Welcome back to the BYOB Files, a monthly showcase for Chicago's favorite bring-your-own restaurants. This month, we visit Herb, a relatively new Thai restaurant in Edgewater with a spa-like interior and seasonal menu that brings it a step above the average pad see ew joint. See the other restaurants in our BYOB Files at redeyechicago.com/byob. kbernot@tribune.com | @redeyeeatdrink
New:Herb
5424 N. Broadway 773-944-9050
The backstory: Herb's chef and owner Patty Neumson also grew up in southern Thailand, where she assisted her mother in the kitchen and worked in her grandmother's restaurant before moving to the United States 21 years ago. After attending business school, Neumson opened four casual restaurants, including Lakeview's Satay, which she has since sold. She then changed careers and worked in financial services for seven years before her passion for cooking drew her back to the kitchen. Four-month-old Herb is the most upscale restaurant Neumson has operated, and it blends her focus on healthful eating with a commitment to authentic recipes and ingredients. "I opened Herb to serve food that's delicious, nutritious, with beautiful presentation, and to use my creativity," she said. "It was my goal to serve unique food that you couldn't find at other restaurants."
The highlights: Dishes are available a la carte, but I opted for the three-course prix-fixe. For $35, it was a deal, considering my table also received a memorable amuse-bouche (two-bite pre-appetizer dish) and a small dessert trio in addition to an appetizer, soup and entree (there's also a $55 six-course prix-fixe that includes three appetizers, a soup, an entree and a larger-sized dessert). The amuse on the night I visited-a betel leaf-wrapped mixture of roasted coconut, crushed peanuts, lime juice, chili and ginger-was characteristic of the freshness and un-dumbed-down spice that unified the rest of the meal. As temperatures cool, opt for the Snow Wood Ear soup, a simple but rich vegetable broth that suspends beet-red aka tosa seaweed, spinach, napa cabbage and nameko mushrooms. As an entree, the turmeric chicken could seem like a throwaway amongst more exotic options such as lamb in a musaman curry stew or salmon with choo-chee curry. Don't overlook it, though, because you would miss remarkably tender grilled slices of chicken thigh marinated in an Indian-inspired blend of lemongrass and coriander, the smell of which wafted to my table before it even arrived. The menu changes seasonally, so expect a winter menu to debut in a few months.
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BYOB lowdown: Service was friendly but inconsistent when it came to the BYOB accoutrements. Servers provided a wine-chilling bucket right away, but forgot the bottle opener. They earned points, though, for offering new stemless glasses when I transitioned from beer to wine. Get off the Red Line at Thorndale rather than Berwyn if you want to swing by Independent Spirits (5947 N. Broadway 773-989-2115) for a bottle of wine or six-pack of craft beer. You'll also find In Fine Spirits (5418 N. Clark St. 773-506-9463) and Andersonville Wine & Spirits (5201 N. Clark St. 773-769-0858) a few blocks west on Clark Street. White wine would be a versatile choice with most of the menu, but a beer brewed with spices such as coriander or ginger also would be appropriate.
Try it for: A nicer date, or a celebratory dinner with friends who have adventurous palates
Coming attractions: Herb has applied for a liquor license, but plans to remain BYOB without a corkage fee even once the license has been approved. Neumson has a next-door tea house in the works, where she hopes to blend, brew and package tea with a focus on herbal teas and their health benefits. She hopes to open the shop within three to four months.
