At Smyth, chefs and owners John and Karen Shields have achieved that tricky balance between excellent food and friendly informality.
Dishes at Smyth change frequently based on what's fresh from the farm. The current menu features rib-eye with kelp marmite; meanwhile, our critic recently enjoyed a version prepared with lamb loin, noting that the marmite's fermented flavor highlighted the lamb’s natural sweetness.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016For a fish course, Japanese tai is seasoned with yuzu and mustard. On one of our critic's visits, the dish was made with kanpachi; another, shima aji.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
In the high-ceilinged dining room, tables are spaced so that you're not on top of your next-door neighbor.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
Highlights among the highlights include crabmeat alongside saltwater-poached foie gras, served over scrambled kani miso (crab brains and other inner bits). — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
Molasses and blueberries dress up lemon grass ice cream on a sundae, one of three desserts.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016In Smyth's open kitchen, chefs handle produce from The Farm, a farm in Bourbonnais that works exclusively with Smyth and sister restaurant The Loyalist. — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
Milk chocolate with huckleberry and preserved shiitake mushroom, front left, begins the desserts on Smyth's eight-course menu. A few courses before that, a savory doughnut is made from brioche fried in beef fat.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 14, 2016Egg yolk cured in a licorice-vanilla syrup is cradled by a meringue that's almost the texture of yogurt. A crumble of fried fermented farro with a bit of black-raspberry compote accents the subtly sweet dessert. — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
The kitchen at Smyth, part of the dining room, is like a stage where chefs double as silent performers. Here, chef and co-owner John Shields prepares strip loin with kelp marmite. — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
The pate de fruits are actually made from vegetables that have been cooked down and imbued with spices and red wine. — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
Optional wine pairings are $85 with the eight-course meal, or you can order a cocktail. — Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016
Smyth and its sister restaurant, The Loyalist, are at 177 N. Ada St., a few blocks past the busy restaurant row in the West Loop.
— Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune, Oct. 13, 2016