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Park Tavern focuses on WOW! factor
A savory salmon entree at Park Tavern
Park Tavern
MB Financial Park in Rosemont, 5433 Park Place, Rosemont
11:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday; 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday
(847) 349-5151 or visit www.parktavernrosemont.com
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Updated: July 31, 2012 5:28PM
From foot-long grilled cheeses to table-tap draft beers, the new Park Tavern introduces its own gastro pub experience to Rosemont.
“We wanted to bring a city-like concept to the suburbs,” said Marc Wuenschel, chief operations officer of Restaurants-America Brands who opened the Park Tavern across from Muvico Theaters in MB Financial Park on July 23. It’s the first of several locations planned for the city and beyond. “The theme is inventive pub food and craft beers in a casual, urban-lodge setting.”
House specialties include a Foot Long Grilled Cheese ($10) with melted cheddar, Chihuahua, and pepper jack cheeses topped with candied, apple wood bacon and two fried eggs on a baguette smeared with chipotle spread; Animal Tots ($10) of pulled pork, cheese curds, grainy mustard, fried egg in a Bell’s Kalamazoo gravy and Street Vendor Tacos ($12) made with white corn tortillas stuffed with a choice of crispy chicken, seared tuna, carnitas or farmstead.
From the grill
Smoked items range from a “cluck” beer-can half chicken ($16) to an “oink” slab of baby back ribs ($24) to a “baa” of tandoori spiced lamb loin ($24).
The menu also features an impressive selection of salads including a cornbread chicken salad ($13) made with crumbled cornbread and pulled chicken, tossed with romaine, cannellini beans and fried sage in a smoky bacon vinaigrette.
There are also two-handed sandwiches including a lamb French dip to an Asian turkey burger made with pho spices, sriracha aioli, topped with roasted red peppers and romaine on a wheat Kaiser roll ($10). And for heartier appetites, Park Tavern offers entrée classics of salmon, tuna, chicken, and New York strip steaks ($32).
An extensive specialty drink list combined with a robust selection of wines and craft beers are also a specialty of the house.
“The philosophy behind the menu is to offer our guests an eclectic blend of sophisticated pub food that complements the large beer/drink/wine lists and fits the warm, urban ambiance created at Park Tavern,” Wuenschel said.
That ambiance builds on Park Tavern’s contemporary spin on the gastro pub experience in a 7,000-square-foot, “industrial-chic” restaurant with a spacious, 240-seat dining room with a huge bar and street-level outdoor seating to the open-air rooftop lounge called Skybar which seats an additional 80 guests and overlooks The Park Plaza. The restaurant features wood and polished concrete floors, salvaged lighting, butcher-block table tops, over-sized leather booths and plasma televisions.
Table tap
“Pour your own draft beer from the comfort of your own table with our unique table-tap systems,” said Wuenschel. He’s been in the restaurant business for more than 22 years, working in all positions from culinary to front of the house operations, serving the last 13 years at the corporate level.
“In warmer months, enjoy a refreshing craft cocktail and the view of The Park from our second floor Skybar,” he suggested.
“The WOW! factor you get from the ambiance, food, drinks and service,” Wuenschel said, is what makes Park Tavern special.
