Last week I had a fantastic winter evening of food and drinks at Duchamp with two of my men: a former BSU football player and another cohort – the beloved Burger Fiend.
It was an impromtu evening. But aren’t those the best?
I’ve heard a lot about Duchamp: Chicago Magazine named their Havarti burger one of the best in the city; their outdoor patio is a top five pick for summer soirees; three-star Chef Michael Taus (Zealous) is the brains behind the culinary operation.
But sometimes it’s nice to visit a place once all of the hub bub has recessed. Granted, it’s still packed every weekend, it’s easily one of the neighborhoods most popular venue’s; and their accolades remain intact, but it’s nice to check-in and keep a resaturant on its toes, especially on a random Tuesday in mid-January.
I walked in the front door, through a thick, velvet, homage-to-the-Wizard-of-Oz curtain, and headed straight to the bar. I ponied up and ordered a glass of my favorite Old World white – Gruner Veltliner – and waited for my companions to arrive.
It was a great crowd for an 8:30 pm dinner on a weekday. The small dining room was buzzing but not overpowering. My dates arrived: for cocktails, the football player opted for Right gin and a bit of Campari (the Hinges), while the Fiend stuck to his Bulleit bourbon (The Flying Friar). Even though I’m a cocktail kinda girl, I was in the mood for vino. So I continued on my Gruner kick and had several glasses of the Austrian white.
I did segue into the XoXo, their aptly named cocktail for right-around-the-corner Valentine’s Day and a generally, all-around great drink.
For our small plate starters, we nibbled on white pizza with rich Maine lobster, bacon, Brussel sprouts (my choice, the boys were horrifed), and Asian-inspired hot wings (yeah, what?). Then we stumbled into two main dishes: the Duchamp burger, rare, natch, with Havarti (an obvious choice for the Fiend) and grilled skirt steak with parmesan-smoked bacon quiche (tender and amazing).
It’s hard to sum up Duchamp in one word. The best I can do is say that it’s a drinking and dining establishment that meets any need. Charming venue for vino with the P’s? Check. Sexy, summer-time dining? Yep. Pining for a place to take a foodie out-of-towner? You bet.
Chef Taus knows what he’s doing. And this writer would opt for Duchamp over its neighbor, The Bristol, any day.
