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DINING REVIEWThe LibraryBy: Suz PisanoLocated on East Carson, not too far from theCarnegie Library, is a new bar & restaurant, The Library,that hopes to fill a niche in this ever growing popularneighborhood. Owner Jeff Brungo has created anatmosphere geared towards young professionals. Heworked hard with local artists in creating the conceptyou’ll immediately embrace. The tabletops are coveredin maps, photo collages, sheet music and the like.People have definitely noticed according to Jeff, andsome request their favorite tables when coming in withfriends to dine. There’s an amazing upstairs whichopens onto a private deck- something very rare on theSouth Side. Entertainment on the deck includes bandson Thursdays & Fridays and Karaoke on Sundays.Brungo who has worked in the restaurant industry forthe past twenty-three years seems to really have itdown pat, and then there’s the food...The Nightwire crew stopped in at Happy Hourwhich runs daily with drink specials from 5 to 7 p.m.The menu is whimsical with literary names on all ofthe dishes.We had a delicious appetizer at the bar- Dark Green,Bright Red ($ 8), Seared Scallops atop Crostinis, FreshTomato Tartare, & a Green Peppercorn Pesto. The scallopswere large and sliced perfectly before being searedand complimented with the tomato and fresh pesto. Iwould definitely order this appetizer again. In order to gain thefeel of the restaurant not only the bar atmosphere (which is awonderful hammered copper), we moved over to a table tosample a couple of entrees.Chef Steve Harlow and Sous Chef Dan Gold brought us TheTyler Derden ($19) a Black & Blue Ribeye topped byGorgonzola, accompanied by Rosemary Redskin Smash. Thiswas absolutely delicious and followed up with the The UglyDuckling ($20) Crispy Duck Breast with Thai Chili Glaze & stirfry rice. I’m not sure which one we liked the best but the duckwas tender and flavorful & I though I could lick the plate that’show good the Thai Chili Glaze was! Other menu selectionsinclude: The Yellow Brick Road ($17) Mussels steamed in aSaffron Chipotle Broth, Tomato, Chorizo Sausage, & a SalmonCorn Biscuit; Rolland’s Roulade ($20) Ground Lamb rolledwith Veal, then wrapped in Peppered Bacon, PomegranatePeppercorn Sauce. I think The Library is certainly filing aniche for great interesting food, a great bar, nice atmosphereand awesome desserts. They serve small plates, a nice selectionof both salads and sandwiches. Open seven days aweek, with a great selection of menu offerings- you’ll have togive them a try.The Library has their own Pastry Chef Christen Biddinger,who makes luscious desserts that will have your mouth watering!We tried The Charlotte Cake with Chocolate BavarianCream in the center. It was so good I can’t wait to go back &8 • September 2007