All Together Now

"All Together Now is a useful all-day spot that’s right on the border of this part of West Town and Ukrainian Village. It’s both a restaurant and a market, with a bar that works for dining solo and/or getting some work done, and also some tables for small groups. The food is delicious (for example, dishes like fried goat cheese curds or seasonal tomato-braised lamb shank), and this place works well for everything from a casual weeknight dinner to just picking up some wine and cheese." - adrian kane, veda kilaru, john ringor, nick allen

"Getting a bagel from All Together Now is like trying to take advantage of the one 65-degree day we get in March: you’ve got a limited time frame to enjoy it, but if you manage your plans right, it's incredible. The restaurant-slash-wine shop-slash-cheese counter in Ukrainian Village only serves bagels during weekend brunch (from 10am until they run out), and there aren’t that many options to choose from—a plain or everything bagel (with plain or scallion cream cheese), or a bagel sandwich with creamed trout. But whatever you choose, you’ll end up with a beautifully formed bagel with a just-crispy-enough buttery crust and a pillowy interior you’ll be thinking about the rest of the day." - veda kilaru, john ringor

"You might be reading this because cooking at home is a lot of work, and you don’t feel like doing it tonight. Or because you need a low-key spot to meet up with a friend, but don’t want to have to ask for extra guacamole over a sneeze guard. If either of these situations applies (or has ever applied) to you, then you should know about All Together Now, an all-day counter-service place that’s perfect for a casual meal you just don’t want to make yourself. In addition to being a restaurant, this Ukrainian Village spot is also a little wine shop and market. So theoretically you could stop by just to pick up fancy groceries like salami and a bottle of rosé. But the main reason for coming here is to eat some very good food in a space that’s cleaner and cuter than your apartment (there isn’t a ton of seating, but there are a few tables and some bar seats, and it’s never too hard to grab a spot). photo credit: Sandy Noto The menus (which change every few months) seem like short lists of things the chef just feels like making - and they’re fairly straightforward in that they don’t involve hundreds of small plates that require you to play Dr. Frankenstein creating a meal. During breakfast you can get some oatmeal with candied squash, or delicious scrambled eggs with pork-fat collard greens over toast. At lunch there are sandwiches with ingredients from the deli counter, along with share plates like a well-balanced whitefish spread with flaxseed crackers. Then the dinner menu has lamb meatballs and entrees like tender and flavorful venison over lentils. The only time something isn’t a home run is when a sauce doesn’t work. For example, the meatballs come on top of a really sweet carrot and tomato puree that reminds us of Campbell’s condensed soup. And the housemade egg pasta from the dinner menu is good, but it’s served with a mushroom and romesco sauce that’s very bland. Another thing to keep in mind is that the food can take a long time to come out, so you’ll want a book, friend, or overdue 2016 tax return to keep you occupied. That being said, the sauces change often, and the meatballs are actually fine on their own. So as long as you aren’t in a hurry, this stuff is worth overlooking. You can walk outside right now, shout “I’m hungry!”, and Uber Eats, Seamless, and a Top Chef chef might all show up like you flashed the food equivalent of the Bat Signal. In other words, it’s not hard to find food in this city. But if you don’t want to eat on your couch, make reservations, or find your punch card for a free burrito bowl, you need a low-key neighborhood spot like All Together Now. It’s a little late to learn how to cook between now and dinnertime, anyway. Food Rundown photo credit: Sandy Noto Creamed Eggs Over Toast Way more delicious (and involved) than the unripe banana you actually ate for breakfast this morning. The eggs here are creamy, and come with pork fat collard greens that have just enough bitterness to cut through the richness of the egg. photo credit: Sandy Noto Creamed Whitefish Living in the Northern part of the Midwest means we’re exposed to a lot of creamed fish, and some of it is not very good. But All Together Now’s whitefish spread is flavorful and delicious, and comes with light and crispy flaxseed crackers we like eating on their own. photo credit: Sandy Noto French Exit Sandwich There’s a deli case at the front of the restaurant with different meats and cheeses, and All Together Now is good at putting those things on bread. We like the simple French Exit, which has salami, cheese, mustard, and aioli - just know that they do go heavy on the mustard. photo credit: Sandy Noto Brussels Sprouts The brussels sprouts here are great even if you aren’t one of the millions of people who have been brainwashed into thinking that adding an egg makes everything better. That being said, here, it actually does. Anchovy butter and garlicky breadcrumbs help, too. photo credit: Sandy Noto Venison All Together Now is very good at cooking meat, and this dish is an excellent example. The venison is tender and not dry at all, and comes with lentils, raisins, and chorizo that add a great amount of sweetness and spice. Roasted Half Chicken The chicken is juicy, and we’re fans of the black garlic bread pudding and crispy mushrooms that come with it. But the pan sauce is inconsistent - sometimes it’s too sour, and sometimes it’s fine. Luckily, unlike your boss, it’s easy to avoid if it’s having a bad day. photo credit: Sandy Noto Lamb Meatballs These lamb meatballs are moist and nicely spiced, but the carrot and tomato puree underneath them is sweeter than we’d like, and doesn’t really add anything. Lentil Croquettes These taste just like falafel. They’re good, but given that they’re very small, they don’t really seem like they’re worth $7. The chimichurri yogurt they come with is OK. Wood Ear Mushroom Pasta The egg pasta is housemade, and pretty good. But the carrot romesco is bland. You can skip this until they start serving the pasta with a different sauce." - Adrian Kane

"The one-stop shop in Ukrainian Village is stocked with a first-rate supply of wine, cheese, and snacks. Pick up some bottles and groceries to-go or grab a seat on the outdoor patio and dive into a host of Midwestern-style dishes. All Together Now also offers gift boxes, wine and cheese clubs, and art workshops. Visit during the weekend for bagel sandwiches and steak & eggs. Make a reservation through Tock." - Naomi Waxman, Eater Staff, Ashok Selvam

"There’s a lot to look at in this charming cafe and bottle shop in Ukrainian Village, and after a few glass pours of New and Old World wines, the effect might even become dizzying. But patrons can steady themselves with All Together Now’s solid rendition of a Slagel Farms smash burger with fried onions, malt vinegar mayo, aged cheddar, pickles, all on grilled shokupan (Japanese milk bread)." - Naomi Waxman, Ashok Selvam