The Promontory serves hearth-to-table in Hyde Park
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Hyde Park's restaurant scene is on a roll and the team behind Logan Square's "Longman and Eagle" recently converted an old Borders Book Store, creating The Promontory, a massive restaurant with a performance space upstairs.
The Promontory is the latest restaurant in a recent string of hits from the team behind Logan Square's Longman & Eagle and Dusek's in Pilsen.
With the relatively blank canvas of Hyde Park to work with, the wood-fired hearth and grill at the center of the open kitchen is no accident.
"We wanted to base this off of Alfred Caldwell - who was the landscape architect of Promontory Point - he did these fantastic grills called council rings, and they were basically barbecue pits that he put out that dot the shores of Promontory Point; so we came up with the idea of doing modern, hearth-to-table cooking," said co-owner Bruce Finkelman.
Most of the dishes are touched by fire in some way. A griddled bun serves as a serving vessel for roasted-and-pulled pork, as well as tangy slaw and a few fried clams. Cast iron pots contain a number of surprises; in one, slow-cooked tomato sauce serving as a rich blanket for handmade spaghetti with a few veal meatballs; a swoosh of basil puree and a shower of grana padano cheese don't hurt. The Kentucky burgoo has three proteins: uber-soft braised pork collar that's crisped on the griddle along with housemade sausage plus wood-grilled quail. A hearty, intense burgoo stock is added to corn, potatoes, fava beans and tomatoes, which serve as the lighter base, and a thick slab of grilled cornbread offers sopping opportunities.
Desserts are just as remarkable, whether it's a chocolate ice cream sandwich with pistachio cake and cherries, a deconstructed banana pudding or a seasonal fruit trifle. Finkelman says a music venue upstairs is only going to make the area that much more attractive.
"Hyde Park is such a wonderful area in the first place and to see it get this kind of exposure is fantastic," said Finkelman.
I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and for all the talk about the beautiful hearth, the fire going and the food being grilled and wood-roasted...save room for dessert because The Promontory has one of the best dessert menus in the city.
The Promontory
5311 S. Lake Park Ave
(312) 801-2100
