Upstairs at Owen & Engine
Owen & Engine
2700 North Western
Chicago
Date of Last Visit: Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Victims: Christina, Kent
The Damage: $20ish each
The Background: Christina & Kent wanted to see True Grit. I had no idea what they were talking about. Shows you what kind of movie buff I am. They found a 7:20 pm showing at the theater on Western–affectionately known as the Ghetto Theater, even though it’s across from a Target. And a new gastropub–Owen & Engine. I feel like we’ve been calling this theater the Ghetto Theater forever, but 2700 N. Western isn’t really the ghetto anymore now is it?
Charcuterie at Owen & Engine
We started out with some charcuterie, which I believe is all made in-house. I liked the sausage there at 6 o’clock. And the salami (?) at 4 o’clock wasn’t bad either. Ah, the pickles were nice too. However…that pate (2 o’clock) was truly dreadful. The consistency, the color , the taste and the smell were all a bit off-putting. Slimy, really.
Fish & Chips
I opted for the fish and chips for my main and it was a surprisingly generous portion. Two big fat filets. The only problem? The dish was cold. We had waited a really long time for our food, and I think mine must have been sitting somewhere in the kitchen under the coolest (as in “not warm”) of heat lamps. This would have been 100% better piping hot out of the fryer. The crust on the fish was light but crispy–someone obviously knows what they’re doing–but it’s just too bad it was not hot.
Not pictured here, but Owen & Engine makes their own ketchup. We had a long debate about making your own ketchup. Heinz rocks, I say. Don’t mess with Heinz. There are other things you can spend your time and money on. Like making sure your patrons get hot food. The homemade alioli, on the other hand, that I’m okay with. It was a nice touch. There’s more latitude in making your own alioli.
The Service: Friendly but gee whiz did we wait a while for our mains. The charcuterie arrived pretty quickly though.
True Grit: Eh. Felt long and drawn out and anti-climactic. Ended too quickly and in an unsatisfying way.
The Verdict: Owen & Engine is VERY convenient to that big movie theater on Western. It’s right across the street. As such, we were a little surprised the pub wasn’t a bit busier, but I suppose they’re still new and all that. Plus Americans still have that thing against British food. I would go here again for the atmosphere but the food at this point seems just, well, nice. Not special.
Ah, and they don’t serve half pints. This bugged me. The US needs more half pints.
