A new executive chef at Tribes Alehouse in Tinley Park is introducing new menu items, planning more special events and inspiring a brew at the Mokena location too.
A 2-pound Maine lobster with all the fixings — andouille sausage, corn on the cob, new potatoes and haricot vert — for $28 on Wednesdays and 14-ounce prime rib for $25 on Thursdays are among the new specials available at both locations. Thriftier options are half-price wings Mondays and two tacos for $5 on Tuesdays. Also every Monday is the “Big Burger Bounce Back” where buying a burger on a Monday nabs you a free burger any of the following three days.
New items offered every day include the pig and goat burger with serrano ham, goat cheese and beer onions ($12) and jerk marinated chicken with house-made spicy jerk sauce, coconut and black bean rice ($15).
New starters are lobster crab cake with basil and lemon-habanero tartar ($13), grilled lime-blackened shrimp with avocado toast ($12), the scotch egg plate with English cheddar, mustard, gherkins and sweet jam ($11) and stuffed avocados with chickpeas, bleu cheese, portobellos and tomatoes ($8).
“I’ve been fortunate enough with mentorship and training over the years that I’m pretty diverse with my cooking techniques and different variations be it Asian, French, American, continental or what have you,” new executive chef Mitch Garcia said. “You’ll always be surprised at the specials I run and they’ll always be top quality.”
Garcia, a New York native now living in Plainfield, has worked with many gastropub-type menus and scratch kitchens over the past three decades, including Cheesecake Factory, Rosebud, BlackFinn/Wise Boxer Pour House in Naperville, Trio Restaurant in Valparaiso, Ind., and, in New Orleans, Cheesecake Bistro and Sweet Fire Ice.
“I like bold flavors and clean plates, and presentation is big for me and making sure recipes are consistent,” he said. “I don’t cut corners and I have standards I adhere to. If it’s not a quality dish in the window it goes right back.”
Garcia is planning more use of Tribes’ smoker on-site and off premises. He also will help create a new brew with David Kern at the Mokena location, where the brewery opened earlier this year.
Starting in January, the Tinley Park location will offer chef tables with five- to seven-courses paired with beer and/or wine while the Mokena location will host beer-pairing dinners inside the brewery space with the brewer and chef on hand.
“We’re developing a very strong team here and I’m very excited about upcoming events and new menu revisions to roll out around the first of the year,” said Garcia, whose team includes owner Niall Freyne and newly named chef de cuisine Harry Anderson. “With Chicago being a working-class city, customers definitely want a good bang for the buck and that’s what we try to do here.”
More Top Picks Best Wide Format Printers
Vickie Jurkowski is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Tribes Alehouse
Location: 9501 W. 171st St., Tinley Park
Menu: Eclectic American
Hours: Open at 11:30 a.m. daily; kitchen open until 9 p.m. Sunday to Tuesday, 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar open until midnight Sunday, 1 a.m. Monday to Thursday and 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Information: 708-966-2015 or tribesalehouse.com
Note: Same menu and hours for Tribes Beer Company, 11220 W. Lincoln Hwy., Mokena; 815-464-0248