Conscious Choice: Tweet, Let's Eat

January 2004 | Conscious Dining

Tweet, Let's Eat

by JoAnn Milivojevic

The logo for Tweet is a cartoon-like blue bird of happiness, which certainly reflects the personality of owner Michelle Fire. She’ll usually be the one answering the phone, all bubbly and happy to be chatting with you — setting the tone for what will likely be a pleasant dining experience to come.

The Ambience

The exterior of Tweet is vintage 1930 creamy yellow terra cotta tile accented with shiny jet black trim — an exquisite example of Art Deco. The beautiful interior was created by artist Zuleyka Benitez, whose architectural detailing company designed the space with rich wood benches that appear to be inlaid with wood but are actually meticulously painted. The room is a narrow rectangle with the benches lining a mirrored wall, long blue glass lamps hang from the ceiling like dangling earrings. The opposite side of the room offers a bit more privacy with zigzag wood partitions between each table. On the pumpkin-colored walls are old black and white photos, part of Michelle Fire’s collection of urban and rural landscapes. The overall feel is rich, warm, and inviting.

The Menu

Tweet promotes itself as catering to fine food lovers as well as families by creating gourmet dishes with organic and local products whenever possible. The restaurant is BYOB (with no corkage fee) pending receipt of their liquor license. You can pick up a bottle next door at sister establishment, Big Chicks. The chef, Janice L. Martin, formerly of Charlie Trotter’s, has selected wines that pair well with the menu.

There are plenty of options for meat eaters, a few for vegetarians, but vegans would have a difficult time here as dairy products predominate. Small plates include pumpkin gnocchi in blue cheese cream with walnut oil ($7), and dungeness crab with warm brioche and shaved vegetable salad ($9). Entrée choices include: Midwest coop farms’ pork loin with Trappist ale-cider jus and homemade ricotta dumplings ($15), and Amish farms’ chicken with caramelized onion and Swiss chard ($14). The menu changes seasonally.

Starting with the salad of Shooting Star Farms with shallot vinaigrette ($4) is a great way to way to begin your Tweet dining experience. It was fresh and bursting with flavor. The soup changes daily and I found the consistency of the creamy asparagus a bit thin and too oily and salty for my taste. My main course was the portabella mushrooms ($13), which were wonderfully grilled and accompanied by a spicy polenta tart spiked (and I mean spiked) with hot gypsy pepper. It would have been balanced by the sweet reduced port wine sauce poured over the top, but the pepper completely overwhelmed the dish. It was so hot (and I like it hot) that I couldn’t taste anything else for a good 10-minutes. Once my lips stopped tingling, I tried the salmon ($15), which was perfectly moist and flaky.

Dessert was supreme. The pastry chef Kimberly Stewart is formerly of Charlie Trotter’s and Spago. The Concord grape and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream ($5) was heavenly.

Service-wise we had to remind our waiter twice to bring more bread (the pumpernickel was soft and chewy good); and an ordered soft drink never appeared. The courses arrived in good time.

Clean Food Factor

The owner, Fire, credits the Waldorf movement as the inspiration for opening Tweet. Her 14-year-old son attends the Chicago Waldorf school. "One of the parents opened an organic grocery and I started getting weekly bags of organic produce," explains Fire. "It upped my vegetable intake and my interest in learning more about the dangers of [genetically] modified foods."

At her restaurant she strives to serve the healthiest food possible while also keeping the price point down. The percentage of organics in a meal varies. Fire says breakfasts feature organic fair trade coffee, organic yogurt, pancakes, and pureed organic carrots for babies — who are welcomed, especially during breakfast.

Dinner is more adult-oriented and what Fire calls upscale casual. The percentage of organics is about 70 percent, including eggs, produce, and meat. They purchase wild fish whenever possible. There’s no smoking inside Tweet (there is outside seating during the warm months).

Final Word

A three-course dinner for two will cost about $50 plus tip, a good value considering the high quality of the ingredients and rich architectural ambience. Tweet serves dinner four nights a week with late night seating until 10:30 p.m. and breakfast on Saturday and Sundays. No credit cards accepted but there is an ATM machine at the bar next door.

Tweet, with its dedication to quality food at a moderate price, is a comfortable, pleasant place to dine and a welcome addition to the city’s far north side.

Tweet, 5020 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago; 773-728-5576. Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00pm; and Sunday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

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

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: