La Sardine
111 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago, IL; Phone 312-421-2800
Date of Review: May, 2007
La Sardine is strategically located to make for a quaint location despite the fact that the restaurant is across the street from Oprah’s HARPO studio and a stones throw away from the Randolph dining corridor. As you enter the restaurant, you see a large wine cabinet on your right and a large bar in front of you. The bar is a perfect place for a pre dinner drink or as a dining spot for a party of one or two. The bar area is much larger than the one at Le Bouchon (their sister restaurant) and provides an adequate amount of space for patrons to enjoy a glass of wine as they wait for their table.
The atmosphere is warm with a completely open and visible kitchen and tables placed close, but not to close, together on the other side of a border that separates the bar from the restaurant. The décor is warm with nice hues of red, exposed brick and eye catching beams painted with murals of fish, flowers and people enjoying food and drink. This restaurant seats 80-100 people.
La Sardine has a menu that is similar to the menu at Le Bouchon with a few variations. The menu is loaded with a nice mix of staple French dishes including lamb shank, duck breast, roast chicken, steak and frites, and rabbit. They always have 2-3 fish specials.
On my visit, my companion and I both chose the $25 price fixe menu option that is offered on Tuesdays. He had the escargot and was very pleased with his choice. I had the braised oxtail. The only word I can use to describe this dish is heavenly. The hearty, roast like oxtail was bursting with flavor. The potato gnocchi it is served with is melt in your mouth velvety and the red wine sauce was so scrumptious that I used 2 pieces of bread to absorb every last bit of sauce left in the dish.
Other entrees you can’t go wrong with include the lamb shank, duck and any of the fish specials. Monroe and I each chose one of the fish specials for our entrees. I had the salmon and Monroe had the whitefish and we were both satisfied with our choices. My salmon was cooked perfect as it was tender with a bit of flakiness. It was seasoned with a light wine and butter sauce over sautéed spinach and rice that was cooked al dente and had great flavor with an assortment of vegetables in the rice.
For dessert, we had the always excellent crème brulee and the assortment of sorbet. The sorbet assortment featured 3 small scoops of cinnamon apple, raspberry and lemon sorbet. I was a bit full and therefore opted for the mediocre sorbet which wasn’t the best option on the dessert menu.
They have a great wine list that features wines from every region of France. Bottles start at $35 and increase from there. As I waited for my guest, I had a glass of Sancerre that was pricey (9.25) but very good and refreshing. Over dinner, we had a $40 bottle of Vouvray that was refreshing and fruity.
The prices at La Sardine are about average with appetizers, salads and desserts ranging from $5 to $8 and entrees ranging from $15 to $20. On my last visit, we both had the price fixe menu ($25 per person) and a $40 bottle of Vouvray. Our total tab was $120 and that included tax and tip.
Specials include a 3 course price fixe lunch menu everyday for $22. In addition, they have ½ price bottles of wine on Mondays and offer there $25 three course price fixe menu on Tuesdays.
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