Epicurean Encounters: Restaurant Review: Acorn

Acorn is the seedling of Oak on Fourteen, so to speak. I was excited to try Acorn because I love Oak, and Acorn is on the cover of 5280's Best Restaurants.
Acorn is located in The Source, a converted warehouse artisanal market in River North. One of two restaurants in the Source, Acorn is open for lunch and dinner M-F and dinner only on Sunday. It is an industrial space, high ceilings, exposed brick with a large graffiti mural on one wall. Everything is cooked in an oak oven. The menu offers mostly shared plates and suggests one to two per person. They also offer a couple of larger plates for carnivores, a half roasted chicken and a 38 oz ribeye. We opted for four shared plates.
One caveat, Acorn is not a place for wine connoisseurs; their selection is rather limited. Although, the glass of nebbiolo I ordered was full bodied and complemented all the plates we ordered. All of the cocktails are well crafted. Don ordered Across the Atlantic which is akin to a Manhattan with their signature spherical ice ball.
We started with the oak grilled octopus. I love cephalopods, but Don had some trepidation. The octopus tasted sea fresh with a great chewy texture. The gnocchi were golden clouds of creaminess. Spice was provided by the in house chorizo which was complimented by the salsa verde. All the texture and flavor contrasts created a party in your mouth. It was probably our favorite dish.
Next came the kale salad. Kale is a brassica and can be tough and bitter. At Oak and Acorn, they are shredded thinly and massaged. The sweet dressing and togarashi (Japanese chili pepper flakes) help balance out the natural bitterness of the kale. The candied almonds and julienned apples added additional sweetness and and crunch. The generous portion takes a while to eat. I found myself feeling slightly bovine.
The pork belly arrived next. After a week of whole hog cookery, I was anxious to see how Acorn prepares their pork.
Pork belly has a lot of fat, but if cooked properly, the fat is deliciously edible, and this was the case with Acorn's. Two hefty cubes of pork belly on a gruyere and Crooked Stave beer fondue prevented us from fighting. The meat was tender and full of umami flavor. The skin and fat melts in your mouth. The brussels sprouts were perfectly charred and caramelized. Another brassica, their mild bitterness balanced the otherwise rich dish.
Our last plate was the Key West "Shrimp and Grits" which is made from Anson Mills (organic heirloom grain purveyor) grits and Royal red shrimp which are very tender and flavorful albeit smallish shrimp. The grits sat on a moat of soffrito wine broth which kept it from drying up.
Even though the desserts that we glimpsed looked amazing, we were stuffed to the gills after four shared plates. But we vowed to return as there were many other plates we wanted to try.