Dear Jose (can I call you Jose?):

Thank you so much for opening such brilliant restaurants in our fair city. Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar are delightfully fresh, and a much needed addition to not only pre-theater and pre-opera dining, but to the loop neighborhood in general. A while ago, I wrote a short little article singing the praises of Bar Mar after a nice three course lunch I enjoyed there. Since then, I’ve been back to Bar Mar for dinner, and also experienced the cool and lush vibes at Bazaar Meat too, both before performances at the Lyric Opera, right next door.

We came to Bazaar Meat in early March of 2024. It was a chilly day, but we were greeted by cozy and luxurious velvet, deeply toned wood floors, and gorgeous oversized chandeliers. Service was lovely, prompt, and not too stuffy, and they respected our time constraints with our upcoming opera. It was opening night for Aida and we simply couldn’t be late! It was difficult to choose what to eat, everything looked so amazing on the menu, including the journey through Japan’s wagyu beef. We stuck to the classics, though, and started off by enjoying some melt-in-your-mouth Jamon Iberico. The steward of this lovely leg of jamon brought the presentation to us, demonstrating his expertise in carving off the thinnest slices of nutty meat, then artfully arranging it on the festive plate. We tried to take our time to enjoy the world’s greatest ham, but I’m sorry to say I’m pretty sure we devoured it in under 3 minutes.

We split an incredibly rich American Wagyu Ribeye, joined by Patatas Bravas and delicate Catalan Spinach. I loved the not-heavily-dressed spinach with apples, pine nuts and raisins, a super combo, and the Patatas Bravas, while not traditionally prepared, grew on me.

Dessert was a mix of small bites to share, perfect to round out the meal. Bazaar Meat is easily one of my new favorite steakhouses in Chicago, and I’m telling all of my friends to come here!

We ate at Bar Mar, pre-opera, just a few weeks later. It was a Friday during Lent, so fish was the order of the day. Again, we had a tough time choosing what to eat from the extensive menu, but we picked a whole bunch of plates to share, and enjoyed the cute atmosphere at Bar Mar, especially the giant octopus on the ceiling, and the nod to mid-century mod decor. The bright, open space which is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows has an almost outdoor feeling, which is much appreciated in the winter.

Some of my favorites at dinner included the “cones” – small, delicate cones containing whatever rich and flavorful fruit of the sea your heart desires. The caviar cone should not be skipped in spite of its flashy price! We ordered several conservas (preserved fish) including mussels and mackerel. The mackerel was my favorite, not too fishy smelling, and very substantial. There is a nice long list of conservas here, and you can easily make an entire meal out of these. We pretty much did that, eschewing the larger plates and sandwiches on the menu. We split a small, but chunky lobster roll to top off our savory courses, and then finished with the incredible sticky toffee pudding. Yum!

These two restaurants are luxe, but approachable. They fill a massive void on the northwest side of the loop neighborhood in Chicago, and are perfect for pre-theater or pre-opera, or for literally anytime. Choose Bazaar Meat for, well, meat, as well as a more romantic and moody atmosphere. Choose Bar Mar for a lively group outing, or if you are looking to try a variety of incredible conservas. Thanks again, Jose, our city loves you!

Salud!

Aukse