Brendan SodikoffSpeaking of grandmothers (see Deta’s Café): When Brendan Sodikoff says he imagined a French grandmother while designing Maude’s Liquor Bar, you have to assume Catherine Deneuve is someone’s grand-mère. The West Loop cocktail lounge and restaurant’s tufted leather banquettes, weathered farmhouse tables, and elegantly worn fixtures drip with old-school refinement. Maude’s classic, uncontrived French cooking—escargots, shellfish towers, steak tartare—is made to be passed around intimately grouped tables over sparkling classic cocktails and craft brews, creating a scene that recalls the one at Gilt Bar, Sodikoff’s dimly lit River North draw for the young and modish. “Maude’s is young, dirty, rustic, and fun,” says Sodikoff. “But definitely French.” 840 W. Randolph St.; 312-243-9712.

PLUS: Read our review of Gilt Bar »