Tweezing TOC: Demera, Takashi, Soiree

The article we liked most in this week’s TOC food section is about American regional specialties as served in Chicago, and how bad they are. Just kidding! They’re not all bad. Some even lived up to the back-home hype (like Smoque BBQ’s rendition of Memphis dry rub). But since so much of how we experience food is the mis en place, it really wouldn’t be fair to expect a Chicago version of a Philly Cheesesteak or New Mexican green chili or a New York bagel to match up with their native counterparts. The water alone will do you in! We should be happy that some things don’t travel - it’s the only way to keep America from becoming a big mall.

The other feature is about post-holiday detoxification rituals. Too bad that when we most need to detox occurs at the nadir of fresh fruit and veggies season!

So, some restaurants. David Tamarkin went to Demera, and like Martha Bayne, thought the food was generally very tasty, but the service bordered on abominable. We may not like the laws of economics on principle, but if you completely ignore them, you’re probably going to go out of business! Just a thought.

Takashi and Soiree are opening this week. The former is a French-Asian fusion spot by reasonably famed chef Takashi Yagihashi, while the latter is a French-themed lounge. Note that both articles accidentally use the same photo of the decor at Takashi. Someone fix pls!

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Tweezing TOC: Demera, Takashi, Soiree