Longman & Eagle - - Logan Square Gastropub

Yesterday, on my way home from the "L," I poked my head into Longman & Eagle. It wasn't yet 7 pm on opening night, and the room was already packed, with a crowd three deep hovering over the bar. I asked about the wait for a party of two and told it was going to be about an hour. I'd stopped by to pick up a menu the night before and the host knew I lived nearby, so she suggested that I leave my phone number and they'd call me at home when they had a table for us. I thought this was an outstanding idea. I went home, and forty minutes later, the host called and told us to head on over.

L&E consists of two adjoining rooms. The front room holds the bar and is thus quite noisy. We were seated in the smaller, quieter, back room. The restaurant is attractive, with subtle design elements. If you don't look around, it's just another dark bar. But then you notice details, like the funky ceiling in the back room made of hundreds of mismatched pieces of wood. Or the fact that the chairs are all the same color, but different designs. I'd say L&E reminds me most of Nightwood. The crowd on opening night was largely comprised of 20-somethings, many of whom were drinking $2 PBRs.

Service was very enthusiastic, if not yet smooth. But heck, it was opening night. We chatted with one of the owners and the front of the house manager. They are smiley and clearly very excited to be open, and also open to suggestions.

Nice bar list, tons of whiskeys ($3 a shot), about a dozen beers on tap, with several Goose Island and Half-Acre options.

A bit unexpected in a gastropub, we started with an amuse. They served a nice slice of Moose Island scallop with pickled plum and yuzu. A very nice combination of flavors, but cooked just ever so slightly beyond perfect.

Rich and I shared three appetizers:

> Sunnyside duck egg, beef tongue hash, black truffle vinaigrette - - This was a winner. Great runny egg, tender tongue, salty potatoes. A little more caramelization on the potatoes would have been nice, but still the best taste of the night.
> Potato Agnolotti, escargot, yellow foot chanterelles, bordelaise sauce, shaved foie gras - - This was good too, but both the escargot and the foie gras shavings were MIA. Either they were missing, or just got lost in the dish -- neither of us detected them. Still, the pasta was well executed and the mushrooms had a lovely slight chew. The bordelaise sauce was rich and salty, and I was sad to be without any means of sopping up the remaining sauce.
> Ricotta Gnuddi, porcini marmalade, aerated parmigiano, crispy sage - - This was recommended by our server. It was a pretty dish, five "nude" raviolis. L&E is proud that the ricotta is made in-house. The crispy sage was nice, and the dish was fine overall, but nothing exciting. I would probably not order again.

We also shared two sandwiches:

> Kobe burger, aged Windmere cheddar, Neuski bacon, beef fat fries, brioche. Rich and I agreed that the meat was unremarkable, even though the burger was perfectly cooked. Rich absolutely loved the buttery brioche bun, sharp cheddar, and thick, well-done bacon, but he's way more about toppings than I am. We agreed that the thick-cut fries had a nice fatty flavor, but they weren't crispy, just hot and soggy. We suggested to the FOH manager that they consider some good local beef and ditch the Texas BS Kobe, she took a note in her little pad. We'll see.
> House-made pork sausage, sauerkraut, shaved apple-cress salad grain mustard - - Nice housemade sausage. I thought it was very good. Rich thought it a tad dry. The bun was a bit too large and bready, but the toppings were nice and the sandwich mostly worked. Strange thing is, it didn't come with any side. The plate looked bare compared to the burger.

Our food, plus a cocktail and three beers, ran just under $100 with tip.

Bottom line is that this was a good showing for opening night. We weren't blown away, but we're quite happy to have Longman & Eagle in the neighborhood and will definitely return.

Ronna

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Longman & Eagle
2657 North Kedzie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773-276-7110

Man, things have changed since we lived on Kedzie

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, as I and the family are around that area often.

Vital Information wrote:Man, things have changed since we lived on Kedzie

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, as I and the family are around that area often.

Yeah, things are changing. The front of house manager at L&E was herself lamenting that if too many places like L&E open up, Logan will turn into Bucktown. (And Rich and I aren't so sure that a little more Bucktown and a little less drive by shooting wouldn't be a good thing.)

One more thing I should've mentioned - - L&E plans to serve breakfast and lunch in the spring, at the same time as they open their upstairs overnight lodging.

Ronna

We hit Longman & Eagle yesterday on the second day of service and were very impressed. The proprietor has clearly made this project a labor of love and it shows in the details of the space, see the restored Wurlitzer juke box, and for that matter, the food. Apparently one of the partners is a talented carpenter and it shows in the details of the beautiful bar. They plan to open a 6 room inn upstairs in March with room rates starting around $100/nt feat. chicago area products in the rooms.

The chef is Jared Wentworth who is apparently just back from Seattle. For the second day of service things are really humming in the small kitchen. At 7pm the place was packed with a wait of 30-45 minutes for a table. We cut a pretty wide swath through the menu and tried several dishes that were "home runs", lots of great dishes and some works in progress. This place has a great vibe and shows a ton of promise. I really find this place to be creative and exciting.

From the Bar Snacks portion of the menu we tried the Brandade with duck fat fried potatoe crisps and the potted Duck Rillettes with cornichons and mustard. These dishes fell with in the great dishes category bordering on homeruns. The Brandade was terrific, lots of salty cod goodness that matched perfectly with some damn good potato chips. I know that frying things in duck fat is slightly overdone these days, but it work in this case because the crisps were perfectly fried, werent greasy in the slightest and the ducky-ness didnt overpower the dish. The rillettes were also terrific, salty fatty yummm.

From salads and sandwiches we tried the Wild boar sloppy joe and the roasted beet salad. The wild boar sloppy joe was a grandslam. The meats flavor was incredibly rich and was matched perfectly with the sauce which, thankfully, avoided the cloying sweetness i find in a lot of retro versions of this dish. One of our dining companions called the dish life changing, i wouldnt go that far but it was an A+.

The beet salad needs some work because it was overpowered by the warm bacon vinagrette. i never thought id say this but the dish was full of too much smokey baconness which tested my previously infinite limit of bacon tolerance. The dish could have used more acidity, it is a work in progress.

From the plates section we tried the Fried Ipswich clam bellies, sunnyside duck egg, beef toungue and black truffle hash and the potato agnolotti. The clams were fried dead on perfect and were served with a beautiful celery root remoulade and tartar sauce. The duck egg and beef toungue hash was also very good, but we could not detect any of the black truffle vinagrette that was advertised. I am not sure it was even needed because the duck egg and beef tongue packed a lot of flavor. The Agnolotti was a definite miss, the dish was very one note and if there was foie gras in the dish as advertised we missed it.

From the entrees we tried the slow roasted cauliflower and lentil dish which was another home run. The flavors were reminiscent of indian food and the dish was very aromatic and flavorful. We enjoyed it immensely.

The pork belly confit, pumpkin risotto, chestnuts, apple in a soy caramel broth was also a home run. The pork belly was the perfect amount of fatty. When I saw the sauce description it sounded to me like something that might work better on french toast but i have to say it was subtle enough to not overpower the pork. Great Dish.

We also tried all three desserts, creme brulee, chocolate banana bread pudding and candy apple with buternut squash semifreddo and salty caramel. All of the desserts were good with the only real misstep being the squash component to the candy apple which didnt work for me, left a poor mouth feel and taste and didnt really add much to the dish.

Great bar selection focused on whiskey and some nice and reasonable wines by the glass. Alterra coffee service too.

I know that this was only the second day of service and the first day of paying customers, but i think this place is going to be a huge hit. Good times.

i have often wondered about places like this, rootstock ect. would it be frowned upon to bring teenagers here, or are they even allowed?

I didnt see any teenagers in attendance, but somebody had there infant child in tow (in the bar area).

abolt wrote:i have often wondered about places like this, rootstock ect. would it be frowned upon to bring teenagers here, or are they even allowed?

No one was checking ids at L&E, so I can't imagine teens aren't allowed. If you have concerns, though, why not call the restaurant at a quieter time (say 5pm) and ask?

Same thing with Rootstock. Teenagers should be fine.

Ronna

REB wrote:Service was very enthusiastic, if not yet smooth. But heck, it was opening night. We chatted with one of the owners and the front of the house manager. They are smiley and clearly very excited to be open, and also open to suggestions.

Tuesday I managed to hit two as of yet unopened restaurants, Ciao Napoli Pizzeria, which hosted a meeting of the Logan Square Independent Artists and Merchants which, along with Alderman Ray Colon, is spearheading the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, and Longman and Eagle. Ciao Napoli is yet unfinished, they brought in folding chairs and tables for the meeting, but the space is big and bright with a wood burning pizza oven as centerpiece. Ciao's pizzaiola was pumping out Neapolitan style pies in rapid succession, 50 hungry people can eat a lot of free pizza. I liked the pizza, in particular mushroom and olive, and if Ciao can turn out that tasty of a product under pressure weeks before opening I can't wait to see what happens when they settle into a grove.

Longman and Eagle, just around the corner from Ciao, was hopping with a friends and family soft opening, though they were quite welcoming to our group. I'd echo REB in that they are excited to be open and to a person were very welcoming. They were well staffed, I liked the open kitchen and, as we also sat in the comfortable back room, we noted the interesting mismatched wood ceiling. Another conversation topic were the loose 'air plants' on the table which resembled the love child of a pineapple and an artichoke, bookended by mismatched blocks of wood, which seems to be a theme.

Food menu seemed as if it might be interesting, but, as with the drink menu, small print on brown paper coupled with low lighting made it impossible for me to read. I had a gueuze, which was served in a Delirium Tremens glass, and a bite of a kobe meatball (cue Jazzfood) someone ordered for the table.

After reading the positive posts above it seems Longman and Eagle got up to speed in record time, I am looking forward to a return visit, though I will bring stronger glasses and a flashlight so as to be able to read the menu.

Enjoy,
Gary

Ciao Napoli Pizzeria
2607 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773-278-7300

Longman & Eagle
2657 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773-276-7110

You remembered!

Maybe I'll take you to David Burkes.

Glad to hear that Ciao Napoli Pizzeria is still on its way to opening. Since I live only a few blocks away, I keep checking to see if the paper in the windows has been taken down. Any word on how long they have until opening?

LauraS wrote:Glad to hear that Ciao Napoli Pizzeria is still on its way to opening. Since I live only a few blocks away, I keep checking to see if the paper in the windows has been taken down. Any word on how long they have until opening?

Amen. I live in the neighborhood and had started to think that it wasn't going to happen. I didn't even notice Longman & Eagle until today! It's in the space where The Winds Cafe used to be. Sneaky sneaky.

After living in Avondale/Logan Square for a year and a half, it's nice to see more and more chronically empty store fronts turned into something special.

LauraS wrote:Any word on how long they have until opening?

Ciao Napoli's was in full pizza making swing, but the rest of the restaurant was mostly unfinished. I simply could not guess when they will open, though I'd venture to say not within the next couple of weeks.

Enjoy,
Gary

Considering trying Longman and Eagle - any other comments from people who have eaten there?

Was at L&E last Wednesday. Arrived at 6:30 and lucked in to two open bar stools -- by 7PM it was a 45min to 1hr wait for a 3-4 person table.

Drinks - Didn't try any of the proprietary concoctions, but great selection of whiskey and beer. Moderately priced all around.

Food - Had the olive app, which seemed to be cured a second-time (in other words, I don't think they cure them start to finish) in house in a orange/citrus vinigrette. Very good and refreshing. Actually some of the better olives I've ever had. Sweetbreads, "Oxtail & Scallop," and Kobe Meatballs were all small, well-crafted, and delicious.

Plan for it to be packed. Not a place I'd choose to stand around and drink--given the shoulder to shoulder crowd--but a great place to eat & drink if you can find a table or bar stool.

Mr. Pie and I were there on Saturday. We shared the rabbit pate appetizer, which was quite good, and we both had the very tasty Wild Boar Sloppy Joe. I had a hankering for a sloppy joe and this really hit the spot. The crispy sage was a nice touch, and the portions were just right. We were shoved out at the end though, which was really annoying. We came in at 5:15 and were told they needed the table back at 7, which we were fine with. After they cleared our plates but before we got the check, a different server (I assume) came by to ask if we'd mind moving to the bar or to another table. We said we were on our way out. They proceeded to move the tables and chairs on the side of us to accommodate a party of 10. While I paid and waited for Mr. Pie to come back from the bathroom, the servers hovered around for us to finally get up and let them have those last two seats. Really rude, we thought, especially since the time was just after 6, nowhere near the 7pm departure we agreed to. Although the place was getting packed by that time, I'll be back to try something else around 4 or 5 again.

We were also there on Saturday, around 5-ish, after being foiled by a 1-hour wait for a table at Revolution. It was our second time at Longman and Eagle. We've sat at the bar both times... I actual prefer sitting at the bar when dining alone or with one other person. Anyway, we were having drinks only, the Yuzu toddy and a Dragon's Head Stout, and splitting the chocolate banana bread pudding. The bartender (same as our first visit) comped us another toddy. Citrusy, balanced, smooth, warm... I referred to it as a "warm hug from inside".

Previously we had the kobe meatballs, fried clam bellies, and bone marrow. The meatballs were good, but the creamy polenta was even better for me. I'd ask for a side dish of just the polenta. Fried clam bellies were perfectly cooked, briney and clean tasting. The bone marrow was a dud. We got 2 bones. One was so underdone the marrow came out in a single gelatinous chunk instead of creamy meat butter. The red onion jam also needs to be cooked down further, it was more of a salsa than a jam. The diners on either side of us were really enjoying their wild boar sloppy joe and the housemade pork sandwich. That's what we're getting next time.

grace

I've been a few times and I haven't had a bad experience yet. I'm no food writer, but I love the duck rillettes, the scallops & oxtail is perfectly prepared, and the pork belly texture is like a miracle in my mouth.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

NY Times
Family-Style Spreads With the Luxury of Space
By BRYAN MILLER
Published: November 20, 1992

PARK AVENUE CAFE, the elegantly folksy American restaurant at 63d Street and Park Avenue (212-644-1900), . . . Park Avenue Cafe specializes in hearty American fare, including items like onion flan with barbecued foie gras, seared scallops with braised oxtail. . . . .

I remember my first flavor miracle at the Chicago branch around the same time.

Shawn McClain provided my first flavor miracle several years ago at Spring.

Seared Maine Sea Scallops
braised oxtail/wild mushrooms/sweet soy/baby bok choy

TAFMIMM (Texture and Flavor Miracle in my Mouth) = scallops and braised oxtail. Ring it up at Urbandictionary. Good shorthand, like snickerdoodle or neapolitan.

Edit: This made sense before the predicate post was completely changed to make it less shill-y looking. It was all in good fun.

Can anyone give an idea of wait times at Longman & Eagle on a Sat. night? The wife and I were thinking of trying it out before or after a movie tonight... trying to figure if an early dinner before movie or a later dinner after movie makes more sense.

For those of you who have been to L&E, I would very much appreciate an estimation of how kid-friendly it is. My pub-loving parents are visiting next month and we would like to go with my 5-year-old. The kid is well-behaved enough for places like Sol de Mexico, but still a kid. Any advice? We often go to Goose Island, but I was disappointed by my last visit.

Jen

Last weekend I went by around 6:30 and I waited about 25 minutes for something to open up at the bar-- So in short-- busy, but not too bad -- Of course it might be worse if you go later.

Everything I've had there has been good. The agnolotti were a standout - rich and tasty. I too did not notice identifiable pieces of foie gras, but given the richness of the dish, I suspect they were in there somewhere. I'm a big fan of the tongue hash and duck egg, but I am a sucker for those ingredients. Smoked sweetbreads were interesting, but maybe a bit over-smoked to my taste.

To put my 2 cents into the hotpinko controversy. Do we think we are going overboard in our reaction? I certainly wouldn't hire her as a restaurant critic, but isn't it possible she was just blown away?

Pie-love wrote:For those of you who have been to L&E, I would very much appreciate an estimation of how kid-friendly it is.

How kid friendly is L&E? I'd say not very.

It is a trendy, crowded bar. It's likely that you'll have to wait for a table. During my single visit, there seemed to be more drinking going on than eating.
If none of those things bothers you, and you're not looking for them to have a "kid's menu" or make any such accommodation, and you have the right kid (I'm looking at you Lucas_Suburban), then I guess you could give it a shot.

If it were me, I would definitely call ahead and ask them if it is OK to bring your youngin. (I think they checked my ID at the door, but I'm not certain.)

--Rich

PigEars wrote:To put my 2 cents into the hotpinko controversy. Do we think we are going overboard in our reaction?

Yes. If you suspect that someone is not being up front about who they are (or a possible affiliation), please use the 'report' button and let us moderators deal with it. Doing anything else does merely disrupts the thread and creates extra tasks for us. Calling someone out on a thread is no less inappropriate than a (possible) shill post.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

My apologies to L&E if my enthusiasm was mistaken for shilling. I've never commented on a food blog before because I have never been moved to do so. For reasons that should be fairly obvious, judging by the responses here, I do not wish to be associated with any self-described "foodies".

Thus begins and end my food-forum commenting. Over and out.

RAB wrote:

Pie-love wrote:For those of you who have been to L&E, I would very much appreciate an estimation of how kid-friendly it is.

How kid friendly is L&E? I'd say not very.

It is a trendy, crowded bar. It's likely that you'll have to wait for a table. During my single visit, there seemed to be more drinking going on than eating.
If none of those things bothers you, and you're not looking for them to have a "kid's menu" or make any such accommodation, and you have the right kid (I'm looking at you Lucas_Suburban), then I guess you could give it a shot.

If it were me, I would definitely call ahead and ask them if it is OK to bring your youngin. (I think they checked my ID at the door, but I'm not certain.)

--Rich

Thanks Rich, I will make at least a call and probably a reconnaissance visit before bringing the kiddo-- she is a great kid, but better to check first.

Jen

As I don't want to miss-represent, I am affiliated with Longman & Eagle.

Concerning how Child friendly we are, I wanted to add my two cents. I have a 4.5 year old who has been there, and has enjoyed herself 74% of the time. We have had a good amount of diners bring their children, and have seemed to have good experiences. Earlier is of course better, and we do have highchairs. A tip - there is a back corridor in the rear past the bathrooms that is a really good "melt down" area if you know what I mean. Top kids picks - gnudi, meat balls, tongue hash. Hope this isn't inappropriate that I am posting, but I am a fan of the site.

Sincerely,

Bruce Finkelman
The Empty Bottle | Empty Bottle Presents | Longman & Eagle

ebottle wrote:As I don't want to miss-represent, I am affiliated with Longman & Eagle.

Concerning how Child friendly we are, I wanted to add my two cents. I have a 4.5 year old who has been there, and has enjoyed herself 74% of the time. We have had a good amount of diners bring their children, and have seemed to have good experiences. Earlier is of course better, and we do have highchairs. A tip - there is a back corridor in the rear past the bathrooms that is a really good "melt down" area if you know what I mean. Top kids picks - gnudi, meat balls, tongue hash. Hope this isn't inappropriate that I am posting, but I am a fan of the site.

Sincerely,

Bruce Finkelman
The Empty Bottle | Empty Bottle Presents | Longman & Eagle

Hi Bruce,

Thank you very much for your post-- we will definitely be making a visit, thanks to your input. On the early side will be perfect-- the beer-lovin' grandparents like to eat early too.

Cheers, Jen

ebottle wrote:Concerning how Child friendly we are, I wanted to add my two cents. I have a 4.5 year old who has been there, and has enjoyed herself 74% of the time. We have had a good amount of diners bring their children, and have seemed to have good experiences.

I stand corrected. Really glad to hear it. I'm happy to have L&E in the neighborhood.

ebottle wrote:Hope this isn't inappropriate that I am posting, but I am a fan of the site.

Inappropriate? Heck no. Thanks for posting. Welcome to LTH, and please stick around.

--Rich