Skrine Chops, Forest ParkAt Skrine Chops last night, we enjoyed a pair of pork chops, which seems like the thing to get, even though they have a number of beef items on the menu.
A center cut, the chop was pretty good, with a spicy crust, and surprisingly juicy for a piece of meat that sat on a very hot plate, sizzling fajita-style for the first few minutes of dinner. For nine bucks, a good deal for a nice piece of meat, capably prepared. We actually ended up buying two to bring home to use in other dishes (I’ve got some fava beans to make and some garden chard that’s really going to be helped with a little seasoned pork).
The draught beer selection seemed somewhat pedestrian,
which is not uncommon on that stretch of Madison in Forest Park, but Skrine offers bargain-priced specials (last night was Guiness, 4 bucks), so that kind of makes up for lack of variety. About half the crowd seemed there just for the bar, and like Jimmie’s Place and the now-departed Horan's, this place has the feel of a joint that leads with the tavern and follows through with the restaurant (though I doubt that’s the way it is at its other location in the financial district, though I've never been there).
The room was a little surprising. I wasn’t expecting the walls to be covered with taxidermy, animals represented as just heads or as entire creatures, practically tableaux, with bears rampant and birds in flight or fighting snakes. This hunting lodge aesthetic is carried through in the blocky built-in wooden tables. Though surprising, it was actually a more interesting look than I think we deserved to expect, so for that reason, I kind of grew to like it.
7230 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL 60130
708. 771.7230
http://www.skrinechops.com
"Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins