Review: Rose Mary Comes Well Seasoned
The main dining room | Image from The Manual
In 2019, when Top Chef winner and Spiaggia alum Joe Flamm announced plans to open his own restaurant, it was easy to be excited and yet regard the news as another drop in the West Loop’s ever-expanding dining bucket. Italian-Croatian food by way of a local celebrity with sterling credentials? Sounds good.
But when the world stopped in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic the restaurant industry bore some of the strongest consequences of several lockdowns: first, in the spring, then again in the summer, and once more in the winter. Chicago, at least, was spared the worst of the summer surge, but indoor dining — any food business’ mainstay — was nonetheless slow to return. Even when it did return, which it has on a permanent and expanding basis since February, capacity has been severely limited and diners have been cautious to embrace it.
Against that backdrop, when Rose Mary finally opened in April of 2021, delayed by the events of the last year, it came at the perfect time to take advantage of the pandemic’s emerging endgame and what is shaping up to be a wild, roaring summer. It only helps that the menu Flamm has prepared exceeds whatever expectations preceded it, public health crisis or not.
My fiancé and I were able to book a table a week after Rose Mary opened to the public, not because we waited too long, but because every other reservation was quickly snapped up — surely a positive sign that some normalcy is returning.
Upon arrival, the restaurant’s large street-facing windows were open to improve airflow and allow in the unseasonably warm spring evening. The host took our temperatures, checked us in to our reservation, and led us past the window facing seats and tables to an adjacent windowless dining room that sat about 15-20 people, even with restrictions in place. If you have not been out to eat yet, being seated here would certainly push some boundaries.
The room where we ate | Image from The Manual
Once seated we got down to business. Rose Mary does not currently have physical menus, opting instead to use QR codes that guests scan on their phones and which link to their menus. From the start, the service was excellent and attentive, and perhaps most importantly, hospitable. Rose Mary is not even a month old and yet it is being run seamlessly, which cannot be said for every new restaurant.
Most patrons of Rose Mary will be familiar with the Italian side of the menu, but much less so with the Croatian aspects. Lepinja, for example, appears frequently on the menu and for good reason: it is a bread most comparable to focaccia and yet distinct; it is perfect for dipping in sauces (of which there are plenty), using as a vehicle for spreads (also plentiful), or just snacking on between courses. Sturdy, versatile, and tasty, the lepinja was good enough to order as a separate side.
Our first brush with the lepinja came with the stracciatella starter: an interesting combination of strawberries, basil, balsamic vinegar, and the namesake cheese. The dish was at once sweet, savory, chewy, summery, and extremely Mediterranean. It was also very large - large portions were a theme throughout the night — and would probably be best ordered with more than two people.
The second dish to arrive at our table was the tuna crudo, with capers, shallot-beef fat vinaigrette, and veal aioli. The tuna pieces were surprisingly large and meaty for a crudo dish, as was the sauce bed they came on. Perhaps that was for the best, though, as the underlying sauces were savory and umami-heavy — perfect for scooping with the lepinja once the tuna ran out. But the sauces also caused some temperature issues as the dish was noticeably warmer than the typical crudo.
After the crudo came the tagliatelli and lamb shoulder. Of the two, the tagliatelli was superior — no surprise given Flamm’s background in Italian cuisine. The pasta was thick, perfectly al dente, and of course made in-house that morning. The duck sausage included in the dish added an excellent savory component, albeit a little on the salty side, but it worked perfectly with the pasta. The tagliatelli was essential Flamm and was clearly the best dish of the night.
The lamb shoulder was unique even within the Chicago Mediterranean restaurant scene. Thanks to the in-house charcoal grill, the meat was infused with a natural smokey flavor that worked well with the underlying blitva, or a Croatian Swiss chard, although it was clear the lamb spent a few minutes too long over the coals and came out dry. Accompanied with both was a semi-sweet and savory lamb fig jus that was the bow on top of the dish. The dish was something that could have easily been served seaside in Split or on a farm in Croatia’s interior. It was gamey, homey, familiar and yet different. It was, in a sense, Croatian comfort food.
Between dishes, of course, we took advantage of Rose Mary’s drink service. Of the five cocktails we tried the Golden Negroni, Southside(ish), and Naming Names, and one wine, a glass of Piližota, a Croatian red from the North Dalmatia region. The mixed drinks were outstanding, with the Golden Negroni surprisingly coming out on top, followed by the Which is Which and the Southside(ish). Each one was unique, well made, and versatile enough to pair with every course. The Piližota was interesting and unlike other Mediterranean wines: medium bodied, minerally, sweet, and light, it worked especially well with the heaviest dishes.
No meal is complete without dessert, and the only one we (I) had room for was espresso gelato (currently off menu), which turned out to be an excellent combination between sweets and an after-dinner coffee, something I tend to prefer. The gelato was good — excellent, even — but Rose Mary’s dessert offerings felt the least complete out of all the menus: three gelatos, two sorbets, and one Fritule, or Croatian fritters. In fact, there are more than double the number of after dinner drink options (wines, ports, coffees, teas, etc.) than food items, something I found odd in an otherwise flawless menu.
In the end, though, Rose Mary is the real deal. Its menu is original and growing. Where most restaurants reflect a certain philosophy of food or the marketing decision of a restaurant group, Rose Mary is clearly a personal expression (and extension) of Joe Flamm. His influence is everywhere but not overwhelming, and the restaurant feels established despite just opening. It is the perfect spot to forget the pandemic for a few hours and, ultimately, to move on.
Below from left to right: Tuna Crudo, Tagliatelli, Stracciatella, Sorbet, Lepinja, Lamb Shoulder, Golden Negroni
Details
Stars: Three (out of four)
Price: $$ 1/2 (out of four)
Style: Italian, Croatian, comfort food
Atmosphere: Breezy, Mediterranean, open, rustic
Location:
932 W Fulton Market,
Chicago, IL 60607
Website:
https://www.rosemarychicago.com/
Star guide: one - poor, not worth time or money; two - mediocre, worth a visit on occasion; three - very good yet with issues; four - exceptional quality
Price guide: $ - cheap; $$ - affordable; $$$ - special occasion; $$$$ - rare opportunity