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Lark Opens In Boystown With Whimsy And Free Pizza (PHOTOS)

By Ariel Cheung | June 16, 2016 6:06am
 Lark replaced Halsted's at 3441 N. Halsted St. with a grand opening Thursday. The pizza pub is designed as a casual eatery with a flair for fun.
Lark Opens In Boystown With Free Pizza For A Year
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BOYSTOWN — There's a new vibrancy at 3441 N. Halsted St., as the creators of Lark fine-tune the new pizza pub before its big debut.

Mark Liberson, president of Lark's LKH Management, bustles around solving one problem after another. The light fixture above the DJ station and stacks of vinyl records doesn't work; he fixes it. He tweaks the menu — again.

"When we opened [Replay and Elixir] Andersonville, we changed the menu four times in the first week and a half," Liberson said, emphasizing the importance of early feedback from customers.

So far, Lark's soft opening has people "loving the environment and the food," Liberson said. Lark, meant to evoke a sense of whimsy, is a casual new pizza pub — something Boystown doesn't really have — where customers can dine or stop by for a drink and some quality bar snacks.

During the grand opening at 5 p.m. Thursday, the first 50 customers will get a voucher for a free pizza. Everyone who visits Thursday will also be entered to win free pizza for a year.

Lark is born from the ashes of Halsted's Bar & Grill, which closed in February. LKH redesigned the space with the "old-school feel of a classic pub" in mind, with the hopes it would stand out among the sea of Lakeview sports bars with big-screen televisions and craft beers.

"It's a fun place to be — that's really the difference," Liberson said. The restaurant will have board games for customers to play, while DJs will spin records from the '80s and '90s on weekend nights.

Much of Lark's new look draws from its finely crafted wood bar, which it pulled from the shuttered Cullen's Bar on Southport (which is, incidentally, undergoing its own overhaul).

Lark took several major elements from the former Cullen's on Southport, incorporating the Irish pub's European wood bar. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]

The woodwork inspired the restaurant's polished-yet-cozy vibe. A new fireplace facing a leather couch and arm chairs is just one of several nooks scattered around the 2,400-square-foot space, designed for friends to gather for a laid-back night.

Out back, Lark kept Halsted's spacious, 100-seat patio, which nearly doubles the restaurant's 90-seat capacity.

The food menu has been revamped as well. While Halsted's most talked-about item was its tater tots, Lark's star item will be its Neapolitan pizzas.

The stars of Lark's extensive menu are its wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas. [Provided/Lark]

Between $10-$16, the wood-fired pizzas include classic options like the meat lover's or a sausage-and-mushroom combo. But there's also a handful of Lark specialties, like the Seaside pizza topped with shrimp, lobster, calamari and crab meat.

The menu is loaded with variety, designed by Girl and the Goat alum Bernardo Ibarra and Kaz Medhat of Magnolia Cafe.

Smaller bar snacks and appetizers include Sriracha barbecue baby back ribs ($10.95) and tempura fried green beans ($5.95). Arancini (fried risotto balls) come stuffed with pesto or smoked bacon and porcini for $6.95. Liberson recommends the bacon.

Salads and sandwiches offer lighter fare, while burgers come with toothsome toppings like trumpet mushrooms, marbled blue and jack cheeses and balsamic roasted tomatoes.

Lark's entrees include a roasted, fruit-brined half chicken with horseradish mashed potatoes, tempura green beans and a natural jus ($15.95). [Provided/Lark]

Pasta dishes like spinach fettuccine with roasted cauliflower and bacon ($13.95) round out the menu, along with entrees including the creamy polenta with grilled portobello mushrooms ($14.95).

And then, of course, there's brunch.

Liberson recommends the corned beef or smoked trout hashes. Then again, the biscuits and gravy are "to die for." Personally, though, he goes "straight to the lobster benedict," served on toasted pretzel bread with dill-tarragon hollandaise ($15.95).

As you brunch (yes, it's a verb in Lakeview), try the "improved" pineapple daiquiri, beverage director Vlad Novikov said. The $11 cocktail is made with Cana Brava, Tepache-spiced pineapple liqueur, passion fruit, Steen's cane syrup and lime.

If you're looking for a "high concept" cocktail, Novikov's favorite is the Ugly American ($13), made with St. George Americano Bruto bitters, BroVo Pretty, Fantinel Presecco and orange. It comes, naturally, topped with an American flag. 

"Lark is supposed to be mischievous and fun, so we wanted to do something silly, but accessible," Novikov said.

Lark will be open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays. Late-night pizza and a limited menu will be available after 10 p.m.

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