust was unbelievable, a little on the thick side, buttery, perfectly flaky. I didn't know what to expect with the braised pork/kimchi combination but it was a huge winner. This is the kind of dish you have dreams about. As the Time Out review noted, the fried chicken is a masterpiece, perfectly crisp on the outside, moist on the inside. Generous portion. Huge fresh baked biscuit and a cup of gravy on the side. I also had the flap steak (similar to a hangar steak) which was surprisingly smoky, but perfectly cooked. Another winner.

On my first visit, I had some of the same service issues as the TO reviewer - fairly inattentive service and a waitress who looked and acted as though this was not where she wanted to be or what she wanted to be doing. That said, it wasn't horrible, just not great. Certainly didn't ruin my experience. On my second visit, though the place was full, no issues at all - our server was great, enthusiastic but not overbearing, and the delivery was perfectly paced.

Endgrain
1851 W Addison St
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 687-8191
http://www.endgrainrestaurant.com/

I was there about a month ago but was lazy about starting a new thread - sorry. But I'll echo the very positive comments as my dinner was terrific and service was about as good as I've experienced in Chicago.

Maybe my favorite item was the eggplant nam sod, which also included peanuts, lime, radishes and a couple other vegetables and herbs. I thought this was a brilliant dish, and while it lacked Thai heat and funk, it offered a great combination of flavors and texture. My other favorite dish was the housemade pasta with salsify, green garlic pesto, roasted carrots, peas, burrata and pecans. Again, really terrific flavors and textures.

To call the fried chicken dinner my least favorite dish would really be a disservice to endgrain because it was also terrific. Nicely breaded, very moist and accompanied by a terrific and very buttery biscuit (and sausage gravy, mustard butter and smoked potato).

This is probably the best meal I've ever had in the North Center/Roscoe Village area -- really just an excellent meal regardless -- so I'm excited to return.

I had a chance to try a couple of their donuts the other day. I had a mixed berry that had a very generous amount of a filling that had obviously been made from fresh fruit, but I found the doughnut itself to be a bit dry and heavy. A chocolate malt donut suffered the same fate. It, too was a bit leaden, though the chocolate flavor was good.

I give them an A for effort, but I just don't like their cake.

I also tried my friend's biscuit smothered in gravy/eggs/crispy onions. This dish was much larger & more filling than the sope. Why more people haven't thought to do open faced biscuit sandwiches is beyond me.

Sounds like biscuits and gravy, no?

This is just one example of the biscuit sandwiches on their menu - they have several different options

Here's a menu description of one of Endgrain's biscuit sandwiches:

Crispy Pork Belly, fried egg, aged cheddar, greens, charred jalapeno aioli 10

Here's a redaction that more accurately reflects what I received:

Crispy Pork Belly, fried egg, aged cheddar, greens, a dab of white goo with no discernible taste 10

But what really elevated this dish to something worth posting about was the side of chips served alongside: Freshly house-made, glistening with cooking oil, and sitting in a nice pool of the stuff, at least 1/16'' deep, that had begun to soak into the bottom of the biscuit by the time I received the plate (approximately half an hour after ordering, but that's another issue altogether). I'm hard pressed to recall a fast-food joint or greasy spoon I've ever eaten at that had so little pride or interest in their product as to simply plop down a deep-fried item without giving it so much as a glance, never mind actually draining the damn fat. These would have easily made the "Worst Thing You've Eaten [Lately]" thread had I, in fact, actually eaten any.

I don't doubt that this is not standard practice at Endgrain, but I do think there could be an overall reason for the wildly divergent reviews. I should also point out that we were the last table to get our food, so this is not simply a case of a kitchen in the weeds, although it's certainly possible that weed of some kind was involved.

And yet, even with all of the above snark and the memory of those repulsive chips, it's very likely that I'll find myself back at Endgrain sooner rather than later. The reason is simple: the biscuit itself was outstanding. Really, really good. I know I'm just parroting the Reader's review, but I prefer to think of it as an additional data point: For now, at least, I'm going to view Endgrain as a place to pop in for a delicious biscuit with jam. I'm perfectly happy with that.

We stopped by for donuts Saturday morning and picked up three donuts to go. I didn't write anything down so I may have gotten the names wrong: Bacon Caramel, Honey Glazed and Gingerbread. Holy Frickin' Cow, they were fantastic! First off, they were beautiful (When I thought about taking pictures, but they were all half eaten). The Honey Glazed was our favorite, it was cut in half like a bagel and slathered with some sort of yummy sour cream filling. The Bacon was well done and balanced mix of sweet and salty. Gingerbread was good, but not my thing. The overall thing I would say is that they were all well balanced. They were $3 a pop and worth it (if you're into fancy donuts).

Prepare for a lot of cranky people suffering from doughscuit withdrawal in the wake of Endgrain's announcement that it has "closed until further notice."

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141112 ... her-notice

Walked by last night and Endgrain has reopened! But it appears to be just as a bar right now, I did not see any food being served and the propped up blackboard outside the entrance listed beer specials and "no donuts "

It did advertise $2 Guinness, if thats a recurring price it will be my local. (but I am holding out hope for a return of the donuts)

I, too, recently walked by and was surprised to find it reopened! Wandered in and inquired about food - they only have a short bar/app menu until the kitchen is fully up & running in "a couple weeks". Did not inquire about donuts. I had my only (excellent) Endgrain meal days before their fall closing, and lamented not finding them sooner. Now looking forward to more fine meals at this corner gem.

JohnGalt wrote:Walked by last night and Endgrain has reopened! But it appears to be just as a bar right now, I did not see any food being served and the propped up blackboard outside the entrance listed beer specials and "no donuts "

It did advertise $2 Guinness, if thats a recurring price it will be my local. (but I am holding out hope for a return of the donuts)

It's true! We stopped by tonight. They have $2 Guinness and Blue Moon. They're open 5-10 Wednesday-Sunday for now and have some bar food too. The bartender didn't have much info on what's going on or the change of ownership, but she did say they plan to start brunch plus a more proper food menu within a few weeks.

DNA info is reporting Bangers & Lace will opening in this space: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2016033 ... oe-village