Conscious Choice: North Pond: Fine Food and Picture-Perfect View

November 2003 | Conscious Dining

North Pond: Fine Food and Picture-Perfect View

by JoAnn Milivojevic

If you’ve ever wandered along the pretty trails of Lincoln Park between Fullerton and Diversey, you’ve probably passed North Pond restaurant, which is a former ice skater’s warming station. It is, as the name implies, on a pond — one that affords an unobstructed view of the Chicago skyline. This picture-perfect setting is matched by fine food.

The Ambience

Vintage South Shore Train and Indiana Dunes posters line the walls of the Prairie style casual-chic interior. There are two rooms: a main dining that seats about 80, and a smaller enclosed patio that seats about 20. The patio, with its fireplace and floor-to-ceiling view is the best seat in the house.

Oak wall panels are layered atop the original Park District terra cotta beige tiles — though you will see the original tiles along the pillars and be immediately catapulted back to grade school — it’s the same tiles used in many Chicago schools. The doors have frosted windows reminiscent of a principal’s office; the food, however, is anything but academic.

The Menu

Remember that famous Meg Ryan restaurant scene where she fakes an orgasm for Billy Crystal? After tasting our dishes, we cooed similarly (though more quietly), and we weren’t faking it. Chef Bruce Sherman describes his menu as firmly rooted in French and European technique, using American and seasonal products from small growers and farmers whenever possible. There are vegetarian selections and all menus change seasonally.

Dinner entrées start at $27, which makes the three-course price-fixed brunch ($28) a wonderful and reasonable way to sample the cuisine.

Our first course of corn-on-the-cob soup was creamy and bursting with flavor. Sherman pointed out that the cob was used in the chicken stock infusing it with incredible flavor. A prawn and goat cheese strudel accompanied the soup. It was a bit oily, frankly, and seemed more like a shrimp deep-fried in a wonton. However it was prepared, the delicate strudel layers were unfortunately lost.

Second courses included a brook trout with caper brown butter, toasted almonds, and the roasted potato was accented with a hint of mint. Perfect. The pancake selection was blueberry with maple sage sausage, sunnyside-up egg and topped with peach syrup and crème fraiche. Deliciously decadent.

My dining companion and I argued about whose dessert was better — the peach ice cream in meringue shell or the bittersweet chocolate mousse with hazelnut cookie wafer. The chocolate won by a sliver.

The food service was a bit slow. We waited quite some time for our mimosas and the lovely mini blueberry muffins arrived well after we had begun our first courses, though I must also say the busing was first rate. We hardly finished before someone swooped in to whisk away our plates and replace any needed silverware.

The winter menu, just underway at press time, will include pan-roasted pheasant with wild mushrooms and glazed onions; and the vegetarian option will be a sweet pumpkin gnocchi.

Clean Food Factor

"We work with a lot of small local farmers," says Sherman, "about 70-80 percent of our product is sustainable or organic."

Sherman uses a variety of oils including olive, pumpkin, hazelnut, and truffle oils. The deep fryer is filled with partially hydrogenated oil.

Brian O’Connor, wine director, carefully selects wine from smaller producers believing that their method of wine making creates a better wine more suited to match their fine cuisine. Though about 50 percent of the wines on their list are organic, you won’t find them labeled as so. The reason is a curious one. "Most wine makers choose not to label as organic," says O’Connor, "they fear that people will think the wine was made for political reasons rather than simply creating a good wine."

One dollar from each bottle is matched by North Pond and is given to area organizations such as the Green City Market and Growing Home, which provides job training for homeless and low income people in the context of organic farming.

North Pond is also a member of the Chef’s Collaborative (www.chefscol laborative.com), a nationwide organization that advocates sustainable and organic cuisine.

Final Word

Reservations are a must. Though you can request patio seating, they don’t take specific table reservations. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the restaurant.

For more information, click here.

North Pond, 2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago; 773-477-5845. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 10:00 pm; Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm; Lunch served June-October 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

JoAnn Milivojevic is a Chicago based freelance writer. Her articles about food, fitness, and travel appear in magazines nationwide.

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