Ruxbin

If I had to sum up how I felt about my experience at Wicker Park's Ruxbin in one word it would be "charmed."

This tiny (seats 32) bistro tucked away on Ashland Avenue (near Chicago and Ashland) oozes charm from the moment you step in and start soaking in the eclectic, warm atmosphere.

The clever—and aesthetically savvy—owners made the most of their small space. Look up and you'll see pages of old cook books plastered to the ceiling. Sit down and you realize the highly lacquered, sleek booth you're perched on is really an old schooldesk chair. You'll also find recycled seat belts stretched into seat backs and if you remember the bar/club Sonotheque, you'll recognize the glass panels from the DJ booth.  

It's a new spin on interior design—everything is recycled, refurbished or reused. And it works. The detail-oriented result is something you know you could never achieve at home, but it still has the warm, comforting feeling of your own living room—kind of like Ruxbin's menu.

We went in early August (I know, I'm a big slacker on posting this) and were treated to Ruxbin's summer menu. Like the restaurant itself, the menu was small, but full of familiar ingredients turned unique by creative flavor pairings.

Oh, before I forget, there are two things you need to know about Ruxbin: It's BYOB and they don't take reservations.

So we showed up on a Friday night around 7pm bottle-less (we forgot about the BYOB) and were directed by the hostess to The Noble Grape, a well-stocked little wine store around the corner. Fortunately for us, the Noble Grape happened to be having a wine tasting that evening, so we killed a little time there.

Back at Ruxbin, they took us to a small seating area near the kitchen where they uncorked one of our bottles and got us started with wine and some homemade, gourmet popcorn (a trend of which I HIGHLY approve).

When it came time to eat, we opted for the K-Town Empanadas for an appetizer (kimchee, chimichurri crème fraîche) and the Crispy Eggplant salad. Both were outstanding. The salad featured tempura-battered eggplant, beets and a honey-cardamom yogurt dressing. I know, sounds bizarre, but soooo delicious.

The Crispy Eggplant Salad

For our main course, I had the beef and George went for the trout. Both were prepared exquisitely. The hangar steak I had also had a cauliflower puree (which I practically licked off the plate) and the trout was paired, somewhat unusually, with dates and a bulgar wheat tabbouleh. The result was a richer, heavier flavor on the trout dish, which worked out well for us as we wanted a bottle of wine to go with both our dishes.

The Trout

Also good to note: The folks at The Noble Grape are familiar with the Ruxbin menu, so if you take a peak at the menu beforehand and let them know what you think you want to order,  they can direct you to the right bottle of wine.

The Panna Cotta

For dessert there were two options: panna cotta or flourless chocolate cake. I have no doubt the cake was amazing, but we wanted to go out of our normal comfort zone, so the panna cotta it was. And it was the perfect ending—light, fresh, and with a smattering of toasted coconut and lychee, just different enough to let us know the creativity and though that was put into it.


The new autumn menu debuts at Ruxbin September 7. I can't wait to try it!