A place that has popped up over the past couple years is the Wildwood Tavern at the corner of Touhy and Caldwell Avenues in the northwest Chicago suburb of Niles. (see map) I've thought that the place looked pretty nice from the outside with its mountain cabin-type exterior with a nice patio on the side and I always had it in the back of my mind for a place to try out at some point. During a trip into Chicago earlier this year, I decided to stop in and have something to eat at Wildwood Tavern.
Mark Freedman was only 11 years old in 1971 when his father Myron, and his uncle, Phil, opened a steakhouse - the eponymously named Myron and Phil's - along Devon Ave. in Lincolnwood. Mark Freedman started out bussing tables shortly after the steakhouse opened up and he eventually worked his way up in nearly every capacity from kitchen work, to waiter, to manager, finally taking over ownership of the restaurant in 1998. Mark's wife, Ellie, became a defacto partner as Ellie's background in business and the food service industry made it a match in heaven for the both of them.
In May of 2013, a devastating electrical fire destroyed Myron and Phil's. It was a double shot of grief for Freedman as his father passed away the same day at the age of 95. But the Freedman's held their head up and vowed they'd rebuild and reopen. However, negotiations with the insurance company dragged on long enough that Freedman decided to not rebuild Myron and Phil's, but to have a new place that catered to a more casual crowd rather than a steakhouse clientele.
Pictured right - Ellie and Mark Freedman. Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune.
The Freedman's found a place in Niles that had recently been a steakhouse/barbecue spot that closed in 2013. They gutted the building and gave it a northwoods motif. Since the restaurant before them had a smoker, the Freedman's incorporated smoked meats into a mix of food items that included burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and some entrees. With everything in place, the Wildwood Tavern opened in late August 2015.
It was around 1:30 when I went into Wildwood Tavern in between appointments in the area. There's a good-sized dining area off to the right when you come into the restaurant. It has a high ceiling with a number of tables and booths interspersed throughout the area. An outdoor patio is just off the main dining room.
I took a seat at the large rectangular bar that had metal high-back chairs around it. There was an island in the middle with glass refrigerators below and a line of flat panel televisions that were perched above for viewing on all sides of the bar. The bartender that day, Marissa, was also going to be my server. She got me a food menu and showed me a beer list that had a number of domestics and a smattering of craft brews. Wildwood Tavern also had a pretty good wine menu, as well. I ended up getting a Lagunitas IPA while I looked through the menu.
It was a wide and varied menu at Wildwood Tavern. They had a handful of sharable appetizers, as well as soups and salads. Since they do have a smoker from the restaurant they took over, they have ribs, brisket, pulled pork and smoked chicken on the menu. They have a number of burgers and sandwiches, as well as signature entrees such as the original Myron and Phil's skirt steak, pork chops, fish and chips, a charbroiled New York strip, and another Myron and Phil's specialty, braised brisket. Wildwood Tavern also had thin-crust pizza that looked pretty good, as well. They had a lot of things to choose from, but I just wasn't certain what I wanted.
For starters, I got a cup of their chicken/andouille sausage and rice soup. It was similar to gumbo, only not as thick of a consistency as good gumbo. Still, this was very good soup. It had a bit of a spicy bite from the andouille sausage, and the chicken was cut into big chunks. If I had just gotten a bowl of the soup, I would have been happy.
For my lunch that day, I went with one of their specials - Gramma's meatloaf. It came with mashed potatoes and a hearty mushroom gravy. It was two slabs of their house-made meatloaf with the mushroom gravy slathered over the top. Getting meatloaf in a restaurant can be an iffy proposition, but this was actually very good. While it wasn't as moist as I may like my meatloaf, it had a good consistency and taste quality. I enjoyed the mushroom gravy with the meatloaf, but the pieces were pretty big. I had a couple bites of the adequate mashed potatoes with the gravy and was able to finish off one of the meatloaf pieces and had the other one about halfway gone before I threw in the towel. It was such a filling and well-rounded meal that I was full the rest of the day and didn't even bother getting dinner that evening.
For my first time into Wildwood Tavern, I would have to say that I was more than happy with the meatloaf special they had that day. The cup of chicken/andouille rice soup was also a warm and hearty opener to the meal. While I sat at the bar, the service was prompt and attentive. And it was a nice wholesome atmosphere at Wildwood Tavern. Since it's not too far from where I stay when I go to Chicago, I'm sure I'll be back at some point to try their pizza. The ghost of Myron and Phil's has come back in the form of the Wildwood Tavern. (Photo courtesy Tripadvisor.)