The W Hotel Lakeshore–an uber-hip remake of the old Days Inn–hasn’t drawn near the crowds it expected at either its bar or its restaurant, WAVE, despite having the best lakefront seating in town. It could be because of the way the check-in area flows seamlessly into the bar and restaurant, making them easy to mistake as just part of the lobby. Or maybe it’s the abstract wavy video looping on a large screen in the center of the dining room, which doesn’t do anything for the appetite. My dining partner articulated the overriding opinion of the decor among our group: “It seems dated already.” Nevertheless, the food has been decent from day one, and now Martial Noguier–the executive chef overseeing all Cornerstone Management restaurants, including One Sixty Blue, We, and Wave–is masterminding the menu’s transformation away from Mediterranean toward seafood. Executing the new ideas will be chef David Murphy. Fomerly of Echo, Murphy has since spent a year at a high-end restaurant in Beirut, so he’ll likely impart global influences to the offerings, which will include catches of the day and a variety of seviches. While the new menu has yet to debut, an overhaul of the wine list is complete. It now features some white varieties not often seen–Picpoul de Pinet, Verdejo, and Arneis–along with a range of reasonably priced reds like the 2000 Jaffurs syrah, a 1999 Alvaro Palacios “Les Terrasses” from Priorat, Spain, and a 1995 Bussola valpolicella classico from Italy’s Veneto region. Wave is at 644 N. Lake Shore Dr., 312-255-4460.
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Catching the wave of a trend that doesn’t seem worth the effort, the casual Logan Square favorite BOULEVARD CAFE now offers a low-carbohydrate menu. Most of the newly added dishes are identical to those already on the menu, minus a starchy side or two and with the addition of a listed carb count. The New York strip, for instance–weighing in at 4.3 grams of carbs–comes with spinach instead of a cheesy mushroom-crab casserole (which seems like it would have filled the low-carb requirement just fine). The salmon, formerly served with garlic mashed potatoes, is now stuffed with goat cheese and caramelized onions instead. Even the Caesar salad shows up–without the croutons, of course. Servers may need to familiarize themselves with the new offerings; without specifying a low-carb option, twice we received the regular preparation. The concept seems too trendy for this laid-back neighborhood hangout: does everyone really want to get skinny? Boulevard Cafe is at 3137 W. Logan, 773-384-8600.
