A Critic Lauds a New Pilsen Restaurant’s ‘Impressive’ Execution

Phil Vettel puts the spotlight on Pilsen’s Monnie Burke’s by awarding it three stars. The American menu with Mediterranean influences “isn’t exciting at first glance, but the execution is impressive, bordering on thrilling.” Octopus tossed with shishito peppers and roasted potatoes in an ‘nduja vinaigrette is “sensational,” and avocado toast is elevated with “liberal doses” of Dungeness crab and yuzu over house-made ciabatta. Entrees “don’t miss a beat with their appeal.” Duck breast glistens underneath fermented cherry sauce, over a cipollini-onion puree while braised pork shank is “essentially a re-imagined osso buco” thanks to the addition of cheese grits and vegetable chow chow. For dessert, a “gloriously gooey” chocolate-fudge brownie with vanilla gelato is topped with Cracker Jacks. [Tribune]

Good Measure marks the up-and-down return of Matt Troost. Much to Mike Sula’s disappointment, the former Charlatan chef doesn’t offer his famous pastas but there are still plenty of Italian goodies on the menu. Deep-fried suppli are spiked with pepperoni and planted in a “radiant” marinara sauce while deep-fried Nashville Hot chicken livers “make a strong case for the skilled fry play at work in the kitchen.” Dishes with a nod toward Mexico “are more inventive,” such as salt cod brandade with sweet corn. On the other hand, misfires include “gluey and overelastic” burrata and thick-cut fries that taste like “they’d emerged from the oil long before they’d been ordered.” Straightforward cocktails, like a “surprisingly winning” cosmo with aronia berry, “make for easy drinking.” [Reader]

Cafe Bonhomme has quite a few holes to patch up according to Graham Meyer. The “1995’s-idea-of-health-food” fattoush salad and “overbreaded, overcooked” fried chicken are huge strikes. Paté isn’t served with enough bread, either, and the restaurant charges “steep prices” for lunch dishes like broccolini and “voluminous but not filling” snap pea salad. The burger — double patties dressed with sweet glazed onions and curried pickles — is “good, but it doesn’t medal in the crowded field.” [Crain’s]