I was in the Loop at lunchtime today. On the spur of the moment, I decided to have lunch at Seven Lions, and it was one of those "OH. MY. GOD." terrific meals.
Seven Lions opened last February, across the street from the Art Institute. It's owned by sommelier and former "Check Please" host Alpana Singh. This was my first visit there.
I arrived at 11:20 with no reservation and was seated immediately. By the time I left an hour later most of the dining room was full.
Today is the first day of Restaurant Week (RW), which runs through February 4. I decided to order from
their Restaurant Week menu, which offers choices for each of three courses for $22. Their regular lunch menu is also available. They are also participating in RW for dinner.
I started with the "House Cured Bacon, spoon bread, fried green tomato jam". This was sheer heaven. There were three good-sized chunks of bacon, delicious and thick-cut and pleasantly chewy. The fried green tomato jam was great - very sweet, but the perfect quantity so it wouldn't overwhelm the dish. The spoon bread came in three chunks also, and added a nice, mild counterpoint to the strong flavors of the other two components. This was a great balance of three wonderful items, with contrasting textures, colors, and tastes, all delicious.
I then had the "Braised Short Rib Sandwich, aged white cheddar fondue, shishito peppers, basil", and this too was awesome. The sandwich included short rib meat that had been "pulled", which worked better in a sandwich than the big hunks I've seen served elsewhere. It was delicious and moist, and one of the least fatty short rib preparations I've ever had. The shishito peppers added just the right amount of kick (spiciness) to the sandwich without overwhelming it. When I read the description, I was a bit concerned that there might be too much cheddar, but fortunately this part was understated. As a result, the entire sandwich was wonderfully delicious, with just the right balance among its ingredients. It was accompanied by French fries that were perfect, as good as any fries I can recall having, with a puffy crunch on the outside.
For dessert I had the "Baked Alaska, dreamsicle baked alaska, blood oranges" and this was another winner. The center was an orange flavored ice cream, surrounded by meringue that was lightly broiled, on top of a thin yellow cake and topped with a couple small segments of blood orange. This was the first time I recall ever having baked alaska, and this was really good too.
As you can tell, I loved everything I had - so much so that I asked whether these items would be on their everyday menu. They said they have a new chef who is working on developing new dishes, and might be adding items that are similar but not necessarily identical (for example, pork belly rather than cured bacon).
My lunch at Seven Lions was thoroughly outstanding. I'm looking forward to returning, for lunch as well as for dinner.
Seven Lions Chicago130 S Michigan Ave
Chicago IL 60603
312.880.0130
sevenlionschicago.com