Sable: Chicago, IL
August 31, 2013
The internet advised us that Sable Kitchen & Bar has decent food and something of a cocktail program. So, you know, off we went.
Our first visit was for cocktails only, and Sable went quickly to the short list of places to try in Chicago.
The cocktail list is truely voluminous. Several pages of original cocktail after original cocktail, and then another one or two pages of classic cocktails. Holy cow you could spend a week here and not make a dent. But that didn't stop us from trying.
I assume I took this shot while falling off the stool
While I didn't take any notes and quite frankly don't have the foggiest idea what the hell we drank, I can say with some authority that they were deftly made and all interesting. Lots of use of fresh juices and bitters and herbs at Sable. Lots of gin. More bourbon than even my own liquor cabinet. Certainly a very serious cocktail bar. Oh, and lots of tattoos and funny clothes on the bartenders, too, which helps. By funny I mean suspenders and vests and old time-y stuff like that. I think I spotted a Fedora.
We only had one more open meal at this point, and that was lunch...on a Sunday...which for most restaurants means f*cking eggs and f*cking other crappola that restaurants rarely do as well as the stuff they are known for. You know, that stuff they make the other 12 meals a week. Luckily, the brunch menu at Sable includes all kinds of good stuff, and, has half portions of that stuff, which makes for lots of options of good stuff. The anti-brunch brunch. Yay for Sable. Yay for me.
A half portion of chicken and waffles included two pieces of breast meat, and waffles. I was hoping for some dark meat with bones, but this fried chicken was pretty damned good. Juicy and crispy. A very satisfying interpretation of chicken and waffles as far as I'm concerned.
The ginger-scallion brown fried rice was a little wetter than I was expecting. I was almost hoping for that leftover rice texture of true fried. But, the dish was outstanding, with lots of vegetables and tender rice. A poached egg and sriracha sure didn't hurt.
The half portion of steak and eggs was one of the better versions of this dish that I've probably ever had. It was head and shoulders above the steak and eggs I had at Primehouse a day earlier. The espresso-cocoa dusted strip steak was cooked m/r as requested. The eggs were requested as a "loose scramble." I'm not even sure if that's actually a thing, but that's the way I ordered them, and they came out just as I wanted. A crispy hash brown rounded out the plate.
We'll certainly be looking into Sable during our next trip to Chicago. I'd like to see what they do with dinner or lunch, but if all else fails, I wouldn't hesitate to return for their top-notch brunch. They could serve slop with that cocktail list and I'd still go back. The fact that the food is fantastic and a tremendous value makes Sable a destination.
Sable Kitchen & Bar : 505 N. State Street (in the Hotel Palomar) : Chicago, IL : 312.755.9704