The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
Beatnik, a Chicago restaurant with locations in The Loop and West Town, boasts a creative menu that claims to span the globe. The restaurant said they drew inspiration from the rebellious Beatnik generation for the restaurant’s aesthetic, while its imaginative dishes and drinks take cues from Morocco, the Mediterranean, and Italy. With Chicago Restaurant week in full swing, I thought it would be the perfect time to test the depth of this menu, and discover just how much fusion a restaurant can really have.
Beatnik is not close to campus, so be prepared for dinner could take up your whole evening. Personally, I left campus with my roommate (whom I dragged along) at around 6:30 p.m., and we didn’t get back until almost 11. Sometimes, though, good food is worth the trek.
For the restaurant week menu, diners start by selecting two of the four appetizer options. Since my roommate and I were dining together, we were lucky enough to try all four of the options. My personal favorite was the baba ganoush (pictured above), which came topped with pomegranate seeds and a side of warm pita. The kale fattoush salad with kalamata olives was great as well. At this point in the meal, I was impressed. I had seen glimmers of both Mediterranean and Moroccan cuisine, and we were just getting started.
For the main course, we split the mole verde gnocchi and the chicken musakhan. The gnocchi was great, the mole verde sauce blending smoothly with the Italian streak of the gnocchi. My one complaint? There were about ten peas for every one piece of gnocchi. In my opinion, there are few things that can damage a dish more than a bad pasta ratio. Still,though, the flavors were well executed and well fused.
The chicken musakhan, on the other hand, is a purely Levantine dish, at least according to my research. While thoroughly seasoned, the chicken would have benefited from a few more minutes under the broiler for me, the dish fell a little flat.
For dessert, diners are offered just one option: a citrus yogurt with a sprinkling of waffle bits that have a Pop Rocks-like sensation when eaten. Visually, it was stunning, and texture-wise, it was interesting, but I just feel like something more could’ve been done when combining such dynamic cultural flavors.
To be honest, the real star of the show at Beatnik is the atmosphere. Lush plants and eye-catching antiques line the spacious interior, making a visually immersive dining experience.
The maximalist design feed into the place settings and cutlery, with bold patterns spanning the tables.
Ultimately, Beatnik proves that good fusion is difficult to pull off– especially if you’re trying to blend together more than two cuisines. Not all the dishes will land. You might just find a few that work, and that’s okay. With that being said, though, a meal at Beatnik does come with a fairly sturdy price tag for a college student budget. I’m glad I went– I enjoyed the food I had, but I think it will be a while before I return to Beatnik.