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    Post #1 - May 7th, 2018, 7:01 am
    Post #1 - May 7th, 2018, 7:01 am Post #1 - May 7th, 2018, 7:01 am
    Went to this new spot over the weekend and it was pretty great, but the highlight was dessert, or more accurately desserts (we overindulged). Natalie Saben from Grace is the pastry chef and pretty much everything she puts on a plate is a knockout. Coconut panna cotta was perfectly subtle, not too heavy on the coconut. My wife is not a fan of coconut but loved this dessert. The huckleberry sundae was simple in its presentation but had a lot going on. There was a scoop of huckleberry sorbet, another of honey ice cream (again perfectly subtle) and shards of dehydrated cake and meringue with a smattering of basil leaves. Really perfect together.

    We had about 8 or 9 dishes between us (before dessert) and the flavors were great and nothing was too heavy. We will definitely be back.

    141 W Erie St
    Chicago, IL 60654
    (312) 736-1778
  • Post #2 - May 7th, 2018, 8:31 am
    Post #2 - May 7th, 2018, 8:31 am Post #2 - May 7th, 2018, 8:31 am
    Pacific Standard Time
    141 W Erie St
    Chicago, IL 60654
    312.736.1778
    info@pstchicago.com
    https://www.pstchicago.com/

    Sunday-Thursday: 5-10pm
    Friday & Saturday: 5-11pm
  • Post #3 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:00 pm
    Post #3 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:00 pm Post #3 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:00 pm
    I was watching WGN news at 9:00 tonight, and Phil Vettel gave a glowing review of this restaurant. He said that this is the best restaurant out of all the ones that have opened up so far in 2018. He gave it three stars.
  • Post #4 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:43 pm
    Post #4 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:43 pm Post #4 - June 23rd, 2018, 11:43 pm
    NFriday wrote:I was watching WGN news at 9:00 tonight, and Phil Vettel gave a glowing review of this restaurant. He said that this is the best restaurant out of all the ones that have opened up so far in 2018. He gave it three stars.

    Sula really seemed to love it, too.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #5 - June 24th, 2018, 10:16 am
    Post #5 - June 24th, 2018, 10:16 am Post #5 - June 24th, 2018, 10:16 am
    Darren72 wrote:Sunday-Thursday: 5-10pm
    Friday & Saturday: 5-11pm

    They are also now open for brunch on Sundays, 10-2.
  • Post #6 - June 24th, 2018, 7:14 pm
    Post #6 - June 24th, 2018, 7:14 pm Post #6 - June 24th, 2018, 7:14 pm
    Just a counter-datapoint. We eagerly tried PST last week on the strength of the reviews. The space is intolerably loud. The much lauded pita is indeed special, though that seems largely a function of the salt and oil it is brushed with after baking, and it outshone the tuna; the chicken wings are nicely sticky and crispy but that is available elsewhere; the black cod was a tiny tiny portion at $35 and there was little harmony on its plate; the avocado salad was more greens than avocado and the greens were unpleasantly bitter. We eat out multiple times a week, but won't rush back.
  • Post #7 - July 20th, 2018, 9:42 am
    Post #7 - July 20th, 2018, 9:42 am Post #7 - July 20th, 2018, 9:42 am
    I went out to a weeknight dinner with a few friends here last week. I was very impressed.

    Gotta say, I did not go in with high expectations. With the exception of some Lettuce/Hogsalt operations, I am perpetually underwhelmed by Rivernorth/Streeterville destinations. Something about appealing to such a mainstream, broad audience often leads to mediocrity. So, I was primed to be unhappy.

    Entering the restaurant did not help said primed perception. It feels Californian no question, but in a sort of stereotypical way. There's a lot of white, it's bright and airy inside, with ultra tall ceilings, and the space itself is huge. It reminds me of Instagram trends.

    But everything I ate was pretty damn impressive. I started with a sungold tomato and burrata dish that was out of this world. Burrata is clearly a hot item right now, but it was balanced with good acidity from little jewel-like orange grape tomatoes. Kind of like caprese but... bougie? Interesting sesame sauce lined the plate. Next were the ricotta dumplings, which reminded me of the ones April Bloomfield has written about. They too were delicious, sort of like if gnocchi and ravioli had a baby. A thin, nearly papery skin of semolina coated these wonderfully light, fluffy quenelles of ricotta. Very comforting.

    We had a pizza, which was also nice. Great texture, the crust wasn't too dense or chewy, but held the unique toppings nicely.

    But the best main dish was the skirt steak. I'm not usually for over-seasoning a steak with spices; there's definitely "salt and pepper only" dogma that rings through my ears whenever I see a steak on a menu with copious seasonings. But this was also really tasty, it had a wonderful spice rub to it, like curry almost. It came with fried polenta. So... yeah I liked that too.

    Even with all this good stuff, I agree with spinynorman99, the desserts were the highlight. We also had the coconut panacotta; which was absurdly balanced, a combination of creamy, crunchy, coconut, acidity, just hitting all the right notes. We also had the strawberry shortcake. The cake was perfectly moist, with a soft, yielding crumb, and a unique flavor.

    Would go back for sure.
  • Post #8 - July 25th, 2018, 10:06 pm
    Post #8 - July 25th, 2018, 10:06 pm Post #8 - July 25th, 2018, 10:06 pm
    annak wrote:The space is intolerably loud.

    Sadly, this was probably my biggest take-away, too . . . and I spend a lot of time in loud bars.

    I liked some of the dishes we had but many of them combined too many sweet components into otherwise savory dishes (broccoli, corn, trout, etc.). That just isn't my bag. I thought the pitas were good but I didn't care for either of the combinations with which we ordered them (tuna, eggplant). I did like the wings and the avocado salad, both of which seemed more restrained in their sweetness.

    Ramen_Lord wrote:desserts were the highlight

    I loved the peanut/chocolate dessert, liked the burnt olive oil cake and didn't care at all for the mushy raspberry dessert. I also learned, much to my surprise, that I am not a fan of Chartreuse ice cream.

    Even if I loved the food, which I did not, this would be a very tough space to willingly walk into again. The noise completely obliterated one of the best parts about going out for dinner - conversing with my dining companions. In fact, it was so loud that we were struck by it as we walked past the large open windows on the Erie Street side of the building. . . before we ever even entered!

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #9 - July 26th, 2018, 9:14 am
    Post #9 - July 26th, 2018, 9:14 am Post #9 - July 26th, 2018, 9:14 am
    Mike Sula's review notes that servers and the chef are promising acoustic adjustments to come. I haven't been and I don't bat an eye at most "loud" restaurants, but it must be that bad if servers are talking about it.
  • Post #10 - July 26th, 2018, 9:26 am
    Post #10 - July 26th, 2018, 9:26 am Post #10 - July 26th, 2018, 9:26 am
    gnarchief wrote:Mike Sula's review notes that servers and the chef are promising acoustic adjustments to come. I haven't been and I don't bat an eye at most "loud" restaurants, but it must be that bad if servers are talking about it.

    Our server, who was nice but a textbook low-talker, began our meal with a fairly long spiel about the restaurant's scheme, how to order, etc. At first it was frustrating being no more than 3 feet away from her and barely being able to hear her. However, she went on so long that in the end I was glad I didn't hear most of it. For God's sake, it's a frigging meal, not a life choice!

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #11 - July 26th, 2018, 11:17 am
    Post #11 - July 26th, 2018, 11:17 am Post #11 - July 26th, 2018, 11:17 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote: For God's sake, it's a frigging meal, not a life choice!
    =R=


    Aaahhhhhh.....but One mans meal may be another's life choice.. :D
  • Post #12 - August 6th, 2018, 5:30 pm
    Post #12 - August 6th, 2018, 5:30 pm Post #12 - August 6th, 2018, 5:30 pm
    We ate there on Saturday and had a fantastic meal -- it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya. We did find the starters and desserts to be stronger than the entrees, but loved it all.

    We had:
    AVOCADO SALAD (summer squash, green chermoula, quinoa, sunflower seed, feta): I need to figure out how to toast quinoa. The summer squash was both yellow squash and zucchini, I think, and the combo was delicious -- the chermoula give it a nice acidic yet herby kick.

    WOOD FIRED PITA (marinated ahi tuna, green chickpea hummus, urfa, mint): great combo

    PAPPARDELLE (with turkey bolognese): They make all but the rigatoni in-house, and the pappardelle came in gorgeous, incredibly thin sheets. Amazing.

    ROASTED BLACK COD (fennel puree, marinated mushroom, jalapeño): My entree, which was good but not as mind blowing as the starters.

    KOREAN SHORT RIBS (with peaches, no description available because it was a special): Apparently they've bought an entire cow and are slowly cooking it, and this weekend short ribs were the special. It was good but again, not as mind blowing as other items.

    HUCKLE BERRY SUNDAE (buttermilk cake, spiced meringue, honey ice cream, basil): Delicious!

    LEMON POPPYSEED ICE CREAM: Also pretty awesome.
  • Post #13 - August 6th, 2018, 6:42 pm
    Post #13 - August 6th, 2018, 6:42 pm Post #13 - August 6th, 2018, 6:42 pm
    chgoeditor wrote:We ate there on Saturday and had a fantastic meal -- it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya.

    I loved Shaya and didn't think PST's pitas even came close. :(

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #14 - August 6th, 2018, 9:48 pm
    Post #14 - August 6th, 2018, 9:48 pm Post #14 - August 6th, 2018, 9:48 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    chgoeditor wrote:We ate there on Saturday and had a fantastic meal -- it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya.

    I loved Shaya and didn't think PST's pitas even came close. :(

    =R=


    Seconded--so far. I really appreciate PST's acid-forward flavors, and the bread is good, but it has not yet found the balance and clarity of flavor that was so memorable about peak Shaya. They may get there yet, but it's too early to equate the two (though the comparison is not unwarranted).
  • Post #15 - August 6th, 2018, 11:08 pm
    Post #15 - August 6th, 2018, 11:08 pm Post #15 - August 6th, 2018, 11:08 pm
    chezbrad wrote:Seconded--so far. I really appreciate PST's acid-forward flavors, and the bread is good, but it has not yet found the balance and clarity of flavor that was so memorable about peak Shaya. They may get there yet, but it's too early to equate the two (though the comparison is not unwarranted).

    For me, it was more so the texture that didn't measure up to Shaya's pitas, which were thick, pillowy, soft and pleasantly chewy -- and remained soft even after they cooled down. Not so at PST, where, at least when we visited, the breads were much thinner and firmer to begin with, and then just became really hard and unpleasant after sitting on our table for a while.

    Yes, it's early in PST's life but I suppose comparisons are inevitable since both places bake pita on-site in wood-fired ovens. Fwiw, Sula also invoked Shaya in his review of PST:

    at chicagoreader.com, Mike Sula wrote:But back to those ovens, which play a crucial role across the menu, most notably in the fresh-baked pita bread, the sort of thing that inspired envy among chefs and professional eaters across the country when the great New Orleans Israeli restaurant Shaya started cranking them out to order from its own wood-burning oven in early 2015.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #16 - August 7th, 2018, 4:25 pm
    Post #16 - August 7th, 2018, 4:25 pm Post #16 - August 7th, 2018, 4:25 pm
    chgoeditor wrote:it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya.


    I said it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya. Not the same as saying it reminded me of Shaya. (And for what it's worth, when I lived in Saudi Arabia, the pitas much more closely resembled PST's.)
  • Post #17 - August 7th, 2018, 5:07 pm
    Post #17 - August 7th, 2018, 5:07 pm Post #17 - August 7th, 2018, 5:07 pm
    chgoeditor wrote:I said it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya. Not the same as saying it reminded me of Shaya.

    I have no idea what the effective difference is between these two sentiments. :?

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #18 - August 7th, 2018, 5:12 pm
    Post #18 - August 7th, 2018, 5:12 pm Post #18 - August 7th, 2018, 5:12 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    chgoeditor wrote:I said it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya. Not the same as saying it reminded me of Shaya.

    I have no idea what the effective difference is between these two sentiments. :?

    Sounds like Shaya lived up to the extremely high expectations somewhat more than PST did.
  • Post #19 - August 7th, 2018, 5:17 pm
    Post #19 - August 7th, 2018, 5:17 pm Post #19 - August 7th, 2018, 5:17 pm
    chgoeditor wrote:(And for what it's worth, when I lived in Saudi Arabia, the pitas much more closely resembled PST's.)

    Yes, Shaya's pitas are definitely more in the Israeli style.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #20 - August 9th, 2018, 12:28 pm
    Post #20 - August 9th, 2018, 12:28 pm Post #20 - August 9th, 2018, 12:28 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    chgoeditor wrote:I said it reminded us of how excited we were the first time we tried Shaya. Not the same as saying it reminded me of Shaya.

    I have no idea what the effective difference is between these two sentiments. :?

    =R=


    I was not comparing two restaurants, I was comparing excitement levels. I could have said that PST reminded me of how excited I was the first time I went skydiving. I was equally excited by both skydiving and PST. That does not mean that PST is skydiving, or PST was windy or that I ate a great meal while skydiving.
  • Post #21 - August 23rd, 2018, 6:16 am
    Post #21 - August 23rd, 2018, 6:16 am Post #21 - August 23rd, 2018, 6:16 am
    Per Eater - lunch service began yesterday.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #22 - September 8th, 2018, 9:26 am
    Post #22 - September 8th, 2018, 9:26 am Post #22 - September 8th, 2018, 9:26 am
    A little late here -- my meal was at the end of June. But . . . I really enjoyed PST. No, not everything was good (our group ate most of the menu), but mostly it was an evening of hits, some really big hits. The ahi tuna with green chickpea hummus might have been my favorite bite of the night. I thought the fish was expertly prepared, the hummus delicious (beautiful texture too) and the whole dish excelled with just the right amount of acidity and herbs. We had another crudo that was solid but fell well short of this dish.

    Image



    The accompanying pita was also fantastic. And I thought it compared with some of the best pitas I've had at Zahav and Shaya. Indeed, each piece we were given was beautifully charred.

    Image



    We also had one of the pizzas which reflected the same care and attention to bread preparation, but I wouldn't say the pizza was expertly crafted as there was a bit too much exterior crust with the filling too concentrated toward the center of the dough, and the promised XO sauce nowhere to be found. And yet, still delicious.

    My other favorite dish was the roasted black cod with fennel puree, marinated mushrooms and jalapeno. Beautifully cooked cod, great flavors. This is the type of dish I crave - not really complicated, but great ingredients, great texture, great flavor.

    Image



    My other favorite item was for dessert, huckleberry sundae with huckleberry and honey ice creams, buttermilk cake and spiced meringue -- phenomenal! It wasn't too sweet at all, there was really nice tartness and the ice creams were so smooth and creamy.

    Image



    The whole meal was easily good enough to ensure my eventual return.
  • Post #23 - November 14th, 2019, 9:57 am
    Post #23 - November 14th, 2019, 9:57 am Post #23 - November 14th, 2019, 9:57 am
    Has anyone been lately? I am going in December and am curious if the Market Menu is worth it. Basically a $60 menu where they pick for you. Price seems reasonable. I just wonder if we'd miss out on some of the great dishes they have on menu.
  • Post #24 - November 14th, 2019, 1:30 pm
    Post #24 - November 14th, 2019, 1:30 pm Post #24 - November 14th, 2019, 1:30 pm
    PST was one of the places I reviewed for Check Please. To say I was impressed is an understatement. The black cod is most likely going to end up as my number one main dish of 2019. Their ability to balance fresh and vibrant flavors without overpowering you is just amazing.
  • Post #25 - August 8th, 2020, 8:16 am
    Post #25 - August 8th, 2020, 8:16 am Post #25 - August 8th, 2020, 8:16 am
    Chef Erling Wu-Bower exits Pacific Standard Time in restaurant industry breakup. Avec chef takes over.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard

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