Conscious Choice: Back to the Chalkoard

October 2008 | Conscious Dining

Back to the Chalkoard

By Tanya Fritz Catalano

Dining at Chalkboard in Lincoln Square feels like going to a friend’s house for a cozy dinner party. The restaurant is decorated with sophisticated charm — part urban-chic, part shabby-chic — and offers daily menu items which are mostly made from local ingredients. The husband and wife team that own and run Chalkboard have put their individual touches on both the menu and the décor, and the waitstaff conveys the warmth of the owners.

Chicago actress Elizabeth Laidlaw and chef Gilbert Langlois opened Chalkboard in 2006 and have garnered much acclaim since. It’s considered by some to be one of the best restaurants in Chicago (and was on Chicago magazine’s “Best New” list for 2007), but it feels like a well-kept secret and has the same energy and vigor that a newly-opened restaurant usually has. Chalkboard boasts a strong fan following, but doesn’t feel like a scene since many of the devotees are from the neighborhood.

Now on to the menu…and oh, what a menu! The huge chalkboard along the main wall at the entrance lists the daily dishes, ranging from rustic farm-style creations like house-made patés, “Farmer Floyd’s poached beef tongue,” a salad of locally grown Mizuna and Arugula greens lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon and house-cured Bresaola, which helps steer the transition of the dishes from farm-style to ultimate gourmet with its layer of black truffles and huckleberry purée. To further the gourmet side of the menu, Chalkboard offers dishes like spicy tuna tartare with celery wasabi yogurt. One dish that is always on the menu, no matter the season, is the southern fried chicken with sautéed collard greens and buttermilk mashed potatoes with white sausage gravy. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds — and may be even better.

The wine list also reflects Chef Langlois’ respect for seasonal flavors, with “Fall Whites” and “Fall Reds,” along with a spectacular reserve list. The reserves rotate as well, but an example of the caliber of wines offered are: Littorai Les Larmes Pinot Noir ($103) and Morgan Double L Pinot Noir ($195). The whites list contains bottles like the Four Graces Pinot Gris — a small American Pinot Gris producer offered here at a very reasonable $34; Josemeyer Riesling (organic) from Alsace ($75); Baron Heyl Reisling Kabinett form Germany ($45), and quite a few noteworthy Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand and Australia. The reds list offers some of my own very favorites like Raptor Ridge Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley ($60); Gary Farrell Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley ($90); Loring Wine Company’s Pinot Noir from Durell Vineyards, California ($90); and Saint Gregory Pinot Meunier from California ($45), an infrequently offered varietal for most restaurants.

The constantly rotating menu and wine lists which give diners the opportunity to appreciate the originality of Chef Langlois’ cooking year-round, paired with the coziness of Chalkboard’s decor gives diners reason to come back again and again.

Chalkboard, 4343 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago; chalkboardrestaurant.com. Dinner served every Wednesday-Monday from 5-10pm, closed Tuesdays.

Tanya Fritz Catalano is a professionally trained chef, oenophile, slow-food fanatic and yoga enthusiast.

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