Rose Mary Review
Author: Cayla Volandes
Photographs Courtesy of Jen Spears, Kinship
It’s your 20th birthday, you’re feeling special, and you want to find someplace where you can stuff your face. But in a classy way. Look no further — Rose Mary is Chef Joe Flamm’s newest masterpiece, featuring the bold fusion of Italian and Croatian cuisines in Chicago’s West Loop area. He is known for his role as Executive Chef at Spiaggia, the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant frequented by the Obamas, but shockingly closed after 37 years this past July. Now, Joe Flamm debuts his new restaurant as both Chef and Owner.
The ambiance is quaint and charming, with nearly all-wooden decor and sprinkles of hanging vines dotting the ceiling green. Warm and inviting, Rose Mary beckons the restaurant-goer to partake in a cozy, elevated atmosphere as they bite into their plate of lamb shoulder. The restaurant invites the customer to the full culinary experience, as eaters can enjoy the spectacle of their dishes being prepared right in front of their eyes in the open kitchen. Rose Mary is perfect for a romantic date with a significant other, a family dinner, or a night out with friends; its open yet intimate atmosphere makes it the ideal spot for any occasion. It feels celebratory, but is also the kind of place you want to come back to again and again.
To start, we began with the Tuna Crudo. The high quality of the fish immediately allows itself to melt in the mouth with an elevated texture. The bursts of capers, coarse sea salt, and veal aioli complement and round off the dish. Our next two dishes were the Roasted Beets and the Zucchini Fritters. The combination of the creamy, subtly sweet kajmak — similar to a yogurt — and the hearty, coal-roasted beets with crumbled pistachios leads to culinary harmony. What could be a better complement to fresh vegetables than a plate of fried ones? Upon taking a bite into the hard exterior of the Zucchini Fritters, fragments of zucchini, carrots, onions and feta erupted in my mouth, tastefully paired with a pesto aioli to enhance the dish’s natural flavors.
Continuing on our culinary journey, we next dove into the Lamb Ragu Mafaldine. The pasta’s freshness and the thick layer of parmesan coating the carby ribbons were a highlight, in addition to the strong spices and flavors emanating from the jalapeño-filled bolognese sauce. During our breaks in between inhaling mouthfuls of the Mafaldine, we pulled the meat right off the bone from the Pork Ribs Pampanella. While I loved all of the dishes from Rose Mary, this one was my favorite. The exquisite tenderness of the pork combined with the spectacular flavor profile — which included the spice from a calabrian chile sauce soothed by a cabbage and yogurt relish — made me keep coming back for more.
The restaurant bills itself as a fusion of Croatian and Italian cuisine. “What’s Croatian food?”, some might wonder. It reveals itself on the menu with dishes such as Beef Burek or Cevapi. But look at a map or the menu at Rose Mary, and you’ll notice the proximity of the two countries. Their close borders are reflected by the respective flavors home to each region, which, upon fusion, coexist symbiotically. Overall, the standout service, spectacular dishes, and pleasant atmosphere definitely warrant not one, but many revisits to Rose Mary. But reserve early — the restaurant is nearly always packed.
