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Briejo, Oak Park

When a new restaurant opens in Oak Park, there’s usually an initial rush of enthusiasm, powered by local hopes that this will be the neighborhood restaurant that’s recognized as the equal of Chicago’s almost always better joints.

Such has it been with Briejo (pronounced Bree-Joe), which though without signage nor any kind of announcement in local papers, has been filling up since it soft-opened last week. Thursday, I went there with a bunch of women.

The tempura artichoke with soy-ginger aioli was a somewhat original concept…



…though the tempura batter was a bit heavy for the teensy pieces of artichoke. I’d recommend the chef go with bigger slices of artichoke or less batter so that that the flavor of the tasty thistle comes through the fry-coat more cleanly. And I’d expect a tempura to be much lighter and airy. Did they really use rice flour for this preparation?

Our very attentive, helpful, and always-aiming-to-please server recommended the grilled shrimp on a bed of tropical fruit salsa, and the shrimps were good…



…as was the salsa, though all a touch pedestrian (I’ve had this grilled seafood plus fruit flavor many times; no slam to it, but it didn’t move me or take me anywhere new…maybe my expectations are too high).

My duck leg confit had very good herbal flavor and was placed on a tasty hillock of French lentils and slightly underdone Brussels sprouts (much preferable to slightly overdone)…



…though the first bite had me wondering if it was actually “confited.” I asked Bridgette, who owns the place with her partner (formerly of Tomboy), if the duck really went through the usual process of poaching in its own fat, and she introduced me to the chef, who confirmed that it had. Nonetheless, it lacked the lushness of the dish as I prepare it at home. I will probably never again order duck confit in a restaurant; I just make it too good in my own kitchen. Do I boast? Then I boast. It’s true.

My fashion-conscious daughters loved the room (lots of oranges and reds, very lively and somehow feminine), and it was overall a pleasant experience to eat at Briejo. We all loved that the floor-to-ceiling mirrors were canted so as to make our reflected selves look taller and slimmer. Still, the pricing seemed a little high ($9 for four smallish – maybe 26/30 -- shrimp?), and the dishes didn’t come through quite as powerfully as I might have hoped, but maybe the chef is just playing it safe for now. The place is new, the owners seem high-energy and sincere, and I expect they will improve with time. I understand they went through some predictable bureaucratic hassles getting their place set up, which is probably typical for those hoping to launch a capitalist enterprise in the People’s Republic of Oak Park.

Is Breijo at this point worth a drive from, say, Chicago? Probably not, yet, but for this quadrant of the village (Harrison Art District), it’s a contender, and it would be my preference over virtually-just-opened Trattoria 225 or timeworn warhorse La Majada, both within a scone’s throw of this sleeker, sharp-dressed new comer.

Briejo
211 Harrison, Oak Park
708.84.2743
http://www.briejo.com:80/

I've been a fan of LTH Forum for a few years now, and have found that many of my regular haunts are well covered. I have also found quite a few gems through this site that I was previously not aware of and have since enjoyed on a regular basis. However, until now I haven't found anything I felt was worth mentioning on the site that wasn't already wll covered,

I have lived in Oak Park for the past 8 years after living in the city, and have found that the restaurants in this village, in my experience, were generally not up to the level of those found in the typical city neighborhood. I believe I finally found a restaurant that is of the quality I became accustomed to while living in Chicago. My wife and I went to Briejo in Oak Park for dinner tonight, for the first time, and were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant opened in November 2008. We had heard good things from friends and neighbors so we decided to try the place out. The menu had a nice selection, and there were a number of daily specials to choose from.

We decided to order the sauteed calimari appitizer to start which was a special for the evening. It came with a white wine butter sauce and grilled toast for dipping, it was very flavorful but didn't prepare us for what was to come. Our waitress provided us with her four entree favorites on the menu, two of which we ordered on her recommendation. My wife had the scallops with mashed potatoes, covered in fried leaks with grilled asparagus in a butter sauce that was quite delicious. The scallops were some of the best I've ever eaten, and I plan to order them myself at a future visit. My wife thought the leaks were a nice addition to the mashed potatoes. I ordered the grilled rack of lamb, which was accompanied by sauteed spinach and mashed sweat potatoes with coconut. The lamb was grilled to perfection and extremely tender. It came with a version of mint sauce that I haven't had before, it was essentially a lamb or beef stock reduction infused with mint, black pepper and other herbs and spices. It was a nice addition to the perfectly cooked lamb. We finished the meal with a chocolate mouse that was very pleasing.

Other than La Piazza, (in Forest Park and now Gaetanos in a new location) we haven't eaten at a restuarant the comes close to the quality and service of Briejo in the Oak Park area. The service alone sets this place apart from the other eateries in Oak Park, and the food is far superior to anywhere else we have eaten. The owner was very friendly, as was our waitress. We felt as if we were guests in the home of a friend rather than just two customers among many. Briejo is located on Harrison, close to the blue line Austin station, so it is convenient to public tranportation. We were very pleased to find an eatery of this caliber in Oak Park and hope the area will continue to attract new eateries of this quality.

Briejo
211 Harrison St
Oak Park, IL 60304

I believe that it is Briejo. No spaces.

Thanks for the correction, spelling has never been one of my strengths.

at least we know you don't own the place!

One night will not define a restaurants overall service, but the night I dined there for my spry but elderly mothers birthday had some significant service flaws. Before I go there, food was intersting and of high quality(not near Gaetano's level). Room was crowded and had a vitality to it. Overall very enjoyable. Now to the issues. Four entrees: Duck,Scallops, Rack of lamb and Fish with a bluberry sauce. Duck and scallops served other two entres 12 to 15 mintes later. only explanation sorry we are backed up tonight. Fish seemed "pale" I thought it would have some sort if pan fry crust to it. Rack came out as Lamb chops cooked individually. My guess they forgot and had to fire them at same time other entress were served. Got check after desert and coffee. noticed a charge for an imported beer. No one drank beer. Looked further and discovered an extra galss of wine on the bill. When pointed out, I got a " oh sorry" and thats it. I do usually check that close but the beer caught my eye. Maybe a little fawning or comp the desert, we had three apps and other drinks. It just left me with a bad taste. It also appeared that the owner or manager was hanging outside a lot with a freind smoking. I am not sure of her title or if she actually was affilliated but that appeared to be the case.