It doesn’t seem like 11 years ago, but it was. Chef Justin Carlisle had just left the high-end, critically lauded Umami Moto Japanese restaurant to open his own place.
He was unwavering in doing it his way, finding a tiny space to rent on the East Side’s Farwell. That became the 22-seat Ardent, whose every dish was a piece of art. Over the years, Carlisle says, Ardent became synonymous with “exclusive” and “hard to get into” – a perception he says he never wanted.
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Now Ardent is an umbrella that includes a tasting room (exclusive by intention – open Fri-Sat nights, serving an eight-course menu, $150 per person, pre-paid) and The Lounge, serving a casual menu, no rez needed.
On Fridays, The Lounge has a fish fry special; Sundays, it offers brunch. Add in a Laughing Taco-inspired Taco Tuesday and a Red Light Ramen special on Saturdays. “All the experiments and fun we had elsewhere, now we can house it all in one,” he says.
With more condos and the new Vivarium music venue nearby, this new Ardent aims to be a “neighborhood joint,” says Carlisle, who does casual fare quite well, it turns out.
Two small plates on the Lounge menu would lure me back – they are the sugar snap pea salad, crisp and fresh with crumbled bacon, pistachios and mint in smoked kefir dressing ($14), and the smoked trout spread, which is as smooth and rich as butter, topped with everything spice and served with thick, spongy focaccia ($16). Another plate, beef tartare with deviled egg mousse and whipped bone marrow ($21), is lavish and delicious – so rich it feels like something you’d only rarely indulge in.
Of the “larger” plates, my favorite is roast half-chicken served in a jus I’d call gravy – I yearn for a biscuit because it seems like that kind of stick-to-your ribs sauce ($26). The hamachi collar with yuzu BBQ ($22) is mild and sweet, creamy even, and the BBQ gives it a charry, salty miso-like crust.
Another section of the menu belongs to burgers and hot dogs, the beef coming from the Carlisle family farm in Sparta. The Wagyu dog ($16) is topped with shaved foie gras and celeriac-truffle relish – everything about this sounds amazing. And it’s good, though not extraordinary. The smashburger is the special one – a juice-oozing beef patty glooped with melty Boursin cheese ($16 single, $20 double).
Ardent’s casual reinvention, while I like the idea, is a big shift for diners who associate the name with high-end cuisine – and Carlisle played a part in building that reputation. There is a sense of precariousness here now, as though stripping down this restaurant’s concept laid bare the whole industry’s inherent uncertainty.
“Everybody else in the world thought I was a stuffy prick for so long, but [now] we just want to have a really good time,” he says. And he hopes many will join him.
Ardent, The Lounge
Address: 1751 N. Farwell Ave., 414-897-7022
Hours: Fri-Sat, Mon-Tues 5-10 p.m.; Sun brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Prices: Small plates $7-$16; larger $21-$27; burgers and dogs $16-$20
Service: Friendly, accommodating, efficient
Reservations: Accepted, but walk-ins are welcome
