Jody Andre is once again banking on the idea that location isn’t always the secret to success. After selling off her first restaurant, Tomboy, earlier this year, she’s opened SPEAKEASY in a three-room space at Devon and Glenwood, almost as odd a location for a trendy eatery as Broadway and Hollywood, where she opened her second venture, the Room, two years ago. But she’s pulled it off again, making the potentially too-large space feel like a hidden gem. She sticks to her tried-and-true formula: hardwood floors, roughed-up brick walls with minimal art (here, light boxes with portraits of Marilyn and James Dean), and an eclectic American menu that offers more appetizers and half courses than entrees. Most dishes are frilly takeoffs on classics–executive chef Tiffanie Hicks replaces beef with ostrich in her version of a Wellington; a snap pea salad freshens up mint-and-pistachio-crusted lamb chops; and a generous Caesar salad (with a respectable anchovy-laden dressing) gets crunch from deep-fried oysters. The permanent BYO policy should seem familiar as well. The venue has a large raised stage where Andre plans to have regular live music in the near future, once the staff settles in. But within the first week, the place already felt like a well-oiled machine. Speakeasy is at 1401 W. Devon, 773-338-0600.
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Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Yvette Marrie Dostatni.
