GreenRiver Chicago
Back home in another life, the Swallow worked in the kitchen at a busy local diner in Copper Harbor, MI. Utterly inexperienced yet woefully overconfident, I began my first day by rearranging the prepared ingredients of the long-time broiler man, Eddie. Upon seeing what I had done, Eddie, a man who had a way with words you might expect from someone born and raised by wolves, combined phrases and insults at me so complex that it would make Tolstoy weep.
Mise en place. Or just meez for short. For a line cook, your meez is your temple, your home, your little corner of the kitchen which is not to be touched. It's all your prepped ingredients you will need in the course of cooking--spices, sauces, chopped vegetables. For line cooks who have been at it for an appreciable length, your meez is part of your muscle memory. Put an experienced line cook at their station and watch as they reach for all their spices blindfolded.
The first thing one notices at the bar of GreenRiver Chicago is the panoply of unlabeled bottles stacked in two rows. These bottles sit in front of the bar within easy reach of the bartender and seated patrons. When a friend picked up one of the bitters spritzers, head bartender Julia Momose smiled and took it from him to put it back in its rightful place. My mind flashed back to Eddie at the diner. "That's my mise en place," she said with a smile. "I would be happy to explain to you what it is." You see, Momose is a professional, but underneath I could sense the rage she was concealing. Do not mess with my meez.
Momose's meez is nothing short of extraordinary. To her left, like the periodic table, 30 or more glass bottles are laid out carrying concoctions of different colors. To her right, a caddy for bitters and another 16 to 20 or so slightly larger glass bottles. When she gets to work, there is complete concentration. She reaches for her bottles without looking. She pours a jigger or a tablespoon or a teaspoon and pours it into the shaker. The bottle is also returned to its rightful place without looking. Mise en place.
The bar at GreenRiver Chicago is long and monolithic. It parallels the open kitchen, almost like dueling pianos. Whereas cooks in white uniforms work expressionless under unbearable heat, the bartenders and bar backs in brown leather overalls work while smiling at guests. This is where Momose mixes cocktails. Momose, who was previously head bartender at the Aviary, is a patient captain at the helm. Despite the dizzying frequency with which orders arrive, she answers questions and suggested a gin and passionfruit concoction for my dinner companion.
The bar menu is a multi page book with specialty cocktails laid out by tastes including Juniper, grape and apple, and sugarcane and molasses. Each page not only has a list of the ingredients of the cocktail but also after unfolding the page, the cocktail's historical relevance. Most run about $13 but some go for $16. In all, there are a whopping 32 specialty cocktails on the menu. House made non alcoholic sodas round out the menu. Japanese plum and vinegar is a delicious spritzy sweet and sour drink, perfect for hot summer days.
The dinner menu on the other hand is decidedly simple. A creation of Aaron Lirette, formerly of Celeste and Acadia, the menu consists of one 8 x 10 page which includes snacks, appetizers, and plates. There are 6 entrees, one of which is a 36 oz dry aged ribeye for 2. Other options include spaghetti, trout, sturgeon, chicken, and a cheeseburger. While munching on my cheeseburger and fries, I sipped on a cocktail containing 7 ingredients including cognac and mascarpone cheese. You read that right, dear readers, mascarpone cheese. Delightful.
The Swallow will be returning to GreenRiver as the exploration of the drink menu cannot be responsibly completed in one sitting. The restaurant and expansive balcony sit on the 18th floor of Northwestern Memorial hospital's new outpatient building at 259 E. Erie. It is part of the hospitals larger effort to entice patients and families to "Shop and Dine at Northwestern". One could conceivably have a CAT scan of the body, hip surgery, and grilled octopus all in the same building. Just be sure not to touch the mise en place when you order your cocktail.