It’s a highly questionable theory, but Cajun food is often considered to be the less sophisticated rural analogue to cosmopolitan creole cuisine. If you subscribe to that idea, you might have been among the many who did a double take when you learned that the much-anticipated Logan Square cocktail bar Analogue, helmed by two Violet Hour vets, would be serving a tightly focused food menu that includes things like gumbo, po’boys, dirty rice, and biscuits.
On the other hand, Nogueira successfully takes liberties, as with a mirliton (aka chayote) stuffed with smoked mushrooms and dressed with black-garlic vinaigrette. (As the menu notes, all meat, cheeses, dairy, and fish are sourced locally, so you won’t see this dish stuffed with the customary shrimp or crabmeat.) Another likable nod to vegetarians is the mushroom debris po’boy bedded on crispy fries, the umami-rich fungi convincingly subbing for the shredded beef of the classic debris sandwich. There are two po’boys on the menu, in fact—the other bedding a luscious slab of Slagel Farms pork shoulder—both dressed in orthodox fashion with tomato, shredded iceberg lettuce, and mayo, and both built on crackly, light D’Amato’s bread, which I never realized was the perfect po’boy vehicle until I had it in this context.
Fortunately, Haynes and Prendergast, who promise to refresh the cocktail menu frequently, have already implemented a new edition. A special Malort cocktail sampled on one visit, the Malori Keaton, may be a sign of better things to come. Sweet and fruity up front and bitter on the finish, it was a lavish bouquet of a drink reminiscent of some of the best things ever poured at the Violet Hour.
2523 N. Milwaukee 773-904-8567analoguechicago.com
