New Too
On first bite Big Jones was confusing. The barbecued shrimp bore no sign of smoker or grill, and the three “crispy grit cakes” holding up dollops of tangy pulled pork and slaw were soft as tapioca. But I admit to no special expertise in the “southern coastal cuisine” that is Big Jones’s calling card. And as they were both damn tasty, we gave it a bye: who cares if it’s misdescribed when it tastes so good? Paul Fehribach, former chef at Schubas’ Harmony Grill, has taken the space long home to trapped-in-amber Augie’s diner and turned it into an airy, minimalist dining room distinguished by floor-to-ceiling windows and wrought-iron chandeliers. Like those chandeliers, the menu gives a little wave to the French Quarter. The cocktail list is full of hurricanes and nicely balanced Sazeracs—including one with absinthe—and the menu includes crawfish croquettes, etouffee, and a rich and smoky gumbo of chicken, andouille, and gator sausage. But these items share the page with inland delicacies like baby back ribs and a Brunswick stew of braised rabbit and succotash, not to mention the complimentary starter of boiled peanuts. I didn’t try the sandwiches but I wish I had: at a neighboring table the fried green tomato BLT on Sally Lunn and a sizable Tallgrass beef burger with fontina and green aioli were provoking groans of happiness. And the fresh, clean flavors of a simple house salad got my friend to sit up and take notice (“I think I just felt my eyesight get better!” he exclaimed.) All in all, Big Jones seems to be striving to fuse the accoutrements of upscale dining with the down-home soul of country cooking. When it doesn’t work there can be a disconnect. But when it does—as in a special of sauteed bluefish with a tangle of salty greens and a scoop of savory rice pudding—the results are stellar, both sophisticated and bone-deep satisfying. —Martha Bayne
$American Contemporary/Regional | Lunch, dinner: Sunday, Tuesday-Saturday | Sunday breakfast & brunch | Closed Monday | Open late: Friday & Saturday till midnight, Thursday till 11
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Chocolate Grape doesn’t really serve massive platters of chocolate covered grapes . . . just so you know. What it does serve is an eclectic mix of savory, sweets, and wines, plus crepes on Sundays. The menu offers moderately priced sandwiches and salads ($8.75-$10.75), many incorporating chocolate—for example, the Signature Grape salad, which comes with a teasing peach-white chocolate vinaigrette. The Wicker Parker Veggie, currently the only vegetarian-friendly sandwich, stuffs slabs of eggplant, zucchini, and portobello into a pita. There are about 50 bottles on the wine list, which suggests pairings, and 30 available by the glass—the minicupcake flight we tried might have benefited from some. Perhaps a bit oddly for a wine bar, there’s a kids’ menu featuring mac ‘n’ cheese, PB&J, and chicken strips. The atmosphere is relaxed and elegant, with club-size wooden tables, vintage golden couches, and antiques spread around the intimate space, and there’s sidewalk seating for 45. —Kelly McClure
Great Lake1477 W. Balmoral | 773-334-9270
Don’t be put off by the the shabby-unchic decor: the food at this BYO double storefront outclasses the setting. Besides well-balanced hummus, lightly smoky baba ghanoush, and grape leaves stuffed with nicely seasoned rice, cold appetizers included thick, smooth labenah, sour cream available plain, with green onions, or dotted with black olives and enriched with olive oil. Of the warm choices, we preferred kibbe, deep-fried torpedoes of cracked wheat stuffed with mild minced meat, to the average falafel. Habibi A, one of four mixed grills, featured flavorful marinated beef and chicken plus a small lamb chop, but the meats were heavily cooked, the chop to very well done. Much more interesting was maklouba, a melange of sauteed eggplant, smoky-brown cauliflower, thin potato slices, carrots, and beef (or chicken), with rice that soaked up all the juices. I’d return to try musakhan, a variation on a chicken wrap, and the lamb shanks, which were unavailable when I visited. They’d also run out of hareca, but another unusual dessert, spherical coconut-dusted kakaw, was a satisfying, not-too-sweet cross between candy and moist cake. Perfumy cinnamon-scented tea, offered when we arrived, was a blend of Lipton’s and herbal, according to a friendly server. —Anne Spiselman
$Bar/Lounge, English/Irish/Scottish, american | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday till 3, other nights till 2
