Middle Brow Bungalow - Bread, Pizza & Beer - Logan Square

Middle Brow -- the highly-regarded, socially conscious and formerly nomadic brewery -- has recently opened their first brick and mortar location, a bright and airy tap room, on Armitage Avenue in Logan Square. I made of couple of food-focused daytime visits recently and came away very impressed. The exceptional bread program is helmed by Jess Galli, who came to prominence at The Mill in San Francisco. Her excellent dough is the foundation of (my friend) chef Mickey Neely's (Scofflaw, The Moonlighter, Longman & Eagle, Dusek's, etc.) delicious menu, which mainly centers on a variety of open-face toast sandwiches in the morning and early afternoons, and pizzas after 3:30 p.m. Obviously there are beers, too but since both of my visits were during the day, I haven't really tapped into (see what I did there?) the beverage program just yet. But the food at both of my visits was stellar . . .

Visit 1

Middle Brow Bungalow - 2840 W Armitage Ave, Chicago


Pickled Mackerel, country bread, toasted
Like just about everything else served at Middle Brow, this meaty portion of pickled mackerel was made in-house. On this day, the salad contained cara cara orange and more small bits of mackerel.


Burrata, good oil, country bread, toasted
Another thoughtfully conceived and well executed plate. The unctuous burrata tempered the peppery arugula beautifully.


Smoking Goose Pork Terrine, fig, whole wheat bread, toasted
This portion was served with a slice of Smoking Goose product, which has been phased out in favor of a house-made terrine.


House Chicken Liver & Pork Terrine
This is the house-made terrine, which uses chicken liver instead of the pork liver used in the SG version pictured above. I preferred this one because I liked the seasoning better and also preferred the slightly firmer definition.


Country Bread (toasted), butter
As fundamental as it gets and oh, so effing delicious. Of the three breads we tried during this visit, my favorite was the country.


Cream Cheese, s&p, herbs, sprouted rye bread, toasted
The sprouted rye toast under this generous schmear was quite delicious, too.


Whole Loaves to go
It's great to have a top-tier source for whole loaves in the neighborhood.

Visit 2

Chef Mickey Neely
Mickey applies a finishing drizzle of rich Spanish olive oil while the Pizza Master Xtreme chugs along behind him at 675 F.


Sausage Pizza, olive, mozz
House-made sausage, along with mozzarella cheese and castelvetrano olives. I absolutely loved this pizza. The herbaceous house-made sausage combined beautifully with the briny olives.


Mushroom Pizza, fontina, carm-onion
The base layer of this pizza is a spread made from slow-cooked, herb-infused mushrooms that are reduced down to give up all their moisture, pureed and blended 1:1 with high quality cream. Up top are caramelized onions, oyster mushrooms and a garnish of minced fresh chives. In case it isn't obvious, this was another sensational pizza. With this much attention to detail being paid, it's no wonder this pizza blew us away.

The crust on both pizzas was quite notable. The delicate exterior crust in the crown gave way to a tender, beautifully uneven crumb. As with all great 'bread,' the complex flavor carried all the way through the chew. This is world-class stuff.

I think this will be a great addition to the neighborhood, especially when the in-house brewing/barrel-aging is fully implemented. After 2 visits, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface but it being a big space and open all day, it'll be an easy and frequent stop.

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Middle Brow Bungalow (Middle Brow's website)
2840 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 687-9076

Pickled Mackerel w/country bread is speaking to me. "Come eat me, come eat me"

Bread, pizza, terrine look delicious but Oh Man, that mackerel!

Middle Brow just jumped to my top 5 must visit.

Great post Ronnie, thanks for putting a little wiggle in my walk with delicious anticipation of bread that appears to have more breadth and depth than The Godfather* and fish I want to sleep with.

*1972 Francis Ford Coppola

G Wiv wrote:and fish I want to sleep with.

*2017 Guillermo del Toro

Middle Brow Bungalow sprouted rye, veg/red onion I pickled and lox = dinner. The loaf weighs about 17/lbs, has its own gravitational pull, absolutely delicious. Looking forward to getting back to Middle Brow for a meal.




Middle Brow Bungalow, count me a Fan!

Note that the kitchen closes between 4 and 5.

Marija wrote:Note that the kitchen closes between 4 and 5.

Good to know. Also, like many other spots in Logan, they're closed on Tuesdays.

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Did anyone see baguettes for sale to go?

Thanks,
Al

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Marija wrote:Note that the kitchen closes between 4 and 5.

Good to know. Also, like many other spots in Logan, they're closed on Tuesdays.

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Logan Square has their own Sabbath?

Dave148 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Marija wrote:Note that the kitchen closes between 4 and 5.

Good to know. Also, like many other spots in Logan, they're closed on Tuesdays.

=R=

Logan Square has their own Sabbath?

Some folks could rake up simply by being open on Tuesday in that area.

We stopped in for lunch yesterday. The place was jam packed, but they were well staffed and service was friendly. The mackerel above perhaps deceived us in to thinking there would be a few more options for protein, which is our only complaint (mackerel wasn't on offer yesterday; "egg" or tinned sardines were; the server didn't know how the egg would be cooked). But we tried three different toasts and one pizza and all were quite enjoyable. The green salad was a large, welcome counterpoint, if too heavy-handed with the fleur-de-sel. The pizza dough in particular seemed more complex than average, and the pomelo marmalade on the ricotta toast was an impressive mix of cooked fruit and oven-dried crispy fruit. There is an old parking lot that looks like a future patio - could be lively in warmer times.

Another fan here. Though if I'm going to be honest, did I really need another place serving excellent pizza? I'm not quite sure how I'm going to add this to my Bebu/Munno mix, but I'm gonna try. Their beer will certainly help.

We started with bread with tin fish, butter and lemons. Yeah, the bread had a terrific crust and was delicious, but the butter was also excellent and the sardines were first rate. What a great combination. As good as the pizzas were, this might have been my favorite bite.





Of the two pizzas we had, my favorite was the sausage. Yes, great crust. But I really loved the acidic and seemingly simple tomato sauce, which was a great match for the rich cheese and sausage.





We enjoyed the mushroom pizza too, although ours was just a tad heavy on the thyme. Still, very good.






Excellent service, about a 20 or so minute wait at 8pm on a Saturday night, but there was plenty of room to stand and enjoy a beer.

i made plans to go today with a friend for lunch: their website doesn't say they're closed on tuesday...which i find annoying. so i called to confirm that, and since they aren't answering the phone, i'll assume they are closed on tuesdays....

Walked over with my wife on Saturday because Josey Baker's sourdough approach really influenced her bread baking and Jess Galli is definitely bringing that style from the Mill to Chicago. She also really likes Middle Brow beer so it's an all around win for her.

We ordered the cream cheese and herbs on sprouted rye, the ricotta and seasonal jam on country, and the whole wheat with just butter. As with my trip to the Mill last summer, I felt dumb as hell paying so much for toast but then the bread arrived and it justified the price. This is some goddamn great bread. Like Ronnie, we both agreed that straight toast with butter is somehow the winner. I'd put the ricotta toast as my second favorite because the housemade ricotta is amazing.

Don't know if I'll ever clear the mental hump of ordering fancy toast and I don't drink so the beers mean nothing to me, but I'm looking forward to swinging by for some pizza.

gnarchief wrote:Don't know if I'll ever clear the mental hump of ordering fancy toast

I purchased a loaf of sprouted rye for $7, toasted two slices for use with dinner, pictures up-thread, and cut/froze another 6 or 7 good size slices for later use. I've eaten one straight from freezer to toaster, with quality cultured butter* and a swoosh of Maldon salt, quite delicious.

That said, I am looking forward to bread service in the restaurant with either tin fish or pickled mackerel.

*Cultured butter listens to opera while reading poetry in French.

Middle Brow Bungalow, count me a Fan!

Josh Noel posted a very informative piece about Middle Brow back in January, right before they opened . . .

at chicagotribune.com, Josh Noel wrote:Middle Brow was founded in 2011 by three partners who figured they’d open a physical space within a year or two. Instead, they spent the next eight years trying to make brewery ownership work.

Middle Brow finally arrives after 8-year journey with opening of Bungalow brewpub

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i had a quiet breakfast here today by myself, after having a informative chat with michael, one of the bakers. i really enjoyed my whole wheat toast with turmeric milk jam. but i will say that i think $5 for a cup of tea is way too high. and the cups are tiny so need to be refilled several times (if you're me). the toast was gloriously messy and turmeric stains everything- so watch out if you order it! then i took home a sandwich loaf for my freezer of the same sourdough whole wheat. it was amazingly moist and almost cake like inside, along with a chewy crust. i don't think i've ever had whole wheat bread that wasn't dense. it was impressive- i can't wait to try the pizzas...

Middle Brow Bungalow Sunday brunch with the bride. Toast w/cheese & egg, perfectly dressed salad and sausage, mozzarella, castelvetrano olives pizza with incredible depth of flavor in the crust. #lowslowbbq





Middle Brow Bungalow, count me a Fan!

G Wiv wrote:Middle Brow Bungalow, count me a Fan!

Holy moly! that looks good. Gotta get up that way soon.

In what should be a surprise to pretty much no one, Mike Sula echoes the praises of Ronnie, Gary and all others who've enjoyed MBB.
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bungalow-at-middle-brow-is-a-house-of-wild-ferment/Content?oid=69143503

bweiny wrote:In what should be a surprise to pretty much no one, Mike Sula echoes the praises of Ronnie, Gary and all others who've enjoyed MBB.
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/bungalow-at-middle-brow-is-a-house-of-wild-ferment/Content?oid=69143503

Loved this . . .

at chicagoreader.com, Mike Sula wrote:This last one will remind you that this brewpub is a happy convergence of carbohydrates that, after a few rounds, will move you to fuck it all and wantonly push butter-smeared crusts into your mouthole, long after reason tells you to stop.

=R=

.

2 updates since my OP:

1) Pizzas are now served from lunchtime on (no longer only after 3:30)
2) All terrines -- Mickey's and Smoking Goose's -- are permanently 86'd

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Thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Middlebrow. I thought the pizza was very, very good. I wasn't blown away by the pizza, but that may be a combination of expectations and the fact that the place was absolutely packed which seemed to rattle the kitchen a smidge. I left with two thoughts - 1) I'm eager to go back and try it again and 2) the food is so much better than Middlebrow's beer that there's something a little odd about the combination.

Anyhow, I don't have much to add to the pizza talk above but I can endorse the salad and the pickled eggs:

Stopped in early on Sunday morning for breads for the family Easter meal. Unfortunately, no country bread, or better yet, seeded country bread. Picked up a whole wheat boule (they only one available at my visit in a boule), a spiced raisin, and a malted barley fig. All were great. Very dense and filling breads. Had about a half loaf of each left over. Made a slice of toast with the raisin and the fig this morning that was delicious. Will return for breads.

annak wrote:There is an old parking lot that looks like a future patio - could be lively in warmer times.

I asked about this and they did confirm that it will be a patio. With some creative plantings, it could be an awesome space.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Her excellent dough is the foundation of (my friend) chef Mickey Neely's (Scofflaw, The Moonlighter, Longman & Eagle, Dusek's, etc.) delicious menu . . .

Mickey informs me that he's no longer at Middle Brow. That not withstanding, three of us had a very nice lunch there yesterday. We shared a couple of pieces of toast, the mushroom pizza and the sausage/olive pizza. All were stellar, just as good as it gets. Getting back to the toast, one of the slices we had was country toast with butter. It was indescribably delicious, so much so that I purchased a loaf on the way out.

Coming home with that loaf was like winning the lottery; treasure in my clutches. It's one of the finest breads I've ever procured in Chicagoland. It's so special, so wonderful, I almost felt like telling my family that it was off limits to them or better yet, hiding it from them. But in the end, they're good and worthy people. I came to my senses and realized that I should share it with them.

Making a slice of toast with that bread was nearly a religious experience for me. Unsalted Kerrygold butter, Maldon flake salt . . . toast, take me away!

=R=

Coming home with that loaf was like winning the lottery; treasure in my clutches. It's one of the finest breads I've ever procured in Chicagoland. It's so special, so wonderful, I almost felt like telling my family that it was off limits to them or better yet, hiding it from them. But in the end, they're good and worthy people. I came to my senses and realized that I should share it with them.

Making a slice of toast with that bread was nearly a religious experience for me. Unsalted Kerrygold butter, Maldon flake salt . . . toast, take me away! :D

that's how i feel about their whole wheat loaf, always in my freezer. any intel on mickey that you can share??

justjoan wrote:

Coming home with that loaf was like winning the lottery; treasure in my clutches. It's one of the finest breads I've ever procured in Chicagoland. It's so special, so wonderful, I almost felt like telling my family that it was off limits to them or better yet, hiding it from them. But in the end, they're good and worthy people. I came to my senses and realized that I should share it with them.

Making a slice of toast with that bread was nearly a religious experience for me. Unsalted Kerrygold butter, Maldon flake salt . . . toast, take me away!

that's how i feel about their whole wheat loaf, always in my freezer. any intel on mickey that you can share??

Nah, that's all I know.

=R=

Last sour dough I had that memorable was a green Columbo in SF circa 72

Jazzfood wrote:Last sour dough I had that memorable was a green Columbo in SF circa 72

cellar door is hard to top imo but bungalows in a close 2nd

Sour dough country boule w/sweet butter and c-salt