Old Town Brasserie

In a recent game of restaurant roulette (of sorts), my friend Amanda and I both randomly selected the Old Town Brasserie for a weeknight dinner out. It was a cold, windy Chicago day (read: normal) so the thought of cozy French fare was comforting.

I made reservations easily and beat her to the restaurant. Still freezing from the cold, I went right to the table, anything to get away from the door...The dining room is bright and yellow and inviting. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but a perfect neighborhood size. The tables are set with French country plates and napkins folded like little spa robes (lapels and all).

After perusing the wine list, I had a lapse of judgment and ordered a Spanish Malbec...quite ripe and not at all what I was expecting or wanted. The waiter was quick to notice and replaced my poor choice with a French Cabernet - much better.

Amanda and I were both struggling with the menu - many interesting things and seasonal dishes to choose from, she and I decided to divide and conquer - she ordered the apple and parsnip salad with maple walnuts, I ordered a roasted beets and goat cheese salad (yes, predictable).
Her salad had this wonderful parsnip pancake - moist and dense, like a blini - that was warm and added great texture to the apples, nuts, and red leaf lettuce. The beets on my dish were minimal, but the haricot verts and crisped chevre was delicious.

Next course was difficult...I read that you should always order the "duo" on the menu...I just wasn't in the mood for steak/lamb, so I went with the roasted duck and Amanda chose the duo. I think her dish might have been superior, though for any duck lover out there, the confit was amazing and the duck breast was plentiful and cooked perfectly medium rare. The duo had braised beef and roasted lamb ribs - the lamb was too infused with rosemary for my tastes, but the beef was absolutely perfect - tender, flavorful, perfectly sauced.

We couldn't stop there so we moved onto dessert and had pre-ordered a chocolate souffle with almond ice cream. The souffle was gooey, chocolate goodness. Light and super chocolate-y. The tiny speck of ice cream that we received was unbelievable...like I can't believe that they put this miniature dot of ice cream on a plate...it was two bites (at best) and was melting fast next to the warm-from-the-oven souffle dish. Poor judgment OTB - that's like kitchen 101 stuff, right?

Regardless, we still had a great meal and I would definitely go back again...a few quick things to point out is that this is not a menu of "obligatory French". You will not see Onion Soup or Steak Frites - so don't go expecting that.

Okay, who's been there, any other major standouts?