Last we heard from Eric Aubriot, he was filling in at Custom House after Aaron Deal was let go. The menu he finally devised featured simplified tavern fare, with a slight French twist. So it’s a little surprising when Chicago Magazine reported that he had moved on and opened Lure Izakaya Pub in the Chinatown Mall. Talk about a change of direction. We have the full menu below, but what we found most interesting is that Chicago also published a mini review, writing a “friend of Dish checked out Lure on its opening weekend and gave us this early report.” So, what did this “friend” think?
Well, all was not perfect. The space “felt as awkward as a deserted dance club,” and only a couple of the dishes were “better than just good.” One of the dishes, the rock shrimp yamamo, was given a verdict of “I don’t think I can swallow this.” Still, it seems just a tad unfair to judge a place so close to opening. Take a look at the menu below and see what you think.
Eric Aubriot Opens Lure in Chinatown [Chicago Magazine]
Lure Izakaya Pub, 2017 S. Wells. St., 1st Floor, Chicago ll 60616; 312-225-8989
Lure Izakaya Pub Menu
SMALL PLATES from the KITCHEN
Black Mussels 8
sautéed with tomato in miso-coconut broth and butter
Ika Geso Karaage 4
fried squid head with sea salt
Asari Sakamushi 8
little neck clams steamed in sweet bonito-sake broth
Potato Croquette 4
mashed potato, corn, carrot and pea, breaded in panko and fried
Rankon 3
fried lotus root chips with sea salt
Tempura Avocado 3
served with lime
Zuke Salmon 5
marinated seared salmon with daikon oroshi
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Scallop 5
with tea-honey-citrus marmalade
Pink Sea Salt Edamame 3
Wasabi Wakame Salad 4
Braised Pork Belly 6
with golden beet and pickled bok choy
Duck Breast 6
pan-seared and marinated in japapeno sweet mirin-soy sauce
King Crab Motoyaki 8
broiled with shiitake-spinach mayonnaise
Asparagus Motoyaki 5
broiled with shiitake-spinach mayonnaise
Yellon Fin Tuna 8
sashimi with avocado and blue cheese-citrus vinaigrette
Beef Sashimi 5
served raw with truffle mayonnaise and chive
Lure Chicken Karaage 5
sake marinated and fried
Sugar Snap 5 t
opped with sesame-miso sauce
Gobo Saba 4
mackerel with daikon, poached in burdock root broth
Spicy Tofu 4
fried and served with peanut and pickled cabbage
German Style Potato Salad 5
served warm with sautéed smoked bacon and onion
Shrimp or Bacon Omurice 6
tomato fried rice wrapped in fried egg with tonkatsu sauce
Rock Shrimp Yamaimo 5
creamy japanese mountain potato purée with organic raw egg over rice
Lobster Spaghetti 6
garlic marscapone sauce
Yaki Soba -(Shrimp or Sausage) 6
Japanese pan-fried noodles with bonito and scallion
SMALL PLATES from the GRILL
(brushed with olive oil, citrus, and sea salt)
Shishito 2
apple wood-grilled Japanese sweet pepper
Japanese Beef Tongue 5
cherry wood grilled with sautéed Tokyo scallion
Baby Squid 4
apple wood-grilled
Iwashi 6
oak wood-grilled whole sardine with pickled Japanese ginger root
Madai Himono 10
overnight air-dried whole Japanese snapper, cherry wood grilled
Aji Himono 8
overnight air-dried whole Japanese horse mackerel, cherry wood grilled
Ika 7
apple wood-grilled whole squid
Lamb Chops 6
oak wood grilled, yuzu miso citrus
Japanese Smoked Sausage 4
oak wood grilled with togarashi spicy mayonnaise
Shishamo Himono 5
overnight air-dried whole capelin with roe, cherry wood-grilled
Baby Spinach 6
brown butter-sake sauce cooked in foil over grill
Ayu 5
whole Japanese river fish, apple wood-grilled
HOME MADE DESSERTS
Yuzu Crème Brulée 5
Dark Chocolate Mousse 5
White Chocolate Matcha Mousse 5