Whether elk shepherd’s pie or wild boar chop ever smoldered over open fires in the Old West is beside the point at Frontier, a 90-seat modern saloon where the chef Brian Jupiter channels the ghosts of camp cooks with twists on traditional American suppers. Jupiter, who logged time as the executive chef at Bella Lounge and Narcisse, keeps it casual (sandwiches, like a shaved venison cheese steak, will be served in aluminum pie tins lined with brown paper) while aiming to surprise (barbecued rabbit gets swapped for chicken on a plate with fingerling potatoes and succotash). The main event happens at the 12-seat chef’s table in the open kitchen, where a whole goat, lamb, boar, or Slagel Farms pig is lugged in from an outdoor spit and served with potatoes, rice, and other stick-to-your-ribs sides. “It’s going to be a feast,” Jupiter says of the reservations-required experience. “Family-style, serve yourself—everybody dig in.” You can almost hear the dinner bell ring. 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-772-4322.