When you walk into Community Tavern, located on the bustling six corners of Portage Park, the sounds of busy Chicago traffic dissipate, replaced by upbeat, classic R&B and hip hop.
The restaurant is adorned with dark brown furniture, a combination of high tops, booths and tables. A beautiful wooden bar stretches across the length of the back wall, stacked high with bottles, surrounded by blue-accented walls with painted white birds throughout. There is high energy and movement from a busy but smiling staff who lead you to your table and prepare you for an evening of incredible food and drinks.
This new American restaurant is owned and operated by husband and wife team Joey and Brenna Beato, who have always dreamt of running an elevated restaurant that still feels like a ‘mom and pop’. Chef Joey, his sous Chef Danny Tolentino, and a team of talented line cooks collaborate to create food that combines seasonal, local Midwestern ingredients with pan-Asian influences. Some staple menu items include a Community Double Cheeseburger (a classic smashburger with a salty, savory fish sauce aioli), Crispy Rice Noodles (a spicy lemongrass chicken ragu with chili oil and fried garlic on sauteed rice noodles), and Community Bibimbap (their spin on the traditional Korean dish).
From left to right Sous Chef Danny Tolentino, Owner/Operator Brenna Beato, Executive Chef and Owner/Operator Joey Beato, General Manager Karen Smaka
Photo courtesy of Community Tavern
I recently spent my third anniversary with my partner at Community for what they have coined Monthly Wine Dinner. These dinners are prix-fixe and typically have four courses: amuse bouche (a one-bite appetizer), first course, second course, and a dessert. Each course is carefully paired with a wine that accents the food's complex, yet familiar flavors. This particular dinner highlighted Greek wines from Troupis Winery.
We started the evening with complimentary bubbly with orange bitters to celebrate our anniversary, a sweet gift from the bar staff and managers. While enjoying our drink, General Manager Karen Smaka greeted the entire restaurant and walked us through the wines and the winery that makes them. She emphasized the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone and exploring wines that provide unique flavors. Each of the wines’ distinctive aromas inspired the chefs to create a paired menu that still fits with what Community is known for: savory, rich and comforting food.
Amuse Bouche: Smoked Potato Dumpling with dried scallop, chili oil and cilantro
Ridiculously good. Community is already known for its dumplings so it was no surprise that this one-bite app was a winner. A thin dumpling wrapper surrounded smoky mashed potato and salty dried scallop, topped with warm chili oil and cilantro garnish. It was the perfect way to start the meal.
First Course: Cobia Ceviche with avocado mousse, pomelo, serrano chili, shaved coconut, lime, rice chips, mint
Wine Pairing: Piys Ritinitis, XXIII, Mantinia Greece NV
The ceviche was refreshing and acidic with a nicely salted rice chip to counterbalance the lime. Cobia is a whitefish with a mild, buttery flavor, which married nicely with the heat from the serrano. The wine pairing had a distinct flavor of pine, which Karen explained was based on ancient Greek techniques of sealing wine vessels with pine resin. It was the most interesting pairing I had all night. The wine was described as “an acquired taste,” refreshing and unique, but isn’t something I’d reach for every meal.
Second Course: Semolina Noodles with braised beef shoulder, grilled tomato broth, lightly pickled fennel, cippolini, torn shiso
Wine Pairing: Nemea, Greece 2021
This course, featuring chewy, perfectly al dente semolina noodles with fall apart braised beef, was my runner up fave. It had a savory tomato broth, sweet cippollini onions, briny, refreshing pickled fennel and a vibrant and bitter finish from the shiso. It was accompanied with a full-bodied red wine, with lots of stonefruit notes. It was my favorite pairing of the night.
Dessert: Kumquat Torte with walnut syrup, whipped mascarpone and Thai basil
Wine pairing: Hoof and Lur, Moschofilero, Mantinia, Greece 2023
Kumquat is an underrated fruit. It’s a pop of citrus with a little bit of bitterness and I love eating them raw (you can even eat the rind). It’s particularly fun in desserts. The cake itself was denser than a standard sponge cake, with a bright orange and nutty flavor topped with a hint of sourness from the whipped mascarpone and freshness from the Thai basil. This was paired with a crisp Greek rosé that was sweet and fresh, if a bit heavy on the floral elements.
We left satisfied, satiated and smiling.
If you’re in the Portage Park area, check out Community Tavern, whether for their regular menu or their monthly wine dinners. They are also adding bi-monthly Spirit Dinners; this month’s is a mezcal dinner that’ll be paired with Sous Chef Danny’s Mexican-inspire fare.
If you want to learn how to make your own Mexican food, celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us on Monday, May 5 at 6pm with our hands-on class. You'll learn to make:
- Coctel de Camarones (Spicy Mexican Shrimp Cocktail)
- Spice-Roasted Chicken and Poblano Enchiladas Verdes
- Mexican Rice and Beans
- Kahlua-Flambéed Bananas with Ice Cream and Toasted Coconut
As I saw at Community Tavern, beverage pairing is a true art. Learn from our Advanced Sommelier Mary Ross at a Spanish Wine and Tapas Pairing class or from our resident mixologist Christophe Bakunas at Cocktail Happy Hour.
See our class calendar
