Neighborhood: Logan Square

Cellar Door Provisions is a cute, boho byob restaurant tucked away in Logan Square.  Its front is unassuming, but as you walk in, you are greeted with gorgeous plants, sleek wood, and a minimalist decor nested in a small interior.  It is an order at the counter type of restaurant, which gives it more of a casual vibe without compromising the quality of the dining experience.  They have very unique, small plates with refined, complex flavors.

I appreciate that they serve brunch till 3pm (breakfast and lunch items) since I’m not an early riser.  I also like the breakfast, brunch, and pastry options so your palette can get a wide variety of flavors.  Another aspect of the charm is that it’s BYOB but they had excellent coffee, flavorful loose-leaf teas and a unique turmeric drink.  I had their black loose-leaf tea and enjoyed it with my brunch.

While you’re waiting for your order to come out, you can split a fresh and flaky French style pastry with your dining companion (or just eat it all yourself).  We split the croissant and it was the epitome of a fresh, flaky French croissant.  It’s one of the best croissants I’ve had here in Chicago.

Considering how amazing their pastries are, we tried their bread and cultured butter.  It was fresh, earthy, and the butter added a nice saltiness to the bread.  Cellar Door really thrives at making amazing baked products. We also started with a turnip hummus.

Being a hummus lover, I was excited to see hummus presented in a unique way – similar to how I had it in Berlin.  The hummus was garlicky and delicious with the turnips, a hard boiled egg, dukkah, and a peppery romesco.  The romesco really gave it a complex, dynamic flavor and was my favorite part of it.  It was served with pita-esque bread that was crispy.

We also tried the smoked beat ravioli, which came with beet sauce, hazelnuts, and cured apricot. It was an absolutely beautiful dish drizzled with flowers. The beat ravioli tasted super fresh.  The stuffing consisted of a smoke beet purée.  The smokey flavor wasn’t very potent, but the ravioli had complexity in its flavors and had remarkable spices that aren’t typically paired with ravioli.

I am a big fan of smoked fish so we ordered the cured trout as the main entree.  The cured trout could have been more flavorful but it had a good texture.  The sunchoke puree that it was served on provided a noteworthy element to this dish.  I did enjoy the salted radish as it added a crunchy texture.

The trout was paired with lentils, which was also another interesting texture and flavor combination. I really liked the lentils with the sunchoke.  I think this dish had potential to be something greater, but it was still quite distinctive.

We concluded our meal with a mouthwatering pastry, Kouign-Amann.  It had a delicate rose water flavor that was soaked up very well by the flaky pastry.  The rose water flavor balanced out the sweetness perfectly.

I was overall satisfied with what I ate and hope to try more of their dishes.  They had a decent assortment of pescatarian options even though they have a smaller menu.   The service was overall lovely and embodied a welcoming environment.  If you’re looking for a brunch spot that is a break from your typical omelettes and Eggs Benedict, Cellar Door is the place to try!  I wouldn’t come to Cellar Door expecting bold, spicy flavors, but I think they thrive with delicate, savory flavors with intricate textures.