Eat This: Longman & Eagle

Situated in an unassuming square grey building on the quiet corner of Kedzie and Schubert (just across from the Blue Line stop) in Logan Square, Longman & Eagle doesn’t look like much at first glance. Even upon walking in, I found myself wondering how such modest place had garnered such buzz, even earning a coveted Michelin star (it held the star from 2011 to 2017 and is now on Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list). It didn’t take me long to find out the answer.

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I claimed a seat at the bar. Since it was 3pm, there was a break in the service (and crowd) as brunch changed to dinner. Rather than order from the limited bar menu, I chose to have a few drinks and wait until 5pm to order.  Longman & Eagle offers not only an extensive and well-curated beer and wine list, they also offer several handcrafted cocktails from a menu that changes seasonally. Bartenders were fast, friendly, and always available, even as the evening wore on and the space became increasingly crowded.

I started with the kobe meatballs with creamy polenta, a perfect small portion that whet my appetite for more. The meatballs were moist and flavorful and the creamy polenta lived up to its name with a rich mouthfeel. I thenmoved on to the three seared Maine scallops with braised oxtail and black truffle gnocchi -a decadent small dish worth far more than its $12 price tag. The scallops were perfectly seared and the oxtail melted in my mouth. For dessert, I sampled the gruyere donuts, three dense, chewy pastries filled with cheese, drizzled with maple syrup and served with citrus goat cheese – a unusually light and delicious end to the meal. Each dish was artfully constructed from locally produced ingredients for a medley of flavors that blended well. Portion sizes were substantial but not overwhelming and the prices were very reasonable at the time; today’s menu runs from snacks around $10 to mains in the $26-$44 range. The menu changes often, and none of those three dishes is on it now.

Longman & Eagle is open 7 days a week, with lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends and a limited menu from 3pm to 5pm before dinner. They now take limited dinner reservations on Resy (not for the patio, the bar or brunch) but keep plenty of room for walk-ins, so come early (or later on a weekday) or be prepared to wait. Longman & Eagle also runs a 6-room inn above the restaurant. Rooms start at $125 a night.

Photos by cinnachick