Photo: Madeleine Hill
Photo: Madeleine Hill
Bistro Campagne is an absolute gem. If you have not been there yet, put down this review and call immediately for a reservation. It is everything you could hope for in a Parisian bistro, or even a small French countryside bistro. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, the servers are amiable, offering their own authentic French charm and the menu is everything an aware and cognizant diner who enjoys fantastic food could want. In the winter the dining room is always buzzing with family and friends laughing, eating and enjoying a certain joy of life, or joie de vivre, as the French say. In the summer the outdoor patio opens for diners to enjoy warm summer breezes over candle light and under a canopy of large lush trees.
Chef Michael Altenberg is recognized for his strong commitment to sustainable farms and the low impact agriculture movement. Local ingredients and organic ingredients are immensely important but when we find chefs who choose to take their resolve for conscious eating further, we must appreciate and praise them.
The menu is made up of delightfully traditional French bistro fare with starters such as Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée, or classic onion soup ($8); the Strudel à l’Oignon Caramélisé or caramelized onion tart ($9); the Croquettes de Brandadesalt or cod and potato fritters served with sauce rémoulade ($10); one of my all time favorites: Escargots au Beurre d’Ail which the menu describes so clearly: “snails in garlic-Pernod butter” ($10); and finally the Os à Moelle, which is roasted marrow bones, served with a grilled baguette and sea salt ($9). This is a rich and earthy dish, great in winter as it offers a depth of flavor produced by roasting the bones for a long time to bring out the sweet richness of the marrow.
For the main course, a few highlights include the Poulet Rôti Forestière which is comprised of Gifts of the Good Earth Farms roasted chicken, an earthy wild mushroom ragoût and perfectly salty onion frites ($22); Porc au Pomme Cidre with pork shoulder from Gunthorp Farms which is braised in apple cider and served with semolina cake and apple-celery salad ($26); a classic belly-warming Cassoulet with Pinn-Oak Ridge lamb, pork sausage, duck confit, pork belly, cannellini beans & herbed bread crumbs ($24) and finally the Boeuf Bourguignon which is a favorite winter dish of braised beef cheeks, bacon, mushrooms, shallots and buttered pappardelle pasta ($23). Sure to comfort any Chicagoan who is dreaming of escaping to Paris during the chill of our winter.
French diners do not skip parts of a meal. It is expected when dining in France that you’ll order a starter, and entrée and dessert — and usually follow all with a cheese plate! We Americans like dessert, but it’s rare to find diners ordering a sweet to follow a long meal.
Sadly, I fall into that category of skipping dessert more often than not. Though dessert is not typically part of my dinner routine, I find it a must at Bistro Campagne. The chef offers various sweet French fundamentals such as Crème Brûlée ($7.50), a Chocolate Soufflé which is actually a warm Valrhona chocolate cake with roasted strawberry-port compote ($7.50); a deliriously rich and silky Pot-de-Crème which is made with Chantilly cream ($7.50), and a daily assortment of cheeses. A few very elegant treats are also available such as the Financier de Poire, which is a moist white cake topped with poached pears and crème fraiche ice cream ($7.50); a Tarte au Citron (lemon cake); and Fig and Brown Butter Bread Pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream ($8.25). I strongly recommend ordering dinner with attention to dessert…it’s a charming end to any meal here.
Bistro Campagne
4518 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773-271-6100
bistrocampagne.com
Tanya Fritz Catalano is a professionally trained chef, oenophile, slow-food fanatic and yoga enthusiast.