Amazing food, service and atmosphere! Â I would definitely go back and take friends to introduce them to this wonderful find. Â The food was delicious - the way the chef used fresh ingredients in a new and unique way made each plate a tasty pleasure. Â There were 8 of us at dinner and we all tried something different for our entrees. Â Each selection was a hit! Â I would definitely recommend Wood for a lively, entertaining and delicious restaurant experience!
Review Source:Went back again this weekend. The foie gras isn't as good as I remembered. I think they changed the recipe. But man, their beet creation is beautiful and freakin' delicious. I urge you not to miss the beets in their small plates if you go there.
If you try to get a table past 7:30 PM on Friday or Saturday without a reservation, you will needs lots of good luck.
My friend and I wanted to try this place since it opened, so when I was back in town we finally got there. Â Due to plans later in the evening we went early (between 5:30 and 6). Â We sat at the bar and had great service by the bartender-both for drinks and food. Â I had 2 cocktails that were both delicious (and interesting-you can't get them just anywhere). Â We started with the board of 5 cheeses and the beet salad. Â The cheese portions were typical of other places I've been to and the beet salad was a good size. Â We decided after that to try a flatbread, which was also a good size. Â
Cool place, great drinks, solid food. Â I'll be back
Just visited Wood on Saturday and it was GREAT!! Â Went with a group of four and we ordered many different items from the menu. Â Started with the flat bread and scallops which both were too die for!! Â I have never had such tender and buttery scallops before. Â The flat bread we chose had bacon and caramelized onions that was so delicious. Â We then ordered the Lamb, Beef and Halibut. Â You will not go wrong ordering any of these. Â They were all cooked to perfection and were seasoned just right. Â They also have a large list of drinks, wine and beer. Â I can't wait to go back and try the rest!!!
Review Source:Their service is pretty crappy. Luckily, their food is pretty good. Is it worth the price for small plates? That's debatable.
My friend and I waited over an hour for a table, which we agreed to and wasn't a big deal. We had a glass or two of wine at the bar. We were finally sat and were enjoying our dinner when the host came up to us as we were eating our meals and said he needed the table for a party of 4 and "could we please move to the bar". Initially, we didn't think much of it, but after we payed the rather hefty tab and left, we were pretty irritated that we were asked to essentially hurry up and finish our meals so the host could seat what appeared to be a group he knew. (both tables on either side of us were there when we were seated and where there when we left).
If I am going to spend the kind of money Wood charges, I'd like to take my time. I probably won't go back--there are far better places I can drop $100 on dinner - without the attitude.
The food is good - not amazing, but very good. Â We had flatbread, pork chops, and a small plate of sweet potato ravioli. Â We also had dessert.
Primary problem: you don't know what half the menu is. Â It's all very fancy sounding things. Â But my guess is, you probably can't go wrong.
Primary AWESOME: the bar! Â COME HERE FOR DRINKS!! They can make almost anything, and their cocktail menu is excellent. Â EXCELLENT.
Small plates are small - about the size of your palm. Â I think for two, you could probably do a small plate, a large plate, and a dessert. Â We had a blueberry and lemon concoction that was delish. Â The lemon cake was about the size of a deck of cards, and then a sizeable scoop of blueberry gelato on top.
Wood is the best gay restaurant I have ever been to. Â Now there's nothing about it that makes it necessarily a gay establishment other than the fact that its in the heart of man village, and staffed mostly by handsome, appropriately scruffed up gentleman, but its nice that boy's town has a fine dining experience to offer that isn't personified by the "novelty" that boy's town has with some of its other establishments. Its sleek and modern in both cuisine and atmosphere. I've been here twice, and this latest time was our kick off for restaurant week. Â Our experience on Friday didn't necessarily live up to the standard I had set on my first visit, but maybe the ultra boozy drinks had a little hand in shaping my opinions on the first round. Â I like the drinks, I like the food, and its definitely the classiest offering this side of Broadway for a young buck on the town. Â Our scallops were a little fishy and wet (which is a pause for concern), and the cesar salad a bit salty, but otherwise highly recommended. Â I refuse to judge a restaurant solely on its merits during restaurant week, but it wasn't my favorite selection to choose from. Â Definitely recommended, love the name.
Review Source:On one of my boys nights out, we decided to try something different. Â Since Wood was in the vicinity of where we hang out, it was perfect!!
Drinks were great. Â Food was even better!!! My friend has the braised ribs.. Â So tender and just fell off the bone. Â I had the pork chops. Â Soooo good!!!
Love the location, decor, vibe, and service. Â I definitely plan to go back!!
We "Got Wood" for Brunch and loved it so much I wrote a professional review.
Great price. Great service and location. If I do not LOVE a restaurant, I will never Yelp about them or blog about them unless they really disappoint, time and time again, and I think they can do better. WOOD comes out of the gate and is a big winner. Here's my professional blog on them. No, they didn't know who I was. <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthelocaltourist.com%2Fblog%2Fmafia-hairdresser%2Fgot-wood-brunch&s=bb07b60e9c59d3177733e75010887c9ac89243640c4c94480ff6c9b93fc2c2ae" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thelocaltourist.c…</a>
I thought this space had been cursed since Ooh La La shut it's doors nearly 10 years ago. Not anymore. Franco has turned this place out. any what a relief. I have been here a few times in the past couple month and have had such a great time. I love the layout, decor, food, and staff. Highlights are the lobster entree any of the flat breads as well as the house made pastas. I would actually rather hang out there then any bar on the street. Well done.
Review Source:Some of the best craft cocktails you'll find in the Chi. They have this weird blue liqueur they add to a bunch of the drinks that adds a strange purple/blue hue - it makes the drinks look like they're from the not-too-distant future, and is also delicious. Also smoked pear vodka? Right on.
The food is, well, spectacular. The scallops are on par with best-ever scallops at place the likes of Girl and the Goat. They should jar and sell whatever gypsy magic they use in that sauce, it is riiiight.
The sweet potato ravioli are extremely unique (in a good way). You cut into it and instead of the usually firm ravioli filling, they have this sweet potato goo that oozes out. Tastes like happy.
The ham flat bread was perfectly crispy, but the crazy cheese blend is really what kicked it up a notch - delicious. I'd like to try the other variations, they knocked the flatbread out of the park.
The short ribs were perfectly cooked, the sauce was awesome. I never imagined pears and meat working in tasty harmony, but they pulled it off.
The place is stylish and busy. The tables are a little too close together for my liking, but I'm one of those people that don't like to hear all the conversation from the tables around me - at Wood you most certainly will. That's the only real complaint with Wood, everything else from food to service to decor are all top-notch.
THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THEIR LATE-NIGHT FRY STAND LOCATED IN THE BACK OF THE RESTAURANT!
----
Backwoods is amazing.
I'm a little pissed that no one told me about this sooner, because it's only a couple blocks from my houe in Boystown-- and I've had many a night where I just wanted to eat fries. Correction: Eat beautiful fries that belong in or around my mouth. God. The guy who works the stand, Stephen? Steven? Justin? Something that ended with -en. I don't remember, because let's be honest, you don't go to Backwoods sober (then again, maybe I'm wrong, and maybe you do-- it would still be delish either way.) Anyway, he is pretty cool and very helpful in explaining how to order fries, and suggests sauces. There are around 5-8 dipping sauces offered, and one is automatically included in your order ($5 for a cone of fries, or as the guy calls it-- the cone of glory, and a sauce)-- my favorites were the spicy curry aioli and the truffle aioli. Everyone loves the truffle aioli. I would suggest going with friends and trying their sauces. I'm not good at sharing, so all my friends and I got extra sauces for an additional $1, and I'm not lying when I say it was the best $6 I ever spent on food.
I can't wait to ACTUALLY eat at Wood. If Backwoods is any indication of the quality of food-- I think I'm in for an amazing showing.
I really wish I could give 3.5 stars, darnit Yelp!
Came here for dinner on a busy Saturday night and sat at the bar. The decor of this place is very cool, and the atmosphere was bustling, and the service was great. I'd give it 4 stars right there.
But the food I thought was just ok. I shared the Tarte Flambe flatbread and the Chicken dish from the Large Plate section. They were good, don't get me wrong, but neither dish is going to be something I'd crave or want to order again in the future.
But i would definitely go back. The full bar and creative cocktails were also a big plus.
Superb food!
I visited Wood for the first time a couple months ago with my then boyfriend. We ordered a cheese plate which was marvelous and spaghetti which was so amazingly great that I have been talking about it every time I pass by Wood with friends. "Look there's that place with the great spaghetti!" I enjoyed the interior of Wood. Very pretty. I recommend Wood to anyone looking for outstanding food!
I was having a really shitty day the other night and said to myself, "Self, you really need to treat yo'self." And treat myself I did along with my boyfriend at Wood. I just can't say enough about how great our experience was there.
We stopped by at 7 on a Thursday night expecting to wait or have to sit at the bar, but the world was feeling nice that night and magically a table for two was immediately available. That being said, I would definitely have not minded sitting at the bar - it was beautiful and seemed to have just as good of service as the tables.
We started off with a bottle of wine and a few meats and cheeses on a board. Delicious. Moving on we had the Duck Confit and Pork Belly which were both out of this world. I'll say this about the starters - if you're SUPER hungry, perhaps you might want at least 2 for yourself, but since my bf and I are sharers and got the meat/cheese plate 2 were just fine for both us. We ordered the Tarte Flambe anyway (I can't pass up anything that says creme fraiche, bacon and onion on it) to have to take home but took some nibbles while we were there. The crust is tastier than most high-end pizza places! Definitely a great dish.
After our gorge-fest we had the apple tart for dessert (which was really more of a crumble, if we're getting into semantics) with a dollop of pear sorbetto on top. I don't think I've had a more delicate and beautifully executed sorbetto than that pear. AMAZING.
All in all I will definitely be going back, not only for the food but the stellar service. Not only did we have a doting waiter and food runner but two other gentleman stopped by periodically to make sure we were "enjoying our experience." Attention to detail like that goes a long way in my book. I'll be back soon!
Yes, it's expensive, but no one said it wouldn't be.
Food is phenomenal. You pay for quality, not quantity. We ordered everything to share which turned out perfectly for three people. Scallops, Crispy Pork Croquette, House Made Tagliatelle, Country Ham flat-bread and the Short Ribs. Everything was fresh and perfectly cooked - short ribs melted in your mouth and the sausage in the tagliatelle was amazing. Chocolate cake was also good!
Drinks are pricey, but one glass of prosecco was enough for me.
Biggest complaint: our table was incredibly small for the many plates of food that we ordered, plus our own plates, plus drinks, plus water... etc.
Wood is just what Boystown needed! A touch of class and employees that understand the term professional.
The music is always random but in a good way. The staff is polite. The fries are delicious. The drinks are expensive and the mixed drink list is pretty short. They have some great drinks on it, but not so much in terms of variety.
It is also a small space, so it gets crowded easy. So, I can't give it a perfect 5 star but I can go back on a regular basis.
"I was a bit hesitant on coming here for dinner, mainly because I got the vibe that the place was another downtown gastro pub wannabe and full of pretentiousness.
However, I must admit that the food was delicious (almost fulton market quality), drinks were good, the portions were larger than expected and the service was good! I thought the prices were reasonable.
Overall a good experience.. We didn't get to try their small plates, but I'm definitely popping up one night and try them.. Highly recommended..
Personally, I don't get it.
I found it way over priced - but I guess if money is no object - go for it.
We did the Charcuterie - board of all 4, for $20 Â and
And the cheese Plate of 5 for $20
and 1 flatbread for $12.
Wines - were $12-$15 by the glass!
The food came and both boards were TINY, what I would call petite  grazing portions. . And  both were served with this huge awful burned "texas toast". When I asked why it was charred, the waiter said it is supposed to be that way. When I asked if they had crackers or little crustinis or something - he said they only had the big charred toast. I wasn't planning on a meal full of bread! And why is it charred??
The flatbread was the best price and value - and tasted very good. Only 3 entrees here. So I guess it is more of  chi-chi grazing place.
Our bill was  $100 for 2 people, for snacks and a couple drinks.Thats a lot - for me.  And we were still hungry. So  afterwards, we left and  went up to Mia Francesca for some more reasonably priced, filling food.
Wood is not my thing - sorry.
We were fortunate enough to find a couple of open spots at the bar and it is there where we settled in to experience some of the best cocktails that have passed my lips. Â
The bartender, Tommy, was great, after we looked at the cocktail menu he brought them over to us and when we had questions about the ingredients he took the time not only to explain but show us what they were. Â
There were 4 bartenders keeping up very nicely with a busy crowd. Â The atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for: dark wood, comfortable, able to have a conversation without being overly pretentious. Â We tried a few different cocktails off of there signature menu and each one was a hit. Â My favorite was the Who's the Boss? which consisted of Templeton Rye, honey liqueur, and different bitters. Â
We ordered the charcuterie plate which was just as amazing as the drinks. Â The chicken liver mousse was outstanding, and I work at a place that used to have it on the menu and it was great...the one here at Wood tops that. Â
I'll be honest I'm not sure I'd want to hit this place on a Fri or Sat night because it is a bit narrow and tight but during the week I will make sure I come back.
It is probably a good thing that I am writing this review after my 2nd time at Wood rather than my 1st time. Â When I went here a few months ago (a week after it opened) they were extremely disorganized and the staff was incredibly unprofessional; however, they seem to have worked out the kinks.
If you go at prime dinnertime, the host will probably tell you that the wait is 45 mins-1 hour. Â Not to worry...the bar is open seating, and the bar conveniently comprises about 40% of the seating in the entire restaurant. Â Grab a seat at the bar...I prefer it to the actual tables anyway in this place.
I like the food at this place because you can make it whatever type of meal you want. Â If you want a wood block with meats and cheeses to start, they have some great options for that. Â You can also make it a tapas night with their 12-15 small plate options. Â Finally, if you are not the sharing type, they have a few entree sized dishes (1 short rib, 1 chicken, and 1 lobster).
Last night a group of 4 of us dined at wood. What an amazing journey of flavors. Â
We had the short ribs, all of the cheeses, basically everything the host had recommended while we were waiting for our table to be bussed. Not only was he helpful but he never stopped smiling. Thank you Larry for giving us an amazing experience on a crowded Friday evening. We will definitely be back and hope you will be their.
One of my friends lives nearby, so, a group of us visited last weekend for a girls' night...
Be warned...there are about 8 tables in this restaurant...and the other patrons DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE...there were 5 of us waiting for a table for over an hour. Â A family (could have been a 'meet the in-laws' day) was also waiting and when they got seated first, we thought we might never eat!
In any case, we had a fine time having cocktails at the bar until we were seated.
On to dinner...we were told this was a 'small plates' place. Â Now, I'm not one to argue on how large (or small) a small plate should be, but our server made it sound as if these plates were miniscule...which they were not. Â Unfortunately, we over ordered... The entire table shared a flatbread (the Alsatian one...yum!). Â This is where the table split...I wanted another flatbread (is that not a food group?), but my friends wanted all sorts of other things. Â We ended up with another flatbread, risotto, duck and a few other items. Â
Everything was tasty, though really rich and portion sizes are much bigger than you'd expect! Â I was stuffed after a few bites of food, though that didn't stop us from finishing everything off.
While the food was good, I felt the service, while friendly was a bit lacking. Â We were somewhat oversold on the food, plus, a service charge was added to our bill which I don't recall being listed on the menu....we would have tipped more if the paying portion of our experience was a bit less of a mess...the cards weren't run with the exact amounts we indicated...
In terms of the atmosphere - this is bustling! Â There were a few larger groups, but otherwise, it was mostly smaller groups/couples. Â I am not sure I'd return unless I just wanted a drink as I'm not sure I'd be willing to wait for the food again. Â I'm not super familiar with the area, so I'm not sure what is around, but I am sure there are spots to eat that may take less time (but good spot for a casual drink on the way out for the night).
I live just around the corner, so I've been here on several occasions. The long and the short of it is that the cocktails are excellent. They've got an evolving program that always has something to please your particular cocktail hankering, but there are a few classics I'm still waiting to see show up on the menu. (Blood & Sand, you are delicious.)
The tapas here are top notch. They come and go with the seasons and I've had very few misses here. Actually, I'd say that 90% of what comes out is excellent. The same can be said for the entrees, but if you get an entree then split it. (A selfish eater is no friend to anyone.)
The deserts are middle of the road, but they're working on being inventive. I've yet to have one that I thought was excellent. They also lack in having any desert wines or after dinner drinks.
The brunch is hit and miss - they seem to just be coming around to getting this right. The quality has improved and the dishes are getting better. I imagine that by next summer the patio on the side will be a perfect spot to go after a bloody and some eggs.
The Back Woods, with take away chips at 2:00 AM... I've never had the food sober, but I'm telling you to go. Unless, of course, you start to form a line that keeps me from getting any... then you can all just bugger off!
All in all, super glad this spot is in the area. A great addition!
I moved to Chicago several months ago and found myself living in the boystown area. I can not say enough about how fantastic this place really is. It's a great cocktail bar with some of the tastiest small plates. I am a young tattooed bartender that would normally, not that I'm ever scared, feel out of place or potentially unwelcome. However, this place could not have a more inviting environment. From staff, to management and owners, you will not feel more welcome or at home. I can wonder into this place wearing anything and recieve the friendliest fun service. Beyond that the food is fantastic.
I'll continue on the atmosphere- There was no cutting corners at Wood. The cleanliness and flawless decor makes it calming and not pretentious. The bar stretches the length of the establishment and you are warmly welcomed by the bar staff(this is where I prefer to dine or drink.) Being a bartender myself I really appreciate the well thought cocktail menu and presentation.
Secondly the food- So. Good. I will occasionally steer away from my usual favs (little gem salad, risotto, and the cheese) and try something new. I've always been pleased. The flat bread is great, and if you can make it in for weekend brunch(morning wood), you won't regret it.
Finishing with the staff- Like I said above, everyone is so incredibly friendly. And not fake friendly, they work hard and always having a good time while simultaneously being fast and proficient. It's rare that I come in and don't see at least one of the owners working equally hard if not harder than their staff.
I can't speak highly enough about this place, but I hope I have been helpful in your search for a great spot.
I like upscale places that don't take themselves too seriously. Quality without pretentiousness, please and thank you. Wood is exactly that. Smaller, but well thought out cocktail menu that covers both classic and new, seasonal drinks. They also have a very good selection of craft beer, whiskey, scotch and other man-ly libations.
Another thing I like is Amsterdam. You know...for the Van Gogh and flowers. And amazing french fries. Wood closes the kitchen at 9 or 10 but makes fresh cut fries until 2am. They serve these fries with about a dozen different dipping sauces and toppings. The classic truffle with aioli is perfection.
Top all this off with very friendly and attentive service and Wood becomes the perfect place for a few late night drinks and a snack. I hear they do a good brunch, appropriately titled "Morning Wood" that I will be back to try very soon.
Well went back and again was thrilled with the restaurant. Â Increase my rating as I find that when I go to a solid restaurant many times I return and experience a let down. Â Wood has delivered again, returned with the same out of towners as they specifically wanted to return here. Â Only complaint out of a party of 7 was that one did not like the cocktail they ordered... not that it was bad as I was drinking the same but that they didn't understand how "smokey flavor" it was going to be... sweet... as i finished it.
Good job Wood as the staff and the food delivered again. Â This is moved from a place I rate to now a staple in my restaurant quiver when going out.
Have you ever had a really hot boyfriend or girlfriend, who breaks up with you, but you end up paying their cell phone bill for the next year? Wood is that hot ex. Five times I've been there, groaning through their growing pains all because the food is superb, the setting is hot, and I want to sit on that one owner's face.
How did this affair with Boystown's finest start? It started with my fortune teller Hadassah. Basically everything starts with her. She calls me one day and tells me we're going out. I say, "yeah, where?" She tells me Wood, so naturally I pop a viagra and spray myself down with cologne. Who knew it would be a restaurant... but you see what I mean? Already Wood is screwing me over from day one, wasting a blue pill. Luckily they had booth seating...if they'd stuck me at the bar I might have knocked people on the stools over just by turning sideways.
After the menus came out I made the epic mistake of letting Hadassah do the ordering. BIG mistake at any tapas/sharing-style restaurant. She orders food like she orders off QVC...just buy a bunch of sh#! and see what shows up, then when it looks overwhelming shriek, "I don't know where that came from, or that, or that--".
It got to the point where the waitstaff had to stand beside our table and hold plates because we couldn't fit anything else. I told Hadassah maybe there would be space if she took her friggin' crystal ball off the table.
"But it's a centerpiece!" she shrieked.
Back to the food. Or the hot owner? Does anyone really care about the food? I mean, it was all great...the soft shell crab, the country ham flatbread, the pork belly, the tagliatelle...that petite syrah I drank by myself. I don't remember anything after the syrah. "I Don't Remember Anything After The Syrah." That could be the sequel to Sideways! I'm going to sell my idea and become a thousandaire.
Food aside, I'll tell you the real reason to dine at Wood, and this is something you won't find in any of the other reviews. Why? Because they're helpful, and mine isn't.
The real reason to dine at Wood: the backsplash. Whoever chose that backsplash behind the bar has some exceptional taste. If you have a date that's going really bad, you can just stare at the backsplash, and it's a valid excuse for not talking. It's like a piece of art nouveau that makes you an extraterrestrial part of it. I think if Andy Warhol was alive and had to choose a backsplash, he'd--probably not have chosen this one. But Lucille Ball would. And that's why this place is so amazing, and why you should eat here immediately.
This has been a review by Fulgencio
Kenny and I wanted to try their Belgian pomme frites, only available at Backwoods (side window before you enter the main restaurant) AFTER the restaurant closes. We ordered it with the truffle aioli sauce.
The sauce is delicious; the pomme frites... meh. They were okay. Kenny and Serious Eats overhyped the pomme frites for me. I wasn't impressed because our fries were a little soggy. They didn't taste like they were twice-fried. Was it my fault though, that I ordered it immediately after they were opened? Maybe they rushed the order for me, but I'd have prefer that they made me wait for a delicious $5 cone-filled fries than to rush an order of soggy fries.
I do want to come back and try the actual restaurant though. I also want get their morning wood breakfast/brunch. I think it's cleverly named given the neighborhood. Ha.
After applying the proper algorithm (noting the love/hate pattern of past reviews), I have determined that this next review for Wood should be a positive one. Â The food and service also require a rave.
I met the chef at another location and felt the restaurant would be good. Â I was anxious to go and it was as anticipated. Â We went on a Wednesday, early-ish. Â The waiter was attentive--suggesting a mixed drink to my companion and seeing it slowly consumed, asked if another would be preferred.
We had the ham flatbread--crisp and the bits of salty ham offered a nice meld of flavors and contrasts.
The chicken large plate was excellently prepared, but not to our tastes--the chicken was intended to contrast with the other ingredients--we would have preferred more seasoning.
We had a small clams and linguine special. Â Fantastic! Â The sauce had a nice kick at the end, something I've not had with that type of dish.
After struggling with a number of look-good/taste-poor suburban dessert offerings, we were hesitant to try dessert given our recent streak. Â
But we had the brown butter cake with blueberry ice cream. Â Five stars there all the way.
For those who have reasoned heavy criticism of the restaurant, you may have gone in when the relatively new restaurant was getting adjusted. Â Give it another chance. Â I suspect the return will be much more enjoyable.
(Side note: Â to one reviewer in particular, the red squiggly lines when you type your review means misspellings. Â If you get a ton of them, you may want to try a little harder.)
To be fair, I am extremely late in reviewing as my visit happened in late July, but I just got married, so things like this just fell by the wayside. Wood....what can I say. I went with a group of 6 people, one really wanted to go because he heard it was a new hot place in Boystown. We got a table in the back, but it still kind of felt awkward, as you're not really separated by the other patrons at the next table by any sort of barrier.
Here comes the reason why this is only a 1 star review: our food took almost 2 hours to get to our table. And one of us ordered a salad!!! Â I ordered the half-chicken entree, asking the waiter if they could please make it without mushrooms because I am severely allergic. He told me not a problem, that it would be about a 20-30 minute wait. Since everyone else in my party was ordering small plates, I told him he could bring their food out before mine, so they didn't have to wait on me.
About half an hour goes by, and we see neither hide nor hair of our waiter. 15 minutes later, he stops by the table to ask if we wanted any more drinks. Oh, you mean you want to acknowledge us now?! We asked him for another round of drinks and asked him about our food. He says, it should be up any moment. Okay....
He doesn't return with our drinks until 20 minutes later, and even en, he doesn't say anything about the food. He just puts our drinks on the table and leaves without making eye contact with any of us. At this point, we were all upset (imagine a hungry table with one black woman and 5 angry gays...not pretty). We said we would give it another 10 minutes, and if our food wasn't out, we would leave.
7 minutes later, some of the food hits the table. Only not all of it, and definitely not my chicken entree. The risotto was phenomenal, by the way, but the portion size (for the price) was way too small. My chicken dish finally comes out (1 hour and 52 minutes after I ordered it), and as soon as he sets it down in front of me, I can see that it's swimming with mushrooms. I asked the waiter to just take it back, and take it off the bill. He did apologize, then asked if I wanted them to make another dish. Um, so I can wait until almost 11 at night to get my food?! No thank you!!!
The manager on duty saw some of what was happening, and came over to find out what wrong. I told him from start to finish what was wrong, and I said that I even understood since they were a new restaurant, the may have been some kinks, but that having to wait 2 hours for food was absolutely unacceptable. He was very nice about it, and told us he would take some money off of our bill for our trouble.
All told, he ended up cutting our bill in half, and gave me a portion of the spaghetti for free (which was also delicious). I wish I could remember the  manager's name, as he was very nice, but our waiter...yikes! Steer clear! I normally give new restaurants another chance, so I'll update this review  within the next month or so, but I'm very leery of all these 5 star reviews that are suddenly popping up in here. I'm going to try to remain cautiously optimistic until the next review...
I'm really a big fan of Wood - a new spot in Boystown with chef Ashlee Aubin (Alinea) at the helm. It has a great patio for summer nights and a super sexy long and narrow 'wood' theme inside. The bar runs the entire distance and opposite are nice leather semi-moon boths for larger groups. With no reservations I felt lucky to grab a table on a summer night last week.
I like the menu a lot for its simplicity - not a ton of options, most small plates, but all executed well (I'm assuming since I only tried a few). The first section is all small plates, ~12 priced $8-13 follow by a few flat breads, charcuterie, cheese and three 'large plates' (short ribs, half chicken and whole fish). It's a great balance of food that everyone can enjoy with various appetites. All of the food is accompanied by a healthy drink list with an array of cocktails, brown spirits, beer, etc.
We only ordered a few dishes since appetites were small that evening but the three ordered were great: Risotto (with Sweet corn and pancetta), a garden vegetable & herb salad (with Fromage blanc and hazelnut), and finally the flat bread of country ham (with kale and raclette cheese).
Both the flat bread and risotto were excellent dishes I'd order again. The salad was fine and good, with some fun/funky grapes and other treats that made it more than just a green salad. The sweet corn in the risotto was a twist I had not experienced but really enjoyed. The flat bread was a great size with a few simple ingrediants that all came together well.
It's been a while since just a few dishes had such a positive impact on me and I'm definitely eager for a return visit. An added bonus to Wood is that late night there's a side window called "Backwoods" serving Belgian fries. [Backwoods is the one and only late-night Belgian fries pick-up window in the city - website]. Check out Wood, you won't be disappointing, a great addition to that neighborhood.
It is rare that I am surprised by what I find in the new offering of restaurants that pop up in our fine city. Â But Wood surprised me from the moment I opened the door and continued delighting me throughout my entire visit.
First the name. Â I originally thought that "wood" might be a whimsical nod to the Boystown neighborhood that Wood is located in . Â But not so, said the bartender. Â Turns out the owner's family was in the wood working business and his father always wanted him to come into the family business. Â With the passing of his father last year, this is the owner's way of being in the family business, so to speak. Â And there is plenty of wood used in the place from the burnt cedar panels that run horizontally above the massive bar to the wooden tables reflected in the mirror glass behind the bar.
We were going to grab a table outside on their patio, but we were getting such amazing service from Gustavo the bartender (Goose, for short) that we decided to stay put and eat at the bar. Â Nothing has been left to chance at this bar- room for about 25 to sit, a huge range of liquor and wine and even purse hooks (not easy to find on this side of town either) Â The cocktail list is vast . . .not surprising as the bartender most recently worked at The Aviary, pouring some of the city's best drinks.
The menu is made up of small plates with a few entrees at the bottom. Â We tasted a range of food from one of their flat breads (all I can say is indulge in this- it is worth all the calories). Â We had the cheese, onion and bacon one and I seriously wanted to order another as it was that good. Â And the soft shell crab was amazing- perfectly crispy served atop corn and other vegetables.
We also had the stuffed squash blossoms nestled in pureed eggplant, and the tagliatelle which was rich and spicy and meaty and . . .wait . . I need to wipe the drool from my chin! Â Yes. Â It was that good. Â But that's what chef inspired food does. Â And this chef is no new timer to the business having worked at Zealous and Alinea.
And here's a hint. Â There is a back portion of the restaurant called "Backwoods". Â It's a walk up window where you can order Belgium style fries with your choice of about 5 sauces (I can only remember the truffle, curry, sriracha, ketchup but I know there is one more) Â And if you ask nicely- you might even be able to get them with your dinner although they are not on the menu.
Franco, the owner, is also not new to the restaurant business. Â He also owns Tank sushi and was so personable and welcoming to us and other patrons of his newest venture. Â He recognized a need in this part of town and Wood is filling that need and then some!
They don't take reservations so you may have to wait a bit if you go during a busy weekend. Â But the bar area is large enough to stand in and enjoy your drink while you wait. Â Dinner for the two of us with plenty of drinks was just over $100 and street parking is always hit or miss in this area but you can usually find it.
Wood is a great addition to Chicago's restaurant scene. Â I just can't wait to go back and see what Franco and the team have for us the next time we stop by, Â And trust me- we will stop by . . again and again!
I had no expectations for this restaurant when I went there, as friends set up the dinner plans, but having gone to other 'gastropubs' in the city [i.e. Longman & Eagle, Publican, Girl and the Goat, Bristol], I can say I probably will not go back-- at least for a while.
First for the pros, the ambiance was pretty cool. We actually sat at a table that was an extension of the bar and for whatever reason, I liked this set-up. This gave me something to look at while we waited over 45 minutes for our first entrees (a cheese plate cannot take 45 minutes to prepare!!!) to arrive.
Continuing with the bar, the drink menu was interesting, however, I found every drink I ordered to be 'missing' something. Not the mixology I've grown to love at Violet Hour or Longman & Eagle. Â They do have a decent beer list, filled with local microbrews.
For the food menu, I think that they have some things to work out being a newer restaurant. First, there were very few vegetarian or gluten-free options on the menu. This posed an issue for one of the people in our party, whose only option for dinner was a tiny portion of Risotto and a salad.
Next portion-size- the portions are really darn small. $11 isn't unreasonable for a small-plate, but you have to feel like you get your money's worth. The short-rib and pork belly were well done, however, the portion size was just too small.
The items we ordered were also not well timed to our table- probably something they will work out in the kitchen with time- but I could hear chef Gordon Ramsay yelling in my mind as we waited for 45 minutes only for 13 dishes to all come out to our sort of tiny table at once :(
All in all, being in Chicago where there are a dozen other places excelling at what Wood is just doing 'ok' at, I will stick to my favorites.
Love! Â This place! Great Service and Great Food! Very organized for only being open a week!
Soft Shell Crab was perfect! Crispy Pork Croquette Excellent! Risotto so far is my favorite! Fois Gras Terrine was really good!
Thirty Three Thirty Five drink was crisp! The Nouveau Riche sweet but delicious! French Sancerre was perfect! Allagash white beer always refreshing! An employee was kind enough to bring a glass of Stiegl Radler Beer different great for Sunday Brunch!
Braised Ribs Top of the Town! Tagliatelle needed salt but still good! The Spaghetti brought back memories of the popular Cacio e Pepe in italy!
Chocolate Bouchon unfortunately was the only disappointment of the evening!
The female hostess was very friendly and kept me informed of when my seat would be available. The entire staff was working together as one and all pitched in to make this experience memorable. John the server was great!
I can't wait to bring my out of town visitors!
It seems rare these days that you can go to an opening weekend of a restaurant and have it go really successfully, not to mention the opening weekend of this Lakeview restaurant was held on Pride weekend.
At last, Boystown has a fine dining establishment that's both trendy, has good service, good food, uses fresh ingredients, and not dumbed down for the masses.
We called earlier in the day to see if we could get a reservation, I think the takeaway from the call was that they don't really do reservations but we put our name down for 2 and she said "they'd try their best." ... When we got there we ended up taking 2 stools at the bar that had just opened up. Â Their bar seating is various spacious, the bar itself is almost as long as the room is long, and the width of the bar allows you to have a wide array of small plates out and not feel cramped.
We tried a number of the small plates including the foie mousse, roasted beets, pork belly, risotto, and pork croquettes. The pork croquettes were my favorite item, very moist and packed with flavorful pork. Everything we had was good. The proteins were accented with nice, fresh ingredients (beets and greens, etc). Â The pork belly had a very nice reduction over the top of some fava beans, very nice. For dessert we had a lemon pound cake served with a blueberry ice cream, yes it was delicious.
The bartender was very, very friendly.
For an opening weekend, it seemed like things were going off without a hitch. They were out of the bottle of wine we ordered and there were no cocktail menus, but other than that you never would've known they had just opened.
My only two complaints:
1) It was really, really, really, really noisy. Part of that was it was packed to the brim with cheery, boisterous clientele, and part of that was the loud music.
2) Every time the bartender swiped someone's credit card, it would display the full credit card # and name on the POS screen long enough that if someone sitting at the bar really cared, they could have easily gotten the full info committed to memory or written down.
Pricing and portion sizes were reasonable. Including our $52 of wine, our check was $112 after tax before tip. Though if ordering wine, the wine list didn't have much on it for under ~$35/bottle.
I wood go again.
The back of the restaurant will have a separate restaurant, Backwoods that will be a late night Amsterdam-style-fry joint.
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