April 20--You probably don't know much about pastry chef Courtney Joseph, but you may have tasted her work at the late Takashi, Slurping Turtle, Hoosier Mama Pie Co. and Swift Sons, where she most recently worked under executive pastry chef Meg Galus.
Her profile is about to be raised; Joseph will be the pastry chef at The Dearborn, the upcoming Loop restaurant by Amy and Clodagh Lawless, sisters to Billy Lawless (The Gage, Acanto, The Dawson).
"The concept is a Midwestern American tavern," Joseph said, "so the idea is to keep it uncomplicated -- not simple -- hearty and unpretentious."
Look for pies and fruit crisps, Joseph said, along with a rotating selection of macarons. "One I'm working on is a rose macaron, maybe served with a sip of rose wine," Joseph said.
"Another thing I want to do is BYOS -- build your own sundae -- tableside, where you can pick the ice cream, toppings and sauces," she said.
Diners will get their taste of Joseph's work early in the meal; the bread service will consist of a mini-brioche loaf with whipped herb butter.
The Dearborn, which will be part of Block 37 in the Loop, is aiming for an early June opening.
"We're pretty much on track," Joseph said.
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
pvettel@tribpub.com
Twitter @philvettel
