freshly pulled mozzarella that gleams as seductively as the pinegreen, olive oil bottles lining the shopping shelves. Just down the street is Trenchermen (trenchermen.com), a dark oasis of glazed chestnut wood and leather stools lining a bar adorned with dozens of vintage-glass stills. In its past life, the retro-vibe restaurant was home to the Luxor Russian Baths. It’s safe to say today’s dishes from chef Patrick Sheerin, such as toasted oats and mapo tofu with lentils, market mushrooms and almonds, or bowls of octopus and squid ink gnocchi with kimchee Bolognese, nori and shiso, were never served to 1920s bathers. Order one last Carrot and the Mule, a refreshing libation of carrot ginger beer, vodka and citrus, before heading over to Ruxbin (ruxbinchicago.com), a restaurant from chef Edward Kim that features steampunk decor in prismatic shades of moss and persimmon and New American dishes glinting with hints of Kim’s Korean heritage, such as prawns and pickled plums with daikon, taro and pumpkin puree.
Before saying farewell to Wicker Park, it’s time for pork sweetbreads with fennel and roasted apricots at The Purple Pig (thepurplepigchicago. com), just a block off the Magnificent Mile. This perpetually bustling eatery, with its open-kitchen and farmhouse ambience, is a collaboration of three celebrated chefs who serve some of their dishes in ceramic pigs that accessorise the wooden beer barrels lining the walls. Maybe afternoon clouds will absorb the blazing sun just in time for a visit visit to Wicker Park’s northern neighbour, Bucktown, a once-scruffy patch of sketchy record shops transformed into trendy art galleries and inviting restaurants, such as chef Chris Pandel’s The Bristol (thebristolchicago.com). This universally adored spot, with its rustic chic interior, offers unique but unpretentious dishes such as roasted carrots and whipped Stracchino cheese with golden raisins and toasted pistachios, beneath abstract oil paintings from local artists. A pint awaits at Half Acre Beer Company
Opposite, Anish Kapoor’s famous Cloud Gate aka “The Bean” at the entrance of Millenium Park. Below, Fulton Market is a popular hangout.
(halfacrebeer.com) just west of Bucktown, where the brewery tour culminates with a chilled can of Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. There’s still a little time to unwind with another drink just north of Bucktown at Homestead on the Roof (homesteadontheroof.com), a breezy organic restaurant with its own rooftop planter boxes and vertical gardens serving more than 100 artisan spirits and thirst-quenching, rotating craft brews.
JULY 2015
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