From the two Charlie Trotter vets who brought you the casual basement tavern known as The Loyalist, comes…
Hold.
Hold.
…
Something really fucking fantastic right upstairs from it.
To be less blunt: it’s called Smyth, and it’s the homey, tasting-menu-only counterpart to that very fine basement tavern. It’s open now in the West Loop.
The inside is akin to your friend’s brick-heavy apartment, assuming said friend has a penchant for oriental rugs, floor-to-ceiling windows and crackling wood-fire hearths. It’s the kind of establishment that’ll make you reevaluate the kinds of places that only do tasting menus. In a good way, of course.
Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted with a mystery snack—word is, it’s a sunchoke canoli or smoked beet—to munch on in the lounge. While the tasting menu changes daily, you can very well expect to have dishes like slow-cooked lamb shoulder, Dungeness crab and foie gras and two different desserts grace your table over the course of dinner. So that’s cool.
And regarding beverages: you could always go the classic wine pairing route. Or, you could simply request your favorite drinks from The Loyalist.
A third option would be to do both.
