Jan. 31--Cornbread may not symbolize Mardi Gras quite like ropes of beads and a pitcher of Hurricanes but seeing it set down on the table all hot, golden and butter ball-topped put me in a festive mood. How nice to see it on Big Jones' Louisiana Mardi Gras Odyssey menu for Chicago Restaurant Week, tucked between the starters and the entrees. For not only did the cornbread say "welcome," it added value to an already reasonably-priced $33 dinner.
The Southern-focused Andersonville restaurant (5347 N. Clark St., 773-275-5725) offers three appetizers for restaurant week. We tried two. The Cajun Boudin Balls, ca. 1955, featured two crisp patties of pork liver and rice sausage, both rather mild and not at all liver-y, topped with sweet-sour bits of piccalilli relish. The other, Gumbo z'Herbes, greens in a dark roux served over rice in an old-fashioned bowl, had a satisfyingly deep, smoldering heat with a slight vinegary tang.
Among the four entrees, the fried chicken was a handsome presentation, a drumstick and thigh (you could get light meat for $3 more) all golden and crunchy-skinned and posed proudly on a bed of red beans, rice and slow-cooked voodoo greens. I felt I had to share the chicken with my friend in order to get some of his jambalaya, but I will confess to being reluctant. I wanted all of that juicy, well-seasoned chicken to myself.
That jambalaya was very textural and eye-catching, with neat orange cubes of sweet potato bobbing in a thick black barley potage accented with roasted black trumpet mushrooms and topped with fresh pea shoots. Because the dish was mildly seasoned, the flavors came through but there was a bottle of hot sauce on the table if one felt compelled to jazz things up.
For dessert, Calas, ca. 1890 are sourdough rice fritters drizzled with chocolate and goat milk caramel. What's not to like? Ditto for the Gateaux Na-Na, a dense and buttery pecan praline pie paired with vanilla bean ice cream.
"Laissez les bon temps rouler!" -- "let the good times roll" -- proclaims the menu. Big Jones' Mardi Gras dinner is a good way to start.
Tribune writers will be filing restaurant reports every day during restaurant week, so please check back. You can read about every place we've been so far here. The ninth annual Chicago Restaurant Week runs through Feb. 4. For a list of participants, menus and online reservations, visit eatitupchicago.com.
