BLACKBOOK THE PERIPATETIC GOURMET MINOR DETOURS CONTINUED... STAR CHEF THE PUBLICAN Pork, oysters and beer sum up the experience at Paul Kahan’s rustic restaurant, which features a 100-seat communal table. 837 W Fulton Market; thepublicanrestaurant.com NEW GREEN STREET SMOKED MEATS A mural on a brick wall points the way to this hidden BBQ joint. Order the brisket chili Frito pie. 112 N Green St; 312-754-0431 Wood-fired oysters with horseradish, bacon and preserved lemon at Girl and the Goat STAR CHEF GIRL AND THE GOAT It’s hard to get a reservation at Izard’s meat-and-fish-focused restaurant unless you book in advance, but locals know tables can be found if you walk in right when it opens or plan for a late-night bite. No 809; girlandthegoat.com NEW LONE WOLF Order a gin-, tequila- or vodka-based sgroppino, an Italian cocktail that’s sweetened with sorbet. The bar serves food from Pleasant House Bakery (pleasanthouse bakery. com); try the steak and ale pie loaded with beef, ale, carrots and herbs. No 806; lonewolftavern.com The burger at Au Cheval NEW SOHO HOUSE The private members’ club opened its first Midwestern location in August. 113–125 N Green St; sohohouse chicago.com STAR CHEF PUBLICAN QUALITY MEATS Kahan’s butcher shop, neighbourhood café, bakery and mar ket serves an unreal braised-porkbelly gyro with a yogurtbased raita dip on a grilled flatbread. 825 W Fulton Market; publicanqualitymeats.com STAR CHEF SEPIA Andrew Zimmerman’s seasonally driven New American spot has been on the scene for years now. 123 N Jefferson St; sepiachicago.com STAR CHEF BLACKBIRD Chef Paul Kahan’s farmcentric spot started it all. The menu changes often, but the endive salad with pancetta and poached egg remains a classic, with the egg cracked artfully at tableside. No 619; blackbirdrestaurant.com STAR CHEF Small plates, including chorizo-stuffed dates with bacon and piquillo-pepperand-tomato sauce, at Avec GRACE Chef Curtis Duffy serves two 5 8- to 12-course tasting menus (one is flora, the other is fauna). Grace received two Michelin stars; it might have gained a third were it not for the fact it is just two years old. No 652; grace-restaurant.com STAR CHEF COMING SOON FORMENTO’S A red-sauce Italian joint from the B Hospitality Co will be opening this autumn. Chef Tony Quartaro will be in the kitchen. No 925; formentos.com AVEC Of the seasonal small plates at Blackbird’s sister restaurant and wine bar, the chorizostuffed medjool dates are the thing of Chicago legend. No 615; avecrestaurant.com TRIED-AND-TRUE AND DON’T MISS . . . If the name Ikram sounds familiar, it’s probably thanks to Michelle Obama, an early patron of Ikram Goldman’s Chicago boutique. But lately the buzz surrounding the Gold Coast shop (five minutes from the West Loop) isn’t about what’s on the racks but what’s on the plates served at the second-floor café. “There’s no specific cuisine, just food that we love,” says Goldman of the menu prepared by chef Christopher Sullivan, which, on any given day, ranges from carrot or curried lentil soup to salmon tacos to a bison burger that Goldman swears is “the best on the planet”. “People who don’t buy clothes here are coming for the food,” she adds. And those shopping needn’t fuss about ordering dessert: alterations are offered on the premises. At 15 E Huron St; ikram.com NEW AU CHEVAL A souped-up diner, Au Cheval is impeccable without a hint of pretentiousness. Its burger (above, with two patties) is arguably the best in the city; pair it with a bright-eyed Bloody Mary. No 800; auchevalchicago.com EMBEYA Up-and-coming executive chef Thai Dang serves Asianfusion flavours (try the seafood stew with mussels in a lime-andcoconut broth). The chic space has gold carved wall-like panels and droopy chandeliers. No. 564; embeya.com PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: KARI SKAFLEN, DEREK RICHMOND, ANTHONY TAHLIER 42 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
CEDARWOOD, BROCADE, A WORLD OF ENCHANTMENT SOME SECRETS ARE FOR WHISPERING www.royalmansour.com ROYAL MANSOUR MARRAKECH
