S&S also seems to be looking out for their customers experiencing tighter economic times. They do not have a liquor license, so the place is BYOB with no corkage fee. They do a 3-course deal everyday for $29 (choice of one appetizer, one salad/dessert, and one entree). Our waiter mentioned that for March they will be doing a 1/2 off entrees for the entire month. The deal that hooked us in was their Wednesday Night $10 burgers. I had heard good things about this gourmet burger, so the GG, myself, and two of our friends booked a 7:30 reservation.
We decided to start the meal off with some appetizers. We ordered the blueberry risotto and the gnocci escargot. The risotto was unreal. I will be honest with you guys, I do not have the most experienced palate. A goal of mine is actually to start trying as many new things as I can so that I do not miss out on a dish like this one. The risotto came with pulled roasted duck, homemade sour cream, and was topped off by truffle oil. I took a picture so that you could get a clue of what it looked like. You would think the blueberry's would be overpowering but it was very subtle.
The gnocci came with escargot, arugula, and some pecorino cheese. It was definitely solid but didn't really stick out in my opinion. Take a look at the dish below.
Although I couldn't get the blueberry risotto out of my head, we came to S&S for the burger, and after they arrived I had mixed feelings. S&S does theirs with kobe american beef, foie gras pate, and a black truffle mayo. The burgers are prepared medium rare unless asked otherwise. It was a good sized burger that required two hands to consume. It was definitely tasty and I enjoyed it, but it was just lacking something. The foie gras pate was pretty bland and didn't do much for me. I think the burger needed some kind of cheese on it to add another dynamic. A sharp cheddar would have really put this burger up a notch in my book. I think the fact that this burger is priced at $17 normally is also what turned me off a little. I think it is definitely worth the $10 we spent on them for the special, but I could definitely spend my $17 on something better somewhere else. Pictures of the burger are below.
We ordered the fries soaked in beef fat and the truffled mac and cheese. Thumbs up on the mac and cheese, thumbs down on the fries. They were very thin with very little potato to them. The mac and cheese was solid and only $5.
We ended the night ordering a peach cobbler and sticky toffee bread pudding, both of which were above average.
Apps, the burger special, and desserts set us back $28 each. I was completely stuffed and thought that for what we paid, we got a great deal. Sweets & Savories would be a great place to go on a date or take your girlfriend/wife for dinner. It had a great atmosphere, the service was attentive, and the menu is eclectic. To me, the blueberry risotto was the hit of the night, and the burger although solid, will only receive a repeat perfomance if I decide to go on a Wednesday night for their special again.
As our intent for this blog is to only recommend the top of of the pack spots around the city, I would have to give this place a B. Because a B+ or higher rating is required to make "The List," Sweets & Savories barely missed The List in my book.
Sweets & Savories
1534 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 281-6778
I fully endorse Jew Foo's review and grade and thus need not write a secondary review.
ReplyDeleteI actually went on a repeat visit where I tried the beef short rib and found the meat a little bit dry. I also wasn't thrilled with the sauce it was cooked in.
DOES NOT MAKE THE LIST