Old school

Sidecar, on the rocks, forget the rim. This is a simple drink. This is the drink I order at almost every restaurant I visit. And this is the drink that gets butchered at least twice a week, resulting in painful variations ranging from straight brandy to screwdrivers.

But Lux Bar, the new venture from the people behind Gibsons Steakhouse and Hugo's Frog Bar, completes the task with class, straining the perfectly prepared cocktail into a tall, sexy glass and garnishing it with the quintessential orange twist.

Almost everything at Lux Bar is done with such style. The space sparkles with beautiful wood walls, slick black-and-white tiled floors and cushy leather booths—it looks and feels like something out of the Cotton Club era, when "dames" sucked on cigarette holders and bartenders called you "Mac." And despite its posh location, it manages to attract a diverse clientele: One night I pushed through the crowd of yuppie singles and young families to the men's room, where a 100-year-old man stood at a urinal with a cigar in his mouth. He was probably the only guy in the place who could actually remember when restaurants looked and felt like this.

But no matter how old you are, the menu can be appreciated as a throwback to simpler times. That is, times when you didn't have to bring a dictionary with you to a restaurant. Simplicity reigns here, and the Southern-accented menu of bar food is straightforward and free from rare, unpronounceable ingredients and preparations. A filet of house-smoked salmon is deliciously meaty, and filet mignon "sliders" are luscious little things that couldn't be a better accompaniment to beer. A pan-fried filet of pike is paired with a sharp and lively caper ravigote (okay, maybe there are a few lofty words on the menu), and the "Rolling Pin" chili, gussied up with "5-Way Cincinnati garni," is thick and hearty (though as a proud son of Ohio, I am obliged to point out that it's good, but nothing like Cincinnati chili at all).

Food like this can sometimes lack excitement—the meats on the Lux Plate (pictured) may have been house-roasted, but they still looked and tasted only slightly better than a deli plate from Jewel (the one exception being the garlicky pub cheese, which can and should be ordered separately). The blue cheese–and–bacon burger is gooey and tasty, but the "natural" turkey burger was far too bland and dense to be enjoyable. Everything on the menu may be straightforward, but you still have to order strategically.

When you do, it can be magic. As I write this, I am still craving Lux Bar's fried chicken. Fragrant with rosemary and crispy as hell, it's an improbable find in the Viagra Triangle. Of course, 70 years ago the Triangle was probably filled with places like this. Times have changed, but with the addition of Lux Bar, they may be changing back.

Lux Bar
18 E Bellevue Pl at Rush St (312-642-3400). El: Red to Clark/Division. Bus: 36 Broadway, 70 Division. Open: Dinner. Average main course: $15.