Nettare

A recent joiner to the Chicago scene, Bar Nettare joins a trend of cafe-bar-restaurants, which segue from coffee shop to lunch café to dinner spot over the course of the day – with great success. The food is rustic and top-notch, the baked goods are excellent, and the dinner menu, inspired by the regional ingredients of the Great Lakes, is fresh and inventive.

As a Michigan boy myself, I’m always delighted to see a well-done regional wine list, considering Michigan (and the other Great Lakes states) truly does produce some excellent bottles. Nettare successfully composes a list that gives a respectful tour of high-quality regional wineries, plus local spirits and cocktails made from obsessively seasonal ingredients. In all, Nettare is a charming stop at any time of the day, and a welcome addition to Chicago.