Chez Poulet brings rotisserie chicken and French wine to Bucktown

Chez Poulet gives Bucktown a new answer to the dinner question: rotisserie chicken, a few sides and a bottle of wine. The restaurant at 2234 North Western Avenue brings a focused French comfort-food concept to the former Taqueria Chingón space.

Brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey, whose family is behind Le Bouchon, opened the restaurant in late August. Eater Chicago's opening report traced the idea to their memories of buying rotisserie chicken in France and the practical need for food that would travel well from a small, carryout-oriented space.

The opening menu gave that simple premise several directions. Whole and half chickens came with sauces including cornichon chimichurri, toum, salsa macha and chicken jus. Sides included chicken-fat potatoes and macaroni gratin, while Mindy Segal supplied bread. French wines completed the offering, with a patio providing an option to stay rather than take dinner home.

The restaurant's own description emphasizes its dual role as a neighborhood rotisserie and wine shop. That combination is the useful distinction: a place where the main course, accompaniments and bottle can be handled in one stop.

Chez Poulet's appeal as a new opening lies in the clarity of the idea. Chicken is the center of the menu, and the rest is arranged around making a meal of it. For Bucktown diners looking for a casual plan on Western, that is a proposition easy to understand and worth getting to know.