The much anticipated Soda& Swine along with its counterpart Polite Provisions is now open. Doors opened to the public last night, Monday, for the restaurant and bar’s soft launch including family and friends were welcomed earlier in the evening. I passed by around 9 and the place was packed for the pre-launch.

The menus include dozens of draft options including beer, wine and spirits, as well as the signature sodas—think sarsaparilla, chai cola and orange cream, to name a few. Oh, and virgin options too.

Soda and Swine boasts simple small plates along with a meatball concept (you choose the meatball type, sauce, cheese and style for a total DIY dining approach), salads, sides and pies.

The place is beautiful with dark wood, comfy seating and lots of candlelight. If I were in Chicago, I’d say it resembles Gilt Bar and Maude’s Liquor Bar, brainchildren of the Windy City’s Brian Sodikoff and not too shabby (incidentally the force behind the food here comes from former Chicago Ria chef Jason McLeod, as reported by SD’s edition of Eater back in November). Surely once it gets in gear it will be a North Park/University Heights destination for San Diego’s finest foodies. Review coming as soon as I can get in the door!

Soda and Swine menu: click here.

Polite Provisions menu: click here.

Polite Provisions/Soda and Swine

30th and Adams / University Heights / San Diego

Trenchermen is a strange and wonderful hybrid kind of restaurant. The location is completely misleading as it is tucked into the six corners of Damen/Milwaukee/North Ave. in Bucktown/Wicker Park. But don’t hold that against this place. Once you step down into the cozy, wood-beamed bar and enter the fatigued-oriental-rug-clad dining room, you will forget all about neighbors Flash Taco and Starbucks.

Not to go totally overboard on the scene, but I did melt nicely into one of the big, leather booths with a “Baby Mama” cocktail in hand, and I could have spent hours and hours if not days sampling from the hot, cold, spicy and crunchy menu.

What you will find is a lot of texture and a playful take on old staples, as well as new ones.

Take, for example, an heirloom tomato salad: warm, sweet, cooked tomatoes (skin off) anchored this dish, followed by a layer of sweet and colorful heirlooms, topped with a balsamic vinegar savory ice cream scoop that melted nicely over the few minutes it lasted into a delicious dressing at room temp.

The warm and cold mixed with sweet, salty vinegar umami really was genius.

But it didn’t end there.

The menu is spotted with small plates as well as larger, entree-style dishes, making it an OK choice for a shared plates experience or an every-man-for-himself one.

Expect to find crunch everywhere: Garlic crisps, tater tots flecked with dill pickle pieces, toasted pistachios and encrusted fresh fish were a few applications. And everything came out as art on the plate.

But if you don’t eat a single bite at Trenchermen (yes, it’s good for girls too, although the decor does say more to old boys than a ladies’ night on the town), go for the cocktails. They were good enough to eat, and don’t require a reservation.

Trenchermen

2039 W. North Ave. / Bucktown / Chicago

Brought to you from the brains behind The Bedford, Carriage House is the freshest new country kitchen in Wicker Park. Tucked in to the north side of the busy Division Corridor between Bangers and Lace and Prasino with a side entrance on Paulina, this cozy and inviting spot is a refreshing new non-bar-dining option.

Go here if you:

-Like Grits

-Want a dining option in Wicker Park that is not a bar and is not Mana Food Bar

-Like Grits

-Like making reservations

For “supper” portioned dishes (think: slow cooked pork shoulder, ribeye steak at $28-$34) anchor the menu, along with an ample selection of smaller country fare: shrimp and grits and low country clam boil, to name a few. Tiny a la carte options like housemade pickles and cornbread skillet round it out.

A hefty cocktail menu ($11) as well as a wide selection of beers and wines top off the offerings, completing a rich and tasty menu.

Being able to make a reservation in this part of town, though, may be the icing on this country cake. Not having to bar hop while waiting for a table on a chilly fall night was one of the best things that happened to our evening!

This would be a wonderful choice for a group dinner of 4-6 or a casual date. The menu definitely encourages sharing.

Carriage House

1700 W. Division (at Paulina)

www.carriagehousechicago.com

This teeny tiny (emphasis on tiny) sushi spot west of Western on Chicago Ave. is a gem. Yes, you will have to spend $15 on a cab getting there from downtown, but it is well worth the distance for the little morsels of sushi and sashimi this place dishes up for the six or so tables it fills.

It is kind of Antique Taco-meets-Japanese in terms of the decor and feel… The adornments are adorable, making this a great date spot (as my friend Trevor says, this would be a good fourth date spot once you know the person well enough to spend the evening with him or her “on an island”) or a place for a small girls dinner.

None of the tables here has more than room for about four, and there are ample bar stools for anyone wishing not to make a reservation but instead to pony up and watch the chef prepare his tasty creations.

Do not miss the maguro pearls or the flaming tuna. Oh, and it’s BYOB. Our table of four set us back a collective $100. Seriously? What’s not to like.

Kai Zan

2557 1/2 Chicago Ave. / Humboldt Park

I was so happy to hear about a new taco shop in Wicker Park. After all, Big Star is great, but the scene can be a bit much sometimes. Enter: Antique Taco.

Photo is courtesy of Antique Taco’s site, since my photos were lost in phone photography snafu. More importantly, though, here’s what I think about this new “old” Mexican-inspired spot.

-There are a lot (maybe too many) bells and whistles here. Sure, the little wooden tags marking “bird,” etc. stuck into the taco plates are cute, but are these little sticks as well as the pretty paper straws and cloth napkins the reason the margarita is $12?

-Yes, $12. That means for the price for two people to drink margaritas here, I could buy a bottle of Hornitos ($20) and a can of Minutemade Limeade ($3.99) and make my own. Then, I wouldn’t get to drink them in the company of Wicker Park’s finest, but I also wouldn’t have to wait in line to order and then wait in line for my order to arrive at my table. (AT quotes a 15-minute wait time for all orders.)

-Oh, and the food. The flavors here are great. I loved the curried chicken taco as well as the smoky flavor of the crispy fish taco. There are unexpected twists on the tried-and-true taco staples. Which is why it isn’t really fair to compare this place to a Big Star or Taco Joint or Tapatio. But, if you expect something along those lines, you are likely to be surprised here.

It seems to me there is a little bit of an identity crisis going on. It would make a lot of sense for this place to either a) be more of a sit down spot and less of a taco window or b) drop some of the cute touches and let the food speak for itself. I was intrigued by the patio, which was not yet open on my visit.

Antique Taco

1360 N. Milwaukee / Wicker Park / Chicago

Not sure why it took me this long to try Sprout, but it happened this Sunday morning for brunch.

Things I like about Sprout:

-They take reservations! (Contrary to many of my usual brunch spots)

-Atmosphere is pleasant, upscale, and there is a ton of natural light

-Menu is creative, inspired and varied; there are so many interesting takes on classics (some are “deconstructed,” such as the lox platter I ordered)

-Top notch service

Things to know:

-It’s a bit off the beaten path, between Clyborn and Southport on Fullerton

-There is a really cute and cozy table for two that might be worth requesting for a special occasion/date

-It’s not cheap; tax and tip included (with coffee) brunch for two was about $50

-The rabbit waffle comes with fried pickles. (Who doesn’t love fried pickles?)

Given the price range, it is more a special occasion spot than a regular, and it’s not a packed kind of place. However, if you are looking to make a reservation for a Sunday brunch, Sprout might be just what you are looking for. I will be interested to go back for dinner. The lox plate, featuring caviar, a truffle-y cream and crumbled, hard boiled egg, had all of the classic elements, but also touches of inspiration. And it looked like art on the plate. The rabbit waffle was served with a Dijon sauce and the aforementioned pickles. Southern, sweet and saucy.

Sprout

1417 W. Fullerton / Lincoln Park / Chicago

It’s five o’ clock somewhere comes to mind at this seaside Mexican joint in Cardiff by the Sea, California, just north of Solana Beach off the South Coast Highway. (“Roadside” also comes to mind as it really is not much more than a highway turnoff.) But oh, what a pleasant surprise. We visited on Friday at 2 pm and braved the 25 minute wait in the tiny bar area, but in looking around at the fellow diners (not a face to be found without shades and sandals; even in April) and realizing that almost every one was trying a margarita from Las Olas’s all day (until 6 pm) happy hour menu (which runs $3.50-4.00), it began to make sense.

The porch seating is fantastic with a lagoon view and the entire place is a stone’s throw from the ocean. The porch seating is definitely worth waiting for.

Oh, and the food. This is the exact kind of American-Mexican food that Southern California does best. Lots of salsa, cheese and avocado with chile rellenos, carne asada and carnitas options to fill your burrito, tacos or enchiladas.

Definitely set aside a few hours of a sleepy afternoon here. Also: order a side of serrano peppers to spice things up. It’s not the spiciest Mexican food, but a few hot peppers will change that…

Sidenote: Last time Riley was there, he saw Orlando Bloom. Must be a good sign?

Las Olas / 2655 South Coast Highway 101 / Cardiff by-the-Sea

Finally organizing New York photos and foodie notes. Saturday night, I had the utmost pleasure of eating pizza, pasta and other Italian staples at Franny’s in Brooklyn. It’s a fairly unassuming place; casual, with a bustling bar and dim lighting. But there is nothing dim about the food here: Napoli-style pizza with doughy bubbly crust and some of the most well-prepared pasta I have had in a long time.

The menu here is not elaborate, but everything is perfectly prepared. White and red pizza options offer many vegetarian possibilities as well as a few meat-zas, but whether you prefer your pizza with meatballs, clams or plain old buffalo mozzarella, everything here hit the spot. (Thanks, Sara, for the recommendation!)

We enjoyed one of the three pasta dishes Franny’s offers: spaghetti cacio e pepe. The spaghetti, al dente perfection and the cacio (light Italian cheese) and pepe (ground black pepper) so simple but so tasty. Italian food is not meant to be complicated and this place gets it right.

Go before the crowds set in around 8.

Franny’s
295 Flatbush / Brooklyn / New York

Just touched down in New York for a foodie weekend in the big city. First stop: The James Hotel and its pretty wooden “Treehouse Bar” patio/porch with Sara, my NYC foodie inspiration. We had a pleasant lunch by David Burke featuring ahi tuna tacos, cheese platter, salmon sticks (little bundles of salmon shaped around an extremely thin bread stick; think: lollipop) and something I have had several times in New York and never in Chicao: ricotta spread.

The James version comes in a little jar and is fixed with roasted tomatoes, giving it a savory taste. Another version, at Caffe Falai (two NYC locations; ricotta can be found at Lower East Side cafe/bakery installment) is served with figs and honey and is also delicious on toast, or just spooned in big bites.

Does anyone know of a place in Chicago that serves this? It must be out there. Hoping I can find one soon.

Now off to explore Brooklyn. Destination: Brooklyn bagels.

Places:

The James Hotel / 27 Grand Street / SoHo / New York

I got first dibs on seeing the new Balena restaurant tonight at the CS grand opening party (thanks, Ari!). First impressions… it is a gorgeous space. Housed in the former Landmark location, Balena, the latest brainchild of restaurant duo Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm of BOKA Restaurant Group, makes use of the two-story space by setting tables on both levels and stationing its kitchen (and pizza production) upstairs where part of Landmark’s second floor used to be.

The whole place is a stylish take on rustic, and the food has a similar taste and feel. Given the passed hors d’oeuvres and charcuterie station, it’s a little bit hard to know what the actual food experience will be like, but the menu, currently published on the restaurant’s new website offers some hints. A strong Italian/Mediterranean influence will feature pizzas and pastas, with starters and oven-fired entrees having a seafood and pork focus (think: tuna crostini, anchovy spread, pancetta and whole roasted fish).

The food is good, but probably I will go back for the atmosphere. (Oh, and dessert—ricotta donut? Yes, please.) This is the kind of casual-yet-upscale place that will be good for a date or a group and the location is ideal for Lincoln Parkers in its central spot on Halsted. I’m interested to go back for the pastas and sharing plates of meats, cheeses, and breads—all very family-style Italiano.

Balena

1633 N. Halsted / Lincoln Park / Chicago