CHIReview
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Band of Bohemia
This spot is Permanently Closed.
What one person is interested in - like seeing Buckingham Palace or studying 13th century cartography - someone else, like a Londoner or Marco Polo, might find pretty boring. And if you’ve lived in Chicago for a while, eventually you’ll reach a point where you’re tired of going downtown to all the fancy restaurants tourists get excited about. When that’s the case, you need a meal at Band of Bohemia.
This Ravenswood brewery and restaurant is in an out-of-the-way spot, on a side street right next to the Metra Tracks. The interior is basically a warehouse that’s decorated like a very nice home, with tall ceilings, wallpaper, and a bunch of upholstered furniture. But the food here is probably a lot more delicious - or at least more creative - than whatever’s currently in your refrigerator.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
The menu changes frequently, but one thing is consistent: every dish (no matter how simple-sounding) will have something unusual going on. For example, the beet salad includes a tasty banana creme fraiche that makes it stand out from the 273 other beet salads you’ve come across this year. The burnt corn ravioli has actual charred corn husk folded into the pasta dough. And the delicious pork collar is served on top of a bed of coconut farina.
Most of the time, these attempts at being interesting are successful. But some additions come across as unnecessary. For example, the foie gras is served with pieces of pink peppercorn “glass” that will probably remind you of hard candies you spent your childhood trying to avoid. The saffron cavatelli tastes great, but is topped with an unappetizing-looking foam that adds nothing flavor-wise. These things aren’t enough to ruin anything - they mostly just make us poke around at stuff confusedly with our forks. But at least no one can accuse anything here of being boring.
If you live someplace long enough, eventually you’ll get used to the scenery. Like the skyline you stop noticing because you’re yelling at traffic on Lake Shore Drive, or the green river that used to be cool (but now you ignore) on St. Patrick’s Day. So next time you’re passing through the Gold Coast or River North and you realize all the familiar famous restaurants have become a blur, turn around and make your way to Ravenswood for something completely different.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Eggplant And Naan
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Venison Tartare
Roasted Beet Salad
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Saffron Cavatelli
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Burnt Corn Ravioli
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Seared Foie Gras
photo credit: Sandy Noto