Meet every occasion with a new menu and refreshed approach at Coquette
Coquette is having a spring awakening. Opened October 2022, the pinkest modern bistro and wine bar in Chicago is thrilled to reintroduce itself with a new, refreshed approach and a menu to meet every occasion.
Pioneers of the escapist restaurant experience, we want to transport you to Paris no matter the situation: on a Tuesday night to decompress after a long work from home day, a spontaneous midweek date night, or a Champagne-drenched party with friends into the wee hours. The new menu, led by Bonhomme Group’s Michelin-starred Executive Chef Marcos Campos, Executive Pastry Chef Shannah Primiano and Culinary Director Erwin Mallet, is designed to do just that.
Start the week off with Chef Erwin’s Onion Soup, made with Smoked Bone Marrow, Sourdough and Swiss Cheese followed by the Salade Nicoise with Petite Greens, Green Bean, Egg, Provencal Olives, Anchovies and Smoked Tuna, paired with a beautiful glass of natural wine from Michelin Sommelier award winner Colin Hofer, or stop in for a seat at the kitchen counter bar and enjoy a Martini of Sorts and Le Burger, a Slagel Farms Beef patty prepared with Tomme De Savoie Cheese, Bayonne Ham, Onions and Potato Chips.
Make a date night divine by beginning with a glass of grower Champagne and a selection from the raw bar like Le Plateau, offering West coast oysters, Gulf shrimp, scallop carpaccio and crab salad, followed by sharing the new Steak au Poivre, a 25-Day Dry-Aged New York Strip Loin served with Cognac Sauce Au Poivre and the Saint Jaques, pan-seared scallops with Red Bell Pepper Piperade and Saffron Beurre Blanc, accompanied of course by the most decadent Pomme Purée in the city. Finish it all with one of Chef Shannah’s decadent desserts like the Apple Tart with Salted Caramel, Apple Rosettes, Herbs de Provence Ice Cream.
Coquette’s menu reflects the food of France today by elevating quintessential recipes and iconic dishes. Though the cuisine may be “nouvelle”, the kitchen equipment is undeniably primitive, with all cooking done by live-fire ovens and mangal grills. Coquette also features a dry aging system that blends state-of-the-art technology with methods that go back thousands of years to unleash the flavor and tenderness of the beef, duck and fish prepared in the kitchen.
The wine list is a playful celebration of France’s most under-appreciated regions and boldest winemakers. Celebrating “real” wine by showcasing the historical birthplace and heart of minimal intervention winemaking — Beaujolais. An extra-intentional sampling of Champagnes by grower producers is also featured, all who dare to make exquisite wine on their own terms.
Coquette’s spirit offerings are, predictably, very French. The cocktail program is built around seasonal produce, bridging the similarities found between what is harvested both in France and in the Midwest. The old idea of the spirit as the “center” or “focus” of beverages takes a backseat to building a menu around seasonally available ingredients and ingredients preserved through pickling, infusion or fermentation.
Inspired by the style of Mondrian, YSL, Godard and Bauhaus, using a bold palette of pinks and lavenders and simple geometric shapes to express a postmodern aesthetic, the design of Coquette undeniably evokes pleasure. The new menu, paired with the alluring wine and cocktail programs, is a continuation of the Parisian pleasure suited for anyone looking to escape from Chicago to the city of lights without a passport. Whether at one of the curvaceous banquettes for a two-top, a party of eight, or solo at the Kitchen Counter bar, Coquette offers an intimate 40-seat setting where guests can enjoy an evening filled with French flavors, bubbles, spirits and music.