Nautical Nights: A Harbor House Review

    East Coast purists eat their raw oysters au naturel – without benefit of Tabasco, red wine vinegar or grated horseradish. To conquer, simply release the little mollusk from its shell with the tines of a fork, raise the shell to your mouth, slurp and softly chew. There’s no shame in downing it with the closest available cocktail. And beyond the pleasures of the palate, consider the aphrodisiacal benefits. At Harbor House, the successor to the lakefront’s weirdly iconic Pieces of Eight, I see many signs of raw consumption. However, the room really throbs with something else – raw…

Living the Dream

Mike Engel can see everything. Manning the sauté station in his restaurant kitchen, he looks up at his son, Andrew, working the grill. The cold station guy can’t escape his gaze, either. In a white smock as recognizable as a doctor’s lab coat, the 48-year-old Engel crosses the threshold between kitchen and dining room. He steps onto a throw rug and the heat dissipates, the light softens. Heads turn to see the chef’s smile, framed by a salt-and-pepper beard, as he stops at their table and asks about their meal. Two years ago, Engel was entrenched in a different kitchen…