When it comes to Chicago's North Side restaurants, there are many restaurants that deserve to be revisited.
However, other areas of the city also have spots that warrant repeated visits. For example, in Hyde Park alone there are many acclaimed restaurants, including Chemistry Chicago, Daisy's Po-Boy and Tavern, and, of course, Virtue.
Well, be sure to add The Sophy Hotel's Mesler Kitchen, 1401 E. 53rd St., to that list.
The stylish 60-seat space has an interior decor meant to resemble a writer's dining room or even a library (and there are plenty of books—with Winesburg, Ohio next to the Brooke Shields memoir Down Came the Rain—and even posters featuring literary titles).
As for the crowd, the hotel only accounts for about 30 percent of the attendees, according to Food & Beverage Director Thomas Robertson, an affable individual who, during a brief conversation, seemed to know a little about everything. The rest of the people are locals (including those associated with the nearby University of Chicago) as well as residents—and it was telling that everyone seemed to be enjoying the friendly vibe and the cuisine.
As for said cuisine, Executive Chef Alejandro "Chef Eddie" Arreola has a background that includes working at some of the finest hotels in the city, as he has been chef de cuisine at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago as well as the city's Ritz-Carlton. "At Mesler, my cooking is seasonal and I pay attention to what is local and what is sustainable," said Arreola, who has been with the restaurant since it opened in 2018, in a statement. "The menu is changing all the time so I can feature the best ingredients in season."
It's best to classify Mesler's offerings as high-end comfort food—although the prices mostly don't necessarily reflect that, thankfully. Brunch is served Tuesdays through Sundays at 7 a.m.-2 p.m., and my dining companion and I tried several options, and we came away impressed (although we also tried a couple offerings from the lunch menu as well). No dish is groundbreaking—but if it's well-done comfort food, it needn't be.
Being from the East Coast/South, I'm typically skeptical of the seafood in Chicago. However, the sizable crab cake was better than most I've tried in the Midwest. And the crispy cauliflower—a huge mound of the vegetable accompanied by capers, chard lemon, frisbee, parsley and parmesan, served with romesco—was practically addictive.
Regarding the brunch choices, my dining companion and I sampled two tried-and-true favorites: the shrimp and grits as well as the chicken and pearl-sugar waffles. While we both liked the former dish, we gushed over the latter, with my friend saying she'd return for the perfectly cooked chicken and crisp waffles (an ideal sweet/savory combination) alone. Admittedly, this item (which comes with syrup in a tiny Erlenmeyer flask) would be worth a hike from any area in Chicago.
However, those dishes are only the tip of the iceberg, in terms of options. Deviled eggs (with smoked salmon, capers, shallots and caraway seeds), lobster rolls, turkey burgers, Italian dishes (such as rigatoni and basil campanella), salads and steaks are all there.
Mesler Kitchen's website is meslerchicago.com . Also, be sure to take advantage of what this spot has to offer during Chicago Restaurant Week (Jan. 19-Feb. 4); you'll be glad you did, even if some of you are expanding your geographical horizons.
Note: This visit was arranged. No reproduction of this column is permitted under any circumstances without express prior written permission.
