Troquet: Out of the (South) Loop, but worth the trip

From the inside looking out at Troquet

Troquet in Ravenswood
Troquet at 1834 W. Montrose  calls itself as a neighborhood French bar. We’ve been to a few French bars, but we’re hardly experts, so we’ll have to take their word for it. One thing is for sure, if you’re interested in good food and drink at moderate prices, you can’t go wrong. Only open since March of this year, Troquet has quickly developed a loyal following. On a steaming Thursday evening at 7 p.m., it was practically full to capacity. It’s dining area isn’t incredibly large, but there is ample outdoor seating, when the weather cooperates. The menu isn’t large, but they do have daily specials, which keeps things interesting. There are no entrees over $12, all of which are served with French fries (pommes frites) and salad.

Salmon served with salad and pommes frites

Our recent visit
On our visit we had the mussels with fries. The mussels, from Washington State, were tender and flavorful in a light sauce that our waiter suggested we use as a dip for our French fries. Good tip! The fries were excellent: hot, crisp, nicely seasoned and served with a mayonnaise sauce (just in case you didn’t like the sauce from the mussels). The soup of the day was cold carrot, which was ideal on the hot evening we visited. For the main course we ordered the fish of the day: grilled salmon. The salmon was expertly prepared. It was moist and flavorful. The manager suggested we put some of the mayonnaise sauce on the fish, which we did. Another good suggestion, even though we thought the salmon was flavorful enough on its own. We ended with mousee “Troquet” (chocolate and nutella) and Teurgoule (cinnamon rice pudding), the only two desserts on the menu. Both were excellent.

Easy to get to
Troquet is easy to get to from the South Loop using CTA. You can take the Red Line to Fullerton, switch to the Brown Line, and take it to the Montrose stop. From there, it’s less than a half block walk west.


Hours of operation
Troquet’s hours of operation are Sunday to Thursday noon to midnight; Friday and Saturday noon to 2 a.m. For more information, visit their Web site or call the restaurant at 773.334.5664. Troquet is owned by the same company (LM) that owns and operates Brasserie at 800 S. Michigan Ave.

Smoke in Red Line Subway

The Chicago Transit Authority reported smoke in the Red Line subway this morning, sending firefighters to the scene, reports Crain's. According to the Chicago Tribune, smoke was reported between the Lake St. and Grand and State St. stations. A 9:35 a.m.posting by the CTA said trains were being rerouted to the elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermack-Chinatown stations.

According the a posting to the CTA Web site, service on the "Red Line has resumed, but residual delays may occur. Service was disrupted due to Fire Department activity near Lake." The posting goes on to say allow for "extra travel time."

No injuries have been reported.

Is it really "Doomsday" in Chicago?

"How bad is it?"
We're now into our fourth day since the the CTA made cuts to buses and train service. So, I'm asking, "How bad is it?"


What's changed?
Since late September, I have been traveling from the South Loop to Evanston for work. I generally take the number 12 bus to the Roosevelt Rd. train station. From there, I take the Red Line north to Belmont, and then take the Purple Line express to Davis. For me, nothing much has changed.

I decided to start walking the five blocks to Roosevelt Rd. on Monday, more for exercise than a time-saver, but other than that, it's the same commute, no better, no worse. The Red Line seems to come along fairly regularly (as it did before) and so does the Purple Line express. I'm sure there is another side to this story from folks who primarily take the bus (or buses) to work.

Your experiences
So, I'll ask again, "How bad is it?" Let me know your experiences, good or bad, and don't forget to take the CTA poll on this page.