The Bristol

One weekend date night brought us to The Bristol, a true Chicago classic. You can always find your favorite dishes on the menu, and also have a chance to try Chef Pandel’s seasonal specials – and start off with a great cocktail. We could not turn down the Smoked Sicilian Manhattan – which is a rich and sexy cocktail crafted with bourbon, averna and regan’s orange no. 6. And the music is pretty good too. One of my favorites of all time – chitarra with snail bolognese, soft herbs, and breadcrumbs. The pasta was perfectly cooked with great bite and the breadcrumbs give it the extra crunch. Speaking of crunch the spaetzle in the Millers Farm Roasted Half Chicken makes me crazy it is so delicious. Chicken done really well is hard to come by – but this dish is obviously made with lots of love and attention. www.thefoodarazzi.com/restaurants/chitarra-chicken-classic/

First of all, I have to thank Mike and Charles for making my first time to The Bristol a great experience! They really made us feel welcome and we enjoyed sitting at the bar and hanging out for several courses of great food and drink. We decided to start with some cocktails and the cheese and charcuterie boards while we perused the menu. We eventually decided on the wagyu beef tartare, smoked mackerel, smoked chicken hearts, witbier romanesco tempura, prawns, rainbow chard, and the duck fat fries. Everything was great and perfect to nosh on while sipping our way through some great cocktails. We were surprised with desserts as well, and even though we didn't have room for them, we throughly enjoyed the homemade blueberry pie with key lime ice cream that was toasted like a merengue! We also went crazy for the homemade nutter butters. Heaven! Great time at The Bristol; we are looking forward to going back!

Anything Chris does with pappardalle is great

The B is a place I like to call home at least once a week, sometimes twice, when I am in Chicago. Everything about the place is comfortable to me. The food, which is constantly changing, is always artful, flavorful, and comforting. Chef Pandel has a real talent for delicately layering Italian perspectives into his distinctly local fare. His unabashed willingness to use all the parts of the animal make The B a favorite for me. Comfortable room, really nice people, excellent charcuterie, pastas, meats and desserts. Their new pasty chef, Amanda Rockman, is a a Rockstar and her Basque Cake is one of my favorite desserts of all time. While the menu changes, things that are always there and worth it: Scotch Olives, Flatbread, Bone Marrow, Charcuterie, Pan Roasted Chicken and ANY of the house-made pastas. From time to time they will offer a Cote du Bouef, Pig Tail or Goat, which are not to be missed.