The amish chicken is prepared two ways and served with green beans.
At Crofton on Wells I get the impression that there are a lot of regulars who dine there, and the staff really does know their names and is glad they came. With a $35 prix fixe menu available from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday — along with an option to include two glasses of wine for a total of $55 per person — you can see what keeps people coming back. Especially when you taste the food.
Crofton on Wells turns in a solid performance food-wise and is as good, if not better, than I remembered since our last review, which was ages ago. This time around my friend Chris and I enjoyed both our starters — potato green garlic soup and werp farms baby greens — and our main dishes — amish chicken with spicy herb and chipotle, yukon gold mashed potatoes and smoky molasses jus; and the spring risotto with asparagus, mushrooms, fava beans, ramps, sweet peas, sugar snap peas and chaubier.
The garlic soup is light and perfect for summer.
Our only disappointment was the ice cream didn’t come with cookies as advertised. Still, for $35 this three-course is a deal, and I don’t think I’d mind if the servers got to know my name.
Crofton on Wells
535 N Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 755-1790 | Make Reservations
The rooftop bar is just that -- no food is served.
Sometimes with restaurants, it’s worth it to try… try again. I was reminded of that recently at Epic.
We were decidedly underwhelmed earlier this year when we went there for dinner. So much so, that we never got around to posting a review. But it turns out that Epic has some serious happy hour chops. The cocktails are good, the available wine list is small but interesting, and the bar food is nothing to scoff at — especially the sliders and the goat cheese. Yum!
The rooftop patio at epic is a happy happy hour spot.
The true crown jewel of Epic’s happy hour though is its beautiful rooftop patio. It rivals Roof at the Whit and Vertigo at the Dana Hotel as far as comfort, surpasses both on spaciousness, and kicks The Conrad’s ass with its “city view.” My only complaint is no food is served on the rooftop — it’s drinks only. Still, the indoor lounge area is comfy and modern (and empty if you get there early enough), so it’s not a hardship to grab a bite or two down there before heading upstairs.
Happy hour was so successful that I’m tempted to give dinner at Epic another go — maybe even complete a full dining review! Regardless, I’ll be hanging out on that patio again before summer’s done. It’s a find.
Epic
112 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654-4504
(312) 222-4940
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Mercadito!
If you’re eating out this week, don’t forget Chef’s Week runs through Sunday! Fortunately, I was able to combine a little biz with a very nice lunch at Mercadito.
A selection of ceviche and guacamole for the table.
The structure for the Chef’s Week Menu is a little different. Here, you get a choice of two types of guacamole, two types of ceviche, three different tacos and one dessert for the table. This was a lot of food and covered a generous amount of their regular lunch menu.
We tried the mango and manzana guacamoles. The waitress promised us the added flavors wouldn’t overpower the avocado — they didn’t, but we can’t say they added much either. The ceviche was a little more successful with selections of mahi mahi and delightfully tender bay scallops.
The tender tilapia was overpowered by the chile poblano & tomatillo-garlic mojo.
We went with our server’s recommendations and tried the pastor taco, served with grilled pineapple and a spicy chile salsa. It was a huge portion that made a mess as you bit into it. The tilapia taco was even spicier and had a combination of flavors that overwhelmed the delicate fish. Since neither of us had tried huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn, we had to place an order. I’m very glad we did — the hearty corn flavor married well with the mushrooms, manchego and salsa verde.
While the plating for the other dishes was lovely, dessert was served in a salad bowl.
Dessert was my favorite part of the meal. We ordered a smooth, creamy caramel flan that came paired with mini pound cake and raisins. The texture was amazing. I would return to this restaurant just for that flan.
Mercadito
108 West Kinzie Street
Chicago, IL 60654-4508
(312) 329-9555 | Make Reservations
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