Lunch is available Monday-Friday starting at 11am. Try our Boarding House lunch.
BUTCHER'S BLOCK
Authentic Cajun charcuterie made in-house following traditional recipes made with local pastured pork
Andouille
Slow-smoked over pecan wood in natural beef casings. Served with home baked Abruzzi rye bread, chow-chow, and garlic aioli 6
Tasso Ham
Heavily spiced, dry cured and smoked for two days, with pimiento cheese, piccalilli and house benne crackers 7
Tête de Cochon
or hog's head pâté, made with brandy and peppercorns, with bourbon-brown sugar mustard and homemade rye bread 6
Colonial-style Potted Guinea Hen
Local guinea hen preserved in its own aspic with Madeira, laurel, and mushrooms, served with huckleberry mustard jam and rye 10
Boucherie Board
A taste of each of our traditional charcuterie and bakery above 22
STARTERS and SNACKS
Pickle Tasting
A sampling of all of our home made pickles with sweet cream butter and home baked Sally Lunn bread 11
Cajun Liver Boudin Fritters
Deep Cajun country cooking: pork liver and rice sausage breaded and fried, served with cayenne mayonnaise and piccalilli 8
Potato and Goat Cheese Croquettes
Crispy breaded potato balls filled with goat cheese and herbs, served on baby lettuce with creamy anchovy dressing 8
Creole Fried Clams, circa 1885
Corn and rice flour battered clams with a petite salad of young lettuce, shallot, frisee, and white remoulade 9
Gumbo Ya-Ya
It all begins with the roux, made in the traditional Cajun style, with our andouille sausage, chicken, pork, and aromatic Arkansas rice 7
Soup du jour
Made from scratch daily using heirloom receipts and the best local or Southern heritage ingredients 6
BIG & LITTLE SALADS
Roasted and Pickled Beet Salad
Roasted red and pickled chiogghia beets with buttermilk, rye croutons, absinthe gems, pea shoots, and frisee 8
Creole Salad
Local hoophouse baby lettuces with crispy potted duck cakes, shallot, crisp house-cured bacon, sage croutons, cider vinaigrette, and poached egg 12
Pecan Chicken Salad
Delicate butter lettuce with creamy chicken salad, pecans, fresh pineapple, and pea greens 12
A Little Lunch Salad
Local baby lettuce with satsuma mandarins, Three Sisters Garden pecans, scallions, and cider vinaigrette 7
LUNCH PLATTERS
Shrimp and Grits
Gulf Coast white "gumbo" shrimp, creamy antebellum heirloom grits, mushroom & tasso gravy with house-made Worcestershire, scallions 14
Gumbo Ya-Ya
It begins with the roux, made in the traditional Cajun style, with our andouille sausage, chicken, and aromatic rice from Arkansas 12
Roasted Mushrooms
Roasted king trumpet, maitake, and shiitake mushrooms with fresh garlic and thyme, served with creamy grits, sawmill gravy, and piccalilli 12
Red Beans and Rice, circa 1885
Authentic Nola Creole - pickled pork shank, smoked jowl, voodoo greens, and aromatic rice from Arkansas 8
Farmhouse Chicken and Dumplings, circa 1920
An old family recipe, simply simmered chicken with hearty egg dumplings, lima beans, carrots, and thyme, garnished with onion tops 12
Cast Iron Cassoulet
Navy beans with house smoked venison sausage, duck confit, and hog jowl baked with crispy bread crumb topping, served with a petite salad 15
SANDWICHES
Pimiento Cheese Burger
Griddled onion and double cheeseburger with home made pimiento cheese on a steamed bun, sloppy and worth it, with choice of side 12
Smoked and Smothered Pork Shoulder
Served in Dutch Fork, South Carolina-style tart mustard sauce, topped with vinegar slaw on an egg bun, with choice of side 12
Shrimp Po' Boy
Crispy fried Laughing Bird shrimp with spicy remoulade, butter lettuce, and piccalilli, with choice of side 16
Bahn Mi Po' Boy
Head cheese, liver boudin, red onion, heirloom radish, cilantro, Red Boat fish sauce, and sriracha mayonnaise, and choice of side 11
Toasted Pimiento Cheese
Honmemade pimiento cheese on toasted rye bread with chowchow, with choice of side 8
A BOARDING HOUSE LUNCH circa 1933
available 11am - 3pm, Monday - Friday • $16 per person, children under 12 $1 per year • Family style, total table participation requested
Chef Paul says: "For lunch, I tapped the grand tradition of boarding house hospitality and wedded it with our acclaimed fried chicken. The rest of our lunch menu has been streamlined for quick, efficient service, but I wanted one stand aside element for those who wanted a hearty, leisurely lunch. Fried chicken, biscuits, cornbread, hoppin' john, mashed potatoes, greens, pie, and ice cream. Traditionally, boarding house food was homey and comforting, as tenants were traveling or between homes, and it was invariably served family-style, or often just food left out in the dining room people could munch on as time permitted. I wanted a meal that would invoke this kind of simple hospitality and I wanted it to be affordable. It's yours for sixteen dollars a person, and while you can take as much time as you like, it's been set up so you can be in and out within an hour, probably with enough food for dinner!"
Biscuits and Cornbread
Timeless recipes served with homemade preserves and whipped sweet cream butter
Fried Chicken
Cooked according to Edna Lewis's recipe in fresh leaf lard with butter and a ham hock, in a cast iron kettle
Served with our signature sides:
Mashed Potatoes and Gumbo Gravy
Voodoo Greens
Red Beans & Rice
Banana Pudding
Featured on ABC 7 News Hungry Hound with Steve Dolinsky!
SIDES
German-style Home Fries 4
Voodoo Greens
Greens with smoked mushrooms, onions, vinegar, chiles, and black pepper 4
Creamy Cheese Grits 3
Buttered Popcorn Rice 2
Petite Green Salad 5
Peas and Rice 4
Mashed Potatoes and Gumbo Gravy 4
DESSERTS
Calas, circa 1890
Hot sourdough rice fritters a la Creole, served with dulce de leche and chocolate sauce 9
Bittersweet Chocolate Pot de Creme
with banana, streusel, and sea island benne brittle crumble and whipped creme fraiche 10
Bourbon Raisin Bread Pudding
Stewed kumquats, honey-roasted pecans, and homemade salted caramel ice cream 9
Rhubarb Tart
Local rhubarb-filled pastry with coconut granola and almond oat horchata sorbet 9
Selection of Home Made Ice Creams and Sorbets
We proudly use only whole animals for all of our pork, poultry, and game. All charcuterie, sausage, bacon, and ham made in house. Our fresh dairy is by Kilgus Farmstead and non-homogenized. All eggs are by Moore Family Farm from Watseka, IL or Ellis Family Farm, Benton Harbor, MI. All preserves and pickles made in house from local or organic vegetables and fruits during peak season. All pork, chicken, duck, and rabbit by Gunthorp Farm or Slagel Family Farm. Beef and lamb by Mint Creek Farm, Q7 Ranch, or Slagel. Field corn (hominy and cornmeal) by Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, IL and Spence Farm in Fairbury, IL. Corn grits and a dozen+ heritage grains by Anson Mills in Columbia, SC (certified organic.) Carolina Gold Rice and rice flour by Carolina Plantation in Darlington, SC. Aromatic rice by Southern Brown Rice in Weiner, AR (certified organic.) Fruits and vegetables from more than two dozen local farms in season. Crab by Ponachartrain Blue Crab, sustainably wild caught American blue crab. We are a Shedd Aquarium Rite Bite Sustainable Seafood parter and only serve sustainable seafood. Please ask us about individual products or farms, our suppliers are so much of our story.
Our menu is seasonal and items change from time to time. List and prices are subject to change; web site may not be up-to-date. Last updated May 31, 2013.