If you can afford to steal an hour and half for lunch, Dusek’s should be your Restaurant Week spot. The Pilsen tavern has some dishes to tuck into that aren’t, as far as I can tell, available regularly.
The three-course lunch menu ($22) has two options for the starter and for the entree, with a fixed dessert. But which route to take?
To start, choose between pumpkin salad and tete du cochon, neither of which are on the regular menu. The salad, a crescent moon of frisee lettuce, seemed disappointingly simple on first inspection. Buried underneath the greens, though, smeared along the inside of the bowl, was creamy, savory brandade. A little more spelunking yielded a quenelle of smoked ricotta and a shatteringly crisp lime meringue. Meanwhille, the chipotle vinaigrette that pulled it all together was a lift of smoke and citrus. With all that, I could even ignore that the namesake pumpkin was soft and a tad flavorless.
The tete du cochon, meanwhile, was just fine. The chunky spread of savory pork came with a smattering of pickles and a mustard sauce. Not bad, but a little greasy. I’d definitely pick the salad.
The entrees, likewise, had a standout. Arriving in a soft, briochelike split-top bun, the boudin blanc sausage threatened to burst, almost lewdly, out of its balloon-thin casing. It was topped with a lightly flavored kohlrabi slaw, a nice, crunchy contrast to the sausage. You’ll also love the giant portion of beef-fat fries, though if you tackle the whole plate, you may not be heading back to the office any time soon.
The other entree choice, chilaquiles, came covered in a piquant, peppery salsa and was topped with carnitas, queso fresco, cilantro crema and a sunny-side-up egg. It tasted fine. Get the boudin blanc.
Dessert, if you have room, is a clutch of five ricotta beignets — airy fried clouds of dough topped with a tart pineapple jam and a sprinkling of pistachio. If you can manage to eat all five, I wish you good luck with that food coma.
Dusek’s, 1227 W. 18th St., 312-526-3851, www.dusekschicago.com
Chicago Restaurant Week runs through Feb. 9 and features more than 300 restaurants offering three-course lunches and brunches ($22) and three- and four-course dinners ($33, $44). For participating restaurants, menus and online reservations, go to www.choosechicago.com.
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