Reviews: Regards to Edith is Hit or Miss

Regards to Edith offers plenty of interesting Chicago-inspired dishes but Mike Sula says “it’s clear that the seasonal rather than the thematic elements on this menu work the best.” A “perfectly good” shaved prime-rib sandwich is the cousin to Italian beef, topped with giardiniera and accompanied with a pitcher of beef jus, while a pizza puff is “crackly and light” and taken to new heights with a drizzle of pepperoni oil. Other items fare worse, like butterflied shrimp that “are certainly greasy enough for de jonghe, but look as if they sprang from the mind of Dr. Seuss.”

More enjoyable are the gimmick-free dishes that “excel on their own merits.” Salmon fillet is “engulfed by an nduja-fueled bouillabaisse teeming with clams, mussels, and shrimp” while “brilliant” green arugula-infused pappardelle sit under a bolognese of mushrooms and root vegetables. Dessert “hits it out of the park,” starring a churro soufflé that Sula would happily crawl into and gorge himself on. All in all, the restaurant could be a real winner if the “weaker entries on the menu catch up to the strong ones.” [Reader]

Marisol is a vibrant and artful addition to the Museum of Contemporary Art, writes Phil Vettel. The new restaurant from Jason Hammel will make those familiar with Lula Cafe “feel immediately at home,” with a menu that “reflects the quirky, vegetable-forward stylings of Hammel and his chef de cuisine, Sarah Rinkavage.” Some starters “virtually scream Lula” thanks to “offbeat flavor combinations.” They include charred beets with black olives and huckleberries, an “almost-forbidden visual presentation that proves light and playful on the tongue.” The “not-to-miss dish” is the hummus, though, which features a “smooth and creamy” blend of toasted sunflower seeds and artichokes.

Also “worth your attention” are the menu’s three pastas — the rigatoni with pumpkin seeds and broccoli pesto being a particular standout. Among entrees, the whole-roasted fish “marries well” to fig vinaigrette. And for dessert, the tres leches cake is a “work of art,” an “explosive deconstruction of cake bits and candied squash around a coconut ice-cream center.” Vettel thinks service is a “bit tentative and doesn’t provide the smooth experience it could,” but overall Marisol is “off to a most impressive start.” [Tribune]

Over near McCormick Place, Woven & Bound is an unremarkable but serviceable experience. Graham Meyer checks out the lunch menu at the Marriott Marquis’ new restaurant and finds that it “all feels clumsy.” The walleye po’ boy “fares poorly, humidified out of its crust by the bread and tomato and washed out by the accompany slaw.” The Vice District burger promises pork pate and black garlic aioli yet neither register, thus resulting in a plain cheeseburger. Shrimp and leek fritters are also “so hard that we chased them around the plate like we were forking golf balls.” It’s not all bad — the spicy chicken sandwich sports an “admirably juicy” chicken breast — but the food as a whole is “nowhere near the splash-maker that would draw you here of its own accord.” [Crain’s]