Jenny B. Davis

It's The Soiree's first-year anniversary--a tiny eternity in restaurant years--and there are cobwebs hanging from the chandeliers in the cozy, autumnally hued dining room.

"What I should have is a full orchestra playing a victory song," says Lonndon Seely, peering over the frames of her black cats' eyeglasses at the half-assed Halloween decorations drooping from the fixtures of her restaurant. "Because it's definitely been a challenge."

And how. This frigid evening in October not only marks the first year that Seely's been the chef and co-owner of the Lincoln Square bistro, it's also the occasion of her first full year in the restaurant business and her first stint at the helm of a professional kitchen.

A Chicago native, Seely left a sweet management gig at Home Depot in Atlanta, where she had been working with one of the largest logistics departments in the country, to come home and dive straight into the weeds of the restaurant biz. "I always knew I was going to do this, it was just a matter of when," she says.

In the beginning, she had a succession of chefs in the kitchen both cooking and consulting. While her business partner provided some financial backing, it was up to Seely to learn the ropes. First she mastered the workings of the front of the house, then she set out to learn how to translate a passion for cooking into running a line.

Four months ago, she took over The Soiree's small, immaculate kitchen and began banging out her own dishes from her own recipes. And she couldn't be more thrilled. "I've gotten my ass kicked, but I feel like I've gone through the bumps-and-bruises phase and I am really, really enjoying it now," she says. "I am appreciating it on an entirely different level than someone who came in through the restaurant business."

To the outside observer, though, she's keeping a tight lid on that excitement. There's dance music pumping through the shotgun space, but that's only because no one's turned it down yet. The doors have just now opened for Sunday dinner--only the restaurant's third evening to be open following the decision to 86 the brunch service--and the first diners have yet to slide across the cushioned banquettes.

Seely's cousin-slash-manager stands behind the generously stocked bar organizing her mise en place for what everyone hopes is a steady night. When the kitchen closes around 10:30pm, though, the $6 weekend martini special kicks in, and busy will be guaranteed.

Otherwise there's a distinct absence of anniversary hoopla--not even a mention of the occasion on the A-frame chalkboard sign sitting outside on the sidewalk. To anyone who knows Seely or who's been to the restaurant, that's not surprising. Both are decidedly low-key. There's no hype, no ego.

Which is a good thing when you've spent the past twelve months in a constant state of adaptation. So far Seely's changed everything from culinary direction (the intended focus was French) to its hours to the price of the menu's signature steak (a mere $21 for a garlic-marinated rib-eye with generous sides). All in an effort to hit on what she believes is the right mix to keep tables turning and customers coming back.

"I like to say the neighborhood molded this restaurant," she says of her spot on the end of the trendy stretch of Lincoln Avenue. The Old Town School of Music across the street supplies a lot of business, and she happily accommodates those who can't get seated at nearby Bistro Campagne.

The menu, full of moderately creative takes on understandable ingredients, is also a major selling point. On the fall menu, the biggest hit has been the short ribs, which are spiced with a Szechuan rub and braised for three hours, but the chicken and dumplings also have been a big hit (it's on the menu as a small plate, but simply asking will get you an entrée portion). Dessert's standout is a bread pudding rich with cinnamony seasonings and heavy cream. The modest wine list speaks to diners in an equally understandable vernacular: value. There's nary a garage blend here--everything's food friendly and priced between $28 and $35.

As for regulars, she's seeing some of the same faces for the evening martini special, but not yet at the restaurant. But she knows it will happen. "It's just going to take time, but that's OK. It's enough that we're still here," she says. "I live life by the day."

The Soiree Bar & Restaurant, 4539 North Lincoln, (773)293-3690

(2006-11-14)

Also by Jenny B. Davis

Faster Pussycat, Thrill! Thrill!
Early evenings, the Boystown spot resembles a neighborhood bistro working an Old Hollywood theme. Black-and-white movies play on giant projection screens hanging from every wall, and gold-fringed red theater curtains frame the front windows. There's candlelight, there's canoodling.
(2006-06-21)

Cape Crusade
South African wine is now welcome in America
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Three Questions for Simonsig's Pieter Malan
Over dinner at Kevin--spicy bean glazed rack of lamb in rosemary sauce and a glass of his own Redhill Pinotage--Pieter Malan of South Africa's Simonsig Family Vineyards fielded questions about the growing popularity of his country's wine in the states
(2006-06-06)

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Despite what the gossip rags would have you believe, movie stars are not like us
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Got Vice?
(2005-11-15)

Taking It All Off
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Anarchy in the kitchen
(2002-10-30)

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