mrbrowncanmoo wrote:

pudgym29 wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote: [edit]
Wait was about 90 minutes on Saturday at 9, but there are plenty of establishments nearby that you can wait at. (FYI: Edelweiss has karaoke on Saturday night)

Edelweiss was one of the venues from which I was ejected! Yet I had already managed to order a beer {A 16-oz. can of Miller High Life [$5.00]}, and sign up for a karaoke song. Nope, that was it. It wanted me out of there.

Wow, expelled from 2 different establishments on the same evening for being over served, and yet you claim you were not. You being overserved is in some way, shape, or form is their fault??? What world do you live in that either place is at fault and why would you disparage either? Totally unfair

Agree. Booted from 2 joints, stuffing a menu in your coat pocket from one of them for some reason. ?

WTF.

I’m so confused. Who are we slagging? WhyBeeSea or the establishments?

cleanplateclub wrote:I’m so confused. Who are we slagging? WhyBeeSea or the establishments?

Definitely not but if you have to ask . . .

=R=

Wow, an eye roll ! Okay.

cleanplateclub wrote:I’m so confused. Who are we slagging? WhyBeeSea or the establishments?

Wait what did I do to catch strays??

WhyBeeSea wrote:

cleanplateclub wrote:I’m so confused. Who are we slagging? WhyBeeSea or the establishments?

Wait what did I do to catch strays??

you know what you did

Gentlemen you can't fight in here, this is the Warlord!

cilantro wrote:Gentlemen you can't fight in here, this is the Warlord!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI5B7jLWZUc



Giovanna

Rumored new openings from Warlord's ownership group:

bierstube Führer, haan bai spot Khmer Rouge, and upscale retro French La Guillotine

Ain't no doubt about it, Warlord is my favorite restaurant in Chicago.

This past Monday, got in line at 5:56pm. Made it to the front at 6:22 and were the last 4-top to make first seating.







A round of cocktails/non-alcoholic drinks

No. 1
Coconut . Beet . Black sesame


No. 2
Green Bell Pepper . Shoyu . Tonic


CORPSE REVIVER NO. 1
Willet Small Batch Rye . Delord 15 Year Armagnac . Red Vermouth Blend


GREEN MEANS GO
Rum . Cachaca . Suze Bitter . Green Bell Pepper . Salt . Lime


paines creek oysters
grilled


angel hair pasta
ramps, parmesan

of all the dishes ordered at Warlord, this was the only one that dining companions weren't all that interested in ordering. After the dish hit the table, I had to fight for a second bite.

dry aged burger and fries
charred onion, mayonnaise


I still think this is my favorite burger in town.

10oz aged ribeye
roasted onion, horseradish, 33 days

funky, unctuous, a lovely bit of char. Perfect.

lacquered fatty duck
pickles from the larder, 30 days

A showstopper. I don't see any other dish even coming close to beating this one for top dish of 2024. The skin, seasoning, smokiness...I'm at a loss for words on how exactly to describe just how incredible this duck was.

rum butter cake


Just an incredible meal from start to finish. Dining companions said this was the best meal they've had in about 10 to 15 years.

I will also mention that we were definitely under the impression we were not going to make first seating and already had plans to get in some bowling at nearby Avondale Bowl while we waited. Recently awarded The Bareksten Best Bar Design Award 2024 by North America's 50 Best Bars. Instead, we stopped in for a nightcap. The bar is absolutely gorgeous and was completely empty other than our party. If you need a place to wait for Warlord, this is a great choice.

incite wrote:Ain't no doubt about it, Warlord is my favorite restaurant in Chicago.

This past Monday, got in line at 5:56pm. Made it to the front at 6:22 and were the last 4-top to make first seating.

Beautiful write up and pics!! You're making me want to go stand in line at a restaurant...

incite wrote:lacquered fatty duck
pickles from the larder, 30 days

A showstopper. I don't see any other dish even coming close to beating this one for top dish of 2024. The skin, seasoning, smokiness...I'm at a loss for words on how exactly to describe just how incredible this duck was.

Holy crap is this correct. Per our server, the seasoning is fennel pollen and shoyu. I definitely got the anise smell as soon as it was put on our table. I was gnawing the bones at the end of our meal, which was at the end of a very long day of eating. At $62 for half a duck, dare I say this 30-day dry aged bird is a bargain?

incite wrote:This past Monday, got in line at 5:56pm. Made it to the front at 6:22 and were the last 4-top to make first seating...I will also mention that we were definitely under the impression we were not going to make first seating and already had plans to get in some bowling at nearby Avondale Bowl while we waited...If you need a place to wait for Warlord, this is a great choice.

In the great minds think alike category, we planned for the second seating and reserved a lane from 7:00 to 8:00. We got to Warlord at 5:37 on Friday night and the people in front of us got the last table (we would've let others pass us in line if necessary). We got the text to come back to the restaurant at 8:08 and were seated a little after 8:30.

Warlord is not a place for a quick meal no matter what time you go. When every table fills at the exact same time and every table stays full for at least two seatings (at least 3 on Friday and Saturday), backups in the kitchen are inevitable. Prepare accordingly.

We finally made it up to Warlord this past Monday after being on our radar for over half a year. It was a very enjoyable experience.

Not wanting to miss the first seating, we were planning on arriving at 5:30pm, but lighter-than-usual traffic from downtown got us there at 5:15pm. There were only two groups in line ahead of us. AT 5:30pm, maybe 10-12 waiting, with 30-35 just before 6pm. I think some people showed up right at 6pm to meet others waiting in line, as every table/counter seat was filled by 6:10pm. They came outside around 5:45pm to plan seating, and they were able to get people seated quite efficiently once the doors opened promptly at 6pm.

We were seated at the kitchen counter right in front of the fire. While it was a bit toasty for this time of year, it was one of the best seats for watching the cooking-with-fire action. Although cooking over coals and next to burning logs is simple in concept, I was impressed at their organization for cooking dishes in batches and keeping track of fire and doneness in a packed place. Trevor was manning the fire station most of the time. He clearly has a very high tolerance for heat, as the fire was intense most of the time, with wood regularly being added in.

On the food front, it was almost a perfect game. We started with was was perhaps our favorite dish: fire-roasted tomato with bread. It sounds simple, but we agreed it was probably the best whole tomato we had eaten in our lives. The maitake mushroom dish was sans fish that night but still excellent. Burger and fries were top notch, as expected ... and reasonably priced.

The one dish that was not a clear winner was the hyped lacquered duck. Although the flavors were excellent and the breast was a nice medium rare, there was minimal attempt at rendering the majority of the fat from under the skin. Some areas had 3/4 - 1" of fat between skin and meat. Our preference is more for the Peking duck style, where there is still some fat, but most is rendered off, allow the skin to crisp up nicely (Warlord's skin was soggy). Others may prefer the thick layer of fat.

We will definitely be back ... probably again on a Monday to avoid crowds ... but also probably arriving closer to 5:45pm.

Chicago Hokie wrote:We started with was was perhaps our favorite dish: fire-roasted tomato with bread. It sounds simple, but we agreed it was probably the best whole tomato we had eaten in our lives.

I'm very intrigued by the tomato. So simple, but potentially so good. Was there anything else involved other than tomato and bread?

Chicago Hokie wrote:The one dish that was not a clear winner was the hyped lacquered duck. Although the flavors were excellent and the breast was a nice medium rare, there was minimal attempt at rendering the majority of the fat from under the skin. Some areas had 3/4 - 1" of fat between skin and meat.

My duck definitely didn't have a noticeable amount of unrendered fat but are you saying 3/4-1" thick? That's one mutant duck you were served if so.

maybe the fat layer was 1/2 - 3/4" instead (at the middle of the breast portion). In looking back on incite's photo above, it looks like much less fat there. We did get the first duck of the evening pulled from the rack above the grill, so maybe later orders have less fat as it drips off slowly?

The tomato looked like a nice fire-roasted tomato, and it had a smoky flavor. However, when we cut and bit into it, it seemed like there was a thickened/flavored tomato puree that had been injected into the tomato at some point. I wasn't quite sure what they did, but the result was excellent; either by itself or as a nice topping on the smoky bread/butter. The bread reminded me of Bavette and Boeuf bread, which is our favorite bread in town. The reason I previously said it might have been the best whole tomato either one of us had eaten in our lives is because we've never had one before that went beyond fresh/roasted/grilled/etc. There seemed to be some hidden steps involved that elevated the dish to being our favorite.