Hidden Gems: Backwoods

by

JUDITH MARA

HIDDEN < Gems >

The best dishes that no one knows about…yet

You happen to pass by a little bakery and stop in. Next thing you know, you are devouring the best doublechocolate donut. Ever. A friend tips you off about a little Greek coffee shop that has amazing onion rings. Turns out that your friend is spot on. The rings are huge, hand breaded and fried to a shattering crunchiness.

Those are what we call hidden gems. Fabulous or unique, unheard of places that are worth seeking out because something they offer is just so darn good. We are starting this new feature with a hidden gem in Chicago. The city is full of them, but this one stands out because it is truly hidden and their Belgium frites (fries) are real gems.

We hope you have your own suggestions for future hidden gems and we’d love you to share them with us. It can be any dish from any type of food establishment, from ice parlors to gas stations. Just make sure we know where to find it.

seven sauces to choose from on any given night. Most are made in the Belgian aoli style (meaning garlicky and smooth). The staff’s personal favorites are the curry aioli and sriracha aioli, but the most popular is the truffle oil aioli. Ketchup is available for the less adventuresome.

So far, Backwoods has built most of their business by word of mouth. Mostly by people catching the scent of someone walking down the street with a cone of frites and asking where to find them. And the price is reasonable too, setting you back a mere $5, less than the cost of a nightcap in the same neighborhood.

Just how popular can late-night frites be? Chef Aubin claims, “We have a handful of people who come so often that the cooks have made punch cards for “frequent friters” like the old Subway cards––you get your 10th frite free.” We think Backwoods might be the gem of the salty, savory late-night scene.

Hidden Gem BACKWOODS

If you can find Backwoods on Google Maps, you have excellent search skills. Since it instantly didn’t pop up for us, it certainly makes our case for the hidden portion of our choice of Backwoods as our first featured Hidden Gem.

If however, you search for the recently opened small-plates hot spot, Wood (Chicago), in the Lakeview neighborhood, you’ll find it right away. To explain, Backwoods is a pass-through window inside a small vestibule tucked towards the “back” of Wood restaurant. And you’ll never see it in daylight. The window is only open for late-night feeding starting at 10:00 p.m. every night of the week. Once you find Backwoods, your reward is what they serve to hungry late-night revelers desperate for something hot and delicious around midnight. They only serve one thing––Belgium fries––which are authentically referred to as frites by Wood chef Ashlee Aubin. “Frites are perfect for a number of reasons. They are easy to cook quickly, portable, and universally beloved. But they are also a great example of simplicity. Frites have only three ingredients and it’s immediately clear if they are great or not.”

Chef Aubin’s take on Belgian-style frites, which are fried twice, are magically uniform in size and color, and are hand cut from Kennebec or Idaho potatoes. As frite connoisseurs know, the true tests are the perfect amount of seasoning, if they are served piping hot and what enticing condiments are available for dipping. Backwoods passes all these taste tests with satisfying colors. And there are no less than

BACKWOODS

Sun & Mon: 10 PM–midnight, Tue-Sat: 10 PM–late night 773.935.9663 3335 North Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60657 Enter on Buckingham