In Chicago’s Lincoln Square, the upscale, yet welcoming neighborhood fine dining LM Le Restaurant resides. Husband and wife owners Stephan and Nicole Outrequin Quaisser took over the Tallulah space on the busy section of Lincoln Avenue with the desire to focus on the traditions the couple grew up with.
“The restaurant where families celebrate their lives, where the proprietors are a family and know the customers personally, becoming a part of their own extended families. We feel that kind of community is important; it is really part of what a restaurant should bring to its customers, and it is part of the fabric that helps neighborhoods thrive,” says Stephan.
The Outrequin Quaissers selected Bradford Phillips (Blackbird, Tru) to run the kitchen. Phillips’ seasonal menus put an American spin on contemporary French cuisine.
“These days, much of fine dining is about a chef flexing his culinary creativity as much as possible, assuming people are dining at the restaurant for the thrill of the experience,” Phillips says. “At LM, we are really looking to welcome guests back for all the special occasions of their lives, not just once in a lifetime. Our focus in the kitchen is to create food that has a more timeless appeal. So it might be more understated, but it will also focus on straight-up technique and classical, familiar preparations that appeal to all.”
To Outrequin Quaisser, fine dining has more to do with providing each customer with attention and service above anything else. “At LM, our goal is to spend the kind of time on each customer that is usually reserved for higher-end restaurants.”
In the spirit of family, LM Le Restaurant are offering up Christmas Even and New Year’s Eve dinner.
The four-course Christmas Eve menu at LM Le Restaurant is like an early holiday gift, filled with seasonal French items like truffles, porcelet and bûche de Noël.
First course appetizers are poached eggs with truffle essence, mushroom ragoût and Parisian ham; sautéed foie gras with caramelized quince, brioche and black pepper gastrique; and lobster salad with baby beets, chanterelles and orange-tarragon vinaigrette. A selection of two soups is next: a sweet and savory pumpkin soup with pie spices, duck confit and sage; and a buttery Dungeness crab bisque with leeks and salsify.
Entree selections include a confit turkey leg from Kauffman Turkey Farms in Waterman, Illinois. The leg is served with bread and butter stuffing and truffle-turkey jus. Porcelet, a young and tender milk-fed pig, comes with spice-roasted apples, turnips and wilted greens. There’s also truffle risotto, studded with glazed chestnuts, winter truffles and cognac crème.
A classic bûche de Noël yule log is one of the available desserts, joined by pumpkin pie and crème brûlée.
The menu is $48 per person and available from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
LM Le Restaurant’s New Year’s Eve will be an evening of French fare and sparkling specials. Two menu options will be available to guests: a four-course meal before 7 p.m. and a five-course meal after 7 p.m. Both options include a complimentary kir royale cocktail.The earlier option is $55 per guest and opens with a choice of four appetizers: foie gras torchon, parsnip bisque, tuna carpaccio or baby arugula salad. Entree selections include roasted venison strip loin, pan-roasted poussin, braised Mishima Ranch beef cheeks and herbed crepe gratinee. An artisan cheese plate is next, followed by a choice of desserts from tarte Tatin, creme brulee or a chocoholic’s delight. Later diners get the added bonus of an extra pre-entree course. For $85 per guest, they can choose from roasted half lobster, diver scallops, pan-roasted sablefish and truffle risotto. The restaurant will also be extending its regular dinner hours and encouraging guests to stick around for a complimentary midnight Champagne toast with shouts of “Bonne Annee!”
To make reservations, call (773) 942-7585 or email stephan@lmrestaurant.com LM Le Restaurant Executive Chef Bradford Phillips 4539 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL. 60625 (773) 942-7585
