Monday, June 18, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110

The equation has always been fairly simple: enter a restaurant hungry, leave with a full belly, a lighter wallet, and, hopefully, remembrances of an excellent meal. Those with more delicate appetites may carry off leftovers, and the occasional chef will send guests away with a caramel or a little sack of pastries for breakfast. Chris Douglass would prefer you leave his restaurant with a book. At Icarus, in Boston’s South End, chef Douglass runs what may be the country’s only in-restaurant lending library. Settle the check at Icarus, and walk out with a copy of James Beard’s Delights and Prejudices under your arm.

Playing librarian may seem an unlikely hobby for a chef. But Douglass is interested in nourishing minds as well as bodies. His innovative American cuisine emphasizes seasonal, sustainable ingredients. Browse through the library, which includes titles on organic gardening, land use, and healthful cooking, and it becomes clear that Douglass would like himself and his guests to be on the same page, so to speak.

Of course, it’s not all about bookish contemplation at Icarus. The Boston Phoenix has deemed Icarus a romantic spot "in which to woo and be wooed." Robert Levey of The Boston Globe stated, "Douglass takes some delightful chances in the kitchen." And when she needed a little off-duty personal indulgence, Alison Arnett, also of The Globe, headed to Icarus, for the "reassuringly steady and imaginative" cuisine.

Douglass began his career under the tutelage of Odette Bery at Beacon Hill’s famed Another Season. Since 1978, when he helped open the restaurant, Douglass’s cuisine at Icarus has evolved from funky peasant food to its current elegant incarnation. According to Douglass, he "learned almost as much from reading the works of Julia Child, James Beard, and Alice Waters as I did from my professional mentors." Given his admiration for the estimable Mr. Beard, we simply had to invite him to the House, where he’ll show off his flair for learning, and perhaps impart a delicious lesson or two. Book early.