In the evolution of Chicago's love of prix-fixe tasting menus with a farm twist, Smyth is an homage to the farmlands of Virginia's Smyth County. An informal dining room, despite its tasting menu suggests, Smyth features an open kitchen surrounded by intimate tables and a cozy living room-style lounge. Upstairs, The Loyalist is a separate mixology space with its own farm-to-table ethos and cool lounge scene til 2am on weekends.
The Food
A spare, but well composed 8-course tasting menu yields flavors of the season through dishes like sunchoke cannoli, scallops with smoked beets, duck salad with roasted squid stock, crab over foie gras with scrambled miso and slow-cooked lam shoulder with kelp marmite.
Last Word
Alinea, Charlie Trotter alum do daring tasting room eatery with farm-to-table spin and upstairs mixology lounge in Chicago's West Loop.
