Darren72 wrote:Toddler was especially a fan of liver+butter on toast, mussels, and the friendly service.

Fantastic!

Vincent remains in our rotation as well. It's been a few months. Need to remedy that.

Wife & I met adult daughters and BF's at Vincent Saturday night, oldest daughter's choice. Never had been there, with my proclivities for Andersonville usually skewing toward Calo, San Soo Gap San, or if I'm in a particularly wild mood, Hopleaf.

The good--sambal mussels from P.E.I.--medium sized, plump, free of grit and with a tamarind broth that was slightly spicy. Little gem salad with bacon, frisee, pickled red onion, shaved manchego, poached egg, red wine-herb vinaigrette was plentiful and fresh. Frites also were excellent. Daughter's whole rainbow trout--deboned in the kitchen--was mild for the type of fish and moist. This was a very nicely-done piece of seafood by Adam Grandt, bravo.

I would have thought that the bone marrow with toast points would have been better without the dried cranberry and goat cheese--some things should be left alone. And my herb-crusted hanger steak was a little tough but flavorful, but the sprinkling of mustard seeds added little to the dish.

Finally, although service was very good, the noise in the room was almost deafening, and this isn't just age talking (well, maybe a little bit). Even for a aged-hipster bistro, a few well-placed curtains would go a long way towards hushing some of the normal conversation from turning into a blaring cacophony.

Vincent is still a reliable choice in the Andersonville dining scene. Four of us dined there last night. When we arrived, it was surprisingly crowded for a Sunday. Highlights of the food included a fabulous assortment of goat and sheep's cheeses, the seared salmon entrée, mussels and frites (white wine preparation), duck confit, and chocolate cake with peanut butter mousse. My kale salad was better today as the kale had time to soften from the dressing. Service started a little slow, but Colin and Nick ended up being great. Totally reasonable $10 corkage fee if you want to bring your own bottle. (We had a special wine so were very pleased they allowed it.) A great way to end our weekend!

Another data point for a nice meal at Vincent last night. Market salad with pickled beets and thinly sliced banana pepper to start, followed by a perfectly prepared medium rare burger. Dessert was a lemon cake with vanilla (I think) ice cream, lightly pickled peaches and a pistachio granola. Mr. X declared it one of the best desserts he's had in a long time. It did have a lovely balance of flavors and textures. The restaurant was bustling all night both indoors and outside, largely fueled by the Thursday burger special ($10 burger & frites, $13 with a beer.) There are some new items on the menu (steak tartare, a new prep of gnocchi) that I need to explore another night.

Vincent continues to be a beacon for the neighborhood during this coronavirus pandemic. Early on, they pivoted from their regular menu and created sandwiches and sides. They were also started doing a comida, a no cost meal for out of work restaurant workers or anyone in need. Thursday is their burger night. They still offer a $10 burger with fries or you could do burger and karma for $16.50 with the extra $6.50 going to support the comida and the staff. They have added a "pork & liquor" menu where you can order meat and other items from one of their suppliers, Catalpa Grove Farm.

I love what they are doing and we have kept them in our dining rotation. This from their email speaks to me:

We are cobbling together as many programs as we can think of to support our community and keep business up while staying healthy and safe. Most of these programs and ordering systems were thrown together in a caffeine fueled rampage in a single morning by people who don't really know what they're doing and, as such, may not function very well.

We sincerely appreciate your patience.

http://www.vincentchicago.com/

We visited Vincent for the first time last night. Our experience was a bit of a mixed bag. Loved the atmosphere - very cozy and perfect for a Winter’s night. Our server was good, if a tad detached. We were the only people with a child in the restaurant. Lots of couples and a few larger groups. We started with a half dozen oysters and a citrus avocado salad. The oysters were very fresh and properly shucked but it would have been nice to have something beyond lemon wedges and very ketchup-y cocktail sauce to accompany. We all liked the salad a lot.
For entrees, I went with the white wine, garlic mussels with a side of truffle frites. Again, the shellfish was pristine, but the mussels at the top of the bowl were cold, middle mussels room temp, while only the bottom mussels were hot. The real issue was the frites. Almost inedible due to salt. And I LOVE salt. It takes a lot for me to be put off.
Can’t speak to my daughter’s dish as she did not share. She ate most of the Lobster Spaghetti.
Jonathan had the steak frites and his fries suffered the same level of salinity. Just a crazy amount of salt. The steak itself was a perfect medium rare as requested but the bordelaise sauce was overly thick.
If we were within walking distance of this place (as we were many years ago when it was the Dellwood Pickle,) I would return. It was a pretty pricy meal for where the quality was last night so we probably won’t be back. Your mileage may vary…

Lynn-

As someone who can walk to Vincent, my husband and I don't go there like we used to. It changed when Michael Bransford sold it about two years ago. (Don't quote me on the timing.) Prices nudged higher, which is understandable in this economy. We didn't find the food to be as good. There are better options in the neighborhood.