Monday, January 7, 2013

Fine and Affordable Dinner at Acadia's Bar

The Lobster Roll on the Bar Menu at Acadia (1639 S. Wabash)
We've spent plenty of time covering Acadia and are happy to give them their props.  However, for us, consistent dinning at Acadia is tough given our lack of monetary resources (sigh).  We happily will treat ourselves every once and awhile for a special occasion, but that simply doesn't happen all the time.

If you're in the same boat as us, but still want to experience this fine establishment at a more affordable price point, we have a suggestions...check out the bar menu.

While it's not a huge menu, most of the items won't break the budget and will definitely bring a smile to your face.  Better yet, you get to experience Acadia in a more low key environment.

When we went it was a low key Sunday night.  Carlos was tending to the bar and was masterfully mixing cocktails.  We were pretty confident on what we wanted to eat (see old Sloopin post about Acadia's Lobster Roll), but had a little more uncertainty about the drinks.

We quickly put in an order for the famous Acadia Lobster Roll ($16), the Acadia Burger ($13) and asked some questions about the drink menu.  As we experienced last time we were at Acadia, the drinks are well thought out and amazingly concocted   The head bartender, Arunas, does a solid job of being creative but not at the expense of providing a tasty drink.  Anyway, we opted to start off with the Local Agent (a new seasonal drink on the menu) and the Moscow Mule (a drink that is usually on the menu).

The drinks came first and were beautiful.  The Local Agent is a vodka/gin based drink which intrigued us. Carlos gave us some background that this was inspired by the Vesper Martini.  Lovely!  It was delicate, flavorful and easy to drink.  And for those of you asking about the creativity, there was an interesting ice cube made from olives and orange peel (see image to the right).  A nice creative and functional touch.

The Moscow Mule was delightful and clearly made from natural ingredients, including Acadia's own ginger beer.  Definitely different than any mule you will find at the typical bar.

After some sips on our cocktails, we were pumped for dinner.  Not surprisingly, the presentation was top notch.  While the Lobster Roll was not huge upon first glance, but it was a solid portion (see image at the top).  As a person who doesn't love creamy dishes, I was naturally a little worried about ordering a lobster roll.  But this thing was delicious.  Chef McCaskey knows lobster, so we knew we wouldn't be disappointed -- we weren't!

I barely had time to breath as I devoured the roll.  The seasoning (chives and parpika) were delicious and the lobster was buttery and tender.  We were thinking about ordering another, but had to quell that urge.

The burger was solid.  Again, not a "man-that's-a-huge-portion", but that was to be expected.  This isn't a split your pants type of establishment.  Regardless, we were happy with the portion and more importantly the taste.  One of us attributed the great taste to the Capretta cheese on the burger..the other thought the onion bacon jam gave it the unique taste.  It also came with some potato salad and for those interested, the other saucer in the picture to the left is a spicy 1000 island dressing that we asked for on the side.

But then came the decision...get another round of drinks and some more food?  or go home?

Wanting more we decided to stay and go for round 2.  We went for an order of Mussels to share ($10), a "Gin / Tonics / Limes" drink, and a glass of Chardonnay that was recommended by Carlos based on our Mussels order.  Again everything was good in our book and we left knowing that we would be back soon.

It's definitely a different experience, but a good one.  If you're up for a low key experience that will excite your taste buds we suggest trying the bar at Acadia.  They don't take reservations, which is probably a good thing for people in the neighborhood like us!

Kudos to Chef McCaskey, Arunas, Carlos and the entire team at Acadia for providing a new way to the Acadia experience.  See you soon!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

this place is boring and weak, pass.

Anonymous said...

let the ritzy 1%'ers enjoy their ultra chic eating experience, waste of space if u ask me. I'm from romania

Anonymous said...

Wow, nice comments. Typical of South Loopers. Nobody is forcing anyone to eat there. Dont take a dig at a local guy who has done a great job with a great concept. He earned a Michelin star... very rare for a first year restaurant.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:17pm - please learn to ignore TROLLS. Anyway, I love Acadia, but for god's sake can it hurt to have some bar deals once in awhile? Personally, I feel the bar area should be packed with folks from the area just looking to get a drink or dessert. How about a lobster roll and a cocktail for $15? Or drink and dessert for $15 past 9pm?

Anonymous said...

I went there with my woman and she asked for steak sauce and they didnt even have any. Seriously all these places suck if they dont even have like the right condiments

Anonymous said...

To me this place is a complete waste because it is no place to bring children. I would much rather see them put up chain resturants l;ike fridays of Perkins or something that way the majority of the people in south loop with children would actually have a place to go other than the 14 pizza places/bars

Anonymous said...

Who enjoys these types of resturants ?? Its ego driven cuisine for the uber rich. pass and no thank you--- I choose not to rub it in that I make alot of skrill by ordering a 80 dollar piece of duck breast.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2:08 P.M. - You are joking right?

Serge said...

I was planning on checking out the restaurant with my gf, but being newly single will probably have to just go for a cocktail and a lobster roll. We need more places like this in the South Loop, IMHO. These, so called, 1%ers can make our neighborhood. So the more the merrier.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. My reaction after reding these comments. Acadia is relevant. Just enjoy it it for what it is. I do laugh that the lobster roll pictures does come with seven chips. Look and count :)

Anonymous said...

Muscles? Would it kill this site to have any editorial standards?

Anonymous said...

Wow. Tough crowd today. I've only been for the lobster roll and it was excellent.

Anonymous said...

My husband and I will frequently go to Acadia...actually, we have only been to/sat at the bar. We've had drinks and food off the bar menu (occasionally an appetizer from the main menu) and all have been really great and a nice way to experience the restaurant.
Strong, creative and good drinks and awesome staff!

Proud southlooper said...

It never ceases to amaze me how much negativity of comments. Has anyone heard the phrase "variety is the spice of life" everything doesn't need to be high end or child friendly or chain. What makes a neighborhood a neighborhood is uniqueness, whether that is in food establishments, culture, the people, etc... Starbucks is great for any community but its the free standing coffee shop boutique is what makes it special.

Anonymous said...

I have been to Acadia 3 times in the span that it has been open and I think it's great! This 1 Michelin star (for non-foodies that's a huge deal for a chef) is really the only white table higher-end fare in the area at very reasonable prices. I live in the area and consider it my neighborhood 'Tru' (another high end restaurant). Folks, this restaurant is not Denny's or TGIF, the chef actually creates these things and arranges wine-pairings (if you get the degustation menu), that's not easy and very hard to recognized for it (try getting a Michelin!).

Anonymous said...

Steaksauce? That is hilarious.