Don't call me the restaurant critic for the Local Beet. Instead of trying every place that opens; in fact instead of racing to be the very first person that tries every place that opens, I only go to a few places that make me eminately happy.  But I'm happy to share those places with you.

Mado makes me about as happy as any restaurant I know in Chicago.  Three reasons.  Wam: they do it local; the menu follows what they can get; even in winter they did not stray.  Bam: they do it whole animal style; a bit of testa (headchease) or heart on  the menu are not affectations but necessities, but from my perspective, they give me the chance to try dishes I would otherwise not have at home (although my wife did just make tongue).  Thank you, man: they have a hell of a touch in the kitchen; they have that knack for knowing which three ingredients go well together (and when your dishes have but three ingredients you better ace that), but it is not just the mix, it is the amount, the proportion, the seasoning; the other day I was talking with them of a radish, parsley salad I had enjoyed with them, how that almost throw away dish (it was there to augment some charcuterie) tasted oh so good. 

Talking to them.  Don't call me the restaurant critic for the Local Beet because I make no bones about my relationships with the folks at Mado.  Forget disguises.  My wife apprentices in the kitchen.  We are about to throw a lifecycle event there.  Yet, Mado is no secret society.  One of the things that was most impressive about their recent 1 Year Anniversary Dinner was the amount of regular customers, not just at the dinner but at the after-party.  Mado cooks almost daily for a neighbor.  They have helped local foodies solve problems and learn new tricks.  I am not the only one with a lack of objectivity when it comes to Mado.

Because Mado runs their restaurant around the market and local farmers, you always want to go.  Not only for the latest crop but for those rarities.  Will you be there the one day that week when Chef Levitt has duck eggs to play with?  Still, I most want to go to Mado for the monthly family dinners.  These dinners, built around a theme, give Mado its best showcase.  You get to eat dishes that do not necessarily work for ordinary meals like whole fish, and you get to eat the full megilah, which in Mado's case goes from potted meats to puddings.  I will say, as a veteran of every family meal (except the version on New Year's Eve) that the recent Roman meal was a bit too much of a food orgy.  It's not that I did not love-love the duck gallintine, the tripe/kidneys and the oxtails, but maybe I'd take two outta three the next time.  I have never-ever, not had the tummy space to fit in all of the other Chef Levitt's desserts, and I've been known to sneak an extra slice.

Mado

1647 north milwaukee ave, chicago

773.342.2340

http://www.madorestaurantchica…..index.html