IT’S THAT LITTLE RESTAURANT YOU WISH WERE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER – THE ONE YOU
would eat at every week if it were.  Welcoming vibe.  Often no more than 40 seats.  Knowing, gracious staff.  Smart,
up-to-date food.  Eclectic wine list.  From New York to Seattle and in between, spots like these are a growing
trend.  Casual or formal, New American or traditional French, these little gems have one thing in common: the
chef is cooking every dinner and doing all that’s possible to make sure you have a terrific time.  For chefs, it’s a
lifestyle choice, as well as a chance to connect with their customers, scale it down, and really cook.  For you, it’s an
intimate setting, impeccable service and delicious food.  All around, it’s great news.  It’s the rise of the small
restaurant.  Take a tour of 12 of them, recipes at the ready.

SCYLLA CHICAGO

She’s a big fan of fish, so ChicagoChef STEPHANIE IZARD named her restaurant after a sea monster from Greek mythology.  But Scylla is hardly scary.  Tucked into a 120-year-old row house, it’s a cozy spot…which is a rarity in big-shouldered, blusterygo here Chicago.  The menu is Mediterranean-inspired, with a “balance of sweet, tart,
and salty on every plate,” says Stephanie, who worked at severalplaces, including Vong, before opening Scylla.  Her Grilled Lamb with Curried Vegetables and Grape and Pine Nut Gremolata is a perfect example of fusion done right.

Stephanie Izard has been "playing restaurant" since age 10. Back in the day, that meant dreaming up a menu for her friends and family. But as the owner/chef of two-year-old Scylla, she's learned that the restaurant business is no child's play. Garnering critical acclaim for her clean, elegant seafood presentations, Izard's at the top of her game.

After earning two degrees—one in sociology at the University of Michigan and the other from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute—Izard honed her craft of caring for and handling fish while working under Shawn McClain at Spring. She opened her own place in 2005, a red-brick worker's cottage in Bucktown where the arched roof, hardwood floors and window coves still retain the character of a true home. There's a warmth and lived-in aura that reinforces boisterous gatherings of friends and family breaking bread.

Though the opening sizzle simmered over time, Izard's recent retooling of the menu is likely to stir some renewed interest; her goal: to keep entree prices under $20 and make Scylla a more neighborhood-friendly restaurant. While she relies less on luxury ingredients like truffles, Kobe beef or caviar, Izard employs a bit of alchemy, transforming seemingly ordinary pantry items like shallots into a savory, oniony creme brulee custard. The food might cost less, but the flavors and quality are as tremendous as ever before.

What do you wish you could change/pickle about the Chicago restaurant scene?
More places to eat late night than the usual suspects of fast food and Mexican joints.

What would your last meal be?
Sushi and French fries.

Where do you eat before/after a shift?
Arturo's Tacos at Western and Armitage—I usually get the tostado carnitas.

What's the can't-miss dish at your restaurant?
Scallops, but right now I'm very excited about the new spring menu—one of the dishes is the sauteed French gnocchi with manila clams, white asparagus, green garlic, sea beans and a truffle poblano broth.

What should we know about your restaurant that we probably don't?
The menu has changed. Now everything is under $20.

Five For Frying is a Food Feature that asks one great chef five fun questions.

RRR Stephanie Izard's Bucktown operation has been getting consistently glowing press since it opened two years ago with a creative, seafood-centric menu. But in the wake of a recent menu revamp that broadened the focus beyond fish--and knocked the prices down a notch to boot--Scylla is hands-down one of the best restaurants in Chicago. Izard, a vet of Spring and La Tache, plays with flavor and texture at a jaw-dropping level of sophistication and confidence. An appetizer of grilled baby octopus paired the sweetly chewy tentaclettes with creamy white beans, crispy slivers of prosciutto, and tiny, tart pomegranate seeds. The much-lauded, stunningly tender short ribs with decadent Gorgonzola brioche were sassed up beyond comfort food with the addition of escarole, roasted cippolini onions, and a bold huckleberry bordelaise. And a middle course of rosemary linguine dressed with a pork ragu and rapini was a knockout, the woody herb perfectly accenting the rich braised pig (we scooped the dregs of an addictive rosemary vinaigrette off the plate with our fingers before the server whisked it away). Izard can do delicate too, as evidenced by a trio of carnaroli rice balls filled with Gouda and served over a smoked tomato-apple compote or lightly sauteed trout over grilled endive, fingerling potatoes, and fennel served with a ramekin of bagna cauda that allows you to adjust the dish in keeping with your garlic-and-anchovy tolerance. Dessert was chocolate panna cotta with creme fraiche and raspberry sauce, an effective, no fuss chocolate-delivery system. I'd heard complaints of loud music and a hipper-than-thou attitude in the past, neither of which was in evidence here. On an icy winter night the atmosphere in the converted two-story cottage was cozy and relaxed, but still lively enough to you show you're getting something special. And the bill was a happy surprise--we had to do the math twice to make sure they hadn't left anything off.

--Martha Bayne

Backwards R ratings apply to the overall dining experience: three RRRs indicate the top 10% of rated restaurants; two RRs top 20%; one R top 30%.

As a first-generation American (my mom was born in Poland), I've seen the ease and speed in which cultural traditions are lost, and so I'm determined to preserve the meaningful ones. It's probably why as a secular Catholic, too lazy to attend regular Sunday mass, I still try to adhere to most of the other religious traditions, and not just the ones that include bowing to massive binges of guilt. And so with Lenten season upon us, I and 2.4 million local Catholics are in need of a seafood fix for our Friday meat fasts.

I decided to put away the McDonald's Fillet of Fish this year in favor of haute fare, and so I chose Bucktown's seafood-focused Scylla, where the menu was recently retooled with no entrée priced over $18. Even though the restaurant is named after the six-headed sea monster that ate part of Odysseus's crew, at these prices, there wouldn't be too big of a bite out my wallet.

Chef-owner Stephanie Izard did some time under Shawn McClain at seafood-focused Spring before opening her spot, located in a Bucktown red-brick worker's cottage on Damen, two years ago. Unlike other restaurants converted from former residences, ala Charlie Trotters or Alinea, Scylla, with its arched roof, hardwood floors and window coves still retains the character of a true home. There's a warmth and lived-in aura that reinforces boisterous gatherings of friends and family breaking bread.

Instead of relying on luxury ingredients like truffles, Kobe beef or caviar, Izard employs a bit of alchemy transforming seemingly ordinary pantry items like shallots into a savory oniony crème brulee custard, along with matchsticks of zingy and crunchy apple and bitter endive that cuts the rich sweetness of the custard.

Izard, who says, "Even a raw mushroom makes me happy," puts fungi to good use in an earthy mustroom-lobster Straciatella or Italian egg drop soup.

Paella risotto is redolent with a saffron perfume. Crispy skin-on trout perched on a nest of sautéed fennel and fingerling potatoes with a garlicky bath of bagna cauda, or anchovy olive oil sauce, is a rustic gem that channels a Hemingwayesque scene where fishermen eat freshly caught lunch near the stream's edge.

While her time at Spring is evident, Izard's also added a touch of McClain's other spot Custom House, (not safe for the Friday fast) by serving up a wintry interior space heater of hearty braised short ribs paired with smoky cippolini onions and an eggy bread pudding studded with rich blue cheese.

While Izard's prowess with meat would satisfy the most ardent Texas ranch hand, she generally uses "flesh" as a subtle counterpoint to delicate seafood, as she does in her crispy skate paired with house-cured pork belly. Topped with a fried quail egg, country-style potato discs and a maple syrup jus, the memory of this dish will serve as a great substitute if you decide to skip breakfast the next day.

Desserts like sautéed Fuji apples and Bartlett pears topped with a drizzle of brown butter and balsamic vinegar are perfect examples of coaxing out the natural properties of fruit instead of relying on fancy architectural sculptures of pulled sugars or heart-stopping cream-filled chocolate ganaches.

House-made espresso ice cream conjured my visit to Intelligentisa's micro-roasting works on Fulton last year. With only a hint of bitterness and all of the complexity of a good single-origin bean, I might just stop drinking and start spooning my fix, that is if I don't give up caffeine for Lent.

1. Stephanie Izard  Scylla
1952 N. Damen Ave.; 773-227-2995
Just 30, Izard knows seafood like an old salt,
hooking a Hawaiian hebi (shortbill spearfish)
to sauté and serve atop lump crab with Vidalia
onion purée and grilled peaches.
2. Andrew Zimmerman Del Toro
1020 N. Damen Ave.; 773-252-1500
Former rock guitarist no hitting all the right
chords with addictive Spanish nibble like crispy
fried chickpeas, pimiento fritos, and bite-size
patatas bravas.
3. Alexander Cheswick May Street Market
1132 W. Grand Ave.; 312-421-5547
The guy’s only 32 and his West Town restaurant
only a year old, but his Maytag blue cheesecake
with a crisp pecan crust, Miner’s lettuce, and apri-
cot ice is an instant classic.
4. Robert Reynaud Vivers
71 W. Monroe St.;312-332-4040
Reynaud, a former exec chef at Biaggi’s is mak-
ing the most of his time in the big leagues with
stylish, robust Italian – like risotto with crab and
orecchiette with pork sausage and rapini.
5. Doran Payne Rhapsody
65 E.Adams St; 312-786-9911
Payne’s got the training (Le Cordon Bleu), the
résumé (Tailevent, Four Seasons), and creations
that sing – like seared diver scallop risotto on
a round of nori with slivers of shaved reggiano.
6. Fred Ramos Gioco
1312 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-930-3870
His artichoke tart with caramelized fennel and
green olive emulsion proves Ramos has bloomed
with wholehearted Italian after knocking around
at Printer’s Row and Pili.Pili.
7. Aaron Browning Koda
10352 S. Western Ave.; 773-446-5632
The Beverly neighborhood finally gets the chef
it deserves, and Everest veteran Browning packs
them in for roasted corn and crayfish chowder
and a double pork chop in oyster mushroom sauce
with Parmesan grits.
8. Kate Neumann MK
868 N. Franklin St.; 312-482-9179
Neumann’s American dessert flavors pick up right
where her mentor Mindy Segal’s left off: the
“What’s Up Peanut Butter Cup?” is a peanut but-
ter mousse with crispy milk chocolate, a peanut
caramel tart, and peanut brittle.

"Food's fine at Scylla, even if name is funny
From now on, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like area restaurateurs to contact me before choosing a name for their new enterprises. I'm only trying to help. Let's look at an annotated list of recent additions to the Chicago culinary landscape: 22 Restaurant & Bar Moderne (way 2 many words), Karyn's Cooked (sounds like a kitchen accident), Blu 47 (What's a blu? And again with the numbers), Masck (misspelled implication of concealment), and Kitsch'n River North (no com'ment).
My problem has nothing to do with the food. In fact, the only one whose food I've tried is 22 Restaurant & Bar Moderne, which I enjoyed, even though it had the less moderne name Room 22 back then. It's the idea of all the fussing that bothers me. And I feel that I can speak for food lovers everywhere when I say that we'd rather restaurants focus on being delicious.

The pretty and welcoming Bucktown restaurant Scylla is guilty of what you might call benevolent overnaming. The food tastes terrific, but it would by any other name. Scylla is a nymph who--for reasons typical of the tangled romances in Greek mythology--was transformed into a sea monster with a dog body, 6 heads and 12 feet and who lived her life in misery, snacking on sailors. Not very appetizing. But it's meant to reflect the fact that the 28-year-old chef and owner, Stephanie Izard, specializes in fish and seafood (she previously worked at Shawn McClain's fish-centric restaurant Spring).
I can tell you there's nothing monstrous going on here. Scylla is located in a two-story house once occupied by Glory; it is sweetly decorated with whimsical paintings of water fairies, banquettes piled with pillows, and pretty sage and eggplant walls. The waiters are nice and professional. One of the menu's virtues is that it makes it hard to decide: oven roasted monkfish with curried risotto; scallops with foie gras and mushroom ravioli; pan roasted quail with white polenta and apricot-brown ale sauce.

On just the second night of business, we had subtle yet remarkable food. No single ingredient in Izard's roasted amberjack (which is a bit like tuna, but more delicate) overpowered another, in spite of the fact that it is served with rich braised short ribs and tied together by a spiky drizzle of horseradish creme fraiche.

Izard dares to drizzle, which seems quaint these days, and judging from the few dishes my dining partners and I tried, she is adept at pairing somewhat unexpected flavors without producing the culinary equivalent of an amusing but distasteful party trick. One of my tablemates, Linda, goes to Hawaii on vacations; she was happy to see ono on the menu (we later had a brief, misinformed moment of despair about having eaten a fish in the dolphin family; it's actually a mackerel). It was a nicely cooked slab of flaky white fish, with a brandade (salt-cod puree) crust, served on a bed of sliced Brussels sprouts, almonds, wild mushrooms and tart cherries. Which worked beautifully.

And Itasca, who has a reputation for being persnickety not to mention bossy about food (or about the best way to cure a cast-iron pan, if you mention you just bought one), enjoyed the grilled beef tenderloin, which was served in thin pink slices fanned out upon a jumble of cipollini onions, fingerling potatoes and root vegetables, in a green peppercorn sauce. I personally loved one of the two starters we ordered--a creamy celeriac soup with a mound of chile-spiked, brown-buttered crab meat. The other--escargot in a big bowl of braised leeks, bacon and sweet garlic (which I could not taste), topped with a tomato compote--I liked not at all. As close-minded as it sounds, I can't imagine why anyone would eat snails without garlic butter.
The only time we unanimously rejected a dish was at the end of the meal. Scylla's dessert menu includes an interesting list of artisanal cheeses, as well as ricotta fritters and lemon custard cake, but we opted to share the ice cream tasting: lavender, sabayon, allspice and pistachio. I found three of them lovely, but we all agreed that eating the lavender scoop (which included the flowers and stems rather than a simple infusion) was, as Linda put it, "like eating a sachet."

We enjoyed the place enough to engage in a sort of maternal worry session about whether Scylla--a restaurant that seats just 46 people on a somewhat remote corner of Bucktown--would be able to make a go of it. We sincerely hope so. And since I rarely have that kind of conversation about a restaurant, take the fact that we had it at all as a very good sign."