The Whale - Logan Square

at chicagotribune.com, Nick Kindelsperger wrote:I’m willing to sit uncomfortably close to a random stranger for an hour or two if I get to experience some of the most thoughtful and creative restaurants in Chicago. The Whale, however, is not a chef-driven project. It doesn’t even mention a chef on its website. That explains why the menu seems less like someone’s unique culinary vision, and more like a committee’s attempt to come up with dishes that merely sound fancy.

Sadly, it’s not clear that the owners have any interest in doing the hard work. You can find the first hint that The Whale is not all it claims to be on the first page of the menu. Open it up and you’ll come face to face with the “Champagnes & sparkling wine” section, but it should read “a single bottle of Champagne” list, since there’s only one real Champagne available, Veuve Clicquot, which you can order for $149. The rest of the offerings are sparkling wines like prosecco and lambrusco of the quality that you could find at any well-stocked grocery store. As for the rest of the wine list, don’t expect any help deciding what to order. When I asked my waitress for a wine suggestion to go with a steak, all she said was, “Well, we have red wine.”

The beef for the steak frites ($24) may be dry-aged — Marks claims it has been aged for 48 days — but it was also mushy and cooked past my requested medium-rare. Pan seared mahi mahi ($27) also arrived overcooked, not to mention swamped in a distracting orange-habanero butter. At these prices, you shouldn’t have to worry.

But that’s nothing to the gall that goes into the spreads section, where you pay an outrageous $18 for grilled bread not made in-house and three bland and overly creamy dips. All I can do is think of the care and quality of the cheese and bread served at nearby places like Table, Donkey & Stick and Bungalow by Middle Brow.

gnarchief wrote:I walk past the Whale constantly and am baffled every single time. The pre-opening pitch was a classic Vegas high roller theme and they seem to have left that to interior design only (with the helpful addition of TVs in every booth). I just don't know who the hell this place is for and why I see a bunch of people in there all the time.

Clarence Beeks wrote:it's a safe landing pad for people who aren't from the neighborhood, don't know the neighborhood, may not even really like the neighborhood but still want to hang out there and tell their friends they hang out there.

Bspar wrote:Ronnie, does the cauliflower have a name?

Bspar wrote:@ronnie was more thinking something like “the cauliflower’s name was Ben” bad joke based on a dubious Portlandia sketch

G Wiv wrote:

Bspar wrote:@ronnie was more thinking something like “the cauliflower’s name was Ben” bad joke based on a dubious Portlandia sketch

That shit kills me each and every time! “his name was Colin”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G__PVLB8Nm4

The GP wrote:For what it's worth, the wood-grilled cauliflower dish on last Friday's Hopleaf menu was $17. Their latest menu on their site describes it as such: "w/marinated cauliflower, red lentil-squash purée, herbed quinoa, roast parsnips, lime yogurt, spiced pepitas, golden raisins, cilantro."