The Other Critics

Critics Spend Week in the Burbs, Review Autre Monde

Tagliatelle, Rock Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Sweet Pea Sauce
Tagliatelle, Rock Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Sweet Pea Sauce Photo: courtesy of Facebook

Julia Kramer falls for Autre Monde, giving it four stars out of five. Part of the pleasure is that some dishes “could have been from the Purple Pig” or Avec, but the “fact that they’re at a humble neighborhood trattoria in Berwyn makes them taste even better.” Dan Pancake and Beth Partridge are “knocking every dish dead,” including the flatbreads, which feature a “crackly but still flavorful crust.” The desserts are “provocatively less sweet than nearly all standard American desserts, and so much the better for it.” Kramer even loves the staff, remarking that they are “honest-to-God lovely.” [TOC]

Mike Sula wasn’t sure whether Autre Monde would be “worth risking a slog west on a gunged-up Eisenhower to eat there.” Luckily, the trip was ultimately worth it, thanks to the cooking of Beth Partridge (Cafe Spiaggia) and Dan Pancake (Spiaggia). The “ruddy handmade pastas,” feature sauces with “ionic clinginess.” Some faults of the service — like an “occasional imbalance in seasoning,” and a Sazerac that tasted like an “absinthe slush” — “seem like faults of a new operation that was in the weeds.” [Chicago Reader]

Critics Spend Week in the Burbs, Review Autre Monde