West Loop's Candle-Lit French Bistro
Maude's Liquor Bar upstairs on Randolph Street is Brendan Sodikoff's West Loop French bistro — dim, candle-lit, and one of the most cinematic interior spaces on the Restaurant Row strip.
The cooking is French bistro classics done at restaurant standards: steak frites, terrines, considered fish preparations, and the kind of disciplined sauces the format demands.
What to Order
Steak frites with proper sauce; terrines from the in-house programme; moules in white wine. The cocktail programme is one of the most carefully-considered in the West Loop.
The Bar
The bar is a destination on its own merits. Long marble counter, deep cocktail list, and the dim lighting that defines the room.
Best Occasion: First Date
Maude's is a West Loop first-date classic. The candle-lit interior provides the setting; the cocktail programme provides the evening's pacing; the cuisine provides natural conversation.