Adobo Grill also is disqualified, not for age but because chef Dudley Nieto has been on board only for a couple of weeks, having replaced original chef Scott Helm. Matching food to wine is simple, thanks to director Brian Duncan, who lists two or three suggested wines alongside each menu item, including Laskowski's daily five-course chef's menu. The only downside to the physical plant, an enormous space dominated by a large oval bar and a 35-foot central atrium, is that servers can lose track of tables amid the sprawl. Michael Kerwin became chef of D'Vine in late 2000. Finch's food is less bistroish than Gordonesque, though at relatively friendly prices.
Service is relatively unschooled but otherwise young and eager.
Fran Casciato took over as chef in early 2001. The interiors have been designed with style and restraint, servers are efficient and very well informed, and the menu a straightforward American selection by chef Jack Kennedy doesn't overreach. More of this, please. Try the trifle for dessert, which comes off here as a sort of strawberry tiramisu. Echo This Bucktown spot, a sibling to nearby Meritage, is a grazer's paradise.