Split-Rail is a Midwestern culinary blast to the past that succeeds on the back of Zoe Schor. Supersized chicken nugget balls sport a “tongue-tingling hit of jalapeño, jacketed in a crackly, razor-thin batter,” and are served with a “sharp, almost sulfurous” honey-mustard dipping sauce. Mike Sula also fawns over “pillowy” loaded baked potato gnocchi — “dressed to impress” with bacon, scallions, sour, cream, crispy potato skin, and cheddar — that “knock you dead,” and lamb tartare accented with black garlic aioli that “appeals to the bloodsucking goth you've locked inside for so long.” For dessert, a “vibrant” Jell-O mold sits on a base of buttermilk panna cotta and is topped with crushed pretzels. Reimagining the classics of yesteryear could’ve ended disastrously, but Schor “avoids these traps by just being a damn good chef.” [Reader]
Daisies is beauty in simplicity. Michael Nagrant praises the Logan Square spot for “making some of the best fresh pasta in Chicago right now.” They include pierogi, paired with tender clams swimming in Moody Tongue lemon saison beer broth, which are like a “spectacular rift” on moules frites. Similarly, stracci is strewn with “perfectly toothsome” peas and lamb “as tender as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver’s heart,” while an off-menu “kids noodle” tajarin is a can’t-miss for diners of all ages. Elsewhere on the menu, housemade onion dip with waffle-cut chips are an addictive starter and cornflake chicken is a “superior and epic chicken nugget” that’s ideal drunk food. Rounding out the meal is Nancy’s Kahlua cake, a “moist and satisfying end.” Overall, chef and owner Joe Frillman has a hit on his hands thanks to spot-on execution and a bevy of quality, local ingredients. [RedEye]
The Albert is a smart choice for downtown lunch according to Joanne Trestrail. Hotel EMC2’s “visually extravagant” restaurant boasts “elegant compositions” that “draw heavily on in-season fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs and a longer list of housemade foodstuffs than most chefs attempt.” A chilled sweet corn soup is a “stunner” made with coconut milk and embellished with blackberries, while roasted scarlet beets with braised leeks and fresh dill is “another fine starter.” Among entrees, sautéed sea trout “stands out with its inventive accompaniments of ramps, dates and turnips,” and campanelle is “firm and luscious and ever so slightly spicy.” [Crain’s]