Bin 36   

339 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60654
312-755-9463
www.bin36.com

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BIN 36 is a wine bar, wine market, wine school and -- oh yeah -- a very well received restaurant. Chef John Caputo's American bistro cuisine sometimes gets lost in the "wine-is-everything" hoopla of BIN 36, an understandable, if regrettable, fact. That doesn't faze Caputo, who overlooks several menus in two different dining rooms, the casual Tavern and the more upscale Cellar. The Tavern offers the fine dining equivalent of pub food, with fancy salads, appetizers and a few larger dishes, while The Cellar features fancier cuisine. Slow roasted rabbit and seared Ahi with Tobiko caviar compete for space with the ever-present rotisserie chicken, but Caputo reserves his most adventurous dishes for the five-course tasting menu, which changes each week depending on what he's found at the market. Recent dishes included venison osso bucco with star anise and faro risotto, and a citrus and crab salad with blood and mandarin oranges, pomello, and a citrus and vanilla vinaigrette. Each dish has suggested wine pairings, because frankly, if you're not taking advantage of the wine program, you shouldn't even be here. Bin 36 also features a cheese bar in the restaurant, with 50 artisanal cheese selections from around the world. Try a selection at your table, or venture to the 12-seat marble top bar, which features cheese offerings from $2-$4 per piece of goat, cow, sheep and buffalo cheese. The bar will also offer wine pairing suggestions for the perfect combination. The cheese bar is open every day of the week from 2 PM until closing. -- Jorge Just