June 12--Let's not forget restaurants are living, breathing, evolving organisms. Last we checked in on Spencer's Jolly Posh Foods in 2013, it was a British-import grocer in Lakeview doing simple sandwiches, scones and afternoon tea. It has since moved to posher digs on Southport Avenue and hopes to escape the bangers-and-HP Sauce cliche of British cooking.
Instead, owner Nick Spencer tells me, he's shooting for the Gordon Ramsay/Marco Pierre White ideal of British gastronomy -- perhaps not at that price point, but employing classic French techniques, plated presentations and so forth. To do this, he's hired Garrett Christiansen, who spent his last three years with the Alinea/Next/Aviary group, to be executive chef. I've not tried much of the menu yet, but his strawberry bisque impressed me a lot, both in its sophistication and its aesthetic qualities. The prettiest soup in Chicago is hard to categorize -- a chilled soup that's equal parts appetizer, dessert and palate-cleanser. Essentially it's a pureed strawberry gazpacho, with grilled cherry tomatoes, herbs, garlic croutons and feta bringing the savory notes. Orange peel is burned, ground and sprinkled as if it's black pepper. If this soup is indicative of the ambition at Jolly Posh, it's a restaurant worth keeping on our radar. Spencer's Jolly Posh Foods, 3755 N. Southport Ave., 872-802-3840, http://www.jollyposh.com
