Dec. 04--After the early- and late-'90s departures of Le Bordeaux and Yvette Wintergarden, it was safe to presume that bistro/brasserie dining would return to the Loop when pigs flew.
This has proved to be the case, almost literally, with the April opening of Cochon Volant (flying pig) in the Hyatt Centric hotel at Monroe and Clark streets.
A pig has flown. Casual French food is back in the Loop. And it's not half bad.
As befits a brasserie, the bar space dominates the interior. Customers sit at the bar, or numerous bar-height tables (tiny round tops set optimistically for four) under globe lights and ceiling-height art deco metalwork. Tile floors complete the look. The dining area is considerably less fun but also less crowded, and offers luxury touches in the form of white tablecloths and beautiful Villeroy Boch bread plates.
The spot is jammed at lunch and can be crowded in the early evening as well, especially weeknights, when the number of imbibbers well outnumbers the diners. But that's a brasserie.
The restaurant is owned by WellDone Hospitality, which partnered with Les Nomades chef Roland Liccioni, in the process acquiring instant French cred and at least two killer recipes -- one, Liccioni's chicken-liver mousse, smooth enough to drink through a straw (and nicely augmented with toasted sourdough and confit cherries); and two, his coarse pork pate de campagne, with a terrific mustard and more of that good bread.
One of the back stories to the restaurant is that WellDone partner Jonas Falk worked in Liccioni's kitchen in the chef's Le Francais days and that the Cochon Volant menu is peppered with simple dishes that Liccioni whipped up for the daily staff meal. This explains such apparent aberrations as the croque madame egg rolls -- deep-fried egg rolls stuffed with ham and cheese and served with mustard. High-quality ingredients, certainly, but having had it once, I wouldn't order it again.
Executing the menu is executive chef Matt Ayala, who has cooked at Schwa and a couple of Brendan Sodikoff restaurants (Gilt Bar and the short-lived Cocello) and is doing solid work here. Classics such as moules frites, the mussels swimming in a yummy broth and the frites served with a rich tarragon aioli, are very good, and I very much like the escargots, each garlicky snail topped with a round of toasted brioche. The beet salad is a visual mess -- the chef went for verticality, but the plate is too tiny for polite eating -- but the balsamic dressing adds the perfect level of acidity to balance the breadcrumb-fried goat cheese and pickled shallots in the dish.
Under "plateaux de fruit de mer" there are plenty of seafood tower and individual options; the hidden treat in this category are the charbroiled oysters, with bearnaise sauce and pecorino cheese gratin. Very tasty.
If you like the fries at Cochon Volant, you'll be a happy guest, because frites accompany just about everything, from the aforementioned mussels dish to the very good roasted chicken to the four versions of steak frites offered here. The fries are cut a bit thicker than classic French frites, but the potato flavor is excellent, and the crispness level is perfect. There's garlic aioli for dipping, and ketchup is by request, but these frites are good enough to go naked.
If you want to splurge, there's a "boucherie du jour," typically a dry-aged steak selected (and hand-cut) by Ayala; it'll run you $45 or $50, which isn't a bad deal. Another entree option worth pursuing is the duck, a leg-thigh confit with beautiful lacquered skin, served over duck sausage, torchon-topped toast and a handful of greens. It comes off as a not-so-heavy take on cassoulet, hearty without being overwhelming.
Desserts stick to the French classics, and include chocolate mousse, pistachio mousse and creme brulee, all capably rendered. Nothing too exciting, but I've survived enough mediocre creme brulee versions to respect a good one, and this is a good one.
Service is a bit too brasserie-authentic. Servers race around at lunchtime, struggling to keep up (the Loop at lunch is 200,000 office workers trying to eat at the same time), but even in the evening, personable interaction is minimal.
The lunch menu offers more sandwiches, not surprisingly. One that's common to both menus is the Cheeseburger Royale, a two-patty, American cheeseburger that bears a strong resemblance to the double cheeseburger at Au Cheval, although here the crispy bacon is included, not an add-on. Then again, the Cochon Volant version is $4 more expensive.
The bar program offers plenty of cocktails and beers (including Hamm's on tap for you retro types), and there's a full wine list, although it's an expensive list. I'd go by the glass and sip slowly.
Cochon Volant
100 W. Monroe St.
312-754-6560
www.cochonvolantchicago.com
Tribune rating: One star
Open: Dinner daily, lunch Monday to Friday, breakfast/brunch daily
Prices: Entrees $14.95-$24.95
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-challenged
Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet parking (hotel entrance) available
Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
