Band of Bohemia

As a resident of the North Center (and previously Lincoln Square), I have heard about the coming of Band of Bohemia for what seems like three years. I was really excited that another brewery was coming to the hood; remember this was before Begyle and Empirical opened or maybe were even conceived. Now that Band of Bohemia is open, I am confused as to what it wants to be. I know it's pedigree comes from the Alinea line of folks, and I thought the pairing based menu could be an interesting approach but it seems a bit much to be using the ticketing system for something that strives to be an elevated brewpub. The beers seem, by description (Grilled Apple Taragon, Roasted Beet Thyme), to be a bit too precious for my taste; they almost sound more like the basis for a cocktail than a beer.

Am I missing something? Has anyone been? I'd love to hear reports, especially since they seem to be doing something that may just escape my categorization.

Band of Bohemia
4710 N Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-4710

I was there for their neighborhood open house event a few weeks ago. It was a meet and greet of sorts with family style BBQ as well as their beers, cocktails, sodas, and coffees. The food was absolutely delicious and very interesting.

The space is laid out well and it is refreshing to see a restaurant where guests aren't on top of one another and the staff has ample room to move around as well. I have learned from eating in many restaurants this dictates a huge part of the experience.

Band of Bohemia most certainly eschews any kind of category. It is a beast unto itself. I frankly think that even calling it an elevated brewpub sells it short when you think of the traditional kind of brewpub. There are a number of different experiences here. With respect to them being on Tock / selling tickets - after looking at that it seems that's more geared toward their Sunday events and their Chef's Counter. I understand they're still offering more than 1/2 of seats as walk-ins.

I'm eager to return for the Sunday events as well as the chef's counter. They sound like well curated experiences.

I have tickets for the chefs counter in a few weeks, really looking forward to it based on the ideas and the people behind it. I jumped on tickets without much thought based on initial reviews and a bit of blind faith. They don't spell out exactly what to expect, so big emphasis on the blind faith part. The wood fire reserve tickets is listed as multi course w/pairings. Are the pairings mixed? Can you choose? 3 hours in between sitting so I'm guessing it will be a 2-2.5 hours experience. Curious how it all plays out which is half the fun of checking out a new place.

The beer part sounds really interesting as long as it's done well. Happy to switch over to wine and cocktails if it ends up not being for me. Beer + food can be quite the challenge, but places like luskus at torst seem to be doing very well with the concept.

Thanks for the info - I see this joint every day on the train every morning, but had no idea what it was.
Sounds a little confusing.

sundevilpeg wrote:Sounds a little confusing.

I'm guessing the things with prices listed next to them are beers? e.g. "Roasted Beet Thyme $3/4oz, $7/10oz" which if it is a beer is something I would not drink if it were the only beer on earth.

And the stuff listed below are things that each beer pairs well with? e.g. for the RBT we have "butter - foie gras - olives - pecorino - elk - salmon - saffron - hollandaise - figs - parmesan - horseradish - potato - sweetbreads - chanterelle - chicken - liver - squab - tuna - bordelaise - mustard seed - port - swordfish - pork shoulder" and a couple of dozen more things that sure as heck seem to comprise a randomly generated list of meats/cheeses/seasonings/beverages. Oh, the bolding indicates items on the current menu, "showcasing the nearly infinite possibilities and forms our dining experience can take."

Has someone been reading http://www.karenandandrew.com/books/the-flavor-bible/ ?

Yes those are the beers to be paired with the food. The ingredients listed are ones that could pair with the beer and I'd assume the idea is come up with dishes on the fly based on season. They have actual menus on the site if you scroll down. Michael Carroll formerly of half acre is behind this brewing the beer. Having had half acre horizon and sanguis paired at Next I can definitely see these beers working with food.

Some of the most sought-after wines offer aromas of petrol, grass, dirt, etc. So here comes a brewer who offers aromas/flavors of beet, thyme, tarragon, etc., with an Alinea pedigree, and people here -- supposedly the most interested in food and beverages -- are blasting the concept and saying they would never visit the place or try these beers. Do you even know how strong these flavors are in the beer, or how they taste when eaten with the paired food?

If you're the type that's too scared to try exotic/unusual flavor combinations, that's just fine with me -- I won't judge you. But I'd appreciate it (and I'm sure so would the people who have poured their life savings and heart into the project) if you'd stop ripping the f*** out of it before you've even tried it. Thank you!

BR wrote:(One)Some of the most sought-after wines offer aromas of petrol, grass, dirt, etc.

If you're the type that's too scared to try exotic/unusual flavor combinations, that's just fine with me -- I won't judge you. But I'd appreciate it (and I'm sure so would the people who have poured their life savings and heart into the project) if you'd (Two) stop ripping the f*** out of it before you've even tried it. Thank you!

One - No they don't. That's just wine writer BS. See the Thurber cartoon.

Two - Haven't actually noticed anyone ripping the f*** out of it. Examples please?

(Numbers added to original post to make responses clearer.)

Went to the chefs counter over the weekend and was floored. Our party of two arrived around 5:30 and were seated at the bar until the rest of the seats for the counter showed up. The space is large. High ceilings. Lots of open space. Feels kind of plush and thrifty at the same time, like they scavenged furniture from grandmas house, but in a uniform and inviting way.

At the bar we were served three cocktails and they were on par with some of the best in the city. Not only that, our bill for three cocktails was $32. A steal. We started with Gamble in the fall and the Piernixzki Blossom. The Gamble was rich with strong and rich oak notes along with a wonderful herbal bitterness mid palate balanced with a nice nutty sweetness in the finish. The Piernixzki was light, herbal, and played very well with a touch of sweetness. Embassy in the Rabat was a treat, what a lovely texture on that cocktail with enough acidity to cut the rich flavor. On top of the cocktails, they had a house soda they poured for us that had a red pepper base. It had a sweet, almost jalapeno flesh aroma and sweetness without much of any heat. This really set the tone for the evening.

When the rest of the diners arrived, we were ushered over to the left of the bar to a kitchen table with six total seats. The kitchen is massive for something like this. Being a cold, snowy winter night we really enjoyed the fire front and center that offered both a nice warmth and a wonderful view.

When we were seated at the bar, I noticed a lot of plating and prep work being done at the counter. Let's just say that the chef's counter at Band of Bohemia in its current incarnation is a whirlwind of fun. More on that in a bit, but at first lets talk about the drinks.

I know a lot of people have a bias against the beers going on here without even trying them. I'm fine with that, but I found them to be damn good with the food. Courses were served with both beer and wine, alternating. Both served the food very well. The beer all was on the dry side. The added ingredients were mild, complimentary, and refreshing. Nothing is going to hit you in the face like an imperial stout or an IPA. The hop profiles seems old world, perhaps saaz or something along that range. I dug it quite a bit myself. Go in with an open mind and you should be happy.

As for the food...man. It started with a series of five small bites served back to back in rapid succession. Each were familiar, interesting, unique, and fun. An uni macaron to start (reverse goodbye). Fried sweetbreads that reminded me of buffalo chicken wings. Smoked trout roe served on pearl onions with very firm and delicious roe. Broccoli cheese "soup". It all worked and made us really excited for the main dishes.

The main courses were wonderful. Potato romesco. Duck with collards and blueberry. Chicken with truffled chicken jus. Foie with banana and black truffle. Large portions, in fact, almost too large. All of this with enough new school techniques and flair without relying on any of it. Definitely the new american approach I suppose, but grounded.

Desserts were great as well. I'm not huge on them, but I ate every bite of the two were served.

All of this was served and eaten in less than three hours. I still can't quite believe the wonderful pacing on this. I'm a big fan of 25 dishes over a large span of time, but this was a very welcome and different experience than I'm used to eating out in Chicago.

The last thing I'll touch on is the service. It's on the level of some of the best in the city without being the least bit stuffy. To me, it seems like they are truly trying to feel like a brewpub that just happens to have michelin star level service. They seem to want to make it absolutely perfect while still being inviting and not letting you know they're even listening. It just seemed...absolutely genuine and not forced.

Embassy in the Rabat



Kitchen counter view



Brewery to the right



Plating prep as we were seated



Macaron, sweet corn, uni, lime



Gruyere chip, charred broccoli, cheese powder



Sturgeon bacon, leek, parmesan, creme fraiche



Charred pearl onion, cauliflower, smoked trout roe, chive



Sweetbread, smoked beef fat, fresno chili, blue cheese



Potato, romesco, piparras, smoked olive oil



Duck, collards, blueberry, pistachio



Pork, pastrami celery root, sweet potato, black garlic



Chicken, celeriac, truffled chicken jus, chicken skin



Prawns, roasted vegetable jus, cabbage



Beef, gochuhang, grilled cauliflower, charred onion



Foie Gras, banana, marcona almond, black truffle



Tangerine togarashi sorbet, cashew praline, walnut crumble



Chocolate mousse, passion fruit, cocoa nibs, chocolate tuile



Mignardises



A truffle goodbye

Pepsican-

Thanks for the great write-up and photos. Sounds intriguing.

The GP wrote:Pepsican-

Thanks for the great write-up and photos. Sounds intriguing.

Intriguing is probably the right word thus far. I ate here right before the new year and found it very very promising--but still in need of some balance in dish composition before it gets to Michelin star level (which I think it can). Still, while part of me says wait, the other part of me is concerned that the high ambitions they have now will get dumbed down if/when people don't fully grasp the concept of the place (which, admittedly, is not all that easily grasped); now may be the time to go. I got the sense that sitting at the chef's counter was the way to go here, and it sounds that way from the previous review.

One nice little touch: they have a nice pre fixe deal--any three small plates + dessert for $45--that the whole table does not have to order. My dining partner shared one pre fixe and an entree and were pretty sated for about $70.

This is my neighborhood local now. I'd say what the kitchen puts out is way up there as befits Alinea grads, but the beer prices are way out of whack (low) compared to the food. It's like the inverse of typical high end dining of old where a good wine doubled or quadrupled the bill. Don't know if they should just charge more for the suds or introduce some less ambitious, slightly cheaper bites. To clarify: the beer is like $3 for a small pour, $5 for a 12 oz. glass. So not much more than the corner bar microbrew. The more interesting small plates are in the 15-20 range. The food isn't overpriced for what it is, but I found the "small" plates to be really small (and really good and thoughtful too) on my recent visit, comparable to a single "course" from one of the long tour-de-force menus of the old Trotter's epoch. The 3 plates plus dessert option noted above makes for a good deal, but if you are doing what they seem to want you to do, you'll need to drink a lot of cheap beer to match the food bill. I thought the cocktails were great and not a bad price at 10-12. On one visit, a short, $18 pour of what the server billed as a Burgundy - but turned out to be a Bordeaux after my taste and raised brow led to the wine guy's intervention with the correct info - didn't inspire confidence. But they are just getting started, still.

Went to BoB over the weekend. There was a little wait on a Saturday night (which makes sense). Overall, very good: food different and satisfying. cocktails are outstanding, (tried a sip of beer, but more of a cocktail evening). Great place for a special occasion. I really like the "Nice" look of the place without it being too stuffy (customers are very flannel-ly).

The overall feel for the food and drink is familiar, but pushing the envelope a little. Meaning the Steak and Chicken are familiar, but the Tête de cochon (pig's head meat in a wide thin "cake" form) is a little different and tasty. You're certainly rewarded for trying.

For Christmas, my sister-in-law bought my wife and I a prix fixe dinner at Band of Bohemia. I was blown away and completely surprised by just how much I enjoyed my meal here.

Bass Crudo olio verde, citrus, seasonal succulents, pink peppercorn, aioli


Carrot coffee roast, coconut milk, chai, sesame seed, licorice, oxalis

The most satisfying carrot dish I've ever had.

Bison Tartare mushroom conserva, sherry, herb purée, malt


Scallops mushroom, soft egg, aromatic broth, peanut


Grilled Lamb Neck scarlet runner beans, eggplant, hibiscus, sumac, verjus, ras el hanout


Foie Gras smoked dates, pickled onion, lemon, black pepper, port

Funny enough, though I'm a huge sucker for foie, this was my least favorite dish of the night. The sweetness of the dates really canceled out the richness of the foie on my palate. I was told afterward that some people actually order this dish as a dessert -- that actually makes sense to me.

Chocolate Mousse cocoa nib, malt ice cream, rosemary, yogurt, puff pastry


Butternut Squash spiced barley streusel, pickled apples, cardamom foam, lemon



Food was excellent, beer pairings were great, and the service outstanding. I cannot wait to get back for their tasting menu.

I sampled 7 of the small plates and really loved it. And I was also happy to see how packed the place was given their location in an area not traditionally home to higher end dining.



I tried the bass crudo, the carrot, the lamb neck and the foie gras that Incite documented above. I also had the Cabbage with black cod, miso, olive oil, espelette pepper, buttermilk; the head-on prawns (pictured) with white bean croquette, caramelized garlic, barbecue, old bay aioli, celery, and nduja; and the agnolotti with smoked walnut, taleggio, leek, brown butter, and truffle.

Overall, I thought Band of Bohemia has some exceptional food. There are some fairly wacky flavor combinations but they all worked. One note: there were five of us sharing everything and that was too much. For sharing small plates, I'd recommend limiting sharing to two or three people. With so much going on in each plate, it's important to get to try every component or suffer the consequences.



I disagree with Incite about the foie, which I thought was incredible. If you try it and fine the date overwhelming, just eat less of it. You don't want to miss out on deep fried foie gras, do you? I can't imagine not ordering this again when I make it back to Band of Bohemia. The same goes for the carrots, the cabbage and the prawns.

I thought the cocktails were almost on par with the food in terms of both flavor and creativity. Don't let the fact that most, if not not all of the cocktails are built around much cheaper bottles of booze than you'd expect. Given the flavor combinations in each drink, I don't think the lack of top-shelf bottles matters in taste but it probably is responsible for keeping the cocktails in the $10-$12 range. I started with The Gamble in the Fall, which our server described as the bartender's take on an Old Fashioned. It's made with Ezra Brook 90, Amaro Abano, Smoke Vanilla-Cinnamon, and Black Walnut Bitters. There's more bitterness and more sweetness than a traditional Old Fashioned and there's obviously a lot more variety of flavors, but it all balances out to make a very welcome twist on what is my favorite classic cocktail. My second drink was the Auld Alliance, which is made from Lapsang Souchong-infused Cutty Sark , Warres Ruby Port, Lemon, and cocoa nib. So they added smoky tea to scotch and combined it with port, lemon and cocoa nib. It makes no sense on paper and I'm not really sure how to describe it but if you were there with me, I'd give you a money-back guarantee that you'd love it.

The only thing I can't praise was the beer. Feel free to ignore my opinion since I'm generally not a big beer drinker other than stouts, but know that the serious beer drinkers in my party were more or less in agreement on most of the beers. The one that stood out the most (we shared a sampler of all five) was the Roasted Beet Thyme. The flavor went from nice and earthy to overwhelmingly beety to dirt. Maybe it works better when paired with the food? The other three out-of-the box beers were all liked better than the beet beer at the table, but nobody was thrilled with any of them. However, the most normal beer of the bunch, the Culinary Noble, was actually quite pleasant. The menu describes it as having subtle notes of stone fruits, citrus and malt, an assessment we agreed with. Multiple glasses were enjoyed by the table.

We ended up enjoying our experience so much at the chef's counter that we decided to return a month later (2/13).

This time around we had Matt DuBois behind the counter instead of Kevin McMullen who we discovered recently departed Band of Bohemia a few weeks later.

This menu had a much larger focus on water protein. Compared to our last visit, this gave it a bit more a cleaner, west coast feel. I'm not going to say one menu was better than the other, I could wake up and choose one and the next day choose the other. Chef specifically mentioned wanting to not repeat courses for us, which was totally unexpected. An entire menu flipped in a month is a pretty adventurous endeavor , but they did it all the way up until the mignardise.

Our cocktails to start the evening were amazing and again...for the city...super inexpensive. I’d definitely recommend coming in an hour early and having a seat at the bar to try a few along with the house soda.

The food itself was generously portioned, well thought out, and perfectly paced. We again were served at a lightning (yet not rushed in any way) pace. Small bite amuse portions coming first rapid fire followed by overwhelmingly crushing mains served a bit slower and a long build for dessert. We were done in under 3 hours, stuffed. You can leave a few bites behind if you want (I didn't...).

On the beer pairing end, we were served 3 beers with the courses. The Culinary Noble was served with the Prawn. Grilled Apple Terragon was served with the Salsify. Orange Chicory Rye paired with the lamb neck. It worked. Subtle and not overpowering. Craig Sindelar had wonderful wine pairings for the rest of the menu. I really like the beverage program here, it hits on all levels for me. Only thing I'd ask is printing the pairings on the menu, it's difficult to keep track of all of the wine pairings and damn were they good!

The service ties everything together. From start to finish every person in the building put off the air that this was a passion project instead of a job. From dropping off our coats to picking them up we were greeted with nothing but happy people delivering unpretentious near perfection service. We had a great time and will be back soon.

Kusshi Oyster - rutabaga, beer vinegar



Chicken Liver Mousse - rye toast, mostarda



Duck Bacon - espelette, mustard



Cured Mackerel - dashi, kabosu



Patagonian Prawn - oyster emulsion



beer pairing of Culinary Noble



Diver Scallop - romesco, allium relish



Sturgeon - seaweed, root veg, horseradish



Maitake - black garlic, hazelnut, truffle



Beets by Dre - roasted, pickled, raw



Salsify - hollandaise, skate wing



Flank Steak - boredelaise, marcona almond, olive



Octopus - red wine, marcona almond, olive



Black Cod - green go-chu-jang, mango



Lamb Neck - green go-chu-jang, mango



Palate cleanse



Forbidden Rice Pudding - blueberry, licorice, oregano



Chocolate - malt ice crea, rosemary, yogurt



Mignardises

pepsican wrote:This menu had a much larger focus on water protein.

It took me a minute to realize you're referring to fish/seafood. At least, that's what I think you mean by that...

nsxtasy wrote:

pepsican wrote:This menu had a much larger focus on water protein.

It took me a minute to realize you're referring to fish/seafood. At least, that's what I think you mean by that...

Haha! Yeah that is correct. From the sea doesn't play well with Chicago I suppose.

Had an enjoyable Sunday brunch at Band of Bohemia. Not crowded, open space, comfortable, terrific attention to detail from filtered water to nduja stuffed calabrian chili in the bloody mary.

Malt cured salmon with the bloody mary's followed by Spanish Frittata for the bride and Parisian Hot Dog with a house brewed Long Thai Saison for me.



It was early, very relaxed vibe, liked the eclectic decor, service, people and music, will be back soon.

Band of Bohemia, count me a fan!

All the posts thus far have talked about the cocktails and beers, and about the tasting menu. All of which is just fine and dandy. But what about those of us who don't drink, and - out of preference or just whim - who don't feel like going for the tasting menu? Well, Band of Bohemia is equally fine and dandy! Tonight I had dinner there solo, and loved it!



When you first walk in, you feel like you just walked into a friend's grandparents' home:


The dining room looks comfy and eclectic, but a bit more conventional than the entrance:


I had three dishes, and loved all three of them. Heck, all were so good, I could walk in tomorrow and have all three again!

Foie Schnitzel - Breaded and fried foie gras, masa spätzle, corn, huckleberry gastrique


Duck - Spiced rohan duck, green curry, coconut, coriander, bok choy, crispy rice "crouton", fig glaze, cilantro


Foie-sicle - Blackberry, white chocolate, chamomile, spruce




In case it's not clear, that last one is a popsicle with blackberry-foie gras ice cream covered with white chocolate.

I only had iced tea to drink, but it was one of the best iced teas around, nice and strong, using a black assam tea.

Service was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Incidentally, Band of Bohemia is across the street from the Ravenswood station on Metra's UP North line, which may not matter to some but makes it really easy to get there that way.

Again, I loved dinner there. Then I looked at the brunch menu and I'm thinking I gotta go back SOON!

nsxtasy wrote:Then I looked at the brunch menu and I'm thinking I gotta go back SOON!

Brunch is great too!

Beets on Toast - Seeded bread, roasted beets, goat cheese, brown butter crumble, arugula, orange


Oolong Knot Bagel - Oolong tea bagel, trio of salmon (malt cured, sesame-soy tartare, smoked mousse) crème fraiche


Crab - Crispy old bay polenta, lump crab, poached egg, miso hollandaise, kimchi


Duck Confit Hash - Crispy potatoes, duck confit, onions, two fried eggs, side of hot sauce


Buttermilk Pancake - Fermented blueberries, chantilly crème, Vermont cultured butter


Fried to Order Donut - Brioche donut with cinnamon-cardamom-vanilla-maple sugar

Wonderful meal with friends in from Michigan last evening at Band of Bohemia. Terrific service, in particular our server whose subtle humor, command of BoB's menu/style and sense of pacing added immeasurably to our enjoyment. Kudos also to BoB's sommelier who exhibited depth of knowledge, a refreshingly reserved sense of humor and the perfect note of interaction with my wine centric buddy.

I didn't take many pictures though I couldn't resist capturing the visually arresting Eggs on Eggs, as delicious as it was beautiful. As an aside, whichever genius in the kitchen thought up bone marrow filled hush puppies accompanying our wives entree of CDK beef please know I woke up thinking about them this morning with a smile on my face.



Band of Bohemia, Count me a Fan!