RESTAURANT REVIEW – BAR PASTORAL

It was a beautiful weekend here in Chicago this past weekend – sunny, cool and somewhat lazy. I had been out having tea at a local coffee shop and really needed to have something to eat before I got extremely hangry! Since I was in Lakeview, I met up with a friend over at Bar Pastoral, located at 2947 N. Broadway.

We arrived too late for brunch and too early for dinner, but thankfully they had what they call a bar bites menu. We decided to go for it by trying the charcuterie plate, several cheeses and a couple glasses of wine. Bar Pastoral is adjacent to their flagship, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, and has a quaint interior that is reminiscent of several different cheese and wine bistros.  They store has been in the neighborhood since 2004 and Bar Pastoral opened in 2012.

Their mission statement is simple, “We strive to make buying and eating great food and wine a fun, inviting and educational experience for neighbors near and wide who, like us, love to be delighted by life’s daily indulgences. At Pastoral, you’ll find delicious and interesting palate pleasers and exceptional, truly helpful service.” And this is the type of experience we had.

Our charcuterie sampling included chicken liver mousse, pork country pate, and rabbit rillette. The chicken liver mousse was made with a port gelee. The pate was a combination of pork, bacon and pistachio. The rabbit rillettes was made with bacon, butter and chives. I have to admit that the table favorite on this was the rabbit, although each was delicious. 

We chose a 5-cheese plate which included Petite Nuage, Juvendale, Latteria di Capra, Barber’s Vintage Reserve 1833 Cheddar, and Roquefort. The Petite Nuage is a soft cheese served with buttered leeks and comes from Wisconsin – airy, lemony and decadent is what we were told (and it was!).  Juvendale is a washed cheese wrapped in a Riesling soaked wash cloth served with green onion butter from New York – meaty, unctuous and velvet. Latteria di Capra is a firm cheese served with siracha aioli from Italy – spring forest after rain. Barber’s Vintage Reserve 1833 cheddar is a firm cheese served with gazpacho salsa from the UK – raw corn, butterscotch and grass. The Roquefort is a blue cheese served with strawberry and blueberry jam from France – pungent, Almeria grapes and limestone.

We were given fresh and warm French bread so were able to make mini-sandwiches out of our feast. One of my memorable moments was when I had decided I wanted a white wine and really didn’t want to look at the menu. I asked our server to choose a white wine that would go with the meal. He brought a Spanish white that I would have never chosen and was perfectly paired. It’s this kind of knowledge and service that is what I especially enjoyed.

CATHY MALLERS & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO