Raves
- Zagat Survey© 2007/08 Top Food Ratings by location/River North
- Zagat Survey© 2007/08 Top Service Ratings
- Chicago magazine, Great Dining 2007, 124 best dishes, Crofton on Wells-Quinoa-Corn Johnnycakes
- Zagat Survey© Chicago Restaurants 2006/07 Rated in the Top 40 Food
- Mobile Travel Guide Four Star Award 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Chicago magazine 2006 Top Fifty Chefs
- Gourmet magazine 2005 Top Restaurants
- Chicago magazine 2004 Top 20 Very Finest Restaurants in Chicago
- Zagat Survey© Chicago 2001-2005 #1 American Regional Restaurant
- Where Chicago "Top Six Chefs in Chicago"
- Chicago Tribune Dining Guide "2001 Top 5 Places to Propose"
- Chicago magazine "2001 Great Dining/Sensational Seafood"
- Chicago magazine "1998 Best New Restaurants"
- Chicago Sun-Times "1998 Top Ten Restaurants" and 3 stars by Pat Bruno
- Chicago Tribune, "Top Nine Restaurants" and 3 stars by Phil Vettel
- Chef magazine "1998 Chefs to Watch"
- Gourmet magazine "1998 Top Tables"
- Esquire magazine "1998 Best New Restaurant"
- CitySearch.com, Chicago "Best Desserts"
Reviews
Suzy Crofton's namesake restaurant has quietly become one of the best in the city.
The Scene
Clean and hushed, decorated with stylish restraint by Crofton herself in white and grey, the space is simple and modern. The candelit room's walls are bare, save for a wavy symmetrical mirror that hints at Crofton's whimsy. There's no excess, no flash-nothing to distract you from Crofton's exceptional, seasonal American cuisine.
The Food
Crofton's touch is restrained but confident, from the playful zing of a vodka-spiked oyster shot with mango, to the earthy, dark flavor of sautéed wild mushrooms in a basket of fried leek. One scrumptious salad combines duck leg confit, warm fingerling potatoes and a hint of tangy goat cheese with mixed greens, all just kissed with a mild sherry garlic vinaigrette. Magnificent. And barbecued pork tenderloin is a dinner standout, two fist-sized chunks of perfectly cooked meat glazed with sauce and drizzled with zesty poblano cream with dense corn pudding on the side. For dessert, extra-bittersweet chocolate cake isn't kidding-so intense, it'll give you a head rush. For something milder, dip into the delicious, orange-zesty creme brulee Jean Banchet, a delicious tribute to Crofton's old mentor.
by J.P Anderson
Chef-owner Suzy Crofton's "brilliance shines through" at this "outstanding" Regional American in River North; an "innovative menu" of "consistently high-quality" seasonal dishes served in stylish, "intimate" setting makes it a "winner."
Best New Restaurants
Crofton on Wells charms patrons who go to dine, not to be part of the River North scene. Chef-owner Suzy Crofton's understated room, with its well-spaced tables and quiet jazz, encourages a focus on her contemporary cooking, which is delicious without being pretentious. Her approach can be playful - in the baby romaine salad, for example, which is tangy with Amish blue cheese and black peppercorn vinaigrette, the croutons are hidden under the glistening leaves for a surprise crunch. Abundant Southern flavors pop up in the wonderfully tender barbecued quail perched on braised beet greens on a disk of polenta (think grits.)
A fine choice among main courses, the roasted Atlantic salmon is drizzled with a sumptuous truffle chervil coulis and is beautifully presented next to black trumpet mushrooms, white asparagus, and salsify. On early visits the robust barbecue-glazed smoked pork chop was too salty, but now Crofton has tweaked the dish, substituting pork loin, reducing the salt, and rousing it with knockout smoked apple chutney. (Crofton hopes to market her chutney in grocery stores sometime this year.) From her careful assembly of wines by the bottle and glass, a glass of 1995 La Crema pinot noir coddled the salmon and stood up to the pork. A pineapple and macadamia nut tart makes a grand finale. Add in the astute service, and you will find yourself plotting to return as you happily pay the bill.
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Star power
Crofton on Wells committed to affordable excellence
Suzy Crofton says that she and her eponymous restaurant are in business for the long haul. "I want (Crofton on Wells) to be a class act all the way," she says. "I want to be in business 10 years from now."
If there's any justice in the world, she will be. Crofton on Wells is that rare find, a restaurant whose atmosphere and creature comforts are worthy of a special-event dinner, and whose prices are low enough for an ordinary evening visit.
The dining room is small but very comfortable. Crofton seats 64 in a space that a more profit-minded restaurateur would shoehorn 75 diners into. Except for a quartet of deuces packed tightly along a banquette, tables are spaced generously apart.
The look is urban and sophisticated. Light gray walls and gunmetal-gray trim contrast with brightly polished wood floors. Recessed ceiling lights cast the room in a warm glow, the handsome bar is set off with cool-looking candles, and whimsical decorative touches delight the eyes at every turn. If she ever gets tired of the pots and pans, Crofton might have a future in restaurant design some day.
(For now, however, I'd rather have her cooking.)
The menu is seasonal American, though Crofton's considerable French influence (she cooked at Le Francais, was chef for several years at Montparnasse and was opening chef at Cassis, which did not survive her departure) is apparent in many dishes. Indeed, her dense and delicious crab cake, a blend of lump and claw meat bound with a little shrimp mousse, is very similar to an appetizer she used to whip up at Montparnasse. It's a compact menu - nine entrees, including the day's special (and at least one vegetarian entree), and just over a dozen starters, including soups and salads - but nicely varied, and seasonal changes keep dishes from becoming contemptuously familiar.
The starter I can't resist is the oyster shooter, a nibble in which a creamy Kumamoto oyster sits in its own liqueur along with some vodka, grilled scallions, diced papaya and a hint of chipotle pepper. One brave flick of the wrist sends the shotglass' contents onto the tastebuds and puts me instantly in a good mood.
I'm also fond of the Cajun barbecued shrimp, a beautifully balanced creation whose subtle spicing builds with each successive bite, tempered with a tumbleweed of sweet, crispy sweet-potato straw. And for the indulgent there's a slab of grilled foie gras (another French intrusion, and a welcome one), served with roasted red-pearl onions, chanterelles and a bacon-peppercorn concasse; the smoky bacon makes a lovely accent to the foie gras.
Do not overlook the superb soups and salads. Sweet potato soup with chipotle creme fraiche is wonderful, especially with the bonus of a plump grilled shrimp on top, and a roasted sweet-corn garbure is inlaid with savoy cabbage, duck confit and cilantro pesto. Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese and roasted pears with a fig-syrup dressing make a splendid salad as do smoked salmon, roasted fingerling potatoes, field greens and chive creme fraiche.
Entrees include outstanding seafood offerings. There are white-truffle-scented sturgeon (or sea bass or halibut), panroasted with chanterelle mushrooms and crisp forelle pears; and roasted salmon drizzled with walnut butter on a bed of cabbage whose bitter notes are countered by a sweet apple, onion and squash compote. Five fist-sized scallops, surprisingly sweet tasting marry well with sage-pesto risotto and butternut squash.
Barbecued pork loin with mashed sweet potatoes, diced apples and black walnuts is good, though there wasn't a hint of pink left to the meat. Golden brown capon breast with sweet cippolline onions, rosemary-garlic jus and mushroom risotto is sophisticated comfort food. And full-flavored venison loin, with a tart huckleberry reduction and mushroom-arugula polenta, makes a fine game entree.
All are extremely good, but the sturgeon and venison are stars.
Pastry chef Raul Gonzales offers up an intriguing assortment of desserts. The chocolate macaronnade, a souffle-like cake, has a warm, moist center and a richness that belies its diminutive size. Straightforward apple tart, embellished with a scoop of Hawaiian honey ice cream, is a winner, as is the chocolate pecan tart with bourbon-apricot coulis.
Waiters demonstrate a firm command of the menu, and meals are paced well. Attentiveness could stand a little improvement, especially in the area of refilling wine glasses.
Speaking of wine, there is the wine list, whose more than fair prices echo Crofton's commitment to affordable dining. The list shows a nice range in its 60-some offerings, including about a dozen wines by the glass. (Listing by-the-glass wine suggestions alongside each daily special is a thoughtful, user-friendly touch.)
Crofton has been dazzling Chicago-area palates since her debut at Montparnasse in 1989. Back then, I wrote that Crofton had star potential, and she's been making me look more prescient with each passing year. I do think we can safely remove the "potential" qualifier, though.
Instant success? Crofton works magic again
A message to all budding culinary wannabes out there: It takes more than six months at a cooking school to cut the mustard.
Consider the "instant success" of Suzy Crofton, who recently opened her own restaurant on Wells Street. Ms. Crofton has been treading the kitchen boards for about 16 years now. She started working in the kitchen at Sinclairs (poof!) in Lake Forest and climbed the cooking ladder rung by rung, Crickets (also poof!), Le Francais, Montparnasse (Naperville), and Cassis (poof! poof!) are part of her resume.
It was at Montparnasse that Ms. Crofton made her mark, winning numerous awards for her stellar work. When she went to Cassis, it was sinking fast, but she brought it back to respectability before leaving to dive into the owners pool.
Crofton on Wells is housed in a grand three-story building that dates back to the turn of the century. People of a certain age will remember it as the House of Bertini, and before Crofton on Wells moved in it was a trattoria called Parinello.
The menu is American to the core and though brief in choices, bristles with style. Working with just eight entrees, Ms. Crofton weaves a rich and colorful culinary tapestry of fish, fowl, game and beef. A daily special or two complete the adornment.
But even more interesting is the balance of the menu. Salads, for example, are a bang-bang bunch. I would love to try the smoked salmon with field greens and warm fingerling potatoes, but at dinner the wilted spinach with toasted sesame and red onion beckons. Good choice. Wonderful salad. Impeccably tender spinach (only slightly wilted at best) and arugula misted with a light vinaigrette. At lunch a salad of warm pear and goat cheese with fig syrup blew me away; the contrast of texture and flavors like a breath of fresh air.
A name other than soup should be reserved for the roasted sweet potato and caramelized onion with chipotle creme fraiche. To call this a soup would be as sinful as calling Beluga caviar fish eggs. The one grilled shrimp floating atop gilds this lily of richness to a fare-thee-well.
Another first course that got me going was the barbecue quail on braised greens and spoonbread. Meaty quail, leg and thigh, neatly sliced, arranged just so (Ms. Crofton is a whiz at plate presentation) over the round of spoonbread a layer of greens in between. So-o-o good.
You sometimes have to look under and into a dish to fully appreciate what is going on here. Any cook can pair seafood with rice, but when the seafood is perfectly sauteed scallops, and the rice is a risotto with butternut squash and sage pesto, and a scattering of haricots verts ring the plate, well now we're really cooking.
Then take a simple piece of meat-tenderloin, grill it, lavish it with a corn and mushroom ragout (outstanding) and surround it with quartered and grilled new potatoes. Talk about meat and potatoes. Whoopee.
One last main-course magic. Vegetarians will love the timbale of grilled vegetables, which is really a "sandwich" composed of grilled portobello mushroom layered with grilled vegetables, a sweet garlic broth, the magical finishing touch.
Desserts number just four, but this quartet sings a song so sweet you will forget about the dreaded "D" word. Take note of the warm marcaronnade of bittersweet chocolate with its layer of ganache and topping of vanilla bean creme fraiche. You will fall in love with the rich chocolate flavor of this beauty, described by the waiter as "a fallen souffle."
Not too far behind that in sweet appeal is the apple and fig tart with its complement of Hawaiian honey ice cream and caramel sauce. How sweet it all is.
Amid the touristy hoopla of River North, this chef-owned restaurant provides an oasis of quiet as it showcases the considerable talents of Suzy Crofton. The minimalist, 70-seat storefront features delicious seasonal American cuisine prepared with a French flair. Start with grilled baby octopus with a spicy mushroom reduction and move on to pork loin with apple chutney.
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