In the Neighborhood
Blackbird619 W. Randolph | 312-715-0708
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rrr This sterile white-and-steel space would make a lab rat feel at home. But for fine dining with a rotation of top-notch seasonal ingredients, served by a crack cadre of skilled food-service ninjas who would die for your smallest whim, Blackbird’s still at the top of its game. Don’t do what I did last time, succumbing to my basest instincts and ordering course after course featuring a cured pork product. By the time I’d finished my endive salad with poached egg and pancetta, seared diver scallops with guanciale, and braised pork belly, my alimentary canal felt like the Bonneville Salt Flats, and my plan to finish with the bacon ice cream was foiled. You owe it to yourself—and to executive chef Mike Sheerin—to try, say, sauteed skate wing with sassafras, pickled pear, Parmesan, and rosemary or crispy veal sweetbreads with cashew butter, rye waffle, black mission figs, and black olive honey. Challenges in the area of wine selection are sometimes met by the guidance of your Joseph Abboud-clad waiter, sometimes not. —Mike Sula
De Cero means means “from scratch,” and under executive chef Jill Barron (Sushi Wabi) the food here—fresh coastal Mexican cuisine—is made with attention to detail. Plates of soft-shell tacos ($3-$4.50 apiece) with fillings like ahi tuna and mango-habanero salsa and chipotle chicken fly from the exposed kitchen at a dizzying pace. They’re unsauced, but the $6 trio of homemade salsas—verde, picante, and a chunky mix of pickled jalapeños and vegetables—complement them well. Entrees include grilled chicken mole, shrimp fajitas, grilled ahi tuna, carne asada, and a 12-ounce pork chop. The margaritas and daiquiris blended with herbs are refreshing and not too sweet, but they don’t come close to the superlative house margarita with fresh-squeezed lime juice and homemade sour mix. —Laura Levy Shatkin
F 7.2 | S 7.5 | A 8.5 | $$$ (8 reports)French | Lunch: Monday-Friday; Dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till midnight
Red Light820 W. Randolph | 312-733-8880
rrr At Sepia, Emmanuel Nony’s sleek “modern speakeasy,” creative chef Kendal Duque (Everest, Tru, NoMi) runs the kitchen, and out front savvy servers seem happy to be there. The menu changes seasonally, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the return of succulent slow-baked veal short ribs on wide, lightly minted noodles with truffle butter, which quickly became a signature entree not simply by default but because they’re delicious. I also liked the thick Berkshire pork chop with arugula and apple. Flatbreads, which head the menu, should be a natural with cocktails, but I didn’t have much luck: the little one topped with applewood-smoked bacon and seasonal fruit didn’t go at all with the Sepia Mule, which features house-made ginger-infused vodka. Other appetizers might include pork rillettes with fig jam, toasts, and pistachio brittle or steak tartare with raw farm egg yolk and pickled shallots. At brunch there’s a bacon Bloody Mary made with bacon-infused vodka and eggs Benedict made with Berkshire pork belly. The eclectic, affordable wine list rounds out an enjoyable experience. —Anne Spiselman
