The way that seafood is prepared and served is pretty tried and true, so few restaurants deviate successfully from the established pattern. Wicker Park's Bow & Stern Oyster Bar, however, updates old standards with uber-fresh ingredients and creative pairings.
The roomy Chicago Avenue space, which used to be a public library, is dressed in warm wood and soothing blues, with just a few subtle and tasteful nautical décor elements. Unlike so many restaurants these days, the noise level is sufficiently low, so you can actually have a conversation at your table.
As the name of the restaurant implies, you'll probably want to begin your meal with a selection of fresh chilled oysters. There is a nice list of crisp white wines and bubblies to wash down your oysters. If you prefer cooked appetizers, you'll also find a few tempting ones. The grilled octopus is delightfully plump and tender, and arrives with a delicious smoky flavor from its time spent on the grill. Far from an afterthought, the garnish that accompanies the octopus is a tasty bed of soba noodles tossed with dashi broth and miso butter—almost a small meal in and of itself.
I also highly recommend the burrata and chips, which is one of the most creative and delicious uses of burrata I've seen in a while. In spite of its name, this dish is anchored by lots of bright green kale that is so beautifully fried and seasoned that you forget it's good for you. Beneath the pouf of crispy kale hides lightly cooked oyster mushrooms, sunchokes, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. This crisp medley of veggies is good enough to eat on its own, but, like most things in life, is even better with burrata.
For main courses, you'll find many of the usual suspects—halibut, surf and turf, glazed salmon—but each with a subtle twist that makes it better than the versions you've had in the past. One of my favorite dishes was the pork belly and scallops, a clever and of-the-moment take on the usual surf and turf. The massive hunk of succulent pork belly is flanked by a handful of golden seared scallops. The silky textures of the pork and scallops pair well together, but the best part of the dish is the date gastrique and cherry sauce, which, when eaten together with a bit of tender pork belly, tastes remarkably like pork chops and applesauce.
The Alaskan halibut is a familiar dish that is sure to please. The flaky fish is served over a bed of creamy sunchoke puree, a refreshing stand-in for mashed potatoes. Ramp pesto, which has a chimichurri-like kick to it, adds a little zing to the mild fish. The lobster tail is also hard not to love. It's large and luscious, and cooked exactly right. It needs nothing more than a squirt of lemon, a dip in hot drawn butter and a chilled glass of something sparkly to wash it down.
Dessert at Bow & Stern is made as thoughtfully and with as high-quality ingredients as everything that comes before it. The homemade pies are out of this world. Tart key lime is an easy choice after a seafood dinner, and this version is one of the best I've tasted. Also delectable is the peanut butter pie. Rich Oreo crust is topped with sweet filling that is so creamy and fluffy that it just melts on your tongue.
Bow & Stern is located at 1371 W. Chicago Ave.; call 312-988-0644 or visit www.bowandsternoysterbar.com .
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