Bohemian House reinvents traditional Eastern European dishes in River North

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Historically, restaurants with "Bohemian" or "Czech" food have offered hearty dishes, often swimming in thick gravies. But a new restaurant in River North is turning those stereotypes on their heads, by taking a more modern approach to Eastern European cooking- lightening up traditional dishes by using more braising liquids and vegetables.

Beer and knackwurst - those are givens when you're talking Czech, Bohemian and Eastern Europe. But when the sausage in this case is wrapped in puff pastry, paired up with some sweet-and-sour cabbage with earthy turnips in a beer vinaigrette, you know the kitchen is a tad more ambitious. Maybe that's why Bohemian House, ironically, is not located in the western suburbs where its predecessors live, but rather, in River North.

"So we have touches from Poland, from all different regions - from the Czech Republic - on down to Hungary and over to Germany as well," said Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos.

Potato pancakes are all over that region, but in Papadopoulos' hands, they get topped with a crunchy root vegetable slaw plus a touch of dill.

"We do ours with an apple preserve, some sour cream that we dress with a little kohlrabi slaw and we top it off with a little cured salmon," said Papadopoulos.

Czech roasted duck is pan-roasted, then plated over grilled fruit, topped with even more nectarines and curly frisee lettuce. There are puffy, doughy bacon buns to begin with, as well as that ubiquitous dumpling from Eastern Europe: the pierogi. But at Boho, as it's casually referred to, they're stuffed with braised beef, roasted carrots and pickled onions, rather than just the usual cheese and potato.

"So it's not just dumplings and gravies and sauces and overcooked meats, but adding a nice touch of finesse, little bit of technique behind it, and giving unique combinations of flavors on the plate," he said.

And the modern touches are everywhere at Bohemian House - knackwurst, pierogi, and even dessert. Take these kolachky, for example: inside, caramelized plum marmalade and there's some fresh plum tossed with a poppy seed vinaigrette and little bits of red sorrel. Not what you'd see on Milwaukee Avenue or South Archer.

Bohemian House

11 W. Illinois St.

(312) 955-0439

http://www.bohochicago.com/