Eclectic small plates at Ada Street

After our delicious dinner at Odd Duck in Milwaukee, we were inspired to try some of the eclectic small plates in our neck of the woods. We had heard great things about Ada Street (1664 N. Ada Street, Chicago), and Chef Zoë Schor’s creative dishes, so we wanted to try it out with our foodie friends D & B. We went relatively early, and were able to snag a table, without much advance notice.

 Like Odd Duck, the menu was divided into sections that helped describe the food by category: “Pick it Up,” “With Toast,” “Forks, spoons & knives” and dessert. The dishes range in size, and all are meant to share. There is something for those that are gluten free, too, which we always appreciate. The room was a large and cool and there were giant garage door windows that could open up to reveal a large patio area. There was even a record player tucked in the corner, which we definitely liked.

Here is a rundown of what we ordered:

• Polenta Fries with chipotle puree ($6). These fries, made out of tender cornmeal, had a very interesting texture, moist interior and crispy exterior.
• Baked goat cheese, with tomato, piquillo peppers and bacon ($10). This was a classed-up version of baked cheese dip you see at dinner parties, and was immeasurably tastier. The combo of creamy melted cheese and bacon was irresistible.
• Farro Salad with roasted cauliflower, carrots, feta, Greek yogurt sauce, pickled pearl onions ($10). This plate was huge, much bigger than the other small plates, and was filling without being decadent. In fact, the combo of veggies and farro made it feel kind of healthy (kind of).

• Lamb Ribs with agave glaze and mild habanero cream ($17). Both the sauce and the glaze were tasty and mildly sweet, though we felt there could have been a little more meat on these ribs. We did very much enjoy how the ribs were arranged in a cute Jenga-like form.
• Hommade Orecchiette pasta, merguez sausage, rapini green pesto, parmigiano reggiano ($14). A hearty, comforting dish, with not-to-spicy sausage adding a kick. The homemade pasta was delicious and really elevated the dish.
• Chocolate truffle, with Tuscan olive oil, sea salt over toast ($8). This was one of our favorites! To eat this dessert you spread the creamy salted chocolate truffle over the toast a la jam. We never really thought about including toast in a dessert dish – but it really worked.
• Pretzel Bread Pudding, maple whipped cream ($8). A good dish, with a nice salty/sweet kick but the sugary maple definitely put us over the top into dangerously full mode.

Overall, we were very happy with all of our picks. Ada Street is a great place to go with adventurous food loving friends. There is something for every appetite, and plenty to share. They even have a few special nights, like tacos and margaritas on Mondays. We are excited to eventually return to try a new season of dishes and, most importantly, their warm weather patio.