What to Eat

What to Eat at English, Now Under the Helm of Radhika Desai

Photo: courtesy Bravo

Peripatetic former Top Chef contestant Radhika Desai has, as we noted recently, at long last landed, with a gig at the head of the kitchen at River North’s English, where she’s overhauled the menu completely. Gone is the meatball sub, gone is the chicken roulade — though many of the restaurant’s menu items (sliders, a ham & cheese sandwich) do remain the same.

From where we sit, the fun game is picking out which dishes on the otherwise pubby menu bear Radhika’s imprimatur: duck confit dumplings for sure, ditto for the luxury-signifier-laden lobster and white-truffle mac ‘n cheese. And lest you dismiss the bangers & mash as a relic of the restaurant’s previous culinary identity, it’s worth noting (since the menu apparently doesn’t) that the bangers in question are actually locally made duck-and-foie sausage that’s been simmered in a red-wine demi-glace. Here’s the full high-low menu:

Bar Snacks

Deviled egg 3

Marinated olives 3

House fries 4

Onion rings 6

Red beets, whipped goat cheese & pistachios 6

Buffalo chicken wings 9

Soups
Soup of the day 6
Forest mushroom bisque 6
With goat cheese and chives

Sliders
Filet mignon 4.50
Lamb & feta 4
Angus burger 3
Buffalo chicken 3
Guinness pulled pork 3
Lobster cake 3
Turkey & mushroom burger 3

Light Starters
Strawberry walnut salad 9
Mixed greens, aged Gorgonzola, golden raisins, tossed in a tangerine vinaigrette

English house salad 9
Diced carrots, avocado, cucumbers, green onions, peas, artichoke hearts, bacon, cherry tomatoes, tossed in a sherry vinaigrette

Mediterranean salad 10
Feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas, red onions, roasted red peppers, fresh parsley, tossed in a crumbled feta vinaigrette

Peppercorn-crusted steak salad 14
Flat iron steak, mixed greens, tomatoes, blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette

Add Ons:
Grilled chicken 3.50
Salmon or steak 6.50

English Pub Grub
Fish & chips 10
Bangers & mash 9
English crisps 8
Curry mussels 9
Shepherd’s pie 10
Duck confit dumplings, red wine & strawberry jam 10
Lobster & white truffle mac ‘n’ cheese 10

Between Bread
Chicken sandwich 9
Avocado, bacon, jack cheese and roasted red pepper aioli

Flat iron steak sandwich 10
Blue cheese, leek crisps, and caramelized onions

Fried egg BLT 7
Two eggs over easy, bacon, lettuce, basil aioli and tomatoes

Roasted vegetable sandwich 8
With herb goat cheese on tomato foccacia

Salmon sandwich 10
Cucumbers, red cabbage slaw, mixed greens, and tomatoes

Ham & cheese sandwich 9
Three cheeses & black forest ham on gouda & parmesan loaf

English burger 12
Certified Angus on a toasted brioche bun, brie and manchego cheeses, mixed greens, tomatoes and mustard jam

Served with onion rings or house fries

Turkey burger 10
Served on a pretzel bun with braised fennel, cremini mushrooms and smoked gouda

The burger 11
Certified Angus on a pretzel bun with lettuce, tomatoes, and your choice of three additional ingredients

Additional ingredients
Bacon, white cheddar, gouda, blue cheese, monterey jack, goat cheese, avocado, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms or fried egg
What to Eat at English, Now Under the Helm of Radhika Desai