Frontier

Tried out this new restaurant in my neighborhood and was mostly pleased with everything. I was hesitant to even try it out because of the Red Eye review, but it seems they have everything moving along quite nicely right now. This is walking distance from my place, and I am very excited about the new addition. The space is much improved over the former Corosh space. It looks a little woodsy, but I think it has a little something for everyone, nice looking bar with a few TV's, and either high tables, or low tables. This is a plus for me, as being vertically challanged, I like the short tables where my feet touch the floor.

We ordered a half dozen raw east coast oysters (they have a revolving menu and there were about 10 choices) these were so delicious and pristine, we ordered 6 more. Fresh shaved horseradish, lemon, homemade hot sauce, cocktail sauce were the sauces they brought out. Also ordered one order of deviled eggs (pet peeve...three halves, why not four?) these were also so delicious, we ordered more. They were very tart from the homemade pickles and mustard. So good.

Next were the lamb ribs, I would classify these more as tips. They had a nice bit of meat and fat ratio, with some mint chimichuri. Nice presentation. Split a burger and it was perfectly cooked med rare. However, if you like fatty running down your arm burgers, this is not for you. It's lean. I like it that way, but I know some of you do not. And in that vain, this also may not be the place for you. They serve a lot of game, which tends to be lean, such as elk.
The highlight of the burger were the handcut fries. PERFECT! perfectly salted, crunchy, and the fried rosemary in them were addicting. I want more of these.

I am going back, and may try some more adventerous offerings, but I am happy this is in my neighborhood, and I hope they have a decent brunch this summer to sit outside. The service was excellent. Our waitress knew everything about the menu and was more than happy to discuss anything, including the cocktails. I had something with acai berry spirits and it was delicious.

Frontier
1072 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
Neighborhood: Noble Square

(773) 772-4322
www.thefrontierchicago.com

A friend and I stopped in for a quick dinner yesterday. The food had some quirks but was pretty good. My friend wasn't very hungry, so she ordered the white bean hummus and Caesar salad. The hummus was creamy and flavorful and well served by the sweet, whole pickled Peppadew peppers and herb aioli on top. Sometimes I think hummus is boring; this was not.

The hummus did pose a logistical problem which was that it was served as a very thin schmear on a metal pie pan. Because neither the dip nor the pan had much weight, when one went to scoop the hummus with the grilled bread, crackers or a knife, the pan spun. Tip: Hang on to the pie pan.

The Caesar salad was peculiar. It looked like a pretty standard Caesar with chopped romaine, creamy dressing and shredded parmesan. However, the dressing contained horseradish which totally overtook the salad. I really like horseradish's piquancy, but in this case, it seemed to turn the salad into something else--entirely fine so long as one is not craving a traditional Caesar.

And then there were the croutons. They were GEB-sized, the size of small muffins but still square, and made with polenta which gave them the texture of croquettes but maybe softer because they were huge. I thought they were well-well seasoned, the insides very creamy yet lightened in a fine way by fresh herbs. Texturally, the croutons may have made the entire salad too creamy and mushy--my friend's conclusion--but eaten between bites of other food, I found the Caesar pretty compelling.

Some of the quirks I've noted so far would probably have remained noteworthy had I read the menu's fine print; I just would have been less surprised when we received and tasted our food. It happened again with the chicken we ordered. I was craving simple roast chicken, so when I thought that's what I saw on the menu, I requested it. What I got was a half chicken slathered in a lot of sticky, sweet sauce. The sauce verged on candy sweet, which would have been hard to overcome given my expectation for simple chicken, except that this was--even through the goo--a quality, quality bird. From Gunthrop Farms, I think, the meat was moist and really delicious. I scraped off as much of the sauce as I could, and ate everything else. (Actually, not-hungry friend after a taste ate quite a bit of the chicken, too.) The watercress salad on the side was an uninspired, tangled mess, and my friend liked but didn't find special the five-cheese mac and cheese.

I don't remember the details, but we also had a very enjoyable Zinfandel with our meal.

Among the other surprises at Frontier last night were that this place feels very much like a sports bar. I don't know what I was expecting in terms of the space--I suppose something more mellow--but I was not prepared for the sports bar crowd, line-up of 10 huge flatscreens and Top 40 alt rock played too loud.

And then there were the servers' "costumes." I might have missed this for I was shielding my eyes from the glare of the flatscreens, but then my friend said, "WTF with the Pocahontas costumes? Oh, yeah, the name of the place is Frontier..." Granted, the Pocahontas costumes worn by the cute female servers were, shall I say, "contemporary"--lest anyone worry that Frontier might feel like a Disney Store. The leather headbands were very thin and minimalist. According to my friend, bedazzled, fringed boots were Jimmy Choo for UGG knock-offs. Flowy, tribal tops were worn over skinny jeans. I actually think Frontier is kind of a cool name; the themed outfits struck me as unnecessary.

Fashion criticism aside, we were greeted very warmly, and service was attentive and helpful during our short visit, especially since we were on a tight schedule. The food was curiously good; I'll go back to try more.

happy_stomach wrote:And then there were the croutons. They were GEB-sized,...

Wow, that is one huge crouton!

Kennyz wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:And then there were the croutons. They were GEB-sized,...

Wow, that is one huge crouton!

Oops. The croutons were big, but to clarify, I meant large like the brioche (?) croutons served with the funny Caesar I've had twice at restaurant Graham Elliot. Definitely too large for a spork.

happy_stomach wrote:And then there were the servers' "costumes." I might have missed this for I was shielding my eyes from the glare of the flatscreens, but then my friend said, "WTF with the Pocahontas costumes? Oh, yeah, the name of the place is Frontier..." Granted, the Pocahontas costumes worn by the cute female servers were, shall I say, "contemporary"--lest anyone worry that Frontier might feel like a Disney Store. The leather headbands were very thin and minimalist. According to my friend, bedazzled, fringed boots were Jimmy Choo for UGG knock-offs. Flowy, tribal tops were worn over skinny jeans. I actually think Frontier is kind of a cool name; the themed outfits struck me as unnecessary.

I asked Charley Barone (GM) and and Chef Jupiter about this costuming, and they gave me blank stares, saying they knew nothing about it. However, our server, Sterling, fessed up that she was the one (and from what I could tell, the only one) who has ever come dressed in nouveau Native American attire (once). She's part-Cheyenne, so I think she gets some slack in that regard.

David Hammond wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:And then there were the servers' "costumes." I might have missed this for I was shielding my eyes from the glare of the flatscreens, but then my friend said, "WTF with the Pocahontas costumes? Oh, yeah, the name of the place is Frontier..." Granted, the Pocahontas costumes worn by the cute female servers were, shall I say, "contemporary"--lest anyone worry that Frontier might feel like a Disney Store. The leather headbands were very thin and minimalist. According to my friend, bedazzled, fringed boots were Jimmy Choo for UGG knock-offs. Flowy, tribal tops were worn over skinny jeans. I actually think Frontier is kind of a cool name; the themed outfits struck me as unnecessary.

I asked Charley Barone (GM) and and Chef Jupiter about this costuming, and they gave me blank stares, saying they knew nothing about it. However, our server, Sterling, fessed up that she was the one (and from what I could tell, the only one) who has ever come dressed in nouveau Native American attire (once). She's part-Cheyenne, so I think she gets some slack in that regard.

Wow. I guess it was just coincidence that the night I went every female server we saw was wearing a headband and silly boots. I haven't been back to see if the fashion has changed, but I have recommended the food at Frontier to several people.

I've gone back about 10 times and have never seen and costumes.

I went to Frontier on Wednesday. Reminded me somewhat of Old Town Social in that the huge bank of flat screen TVs does not seem to jibe with what the kitchen is aspiring to. While at OTS the crowd seems to match what they are going for with interior vibe (but is perhaps mismatched for the food), I found the crowd at Frontier to be more reflective of its neighborhood and quite different than the more "scene-y" crowd at OTS.

I think I have been spoiled by the oysters at the Publican in that there is hardly ever any shell or noticeable grit in the oyster (maybe 3-5 in a hundred or so oysters I've eaten there); very adept and expert shucking at the Publican. The Wellfleet oysters I had at Frontier ($2.50 each) were very good in terms of quality, but each of those that I ate had fairly significant shell/grit.

On Wednesday nights, Frontier does a burger special that is reminiscent of the (now defunct?) $10 "kobe" burger and beer special at Paramount Room. The Frontier version is a Slagel Farm burger (apparently with beef sourced and ground by Frontier's neighbors at Butcher and Larder) with fries, plus a can of 12 oz beer for $12. The beer options range from PBR to canned micros such as Ska and Brooklyn offerings. Pretty good deal (the burger itself is $11 regularly and I believe the canned beers are $4-5). The burger was very good (strong beefy flavor), but cooked probably 1.5 steps from the requested medium rare (it was well on its way to medium well if not quite there). Fries were hand-cut and very good; as noted upthread, the fried rosemary is a nice touch and perfumes the fries nicely.

Also got the lollipop wings (fried, with a light drizzle of wing sauce but otherwise unadorned), which were good. Beer list was pretty good, although nothing there that was really particularly unique or hard to find (with the exception of the Firestone Walker Robust Porter, which I had not seen, or at least noticed, around town before). The standard glassware there seemed to be a 12 oz pilsener (with some tulips and other glasses for Belgians and specialty beers); a little surprising to get a Daisy Cutter in that volume instead of a pint (but somewhat of a minor quibble).

On the whole, I would put this in the elevated bar food category. Will probably go back, particularly when the patio is open (it was closed on Wednesday -- I believe for some renovation as opposed to weather, as it was not raining, although it threatened all night). If I still lived in the neighborhood, I could see it as a fairly regular stop.

Matt wrote:I think I have been spoiled by the oysters at the Publican in that there is hardly ever any shell or noticeable grit in the oyster (maybe 3-5 in a hundred or so oysters I've eaten there); very adept and expert shucking at the Publican. The Wellfleet oysters I had at Frontier ($2.50 each) were very good in terms of quality, but each of those that I ate had fairly significant shell/grit.

A recent dinner offered quite the opposite. 2 dozen assorted oysters had been shucked with great care. I had about 8. I didn't encounter a single shard or bit of shell, and each oyster still contained its liquor. They weren't better than at Publican but they were every bit as good and the plump, meaty, briney-fresh oysters were, by far, the highlight of our meal.

Matt wrote:On the whole, I would put this in the elevated bar food category. Will probably go back . . .

I put it in the same category but can only see myself going back on a weeknight. The weekend scene was pretty unpleasant. One of my tablemates figured it was a pre-club launching pad and that seemed about right. Dozens of nattily-clad folks on the patio -- many scoping each other out -- sipping drinks but not eating. It was massively crowded and as the evening wore on, the hovering pre-clubbers inched closer and closer to our table. The food was tasty but not transcendent enough to endure that again . . . maybe during the week if I'm in the neighborhood, but I still can't see going out of my way for it. There was a notable disconnect between what the menu aspired to and what the place actually ended up being . . . and again, this may have just been a "Saturday" thing. I'd love to try more of what this kitchen is putting out in a less chaotic, more food-first envirornment. I will say that service, provided by Jackie, was pretty damned good, especially considering the overall scenario. She was a trooper and treated us professionally from beginning to end.

=R=

Thanks for the update, ronnie.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Matt wrote:On the whole, I would put this in the elevated bar food category. Will probably go back . . .

I put it in the same category but can only see myself going back on a weeknight.

I cannot speak to the weekend issues, as I went on Wednesday, but it probably says something about the impression it left on me or the lack thereof (or maybe it's just a reflection of my dining habits generally) that I have not been back since I posted that review almost exactly a year ago. Sounds like perhaps I am not missing much, although I would still probably stop in if in the neighborhood and I needed something to eat and would not protest if someone I was dining with really wanted to go there.

I guess I never posted about a previous Sun brunch experience at Frontier awhile back. Had fried rabbit & waffles, delicious.

Gathered a group of folks for an upcoming large animal service, specifically the goat, wild boar, wagu loin (Goat is cured, then fried and served with Chimichurri sauce. Wagu Beef is grilled medium rare. Boar Shoulder is smoked for 14 hours over
apple and cherry woods. All carved table-side.) Of course will report back on how this was, plenty of other options on their website.
http://thefrontierchicago.com/animal-service/
--

I'd love to hear how the goat/boar/wagu turned out, but based on my meal at Frontier yesterday, I feel obligated to contribute a "Caution!" or "Caution, don't get the salmon!"

Looking at the menu beforehand, I had the same expectations echoed in some of the earlier posts. Maybe something like the Charlatan, moderately lively, hipster waiters dressed in flannels. Oh no. It was a full-on sports bar, with tiny high tops and bright red stools.

The Nashville Hot Alligator Legs and Venison Shepherd's Pie piqued our interest. We also got the 10lb whole salmon:
1. Nashville Hot ≠ Sweet and Sour glaze. Stop it.
2. Alligator was otherwise correctly fried and plentiful
3. The sides were the best part, although there were no shrimps in the "smoked shrimp and dill potato salad"
4. Salmon had the texture of a chicken breast dish sitting on a buffet line; under-salted (despite being baked in salt) and under-spiced, dry, and, as my friend noted, served in 2 piles of scraps that resembled cat food
5. They won't serve the head

The whole animal/exotic animals could've provided an exciting dining option in Chicago. Ended up being a gimmick to go along with punch bowls and bros-night-outs.