Would you trust the culinary judgment of a restaurateur who has gone on record admitting he won’t perform oral sex on his partner? What about one who thinks it’s a good idea to batter and deep-fry lobster, a shellfish as delicate and unforgiving as an orchid?
With its deep-fried-dominant menu, the Licking, which is described as “Miami-style” soul food, tilts in that direction, though pretty much anything you can order fried you can also order grilled—just not the conch, which they were out of anyway on the afternoon I visited with Reader interns Aaron Allen and Andrea Michelson. (I keep missing the conch everywhere I go.)
If it continues to draw the jocks and celebrities and subsequent crowds (not to mention jobs), the Licking will be a benefit to the neighborhood—and could be elsewhere too (the Tribune reports that the owners are scouting a south-side location). But even beyond the hit-or-miss execution, a lot more could be done to ensure a MacArthur’s-style longevity. The two unmarked tinted-glass side entrances give no indication which one leads to the takeaway counter and which to the separate dining room—where there’s a large one-way glass window. Despite the flat-screen TVs, spacious scarlet booths, and eyeball-scattering wallpaper scheme, this makes it feel like you’re eating in an interrogation room.
5045 W. Madison 773-413-7666 thelicking.com
