Editorial Review

The lackluster Microsoft-Word-looking logotype announcing the corny name on the dingy awning above the stained fabric port-hole door belies the culinary genius of Michael Carlson, one of Chicago’s best chefs. From the outside, with cheap blinds drawn over its two front windows, Schwa looks like it’s closed for “remodeling” (which it was, for reasons likely unrelated to the plain interior, in late 2007). The inside is cramped and featureless, with 24 seats at small tables. But the reservations list starts two months from whenever you’re calling because the seasonal five- or nine-course menu is some of the best food you will ever consume…and it’s BYOB, making it a real shame that the voicemail is always full.