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New Lakeview Restaurant's Plea to Yelpers: We Just Opened, Give Us A Break

By Ariel Cheung | November 12, 2015 6:32am | Updated on November 12, 2015 11:03am
 Mortar and Pestle opened at Broadway and Barry the first week in November.
Mortar And Pestle Opens In Lakeview
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LAKEVIEW — Sick and tired of being held hostage to online reviews, restaurateurs banded together to boot Yelp reviewers and reclaim their eateries.

OK, that might have just been a recent episode of "South Park," but Stephen Ross knows the feeling.

Ross speaks from personal experience. He and Stephen Paul opened Mortar and Pestle, 3108 N. Broadway, Nov. 4. The East Lakeview eatery offers globally inspired brunch and lunch and hopes to eventually expand to full service.

"I just feel like the industry has become so put under the microscope, and that's something I wish people were a little more patient with," Ross told DNAinfo Chicago on Wednesday. "People have become very particular, and to give a Yelp review in the first day or two of business, I don't know if I really agree with that."

In its first week of business, half the Yelp reviews for Mortar and Pestle rapturously praised the fresh biscuits and gravy, "impeccable" service and "meticulous attention to detail." The rest slammed Mortar and Pestle for long waits and "overpriced" food.

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The restaurant's soft opening was meant to "work out the kinks," Paul said. The chef said the restaurant will continue to improve as it gains more experience with its customers.

The good news: It seems everyone loves the decor.

Century-old, reclaimed Chicago wood features heavily throughout the simplified industrial theme, with custom-made tables and other wood accents.

The wood came from Rebuilding Exchange, which takes donated, discarded wood from Chicago buildings that are demolished or destroyed.

 Mortar and Pestle opened this month at 3108 N. Broadway in Lakeview. Its decor features century-old wood reclaimed from demolished or destroyed buildings in Chicago.
Mortar and Pestle opened this month at 3108 N. Broadway in Lakeview. Its decor features century-old wood reclaimed from demolished or destroyed buildings in Chicago.
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DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung

The attention to detail — like perfumer-designed hand soaps and air diffusers for the bathrooms — and unique qualities of the decor are exactly what Ross and Paul hope to bring to the table as well.

The locally sourced, seasonal breakfast and lunch dishes are priced $11-$17. Dishes include a Sriracha crab benedict ($17), foie gras French toast ($15) and a Moroccan sausage sandwich ($15). The restaurant also makes starters like Wisconsin cheese curds with romesco aioli ($8) and coriander beignets ($5).

Drawing from their fine dining history at Farmhouse and Old Town Social Club, the pair said they didn't want to limit Mortar and Pestle to one specific cuisine, but leave it open for "unpretentious, unique" dishes.

Mortar and Pestle is BYOB, but Ross and Paul have asked South East Lake View Neighbors to approve their request for a liquor license.

The owners hope Mortar and Pestle will develop into a comfortable neighborhood fixture, where customers can feel at ease and "don't feel like you need a reason to come here, but just be the place you come to relax," Paul said.

"This place is perfectly imperfect" like the nicked, charred wood used in its design, he added. "It's a labor of love, and we're truly putting everything we have into this."

Mortar and Pestle, at Broadway and Barry, is closed Tuesdays and open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. other days.

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 Mortar and Pestle opened this month at 3108 N. Broadway in Lakeview. Its decor features century-old wood reclaimed from demolished or destroyed buildings in Chicago.
Mortar and Pestle opened this month at 3108 N. Broadway in Lakeview. Its decor features century-old wood reclaimed from demolished or destroyed buildings in Chicago.
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DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung