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Had my first meal there on Tuesday night. The patio was glorious and so was the food.

They also have their own water-filtering that offers still or sparkling like Graham Elliot.

They did bring little biscuits. They were good, but I think they should be served hot. The butter was fantastic.

I had the house made pasta with olives and pesto. It was al dente. The server was right it was very al dente. I tend to like "over-cooked" pasta. This was quite good. I will attribute that to it being house-made.

My friend and I wanted the same sweets so we shared the Mick Klug blackberries w/ marscapone creme and the blueberry sour cream cake. They were outstanding. If anything I don't know why they didn't just have a shortcake offering with the berries. I also ordered a tiny and perfect scoop of the white peach gelato. It was served with a tiny biscotti. I tend to loathe biscotti. This was delish.

Service was fine and the noise level outside was unremarkable. I could hear my dining companion just fine.

The next morning, I was at Green City Market and ran into Chef Jason. It warmed my heart to see him there picking out produce for his restaurants.

I received an email indicating that brunch is now available on sundays.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

I talked to Jason last week about how he manages sound at Nightwood, and it turns out it is very consciously layered, so that when you're standing, it's loud and noisy and alive, and when you're seated, you can hear your companion just fine.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Second visit, the 1st was on Tuesday. I went for brunch today. I guess brunch is a secret. I got a table immediately. I don't think anyone there is telling their friends and family to stop standing in line at Nightwood's Big Sis Lula over in Logan Square.

Service was friendly, fast, unobtrusive, & pretty efficient.

I had OJ, eggs, with an English muffin, soy sausage,and their delicious hash brown balls. Wow these were amazing! The hash brown balls were a beckoning golden brown color and crispy on the outside. It was shredded potato made into a little ball. I could eat these over chips any day.

The strawberry preserves were delicious and runny. I didn't ask but the texture led me to believe they were house made.

Next up a blueberry scone. It was served on a warm plate, I don't know if that was planned or if it just came out of the dishwasher, but it was a nice touch. The scone was covered w/ fresh plump blueberries. Genius! I had a "why didn't I ever think of that before" moment. It was not too sweet with a lovely crumb. The only drawback was the darned accessory of sprinkled powdered sugar. Now I know so I will ask them to leave it off. What is it with everyone dressing a sweet plate w/ powdered sugar?

Simple food well done. I may be out for dinner this evening. Could I really go to Nightwood twice in one day?

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

Woke up this morning missing Chicago, and started thinking of the food I'm missing or wish I'd eaten more of. I lived around the corner from Nightwood, and had the pleasure of eating there a handful of times before I split. Every meal was remarkable. Simple and peak-tasty, no dish overwrought with ingredients or overworked by foo-foo technique.

The honkin' slab of bone-in pork loin, cut from a roast spit-cooked over a wood grill, with a marvelous, gluttonous inch or two of fat left on to keep the meat juicy during cooking, but also provided bonus char-y, fatty morsels to snack on. Downright heavenly BLT with smoked trout and perfectly runny egg. One night, the best (and most expertly cooked) duck breast I've had in a while, with the uber-simple, farmer's market-fresh 'sides' (greens, grains and a grilled stone fruit, IIRC). Wicked wood-grilled burger and hurt-yourself good fries (something about cooking them in rice oil? Or some kind of unusual fat I can't remember--not beef tallow--according to the guy we asked.) Spit-roasted chicken, juicy and tender and air-kissed by wood smoke.

Haven't heard much hub-bub about Nightwood (after a year or so of anticipatory rumors and an initial blast of good press when they opened). Anyone have it on their regular rotation? Curious if it'll be considered a trailblazer and neighborhood stalwart in the years to come, or if it'll have trouble finding an appreciative (and regular) audience.

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http://www.ColleenRush.com

I just went for the first time last week and enjoyed it. It reminded me a bit of Mado. Nice space.

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http://fishsticksandketchup.com/

Is brunch open to the public but just not publicized or is it secret like you have to know someone? I'm hoping to check it out tomorrow...

What you aren't coming to the picnic? Incroyable! No its open I just think the folks there weren't telling. My husband said I shouldn't tell. That said they sent me an email about brunch last month. I think I linked to it upthread. Enjoy. That blueberry scone w/ fresh blueberries was a revelation ooh & those hashbrown balls, fantastic.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

Well count me as a fan of Nightwood. Dinner for 5 of us last night started off with a brandade of whitefish (very good, and not so over-mixed with potato that the fish texture was completely obliterated), fried green tomatoes (which looked good -- my friends scarfed them down before I could steal a bite) and "Mado's shishito peppers with lentils". I don't know if that means they got the peppers from Mado (do they grow their own?) or just the inspiration for the dish, but I found it charming -- they were excellent, too, very bright, clean, and a nice way to start things off. Apps were in the $10 range.

Entrees were uniformly excellent, with the homemade spaghetti getting good reviews and the whole roasted trout and pan-seared whitefish disappearing quickly. I had a banh mi sandwich, consisting of suckling pig, pate, and the traditional accoutrements. It was ridiculously rich and fatty and wonderful. This was served with a side of potato chips fried in that same rice oil that makes the fries so good (it seemed to add a really tangy, sweet flavor that I wasn't expecting). The banh mi and burger (which looked amazing) were $13 while the rest of the entrees were around $20. They had a spit-roasted half-rabbit for $30, though, which seemed a little high to me.

Desserts were good though my vanilla bean gelato had just a little too much vanilla flavor and it almost went into scented candle territory (for me). The scoop also was a little icey, too, for gelato -- maybe it was at the top of whatever container it was kept in. Once I got towards the bottom of the bowl, the iciness was gone and it was as creamy as I was expecting. The apple cake with butterscotch and chocolate panna cotta were both very, very rich, especially the panna cotta. Again, not that my friends had any trouble finishing them.

The cocktail menu shares a lot with Lula's, which isn't bad thing in the least, though the wine and beer lists are much larger. Cocktails and wines by the glass were in the $10 range, while bottles ranged from mid-$20's up too $100+. Beer was right around the $6/bottle mark (nothing was offered on draft, iirc). My 'autumn negroni' seemed pretty much like any other negroni (as in, I wasn't sure what made it autumnal), though I appreciated the freshly cut orange peel. They also used Ransom Old Tom Gin, which I've seen at Pastoral but never tried. It was a little hard to pick out anything too unique about it since the Campari is pretty strong, but it worked very nicely in the cocktail.

As others have commented, the room is gorgeous and very nicely appointed (even if the dining chairs swivel). It's a shame their outdoor patio won't get much use for, oh, another six months now. Maybe they'll be able to wall it in. At the very least, they will need to add a vestibule for their main door -- we were sitting in front and felt the cold wind every time it was opened (by the way, pet peeve of mine -- holding the door wide open for no particular reason instead of just standing inside). Service was fine, though the choice of water (still or sparkling) should be made for the whole table or not -- every other refill was a different type, it seemed.

All in all, a very enjoyable meal and a place I look forward to adding to my regular rotation.

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best,
dan

We had our 10th anniversary dinner Saturday night at Nightwood with 2 of our best friends, and it's hard to imagine a better meal or more enjoyable time. Lovely place, fantastic food, excellent service. I started with a Blanton's Manhattan, the best cocktail in many a year. We shared 4 appetizers -- the smoked trout salad, the duck/cabbage ravioli, the lamb liver pate and the burrata Pugliese. The salad tasted like a very fine BLT, and I mean that in the best possible way. The ravioli dough was paper thin, the pate scrumptious and the burrata a creamy delight. I had the roast loin as my main course. It looked like a side of pig, but managed to feel almost light and airy in the mouth. It's probably the best single piece of pork I've ever had. All the best things about pork were present -- a little smoke, some light herbs, some fat, lots of juice. I could have eaten two. The loin was served on top of a chickpea stew, one of the best chickpea preps I've had. These chickpeas were tasty and tender, not tough and mealy, and their medium was a glistening stock, almost thick enough to be a glaze, but not too sticky or syrupy. Apparently the roast chicken was similarly sublime. The pork meatballs and romanesco cauliflower were gorgeous. My wife had a nice whitefish served with corn. The desserts disappointed a tad -- my longstanding complaint is that pastry chefs are trying to make unsweet desserts. A pecan tart with butterscotch and bourbon cream could have been sweeter and had more of that southern Pecan pie quality. The restaurant is a gorgeous mix of natural elements, equal parts medieval and modern. The swivel chairs look like Star Trek, and are damned convenient for getting in and out of the table easily. Sadly, their upturned sides are a tad uncomfortable for those of us with ample thighage. The noise level could have been a TAD lower. We started at 7:30 and finished at 11, and were never pressured to leave. They comped us some smooth Prosecco for our anniversary. This is really a new generation of restaurants taking seasonal cuisine to the next level, not with complexity or artifice, but the optimization of preparation and combination for the best of ingredients.

This is a pretty happening place. It's got a hipness to it that feels, from my perspective, very Brooklyn. Not that any of this really matters, but when one thinks of comparable establishments around Chicago, Nightwood has a cool, youthful energy. If you're into that kind of thing, it's a plus. The space is generally quite attractive too, but it feels a bit too new. That will surely change over time, as the bar, floors, and ceiling garner a bit of worn-in patina.

I thought the food was quite tasty across the board. I liked this place, quite a bit in fact. Before getting into specifics, it did feel just a little too safe. This isn't a slight against the restaurant--the place was packed last night and seemed to be putting out consistent food at a good clip--but I'd want to see a couple more adventurous dishes on the menu. A chicken liver pate and matsutake-foie dish were about as out-there as the menu ventured.

There will probably be pictures posted by others for those interested, but I actually appreciated what I considered a pretty wide breadth of cooking demonstrated by the kitchen. The appetizers were nicely composed, a bit precious even given my preconceptions of the restaurant's cuisine. The mains were more what I expected. Roasted and grilled proteins with simple but generally thoughtfully chosen and prepared accompaniments. More rustic than the starters to be sure.

Among starters we selected the goat cheese gnocchi, short rib pierogies, and matsutake-foie dishes. My biggest issue among these dishes were that the pierogies weren't really pierogies at all. They were more like ravioli with a vaguely Eastern European flavor profile. Semantics aside, I thought it was a pretty tasty dish. Nothing groundbreaking though. The gnocchi were sufficiently delicate, yet the small portion managed to be quite rich. I would've liked more goat cheesy tang, however. The matsutake-foie dish was quite interesting. I'm a big fan of matsutakes; love the piney flavor and meaty texture. These were solid specimens, served with a foie gras hash. I think the foie should've been cut in larger pieces to better contrast the unctuous liver and chewy mushroom. This dish also seemed to be seasoned in some way with dashi or some kind of dried fish product. Maybe I'm going crazy, but I couldn't shake that impression. Was kind of weird at first, but I grew to appreciate the somewhat (bastardized) Japanese flavor profile.

The mains included the pork loin with brussels sprouts, grilled trout with braised cabbage, Gunthorp duck breast with celery root and baked apples, and the hamburger. All of these dishes were solid, tasty, satisfying, but the only one that I was really obsessed with was the pork. I'm willing to concede that the trout was perhaps the better dish--very nicely seasoned, great hint of acid, unassuming but delicious braised green cabbage--but the pork resonated with me. The cut served is what, on a cow, would be called the standing rib roast. The deckle/cap was fully intact and I totally dug this. For the vast majority of the dining public this cap would be much, much too fatty. We're not talking marbling here, more large pockets of fat. I ate it up. Literally. I love pork fat, this was delicious. The brussels sprouts, while not revolutionary, brought enough bitterness to offset all the fat.

Both the duck and hamburger were competently prepared, but I found them to be a half-step down from the other mains. We had some discussion over the seasoning level of the food, and generally came to the consensus that it was quite light. This didn't really bother me in any of the dishes, but was most apparent in the burger. It was very nicely cooked, very juicy, but lacked a bit of punch in the flavor department. Whatever horseradish condiment they use seemed to overpower the meat in some bites. The fries, however, were excellent. I'd definitely order the burger again for the $13 tariff.

As is often the case in restaurants like this the desserts were a bit uninspiring. They were fine, but I expected more, especially after seeing two Pacojets just chilling in the back of the kitchen. That's some pretty serious investment in the pastry department, but both the gelato and sorbet we tried were a bit icy, and I felt they lacked some punch in the flavor department. I preferred the caramel over the concorde grape. The cookie plate was competent, but I'm not a huge cookie guy, so I just kind of nibbled without much thought. My favorite dessert was the pear tarte tatin--it was competently executed--but in the future I'd probably skip dessert altogether. Or drink some bourbon. Probably that.

Our server was a cool young lady. Pretty easy going in general and cool about our picture taking and all that. We were comped some sparkling wine before dessert. Nice touch, can't complain.

Again, this is a cool place. It didn't change my life by any means, but I get the buzz. It's fashionable, tasty, in a trendy neighborhood. Made for a fun night out.

Below are some photos from the meal BryanZ describes above. It was tough lighting to shoot in. A candle and iPhone flashlights helped. I also accidentally let my flash go twice. Ah well.

I basically agree with Bryan's overall assessment.



I'd say Nightwood has more of a Brooklyn feel--in its chic, reclaimed, neighborhood cool--than any other Chicago restaurant I can think of. Usually I'm not really into that kind of thing but can respect it. I'm more homely in my tastes, explaining just last night why Smak Tak and Avec at 3:30 are among my very favorite places to eat. The hip energy of Nightwood may not have been a match for me, but I liked very much the aesthetic, also pretty Brooklyn. I had seen photographs before our visit last night but was still surprised and impressed by the layout, scale, furniture and details of the ceiling and molding--all very well put-together. I had medium to low expectations of the food given tepid reports I'd heard and also that I've never much liked Lula. However, I thought all of the food we had was solid.

Short Rib and Potato Pierogi with Sour Cream and Chives:



My favorite from the starters were the pierogi.



They were very flat, not pillowy like pierogi and even flat for ravioli, but I liked the flavor, which was more complex (and, yes, vaguely eastern European) than I feel I usually see when short rib is involved. I don't know why, but I think often short rib as an ingredient is dumbed down.

Spit-Roasted Pork Loin with Brussel Sprouts, Bacon, and Onion Rings:





I, too, loved the pork loin and its fattiness. It was absolutely luscious. The brussels sprouts did less for me though I was saying that overall I've been disappointed with the brussels sprouts I've encountered this season. I would have liked a brighter, sweeter accompaniment to the pork, perhaps something along the lines of the salad with roasted apples that came with the otherwise forgettable duck. I think my preference here is the influence of my favorite preparations of porchetta at Mado. I'll add that I thought the fried sides of the evening--the onion rings with the pork and fries with the cheeseburger--were much better than average, substantial and crisp. I'd say the fries at Nightwood are on par with if not better than the fries from Chickie's, which are my recent favorite.

Wood-Grilled Cheeserburger with Fries and a Pickle:



Probably the most disappointing dish of the evening was the cheeseburger. It was done slightly past my preference, and I had a hard time tasting the meat. I blame Prairie Grass for my elevated burger standards.

I was feeling under the weather last night and by the time dessert arrived I was way past sensory overload as well as my bedtime. (My one major criticism of the space is that it does get very loud when full.) However, I think I still liked dessert more than anyone else at the table, and, unlike BryanZ, would never skip dessert for bourbon. (I'd just have bourbon as well.)

Domaine DuPage Caramel Gelato and Grape Sorbet:



I'm more forgiving with gelato and sorbet textures as I've been recently trying to improve that of my own. Domain DuPage is one of my favorite beers and while I couldn't detect beer in the gelato, I was grateful for the complexity it added to the caramel, which on its own is not one of my favorite flavors. The grape sorbet tasted like the Concord grapes I've been buying from Green City, very tasty.

Pear Tart Tatin with Late Season Raspberry Coulis:



I thought the tart tatin in form was awkward and that the coulis overwhelmed the pear, but it wasn't a bad dessert.

I'd go back to Nightwood, probably earlier on a weeknight. The food is thoughtful and satisfying even if less hip than the vibe of the place. And service was friendly and pretty well-informed. I think most things on the menu could be $2-3 cheaper, but perhaps it's the price of the beautiful space.

Other food pictures from last night:

Biscuits with sweet butter:



Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Sweet Peppers, Garlic & Bacon:



Grilled Oregon Matsutakes with Foie Gras, Dandelion, Plum and Almond:



Wood-Grilled Whole Wisconsin Trout with Braised Cabbage and Lemon Butter:



Wood-Grilled Gunthrop Farm Duck Breast with Celery Root Puree, Roasted Apples, Arugula, and Cider:



Warm Cookies: Ginger Molasses with Cream Cheese Frosting, Maple Sugar, Chococlate White-Chocolate Chip, Mixed Fruit Linzer (?):

How infant friendly is the place's setup? I'd hate to annoy other diners if our 6months old starts wailing. We don't mind going for brunch/luncn if that works out better, thoughts?

I've seen babies at brunch. I can't remember if I saw any at dinner. I think they are fine with it. The owners have a little one.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

I feel that there is enough variety in the seating that you should be fine. the downstairs is more quiet and separate, mostly for larger parties though.

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

I am a big fan of micro-people, but I wouldn’t bring a small child to Nightwood if I thought they’d wail…mostly because it might impair my dinner (I don't like feeling that I'm impairing the dinners of others, either).

I believe the downstairs is only for larger parties.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I've been there for both brunch and dinner.

For dinner, we went sans child, which I think was a smart move. If you go early enough, I'm sure it's fine, but later the atmosphere doesn't seem too baby appropriate. As you note, the owners have a toddler, but that doesn't mean rush times are terribly baby friendly (though I'm certain they would oblige if you came with young 'un in tow).

Brunch seemed quite baby friendly, however. At one recent brunch outing, we had four adults and three kids under two. While it was somewhat chaotic because of our table's child-heavy demographic, the waitstaff handled everything very well.

appreciate all the feedbacks!

We went in last night for a light dinner (my dining companions had eaten some apps at Avec before meeting me) and we didn't have a reservation, but were seated immediately downstairs.

The "wine room" as it's referred to, is cozy and warm. We sat at the end of one of the two communal tables and enjoyed a cocktail, a few glasses of wine and some appetizers.

One standout was the fried trout roe, which was trout roe mixed with a few other things (to make a batter) along with butter and then deep-fried and served on a spoon. They were $2.50 apiece, and quite a delicious single bite!



We also enjoyed the Burrata with pureed lima bean, spinach, apple, goat cheese salad, and olive-oil poached coho salmon agnolotti in a light cream sauce. (there are plenty of pics on this thread, so just the one from me, thanks).

The crowd downstairs was boisterous, so my previous comments about it being more quiet don't apply on a Friday night at peak hours.

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

I went last night to Nightwood and it was one of the better meals I've had in a very long time. Better than Lula cafe and a hell of a lot better than Mado (only saying b/c someone compared it on here) in my opinion and compared to the meal experience I have had at both.

We started out with a cocktail, I got the Manhattan and those cherries in there were so good, I wish I would have had a whole bowl of them. Anyone have an idea of what they are marinated in? Are they standard cherries or sour? For appetizer, we got an order of the gnocchi, but instead of goat cheese, it was ricotta and to me this was just okay, very oily, but the gnocchi were very tender like little pillows. For dinner I got the whitefish with a sunchoke puree, habenero broth and olives and cilantro on top. This was excellent, by far one of the best fish dishes I had. All of the different senses were definitely hit, I just can't explain how well cooked this dish actually was. My guest got the pork chop with mashed potato and brussel sprouts and this was excellent as well. The mashed potatoes were very creamy and smooth but had a perfect balance between butter, salt and cream. For dessert we had a hard time deciding between the bread pudding with peaches and the chocolate tart with sour cherry jam, but landed up getting the tart b/c of my love of the previous cherries and my guest is a chocolatier, so we had to give it a try and it was amazing. The cherries definitely balanced out the chocolate flavor. All in all, I will definitely be coming back here; I really want to try out the brunch menu next.

HOALBTM? Plz! SHEAM.

Whatever that means, we are all allowed our own opinions.

We are indeed; thanks for the report. Can't wait to get to Nightwood - I have a soft spot for Lula, particularly for their ingredient sourcing and friendliness to kids.

SHEAM is a newer LTH acronym (Should Have Eaten At Mado, used when a meal somewhere else just doesn't do the trick). I like yours as well. I fear additional tension (and resulting mirth) between the HOALBTM and SHEAM crowds.

ILNAM. Peace.

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

ILNAM too.

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Local Beet

Yall are makin me think too much.

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Logan: Come on, everybody, wang chung tonight! What? Everybody, wang chung tonight! Wang chung, or I'll kick your ass!

Just got it. NBTN, unfortunately.

Well thankfully I'm not the lone wolf on that one.

Anyone have any info on the cherries in the Manhattan at NIghtwood?

they soak them in brandy, not sure of specific brand or anything. Weegee's Lounge does this too for their "Alice Mine" cocktail. Thread is here

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

John told me that they will be opening on Monday nights starting the 9th. Regular menu and soon a 3-course prix-fixe deal will be added. Woohoo!

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

Finally made it in for brunch here last Sunday. There were 4 of us, so we got to try some different dishes. The menu changes weekly (I get an email with the upcoming menu a few days ahead since I'm on their email list).

While we were waiting for our table, we got a drink at the bar. The bloody mary is tasty/savory and fairly traditional in presentation. Once seated I orderd the "Trifecta" just because I couldn't resist the combo of a shot of Jameson, a shot of espresso and Old Rasputin stout.


The Trifecta

We ordered coffees and donuts. They have a choice of 3, and we picked the chocolate (GF likes traditional) and PB&J. Both were great, like and fluffy with frosting and a few donut holes served alongside. The PB&J was awesome though, filled with house-made grape jelly and PB frosting on top.


PB&J Donut w/holes

I was torn between a bagel sandwich with house-smoked pastrami, slaw, fried egg & tater tots...and the poutine with duck confit, gravy, cheese curds and fried duck egg. I chose the poutine based on the server's suggestion.


Poutine with Brunkow cheese curds, duck confit, gravy and topped with fried duck egg

I gotta say that this is one rich & decadent dish...actually the whole meal was rich & decadent.

Love it!

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.