ada street.

how does one place manage to be off the beaten path but also a super hot spot at the same time? i don't have an answer for this ... but ada street has done it.

this gem is located on elston in between north & cortland ... in the elston industrial district. have no idea where that is? i wouldn't either, except i drive through it everyday to work. but that's what i'm saying ... off the beaten path, people.

a bit about ada street : "chef zoe schor's blend of classical & contemporary cooking methods are rooted in her experiences working in some of america's most iconic restaurant kitchens ... ada street's menu celebrates the seasons with beautiful ingredients, passion & love." hi. great!

here's what i had ...

marinated olives :

obviously couldn't skip this.

house pickled vegetables :

onions, carrots, cauliflower & beans. 

another one i couldn't pass on. just the right amount of pickling to allow for some crisp-ness.

beet salad :

roasted tomatoes, red & golden beets, green beans, chives, fennel leaves.

love me a good beet salad. all around awesome. i think it was fennel leaves on top, which added the perfect amount of weirdness. oh, and the roasted tomatoes at the bottom were a great addition.

house bruschetta :

roasted tomatoes, fresh fava beans & white bean spread.

anything that involves bread i basically love. this was no exception ... tied for one of my favorite dishes of the night.

grilled eggplant & red onion :

with cracked tremini olives.

eggplant & i have a so-so relationship. but i wanted to give it a try anyway. these were the fattest eggplant slices i have ever seen. at first, i thought they were mushroom caps & about fainted. but that was just me being silly. if you love eggplant, you will definitely love this.

roasted summer squash :

with chilis & mint. 
my other favorite plate of the night. just so incredibly good. summer squash in summer is perfection already ... add some chilis, mint & olive oil and you've got yourself a winner.

like every other restaurant in the entire world at the moment, ada street serves all small plates. but i mean, small plates. i think we had 11 dishes between three girls. this is always fine with me, as i like to try as many items as possible. but something to keep in mind for other diners.

besides the fact that i have been wanting to try ada street for a while, one of mah besties is a server there. (hi, ilana!) ilana is a former-vegan-back-to-vegetarian, so she knows what's up when it comes to what's suitable on the menu.

to sum up.

1. enter ada street.

2. drink many many libations & eat many many small plates.

3. go home happy. 

--

ada street

1664 n. ada street

chicago, il 60642