GreenRiver Continues to Impress Critics; Cantina 1910 is 'Just Plain Good;' More

Mike Sula thinks GreenRiver is the perfect "easy hang" spot the Gold Coast needs. The "extraordinarily complicated" cocktails feature "a lot of culinary elements" and are "as good as any you'll find in the city's better bars." The "well-executed" food is also "very good" and includes stellar chicken oysters and a vivid carrot soup that's a "silky emulsion providing one of the best spoonfuls on the menu." Other highlights such as a decadent saffron spaghetti and a fluffy square of coconut cheesecake for dessert make GreenRiver worth your time and attention. [Reader]

The praise for GreenRiver keeps coming as Joanne Trestrail calls the restaurant a "knockout" in her four-star review. Cocktails like the rum-based Peace Frog are on point while the food is "one lovely dish after another, no missteps." Beef tartare has a "well-judged, tangy undertone" of horseradish and a "gorgeous" ruby-hued ocean trout is served with beets and pistachios. Service is "efficient and attentive' and the rotating express lunch option includes a "decadent" grilled cheese and "terrific" tomato soup with farro, mushrooms and pickled shallots. [Crain's]

Cantina 1910 is "serving some of the most personal, interesting Mexican food in Chicago," writes Amy Cavanaugh. The food is "comforting, unexpected and just plain good" with options such as a huge cemita with al pastor, chicken milanesa and head cheese that "gives the versions at Cemitas Puebla a run for their money." Cocktails are "terrific" as well and include The Rosita, a tequila negroni with three versions that are "perfectly balanced but completely different" in their own way. [TOC]

Intro's new a la carte menu from Chef Stephen Gillanders is full of pleasant surprises and highlights. Phil Vettel says a beet salad loaded with "bright-red" baby beets is "beautiful to behold" and lifted by spicy candied hazelnuts that "add texture and a little zing," and hamachi sashimi is similarly "magazine-worthy." Risotto is a "fascinating dish" made with sushi rice and an herb-rich tea infusion while the "star entrée" is a "beef and broccoli" composition featuring a "superior piece" of flat iron steak cooked to medium-rare "perfection" and served with four versions of broccoli. For dessert, a "marvelous" cheesecake brulee and a "richly satisfying" two-layer chocolate cake provide a pleasing finish. [Tribune]