Chicago

9.14.08

The Bristol

2152 N Damen Ave, between W Webster and W Shakespeare; Bucktown; 773.862.5555

For most men, "from scratch" means assembling Lunchables components and trying not to squirt mustard on your naked crotch. Outsource your "scratch" to The Bristol.

Tri-owned by a former Tru chef and vets from N9ne & one sixtyblue, The Bristol's a warm, rustic bistro (exposed brick, maple-wooded tables) whose Midwestern/Mediterranean menu's foundation is the in-house butchering of whole animals (pigs, lamb, etc) and the scratch-making of everything from cheese, to pasta, to ketchup, to the saltines used for its IPA-infused cheddar & bleu cheese dip. The homemadeness plays out in sea salt & dill "Monkey Bread" pull-aparts, pillowy raviolo (ricotta, farmer's egg yolk, brown butter), chorizo-stuffed boneless chicken wings (w/ bleu cheese cream & chicken cracklings), and steamed mussels w/ kumquat & guanciale (pig cheek "bacon") in Wittekerke (a beer that translates to "white church" -- in Belgium, the Lord's blood is frothy). Making the best of what's left, the "5th Quarter" daily charcuterie chalkboard'll feature the likes of Italian-spiced cured pork sausage (Lonza), pork-trotter terrine w/ radish mustard, beef tongue, and sweetbreads ("Leave no gland unturned").

Booze-wise, Bristol's stocking 60-70 selections each of wine and beer (Two Brothers, Three Floyds, etc), and'll be using house-made bitters, grenadine, and ginger beer in classic cocktails like Dark & Stormys and Moscow Mules -- a drink you can enjoy without incident, as opposed to those whose pouches must be pierced with a pointy straw.

Peep the menu goodness at TheBristolChicago.com