July 28--I saw a T-shirt recently that ribbed on the prevalence of ampersands in Chicago restaurant names; printed on it: "Longman Eagle Goddess Grocer Bar Boeuf ..." and so on, for a whopping 36 eateries.
But it's cooler these days simply to name your restaurant after the punctuation symbol, as evidenced first by Ampersand, a pop-up inside River North's Kinmont, and now Ampersand Wine Bar (4845 N. Damen Ave., 773-728-0031), a charming Ravenswood spot from Charlie Trotter's alum Darren McGraw. (To be fair, it sounds as if McGraw named his bar before the first Ampersand came around; this is a project 10 years in the making.)
The wine bar opened July 17 and is already hopping. What to expect:
A lot of wine. As you'd guess. There are 29 wines by the glass and bottle, plus three by the bottle only. Prices for a glass start at $6 for a lovely 2014 white Bordeaux and go up to $13 for a Santa Barbara dolcetto. The list draws from all over -- Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Germany, Argentina, California -- and is full of surprises (the biggest for me: a sparkling Beaujolais). Ask for a taste before you decide.
A little bit of elbow-bumping. The space is small (seats about 40); the tables are communal. The bar, lined with handsome wooden stools, offers the best seating.
Very few kitchen gadgets. In fact, there's no kitchen at all. There is, however, a full menu, from former iNG chef Tim Havidic. Cooks are putting out everything from lamb belly to salmon, all from induction burners, a tiny deep fryer and a baby sous-vide machine on the counter behind the bar.
Zero pretense. Wine can be intimidating, especially when we're talking esoteric bottles in a softly lit space with smartly distressed wooden tables and beautifully plated food. But the staff here is so friendly, and the crowd so relaxed (some in summer dresses; others in Cubs jerseys), it's impossible to feel uncomfortable.
mconrad@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @marissa_conrad
