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Parlor on North Ave

Parlor on North Ave
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  • Parlor on North Ave

    Post #1 - September 15th, 2005, 10:13 am
    Post #1 - September 15th, 2005, 10:13 am Post #1 - September 15th, 2005, 10:13 am
    Had a nice meal last night at Parlor.

    In the former Soju space on North Ave - very warm, exposed brick, fairly casual but classy. Four or 5 beers on tap (I had a De Koninck, also had Goose 312, Sierra Pale...) at the small bar up front, also seemed to have a decent bourbon selection, although other spirits seemed to be the usual suspects. I didn't check out the wine list in detail, looked to be pretty reasonable price range, some bottles in the upper $20's.

    Tho the term is nearing meaninglessness, I'm gonna go ahead and genre-fy the food as "upscale-comfort." Perhaps a soul food lean. Among the choices where chicken wings, onion rings, smoked pork chops, a few steak selections and a burger (fried egg was an optional topping) that looked quite nice from afar...

    We started with fried oysters (one of the specials was a Fried Oyster Poor Boy) - nice airy breading, small, but tasty oysters. I ordered the Chicken & Waffles entree. The thigh and leg were marinated in sweet tea- which gave it an overt sweetness up front and matched well when doused in maply syrup. Thin, tasty skin fell off onto the waffles, mixing with butter, chicken grease and syrup... making the last few bites fantastic.

    Side of Mac n Cheese: Homeade, creamy, crisped w/ bread crumbs on the top.

    The wife ordered the meatloaf. Blend of beef/veal/pork and topped with an onion marmelade, maybe with apple (? could be wrong, something of that nature).
    She was too full to finish, but did mention the topping was very good. We also ordered a Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding to go, which I have yet to eat. It smelled fantastic, and very much like a krispy kreme donut. I'm not sure if this is a copyright issue or a joint venture, but I'm looking forward to eating tonight.

    Entrees ran from $13 to mid-20's for the steaks. Service was very professional, befitting the price point. I'll return, it's an enjoyable, warm place with tasty food. Food is served til last call (3am!) on Saturday's, so I'm sure this will become/is quite the late-night dining option.

    Parlor
    1745 W. North Ave.
    773-782-9000
  • Post #2 - December 18th, 2005, 5:28 pm
    Post #2 - December 18th, 2005, 5:28 pm Post #2 - December 18th, 2005, 5:28 pm
    LTH,

    After reading Capt. Grubby's post on Roscoe's or, as busta312 pointed out, Rosscoe's, I got a hankering for fried chicken and waffles and thought of Parlor. Just to make sure I called Parlor, lucky I did, as they "ran out" at Sunday brunch, so no chicken and waffles tonight.

    Probably a good thing, I should be eating cold cubed tofu sprinkled with slivered nori and a drop or two of shoyu anyway, not chicken and waffles. ;)

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #3 - December 18th, 2005, 11:16 pm
    Post #3 - December 18th, 2005, 11:16 pm Post #3 - December 18th, 2005, 11:16 pm
    As I recall Skylark also has chicken and waffles on their menu.
  • Post #4 - December 19th, 2005, 9:21 am
    Post #4 - December 19th, 2005, 9:21 am Post #4 - December 19th, 2005, 9:21 am
    Funny, we went to Parlor for brunch on Sunday. Although neither I nor my husband partook of the chicken and waffles, the friends we were with did and they seemed quite pleased. I just couldn't face that much food at 10:30 a.m., plus I was pretty busy keeping the two-year-old occupied. She enjoyed the homemade chicken sausage and fresh fruit. It doesn't seem like they get too many kids in there, but were quite accommodating of ours.
    Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris.
    -Oscar Wilde
  • Post #5 - April 28th, 2006, 7:44 am
    Post #5 - April 28th, 2006, 7:44 am Post #5 - April 28th, 2006, 7:44 am
    atomicman wrote:As I recall Skylark also has chicken and waffles on their menu.

    Atomic,

    Last time I asked at the Skylark they said they took the waffles off the menu as few ordered the chicken and waffle combo and the waffle batter, which they made daily, was going to waste.

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #6 - April 28th, 2006, 8:26 am
    Post #6 - April 28th, 2006, 8:26 am Post #6 - April 28th, 2006, 8:26 am
    LTH,

    Chicken and waffles are an incredible combination, savory, sweet, crisp, breakfast and dinner all rolled into one tied together with hot sauce, butter and syrup, poetry on a plate.

    Parlor's Chicken and Waffle
    Image

    Parlor's chicken and waffle are a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. The chicken was fine, moist, well fried, though the breading a bit on the thick side, waffle standard issue, fine, but nothing out of the ordinary, but in combination, with judicious use of syrup, butter and hot sauce, really quite good.

    Image

    We started with fried oysters, which were well fried and tasty.
    Image

    Mac and cheese needs work, flavor was bland and it had slightly separated resulting in a liquidy interior instead of creamy, cohesive mac and cheese goodness.
    Image

    While Parlor's chicken and waffle combo was quite good, I thought $14 for 1-leg, 1-thigh and a waffle a bit high, couple that with a pulsing techno-beat bouncing off exposed brick walls, a high Hip-O-Meter rating and I won't be a regular, though I will be back for the chicken and waffle.

    Enjoy,
    Gary

    Parlor
    1745 W. North Ave
    Chicago, IL
    773-782-9000
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #7 - April 30th, 2006, 8:52 am
    Post #7 - April 30th, 2006, 8:52 am Post #7 - April 30th, 2006, 8:52 am
    We went to Parlor last night. I admit I went with trepidation, especially after reading about the crappy techno blaring and such. Despite a vast array of people who looked like they were there to be seen, the experience was quite enjoyable.

    We got there at 6:20 and waited about one-half hour for a table. At this point, I thought we'd made a big mistake as some silly woman who looked like she'd stepped ouf of that Housewives of Orange County reality show, kept stomping on me with her sandals. I assume it's because she had no feeling in her toes as it was rainy and 45 degrees last night.

    The music was only loud enough that we were able to mock the fact that they were playing Herbie Hancock. Our waiter was pleasant, timed things well and was there but not hovering.

    We started off with chicken fingers, mussels and the summer vegetable goat cheese turnovers. The chicken fingers were deemed pleasingly moist, hot and well breaded. The mussels were said to be fresh, had no fishiness about them and were nicely grilled. The turnover was excellent.

    The chicken and waffles and cherry smoked pork chops were the best entrees of the night. I stuck with macaroni and cheese, asparagus and a side of their homemade bacon. With enough hot sauce the mac and cheese was pretty good, but not great. I'm trying to transition from 10 years of vegetarianism and really enjoyed the small amount of bacon I tried. It was smoky, crisp and had just enough chewiness to it (or so proclaims the woman who's eaten the Morningstar Farms fake stuff for a long time).

    Dessert was the weak point. The fried apple pie was adequate. The truffles that my table partner ordered were not good. The white chocolate was not properly tempered and the ganache was runny. Neither person who ordered them ate both.

    Everyone at the table said they'd come back.

    edited for typo.
  • Post #8 - July 8th, 2006, 10:55 pm
    Post #8 - July 8th, 2006, 10:55 pm Post #8 - July 8th, 2006, 10:55 pm
    My virgin experience at Parlor tonight and of course, I ordered the chicken and waffles. They were delicious, although I too think the breading was a bit too thick. Also, the waffles could have been a bit crispier on the outside. But the flavor of the chicken was fantastic and it was served piping hot. But $14??? Oh well, that's what you pay for "ambiance" (i.e., blaring music) which has left me deaf for probably the next 24 hours. Given the fact that almost everyone there was eating dinner -- only a few people at the bar -- it wouldn't hurt them to turn the music down a bit.

    I was not a fan of the mac & cheese -- way too thin for me (I like denser) and the flavor a little on the bland side (how about a little sauteed garlic or some more flavorful blend of cheeses).

    But the onion rings were fantastic -- better than Hackney's (or anyone else for that matter) has ever done them. They were Vidalia onions, very thin, not in the least bit greasy and lightly breaded, in the likeness of Hackney's but not in a loaf.

    I'd return for the fried chicken and onion rings any day, but the blaring music might limit the number of times I do return.
  • Post #9 - July 9th, 2006, 11:31 am
    Post #9 - July 9th, 2006, 11:31 am Post #9 - July 9th, 2006, 11:31 am
    We tried to go on Thursday night. We called to make sure the patio was open and had available tables (no reservations). They said sure, come on down. When we did, they said "oh by the way, the patio is only BYOB, we're waiting for our license - you can go across the street to the liquor store." Um no. We have 250 bottles at home, I'm not going to some random liquor store to pick up some Kangaroo special. We said that we'd have appreciated that information when we called, before we walked a mile and a half to get there. She looked at us like we were crazy. We said we had a lot of wine at home, and didn't want to go just buy some, and really wanted to sit outside. So we said we'd be back - maybe this week or next - or maybe not.

    But do call, as the BYO will only be in effect until they get their license on the patio.
    Leek

    SAVING ONE DOG may not change the world,
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  • Post #10 - July 9th, 2006, 4:09 pm
    Post #10 - July 9th, 2006, 4:09 pm Post #10 - July 9th, 2006, 4:09 pm
    Well, I am just baffled. I and the Customary Dining Companion were there last Saturday, 8-ish, and the music was downright subdued. Believe me, I'd be the first one to bitch and moan about excessive noise, too, as CDC is very soft-spoken (as was our waiter).

    I have no complaints about the place at all. CDC thought it was too warm, but that was his only gripe. He noted with amusement, as he enjoyed his chicken and waffles, that every male in our eyeshot was having the same thing. I, not being an ironic hipster, had the flatiron steak and MAytag blue mashed potatoes, and a very nice cheese plate for dessert. I liked being able to pick the cheeses I wanted from the very descriptive menu, as opposed to having to point and guess from the cart.

    Weird about the patio license, though. I didn't realize the city could split licenses like that. What a pain!
  • Post #11 - February 20th, 2008, 8:44 pm
    Post #11 - February 20th, 2008, 8:44 pm Post #11 - February 20th, 2008, 8:44 pm
    Drove by today and they are closed.
    "Very good... but not my favorite." ~ Johnny Depp as Roux the Gypsy in Chocolat

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