Pastoral Andersonville Opens Today With A Menu Full of More Cheesy Goodness

Pastoral's new Andersonville spot —a location that includes a wine bar, retail and a full-service restaurant called Appellation— officially opens at 4 p.m. today. It's a wonderland for lovers of cheese, wine and charcuterie, and it's wrapped itself with the Swedish roots of the neighborhood.

Chef Jesse Williams departed from her old stomping grounds at Birchwood Kitchen and has made full use of all the fine cheeses available at Pastoral. Take the patty melt, a diner staple that she's elevated with smoked onion confit and a Swedish Herragard cheddar. Williams is a former cheesemonger for Pastoral, so it's coming full circle. Hearty eaters can devour a leg of lamb or sink their teeth into a plate of egg noodles with milk-braised pork shoulder ragu.

Williams is also doing deserts, and she's most proud of a deep-fried apple pie with cheddar. Sure, it may sound like a certain fast-food staple, but Williams said she's never tried McDonald's. It's a busy time for her, as she's getting married next week.

Counter service breakfast will start next month. But the lunch and dinner crowd can stroll in for a casual meal and try the same artisanal sandwiches customers from Pastoral's other three spots (Chicago's French Market, The Loop and the original in Lakeview). Yet Andersonville's special because they're getting mustard on tap. Sure, it's a bit theatrical, having a mustard keg, but French mustard company Maille will provide a seasonal, rotating selection. Check out the dinner menu below.

Pastrol/Appellation, opening 4 p.m. today, 5212 N. Clark St., (773) 358-7181. Pastoral will open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and closes at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Dinner goes from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Sunday. The wine bar starts serving its menu at 4:30 p.m., and closes at midnight Monday through Thursday. The bar closes at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 p.m. on Sunday.