Twain - Creative Midwest Comfort Food in Logan Square

Some restaurants in Chicago just don't get much hype, and fly under the radar. Twain, from chef-owner Tim Graham and his sommelier-owner wife Rebekah, which opened a few months ago, is one of them. (So is his previous place, Travelle, in the Langham Hotel.) I thought Twain was very good, and worth a visit. With pictures, of course.

Corn Sticks - Corn Bread, Green Pepper Jelly, Honey Butter (there were two pieces but I ate one before snapping this shot)

Ants On A log - Celery, Duck Liver Peanut Butter Mousse, Bourbon Cherries

Virginia Spoon Bread - Cider Glazed Pork Shoulder, Pickled Onions

Brock’s Fried Green Pepper Rings - Powdered Sugar (these were great - and not overly sweet, despite the dusting of sugar)

Fresh Catch - Fried Lake Ontario Perch dredged with Cornmeal, Crispy Potatos, Cole Slaw, Lemon

Surf and Turf - Meat Loaf, Unagi, Nori Crusted Onion Rings, Red Miso Mash Potato

Here's the outside:

I also delight in an unusual restaurant décor, and Twain was terrific, from the flannel childlike scenes on the wall...


...to the fixtures in the loo:


Twain
2445 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 697-8463

We have had two meals there, and both were quite good (the first excellent enough to send us back, which is saying something!). It's a nice combination of classics and ingenuity, and the owners are really nice (though we had some service blips both visits). We will go again.

We met a big group at Twain about 3 or 4 weeks ago and it was really wonderful. I had the Chicken and Dumplings, which came in their own little casserole dish and were truly one of the best things I had eaten in months. Sumptuous creamy broth, tender chicken, big carrots and fluffy dumplings that just melted on your tongue. It was a coldish night and the perfect thing to eat. We also tried one of their breads, which was fine although not memorable because I can't remember it <grin> and my husband had the Fried Perch, which he liked but I thought the crispy potatoes that went with it were really notable.

We will undoubtedly go again. Definitely worth a repeat visit.

Twain closed for 'reconcepting' that will not include opening team Tim and Rebekah Graham

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Here is a link to their podcast:
Community Cookbooks: Inspiring Twain Restaurant's Midwestern Menu

Oh, this is really too bad. We were there for Mother’s Day and had a delightful meal. The room was unique and wonderful and the food was quite good. Knew something was up as they were out of my first choice and the waiter said something about “changing the menu”.

This is pretty surprising news to me because the place had good reviews and was always busy when I walked by. I wonder if the space was just too big (it is a huge restaurant) or if the financials just never worked out to get past the initial investment.

gnarchief wrote:This is pretty surprising news to me because the place had good reviews and was always busy when I walked by. I wonder if the space was just too big (it is a huge restaurant) or if the financials just never worked out to get past the initial investment.

I almost never saw it busy at multiple prime dinner times (7-8) and had brought it up to a few different friends, wondering how long it would last.

~10 months seems like an especially short lifespan, even for a restaurant, and especially for one that appeared to have cost quite a bit to open (the space was previously used to service autos). Considering the money behind the place came from fairly seasoned folks, my guess is that undercapitalization was not a factor and that even the worst-case financial projections were not being met.

I never saw it very busy but the space is cavernous, which could not have helped matters. I ate here a few times and liked it. I was happy to have it in the neighborhood but it never felt like a natural fit for Logan Square, though I'm at a loss to pinpoint exactly why.

Tim and Rebekah are nice, talented folks and I wish them well.

=R=