The scene: When you live on the Far North Side, a new restaurant opening isn’t just reason to eat. It’s reason to celebrate. Edgewater and neighboring Rogers Park are many things: historically significant, wonderfully diverse and neighborly in the true sense of the word. But a restaurant mecca, they are not. So when 16-year-old Lakeview coffeehouse-bar-restaurant opened a second location in the former Speakeasy space, Uncommon Ground on Devon, the neighborhood came knocking. Fortunately, the space, divided into three rooms—a front bar, a main dining area and a back dining area with a small stage for coffeehouse-style performances—is large enough to accommodate everyone. A fireplace divides the front dining area and the bar, which is outfitted with cushy leather chairs and done up in rich mochas and browns. Reclaimed wood accents give the space a farmhouse feel, while exposed brick maintains an urban edge. And despite its roominess, the place manages to feel cozy and, well, there’s that word again: neighborly.
The cuisine: Like its Lakeview counterpart, Uncommon Ground on Devon focuses on seasonal, regional and organic ingredients. The menu is identical to that of the original location, with a lineup that includes a breakfast burrito ($12), chilaquiles ($11) and a salmon plate ($15). The French toast duo ($9), made with both Red Hen cinnamon-raisin bread and multigrain bread and topped with fresh berries and red grapes, was good but hardly extraordinary. Less predictable dishes, like the Italian breakfast pizza ($10), sounded promising but were merely passable. Our red sauce tasted of tomato paste, and the crust was undercooked and chewy. As we munched halfheartedly, we couldn’t keep our eyes from wandering to the table next to us, where someone was thoroughly enjoying the whole wheat banana pancakes with goji berry syrup ($10), and wondering just now neighborly this place really is.
Better than a bloody mary? A tart pomegranate mimosa made with brut cava ($8)
The wait: None—yet
Loved it: Easy street parking—and a free lot, just in case
Hated it: The regular menu lists the full lineup for New Year’s Day brunch ... which isn’t available until New Year’s Day.
Brunch time: Breakfast is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week; lunch is available until 5 p.m.
Cost: About $15 per person
[ M. Kathleen Pratt is the Metromix print editor. ] kpratt@tribune.com
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