If you were to read a Yelp review on Chuck's Manufacturing, you might find less-than-savory reviews about the place that noted that Chuck's "wasn't the Girl and the Goat." No kidding. It's easy to say, "Well it's just no Girl and the Goat." But then again, Chuck's is not in the West Loop. Chuck's has to contend with a much broader palette than the "let's eat a boar and wear vintage clothes" crowd of the West Loop. Chuck's depends predominantly on the "tourists"folks from Wisconsin and Indiana who have never in their lives had a head cheese salad with duck feet tartine. So Chuck's has done what I believe other restaurants in the "tourist zone" have failed to doa traditional menu with not-so-traditional flavors.
While you sit in a space that is one part Copenhagen and one part your favorite trust fund friend's River North condo, you can be sure that even if you think your steak is mediocre, your service and experience won't be an "Elephant and Castle" kind of night. You are greeted by an extraordinarily friendly staff that is also very pretty and very chic. You are asked if you need to charge your cell phone. "Say what?" Yes, a strange opening question, but Chuck's offers the service at your table for any cell phone and at no charge. (However, the staff really needs to work that into the initial "How are you doing today?" without coming off as a little too creepy.) The space is filled with a custom mix of house music that is not annoying and not so loud that you can't hear someone five feet away from you.
I've had the opportunity of trying Chuck's on two different occasions and have not been disappointed. The arugula salad has a housemade cider vinaigrette that adds a warmth to this simple salad that you would not expect. "Salad? A warming dish?" Yes, I say. It's like fall and winter in a bowl, and it's delicious. Justin Frankenberg, Chuck's head chef, also brings "grilled chicken" to life. Except in addition to the usual suspects like peppers or greens, Frankenberg adds polenta, his own marinade and the au jus of the little chicken offering, something you'll like, even if you think you hate polenta.
The steaks are also quite good. Lean and prepared properly, I can highly recommend the Kalamata olive sauce and the housemade steak sauce: Both are tasty but without masking cheap meat. If you know me, there is nothing more infuriating that thinking you're getting grade-A meat when really it's more a mess.
Chuck's also offers two options that many other restaurants should probably consider. First, they offer reasonable tableside bottle service. For around $150, you get a bottle of Skyy Vodka, two mixers of your choice and an endless retinue of garnishes. For two people, sure, that's not a deal. (Also, for two people, it's a trip to the emergency room.) But for four or more, this is superb. Next is Chuck's "manufacture your dinner." The idea is like a prix fixe dinner but you actually choose your own three portions. So let's say I want the chicken, but not a whole plate of it; I can get a little chicken, a little salad and some pasta for roughly the cost of a whole entrée.
Chuck's isn't going to be for everyone. If you're looking for avant-garde cuisine, replete with the eating of what others normally throw out, this is not your restaurant. If you want a unique take on Midwestern staples, whether before the symphony or after Kinky Boots, Chuck's is purely Michigan Ave and the Loop.
Chuck's Manufacturing is located at 224 N. Michigan Ave. Reservations are available and advisable on weekends. Call 312-334-6700 or visit www.chucksmanufacturing.com .