Amy Stocklein
Fridays, make the trip for the Guinness-battered cod.
There’s something enchanting about a space within a space. This is especially true when there’s food and drink involved — I love finding secret bars and stumbling upon cafes in unexpected places like train stations and shopping centers and libraries.
The Labor Temple Lounge at 1602 S. Park St. has that same hidden quality. Located in the lower level of the South Central Federation of Labor headquarters, it’s a low-profile haunt frequented by union members, known for serving a simple bar menu and hosting lively euchre tournaments. The bar is in the back of the building, facing a parking lot, so you wouldn’t necessarily find it unless you were looking.
In January, Laila Borokhim (of Layla’s Persian Food and Noosh) took over the bar’s concession license after a longtime bartender retired. The cozy, casual, cash-only space remains aesthetically unchanged, but she’s revamped the daily bar menu and added her own flair with an array of ever-changing specials, which are updated on Layla’s Labor Temple Lounge Facebook page.
Though her operation is still new, word is starting to spread about the weekly fish fry, and with good reason. The menu offers walleye, catfish, ocean perch and cod, plus a veggie fry featuring hearts of palm and squash. There are also fun extras like a smoked salmon quesadilla, slow-cooked chicken stew and chicken liver pate on toast.
The perch, which comes four pieces to an order, was light and perfectly fried, accompanied by a heap of waffle fries and side of crunchy kale slaw studded with poppy seeds and raisins. I thought the slaw needed a little more zip, but it was nice to have something green on the plate. Two sizable logs of Guinness-battered cod were similarly successful (crispy on the outside, moist and flaky inside). Parmesan-garlic potatoes cooked on the flat top were buttery and delicious, but some of the bigger chunks were a touch underdone. Each fish fry comes with a buttery, toasted roll that reminded me of those King’s Hawaiian buns. I would absolutely go back to try the honey-marinated walleye and cornmeal-breaded catfish served with cherry sauce.
On Saturday nights, Borokhim does a lamb roast. It’s a nod to the classic supper club tradition of prime rib, and it has all the appeal of the original. The sides and accoutrements are subject to change, but if they’re anything like the Brazilian-style platter I recently tried, this special is worth checking out any time.
The lamb itself was lightly seasoned, tender and juicy with just the right amount of fat — I didn’t really even need the steak knife. It came with rice and beans topped with green olives and a drizzle of mild red salsa, plus a refreshing salad of mashed avocado, hearts of palm and scallion and some extremely tasty sweet potatoes flavored with cinnamon and clove. Also on the side were two delicious little cheese bites, a bread-like Brazilian snack known as pão de queijo. Also on the menu were roast chicken and a vegetarian option featuring two fried eggs cooked inside rings of poblano pepper and pleasantly starchy fried plantains. But honestly, the lamb is the star.
There was also a wonderful dessert for just $4 — a big slice of grilled pineapple topped with warm, sugared pound cake and a scoop of rum-raisin ice cream.
The regular bar menu, which changes frequently and is available daily, offers a somewhat “gourmet” take on classic pub food. It leans heavily on fried bites — wings, fries, curds and onion rings — and for entrees there’s a burger, fried chicken, griddle sliders, grilled cheese and lamb sausage. The fried chicken, essentially a grown-up version of chicken fingers, was a highlight, marinated in yogurt sauce, warmly spiced and very crispy, but I would have appreciated a dipping sauce. The burger was substantial with two patties and topped with the works, but the bun wasn’t up to the challenge and the whole thing disintegrated. I was excited for the “super cheesy gourmet hot pocket” appetizer, but it came out lava-hot on the edges and almost completely frozen in the middle — an issue that plagues the original Hot Pocket! A very kind server explained that this particular dish is being workshopped; maybe they should be smaller.
Service is warm and friendly at the Labor Temple, if a bit slow. They were woefully understaffed on one of my visits, but everybody got served eventually. And there were some delightful surprises — live music from local Brazilian folk band Forró Fo Sho during the lamb roast and the presence of an absolutely adorable dog, Mr. Dolittle, who belongs to the bar’s owner. There are a few kinks to be worked out, but Layla’s Labor Temple is largely an unexpected delight that won’t remain hidden much longer.
Layla’s Labor Temple Lounge
1602 S. Park St.; 4-9 pm Mon.-Thurs., 4-10 pm Fri., 9 am-10 pm Sat.; $3-$16
