In the evening, if you stand on certain corners in River North and take in the spectacle unfolding around you, you have to resign yourself to an inevitable, unhappy conclusion: “This is why the French hate us.” It’s our willingness to accept and support the nightlife equivalent of the zombie apocalypse. You want to flee the hordes of dead-eyed walkers who mob those yawning restaurants that possess little more focus and imagination than corporate cafeterias managed by circus clowns—and who dutifully shovel in whatever incompatible assortment of culinary gimmicks they’ve been told they must eat now: Croque monsieur fingers! Pig sticks! Counterfeit cowballs!
Most of these dishes are prepared flawlessly by chef de cuisine Ali Ratcliffe-Bauer, a former sous chef at Naha, but they are muted in seasoning with such consistency that I have to guess it’s a deliberate choice. So while you may find yourself marveling at the freshness of the claw meat in the signature lobster Brindille, with sauteed hen of the woods mushrooms and tiny potatoes, you might also wish for a bit more acidity or salt in the sauce, made from butter and emulsified with lobster roe and vanilla.
Correction:This story has been amended to reflect the appetizers’ price range and that Carrie and Michael Nahabedian are cousins, not husband and wife.
534 N. Clark 312-595-1616brindille-chicago.com
