HERE COMES THE BRIDE

An all-star lineup of local restaurateurs reimagines the neighborhood tavern with big flavors, big screens and some serious French fries.

There are currently 29 TV screens vying for diners’ attention at the Bridewell Tavern in Burr Ridge. Along one wall glides a seamless row of monitors bracketed so close together they could be sealed together with a little elbow grease and some caulk. Another set of TVs is boxed together into a giant neon square of warm light, while two more are perched above Chef Hugo A. Montes’ open kitchen. Along the bar, yet more monitors are gently angled over a crowd sipping espresso martinis and an exclusive Bridewell Mexican-style lager crafted by Alter Brewing.

I’ve visited casinos with less LED wattage than the Bridewell, but the results deliver true wall-to-wall sports coverage. Soccer balls arc across an emerald-green pitch. A sweaty starting pitcher wipes his brow, knowing his manager is about to give him the hook. NBA stars conduct courtside interviews. And an assortment of talking heads bicker and blather on about a recent NFL trade. It feels like some kind of SportsCenter fever dream in here, yet, for me, it’s nothing but white noise because I’m staring at a platter of blistered tallow-dipped French fries large enough to feed a youth soccer team.

These are unapologetically rich and meaty, the fried spud equivalent of a fat-washed Old Fashioned. Dipped in beef tallow and fried to a KFC-worthy crisp, they are neither delicate nor vegan-friendly. These are real-deal tavern fries, which rank among the best in the suburbs—crispy, opulent and impossible to put down.

If a restaurant consultant was tasked with assembling a dream team of proven Chicago restaurant operators, the list might bear some resemblance to the Bridewell’s ownership team. John Mauro runs the nearby Bar Poca Madre in Burr Ridge and La Cantina Grill in the South Loop. Peter Burdi owns a slew of restaurants, including Pronto Italian Sandwiches, Nabuki, as well as the dearly departed Il Poggiolo in Hinsdale. And the final member of the group, Mike Havey, is an entrepreneur and real estate investor who helped finance the project and oversee the menu. The trio chose the name “Bridewell” to honor the area’s agrarian past and an old farm that once sat in this area.

Back in the early 20th century, Burr Ridge was known for being a playground for the International Harvester Company, which used 44 rolling acres of land to test experimental tractors and farmyard equipment. Evoking that spirit of experimentation, chef Montes, the former executive chef at The Elm in La Grange, has sprinkled gastropub curios throughout the menu, including homemade Sriracha-flavored potato chips, giant sea salt-crusted pretzels with beer queso dip and Wisconsin-style cheese curds that can be dipped in a double-barreled combo of spicy ranch and creamy garlic aioli. Rather than your traditional thin-crust tavern-style pizzas, he bakes Tuscan pizzas that are similar in texture and height to Detroit-style pies rather than cracker-thin flatbreads.

In the old days, no one built taverns like the Bridewell. The restaurant is 5,200 square feet in size with 158 seats inside and an additional 60 outside, but if there’s a bridge that connects past and present it’s the heartiness of the offerings. In most cases, doggie bags will be a necessity, in part because the gastropub offerings are as rich as they are generous.

Whereas most sports bars are content to lay a few thin slices of roast beef and grocery-store tomatoes on a roll and call it a sandwich, the Bridewell makes a world-class sliced French dip sandwich: shaved rib-eye, gruyere and garlic-horseradish all layered inside a crispy French baguette. If you’re stopping by to catch a game and a drink, this is your best play, but the Bridewell’s smashed burgers might be its equal. There are farmhouse versions topped with eggs and peppered bacon as well as seasonal spicy variations, but the classic smash burger slathered with Bridewell sauce (a supercharged Cajun-style Big Mac sauce), house pickles and white cheddar on a brioche potato bun deserves the green jacket.

In some ways, the all-star partnership, especially Burdi and Mauro’s affinity for Italian fare, broadens the menu to include Mediterranean offerings you don’t often find in many taverns. Your traditional flattened mozzarella sticks are reformed potato croquettes topped with prosciutto. There is a hulking chicken Parm sandwich worthy of Taylor Street and a great free-agent pickup: Il Poggiolo’s famous crumbled sausage vodka rigatoni, which cleared the transfer protocol while retaining all of its god-given talent.

Given the expertise of the ownership, there was little doubt that the pub-grub fare would deliver. What’s more surprising is the quality of the entrée list, particularly the butterflied half-chicken, which is fire-roasted to perfection. You have two choices: a South Side Vesuvio glaze or Veracruz-style preparation. Go with the latter, which offers a garlic-oregano white-wine bomb of a sauce, even if you are not a fan of spicy chicken. The jalapenos can be tossed to the side, leaving a rich sauce that’s so delicious you’ll be dragging your chicken, fries and whatever else is left on your plate through it.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but while we were devouring our chicken, one of the home teams belted a pitch over the left-center field wall. Cheers went up from a corner of the tavern. I pumped my fist in excitement but didn’t bother to watch the replay. I was too busy dragging another tallow-dipped fry through my Veracruz sauce to notice. Some home runs clear the fence. And others, it seems, are too delicious to leave the table.

The Bridewell Tavern is located at 595 Village Center Drive in Burr Ridge. thebridewelltavern.com or call (630) 861-6114

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