First Look: Park 52

Before last week’s opening of Park 52, Jerry Kleiner’s long-awaited foray into Hyde Park, I asked the restaurateur if he feared customers might confuse it with Art Smith’s similarly named Table Fifty-Two in the Gold Coast.

"Table Fifty-Two? It’s an entirely different location," he said, sounding affronted by the very suggestion. "We’re on 52nd Street."

Fair enough. For the record, Park 52’s address is 5201 S. Harper Ct. It shares a building with blues club The New Checkerboard Lounge. But also for the record, I was talking only about the name. Of course, no one would ever mistake this vibrant spot with Smith’s chic-and-serene country kitchen.

After my visit, however, I do wonder if people might confuse it with, well, one of Kleiner’s many other restaurants (Red Light, Carnivale, Room 21 instantly come to mind).

All the famous Kleiner elements you’ve seen before are here: Fabric-covered light fixtures? Check. Tufted red-leather banquettes? Got ’em. Random assortment of fashion photography in gilded frames? Regrettably, yes.

The good news is that while Kleiner did not reinvent the wheel here, the team—which includes his partner from Room 21, Marc Brooks, and chef Chris Barron—keeps it spinning nicely. It’s formulaic, but it’s not exactly soulless. Park 52 looks like it’s going to bring this ’hood’s dining scene a little more of what it needs: fun.

Let’s start with the food. It’s described as American bistro fare, which is just another way of saying, I think, familiar. We ordered the 14-ounce New York Strip. For just $28, I wondered just what kind of cut of meat this would be. Excellent, actually. Flavorful. Well-trimmed. Precisely cooked. Hey, this is kind of a steal.

The roasted whitefish ($21) was much the same, with a dollop of roasted tomato jam adding a bit of zing. The side dishes are served a la carte, which can quickly drive up the cost of the evening, so beware. I wouldn’t call Park 52 a cheap night out, but it’s a value.

Barron wants to introduce more seasonal ingredients, and that’s probably good, because the list of salads could use something to perk it up. The baby spinach and jicama with dried cherries ($7), for instance, lacked flavor and imagination. The seared sea scallops with a puddle of cauliflower coulis were a much better ($11) execution of classic flavors.

Service is friendly and welcoming, but clearly still getting its act together. It didn’t help that the wine list wasn’t created yet (it’s scheduled to roll out Thursday). Our server struggled with the handful of selections on offer that night, peering down at her notes and seeming scattered on prices. We finally shrugged and ordered "a cab" and "a chardonnay" and hoped for the best. As luck would have it, both were very good.

That reflects well on the safe bets on a wine list that will feature inexpensive, though not bad, choices. The 70-bottle list will feature 70 percent domestic choices priced between $20 and $65, and 13 by-the-glass pours. The crowd that night held many bespectacled University of Chicago grad student-types who looked like they were taking a break from the books for a date. We got in early, so we saw some families (kids in tow) finishing up.

Around 8 p.m., however, the bar scene came alive. We think that’s only going to increase when the upstairs mezzanine (still waiting for the OK from the city) and cocktail list are complete. There’s also private and semiprivate dining, including a massive "chef’s table" next to the kitchen, which will accommodate big parties.

Of course, Park 52 will also make a nice spot to meet up for a big date, or just to meet an old, familiar friend—maybe Jerry Kleiner himself.

[ Chris LaMorte is the Metromix dining producer. Metromix reviews are based on anonymous visits. Meals are paid for by Metromix. ] clamorte@tribune.com