Herb offers new healing dishes in Edgewater
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Pomelo salad with vegetables, herbs and tofu at Herb. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The Chicago food scene is cooking up fresh developments in food as medicine, new Chinese eateries, a Fulton Market Gibson's and some changes at LeTour and Sifr.
- Let's dig in.
Herbal medicine:
Award-winning Edgewater Thai restaurant Herb is launching new dishes designed to heal and delight.
- Chef Patty Neumson tells Axios that recent health challenges inspired her to infuse fresh menu items with healing ingredients from traditional food cultures including ginger, turmeric and cassia leaves.
Eat up: I recently sampled a velvety winter squash and chicken curry, zingy ginger pork, refreshing pomelo salad and pleasingly (for me) bitter cassia leaf curry that can be served with tofu or beef.
- All intense but delicious.
Fresh Chinese spots
Last month saw the opening of perhaps the city's biggest Hong Kong-style dim sum and seafood spot with Marina Bay in Chinatown's 88 Market Place.
- The enormous main dining room offers dim sum until 3pm, when it becomes a Hong Kong-style seafood restaurant and banquet facility.
What I'm eyeing: All the traditional Cantonese fare, of course, but also matcha Phoenix buns filled with salted egg custard, spinach and taro dumplings, walnut milk buns and peanut pancakes.
Ain't that a Shang? As someone who's adored the bold, well-made regional fare at Shang Noodle in downtown Evanston for years, I'm excited by the opening of its Atelier Shang at 1613 N. Damen Ave. in Wicker Park.
What I'm eyeing: The menu's pork and crab roe soup dumplings, an appetizer featuring avocado, tofu and century egg drizzled with chili sauce and fermented soy popcorn chicken.
New turns
Sifr shift: Starting Nov. 11, River North's wood-fired Middle Eastern dinner spot, Sifr, will become Sifr Cafe from 8am to 1pm Wednesday through Sunday with intriguing daytime fare.
Dig in: Savories include a breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and a lamb patty option, olive and harissa or lamb focaccia and a chicken croissant ring.
- Check out the sweets like a carrot halwa babka, mahalabia custard croissant and cardamom canelé.
- Midday dishes include falafel sandwiches and Sifr's signature spreads with focaccia.
Drink up: Try masala chai and lattes flavored with dates, maple syrup, tahini and more.
Amy Morton's Evanston brasserie Le Tour has switched to an American classic menu that resurrects favorites from her erstwhile Found Kitchen, including the lamb meatballs with pistachio chimichurri and the kale salad with nuts, seeds and cranberry vinaigrette.
- New items include fried oyster tacos, tempura asparagus with black garlic aioli, trout chilaquiles, fried buttermilk chicken salad and charred cabbage with miso lime vinaigrette.
Steaking a claim
The new Gibsons Tavern is set to open on Nov. 17 at 925 W. Fulton Market St. in "a 14,000 square feet turn-of-the-century-inspired space with cathedral-
vaulted ceilings and timeless charm," representatives say.
Dig in: Expect "refined tavern fare" from comfort dishes to Gibson's signature steaks and seafood.