LINCOLN PARK — Ignoble Wine Bar is open on Clybourn Avenue, and that's really all owner Luke Fairbank wants people to know.
Well, that and it's not just a wine bar, but "food-focused" as well.
"We're doing great work," Fairbank said. "We're getting great reviews. People just don't know we're here yet."
Part of the problem, Fairbank added, was that although he originally planned to open in April, the inevitable City Hall red tape pushed the debut back to Memorial Day. So by the time Ignoble Wine Bar, at 2417 N. Clybourn Ave., got rolling, DePaul University students were departing, and neighborhood locals were decamping on summer vacations.
"It looks great," Fairbank said of the former Marshfield's Urban Grill. "People are loving the concept, and they're more open to try something new than I even expected."
That was the original guiding principle behind Ignoble, to go beyond the so-called noble grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc and syrah to offer something different, tasty and oftentimes at a lower price where wines are concerned.
That's been a success. But Fairbank found that the "wine bar" label was prompting customers to show up having already eaten somewhere else, slighting the menu of reasonably priced small plates.
So Fairbank is now calling Ignoble a "food-focused wine bar," and enticing diners with a reservation-only prime rib on Saturday night, with bookings (for that dish at least) cut off 24 hours in advance.
It's also offering a three-day brunch, half off on Fridays.
Fairbank's attempt to offer all things to all tastes goes beyond wines, as Ignoble has a beer list leaning heavily on its partnership with the local Maplewood Brewery & Distillery (its stout is used in a spiked iced coffee including a local vodka) and a bourbon sangria also drawing on local spirits.
So the wine bar is open, Fairbank said, but feel free to bring your appetite as well.
