It's so easy to like a restaurant like Soul because it's pretty obvious the principals -- savvy restaurateurs Howard Davis (Marche, Gioco, Opera) and Bill Kim (formerly connected with Le Lan, now hot-wired into Urban Belly) -- put their heart into it.
Soul, which is in downtown Clarendon Hills near the train station, opened in June, and it's been on a roll ever since. In fact, downtown Clarendon Hills now has three restaurants -- Maijean, Scapa Italian Kitchen and Soul --that are cooking up a tasty storm.
I liked the cut of the menu at Soul. I liked the atmosphere, and I thought the service was right on the money. The prices are up there a bit, but if you want quality, you have to pay for it. I also liked that this is a restaurant where you can carry on a conversation without having to shout to be heard.
The food? Contemporary American with just enough Southern thrown in to quantify the name and move it into that comfort zone that we know as regional American. This is a menu where everything sounds so good that you just want to give it all a go.
Our group ordered a bunch of dishes, but as if those weren't enough, I could not resist ordering a couple of sides, simply because most of the sides had "Southern comfort" written all over them. The macaroni and cheese was a fine piece of kitchen work. Amazing how two simple ingredients -- elbow macaroni and smoked Cheddar cheese -- can be turned into eating gold. I could have finished the whole thing by myself. Ditto that for the stewed white beans and pulled pork. In this instance, nothing more than, well, pork and beans, but these were the real deal. Fragrant, flavorful, delicious.
An appetizer of "chilled laughing bird shrimp" arrived in the company of piquillo peppers and a lemon aioli (a splendid touch). Also on the plate was a potato and sorrel salad, which wasn't so splendid because the potatoes were dry.
Another appetizer that disappeared too fast was the cured salmon and grilled corn cakes. Thin slices of excellent smoked salmon formed the base, followed by an entourage of arugula, grilled corn cakes, pistachios and a thin slice of watermelon radish. That sounds awfully busy, but the balance of flavors, textures and colors made for a pretty picture and even better eating.
The hearts of romaine Caesar salad strayed a bit from the classic, but only in the sense that chunks of skillet cornbread replaced the usual croutons, and there was some radicchio mixed in with the romaine. The anchovies and shingles of Parmesan were true to form.
Our table couldn't have asked for anything more from the three entrees we ordered. The balsamic-marinated hanger steak was a three-part beauty. A toupee of good crispy fried onions rode on top of the sliced meat (I ordered the steak medium-rare, and that's exactly what I got), while underneath the flavorful steak was a smear of creamy-smooth grits.
Blackened Gulf prawns (five large ones) had a proper grilling and then joined company with wild rice flecked with pecans, roasted pears and a fluff of frisee. Taken in total -- the excellent shrimp, nice rice and a touch of sweet from the pears -- this was one fine dish (and the $21 price was just as fine).
The roasted Lake Erie walleye pike boasted fillets draped with a slice of ham, creating a down-home surf and turf with both parts coming off all the better for the marriage. Underneath the fish were the beans, a tangle of greens and a mirror of garlic broth. I liked the idea that the kitchen went at this dish with a vengeance, adding a rustic touch (beans, greens and ham) to a fish that doesn't get the respect it deserves.
Desserts were an eclectic bunch, from sweet potato tart to a seasonal sorbet sampler. In between you will find bread pudding, cider doughnuts and hot chocolate affogato. If you like sweet potato pie, jump all over that sweet potato tart. Topped with a thick square of toasted marshmallow, the tart was not overly sweetened, the rich flavor coming from the spices instead. The tart was paired with hazelnut ice cream and nibs of chocolate-coated hazelnuts. A fine dessert.
On the light side, the sorbet sampler was a good choice. Lemon, peach and blueberry were the choices (from a range of six possibilities). Creamy, smooth, refreshing. Not as much soul as the sweet potato tart, but very satisfying in its own way.
Pat Bruno is a local free-lance critic and author. E-mail brunoeats@aol.com.
Listen to Pat Bruno talk about food and wine Tuesdays at 6:23 p.m. and 10:23 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 7:53 p.m. on WBBM News Radio 780-AM.
