Feb. 24--When Doughnut Vault opened in River North in 2011, lines wrapped around the block for Brendan Sodikoff's old fashioneds; the shop, now with two locations, still sells out most days. Au Cheval in the West Loop, also a Sodikoff project, has three-hour waits for its burger -- on a Wednesday. So it makes sense that 3 Greens Market, the restaurateur's new venture in River North, collects some of his most coveted dishes in one space: Doughnut Vault doughnuts, the burger from Bucktown's Small Cheval (nearly identical to the one at Au Cheval) and a renaissance of the pastrami at Dillman's, his former Jewish deli.
Plus, 3 Greens carries something new for Hogsalt Hospitality: healthier food.
"Greens refers to a healthier choice in eating," Sodikoff says. "A lot of our restaurants are strictly indulgent, and I wanted to move away from that a little bit and provide something that could be a daily experience."
"No one is really going to eat at Bavette's or our other spaces every day," he continues, giving a nod to the decadent food at his French steakhouse a few blocks down from 3 Greens. "That's not how people live."
The new space is divided: on the right, the coffeehouse, and left, the marketplace. Walk past the narrow putting green (yes, with actual balls and clubs) to find the former, offering coffee, tea, the daily half-dozen Doughnut Vault old fashioneds, baked goods from Bavette's, plus beer, wine and cocktails. Seating ranges from lilac Eames side chairs at wood library tables to a tomato corner couch, all softly lit as chic basement rec room.
For the simple, griddled Small Cheval burger or Dillman's thinly sliced pastrami on rye, step left, past the grab-and-go cooler (with pate and demi bottles of Ruinart rose Champagne) and the parallel hot and cold food bars.
But this is not your typical buffet. These food trays are more narrow and shallow. "Rather than everything sitting in the hot wells for hours, it's out there for ideally five, six or seven minutes," Sodikoff says. "When we get into the rush, we're cooking much like we would in a restaurant setting, but instead of making individual plates we're making portions of six."
On a given day, you might find the 3 Greens Mix, which will rotate (recently, shredded kale with red and green cabbage), Edible Feelings (mac and cheese) or perhaps sweet and sour eggplant inspired by (American-style) Chinese food, all priced at $9.95 per pound.
Dine in at bright dinette sets, or retreat to the coffeehouse, possibly on the long, low leather sofa facing a large flats-creen. But don't expect news or sports. The TV, perpetually on mute, plays movies that "are in the same sort of palette" as the vintage pieces in 3 Greens, Sodikoff says as "Annie Hall" credits roll. "You'll see a lot of the same colors, a lot of the same tones."
He describes the space as "this little other world you get to sit in. For me, I feel like I can be transported anywhere."
Even to an island, perhaps. Curiously, the coffee shop offers Tiki cocktails. "Tiki drinks are all about citrus, and coconut, and all these flavors that work really well with pastries," Sodikoff says. "That's where we made the connection.
"But more than anything they're fun."
3 Greens Market, 354 W. Hubbard St., 312-888-9195.
lchu@tribpub.com
Twitter @louisachu
