Virtue Restaurant & Bar - Chicago
MK the Restaurant alums Erick Williams and Jesus Garcia have joined forces to open this upscale Hyde Park eatery specializing in reinvented Southern fare. Virtue Restaurant & Bar boasts Williams as executive chef and Garcia as general manager, and they've assembled a talented team of seasoned and up-and-coming culinary artists.
Located in the former space for A10, Virtue is located prominently in Hyde Park. It's next door to the Harper movie theater and only a few minutes away from the University of Chicago.
The menu plays up Williams' illustrious fine-dining background, beginning with the "small rations," or appetizers, section. Most notable is the gem lettuce salad, which contains radish, bacon, boiled eggs, buttermilk dressing and house-made crispy black eyed peas. This is also where you'll find Williams' signature biscuits with homemade butter and pimento cheese as well as Southern ham that's accompanied by pepper jelly, Southern pickles and mustard homemade crackers.
The main event, or "large rations," offers a pork chop with cider-braised apples and yams; brown sugar-glazed salmon with Brussels sprouts, red peas and dill butter; and blackened catfish with Carolina gold rice and barbecue carrots.
There's also a large selection of wines by the glass, craft beers, craft cocktails and spirit-free drinks. There's a dining room for more formal eating and a mid-sized cocktail lounge for imbibing and more dining.
