Obélix

Obélix carries the Poilevey family’s French restaurant story into River North. Brothers Oliver and Nicolas are its owners, while the current kitchen identifies Sam Handwerger as executive chef, Olivia Fitzgerald as executive sous chef and Courtney Kenyon as executive pastry chef. The menu keeps classical French technique in view but gives it a more playful set of references. Duck and foie gras occupy a substantial part of the repertoire, alongside seafood, vegetables and larger dishes intended for the table. The result is a considered choice for a celebration whose conversation can begin with the food itself.

The current dinner menu illustrates the balance. Escargots retain garlic and parsley; gratinéed onion soup and roast chicken provide familiar anchors. A pâté en croûte of wild boar and duck introduces pho aspic, green-curry aioli and banh mi pickles. Foie gras appears with crispy rice and bluefin tuna, or in a corn-tortilla preparation with al-pastor salsa macha and pineapple. These are specific departures within a French framework, not simply a claim that the cuisine is modern. A diner can follow the more classical dishes or choose one of those combinations as the point of exploration.

For sharing, the beef Wellington encloses filet mignon, mushroom duxelles and prosciutto in crêpe and puff pastry, accompanied by fries, broccolini and two sauces. Dover sole Véronique offers a different shared main through fish, grapes and a classical sauce. The restaurant adds a four-percent charge for staff retention, allocated to back-of-house employees. Obélix suits an unhurried meal built around a few deliberate choices: a starter that introduces the kitchen’s imagination, then a main whose preparation gives the table something substantial to discuss. Its French identity remains clear even when the combinations travel beyond France.

Sources: Obélix: restaurant and reservations · Obélix: owners and current team · Obélix: current dinner menu · Obélix: services in its official reservations · Obélix: Google Maps listing