Cultivate by Forbidden Root - Chicago
Cultivate by Forbidden Root is a restaurant with a brewery attached, taking up residence in the space vacated by Band of Bohemia in Ravenswood. This is a place for people to enjoy an exceptional beer in a casual, almost rustic environment, with food that's equally unpretentious and that, unsurprisingly, pairs perfectly with a good brew.
Cultivate by Forbidden Root is the place for inventive and delicious beers like you've maybe never had before. There is a huge selection of house-brewed specialities, as well as a few guest beers, including favorites like Drinkez Vous Saison (a farmhouse ale with a peppery nose and creamy palate), Sparkling Rose Ale (a dry, crisp Belgian-style tripel with the full flavor of Niagara grapes) and Small Talk (a hop-forward session ale with notes of mango, apricot and citrus).
Cultivate by Forbidden Root continues the identifiable botanic flavor and character of other beers from this brewery, but as Josh Noel writes in the Chicago Tribune, "The major tweak to the brewing side is Cultivate adding a foeder — a large wood barrel — to make a rotating series of beers made with wild yeast; in winter, that will include a low-alcohol “table beer” made with Brettanomyces yeast. In summer, those beers will likely be made with fresh fruit, brewer Nick Williams said."
The food served is, shall we say, *very* beer-friendly. There is a tightly curated selection of cheeses (mostly local) as well as small nibbles like Chili Lime Popcorn, House-made Potato Chips and Warm Marinated Olives, none priced higher than single digits.
Small plates include Smoked Trout Rillettes, Twice Fried Cauliflower and Chicken Liver Mousse. Larger plates, like comforting Duck and Dumplings, Nantucket Bay Scallops and Hearth-Roasted Yellow Fin Tuna, are carefully plated and wonderfully flavorful.
At Cultivate by Forbidden Root, this fantastic food pairs beautifully with the carefully brewed beers, which can compete with many wines based on their complexity, dimension and overall deliciousness.
