The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
Autumn Punch – Averell Damson Gin, Apple Jack Brandy, House Apple Sours, Cinnamon Bitters
Red kuri squash, broccoli rabe, pine nuts, agave, pesto
Trout rillettes, wheat thin crackers, pickled shallot, chervil
Prime wagyu beef tartare, deviled egg
Smoked chicken hearts, pain perdu, mushrooms, soy, egg yolk
Charcuterie board, assorted accompaniments, country pork pâté, chicken liver mousse, Tamworth prosciutto, mortadella
Monkey Bread pull apart, Dill Butter, Sea Salt
Whole Wheat Fazzoletti, Briased Rabbit Sugo, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Prunes
Basque Cake, Apple Confit, Candied Cinnamon Walnuts, Cider Sabayon
Salted Caramel and Banana Tart, Milk Jam, White Chocolate Mascarpone
For the last stop of the night, my family tapped out from a long day of eating, I met up with my buddy Jon at The Bristol just after 9:00pm and although the space was still packed our table was readied in minutes by a young woman named Shannon seemingly acting as server, cocktail waitress, busser, and hostess without ever missing a beat before proceeding to wow us further with both her knowledge of the menu and strong recommendations for can’t miss dishes amongst a bevy of options listed on the wall to our right.
Boisterous and busy, the noise level appropriate for a Friday night in The Windy City, and with a request to not overwhelm us with too many plates at once the meal would start off with a drink before progressing into four rounds of food, each more impressive than the last with not a single dish lacking in ingredient quality, preparation, or presentation – even the tartare, something I’d never choose to order myself, was pristine and interesting.
Specializing in meats and whole-animal butchery it goes without saying that everything featured on a wooden board – specifically the rillettes and the charcuterie – was excellent and also an excellent deal, but what truly impressed me was the quality of the vegetables as the Hokkaido squash dish and both plates featuring mushrooms were far from ‘light’ yet at the same time very precise – each component given great care and the end result very balanced; the soy soaked egg yolk with the smoky chicken hearts and seared mushrooms particularly impressive.
Moving last to the desserts – my friend throwing in the towel after only a couple of bites – I was left with the pleasure of polishing off a duo of very impressive options; the tart a delicious seasonal selection with a crisp shortbread crust giving way to the fork with a gush of banana infused caramel spilling onto the plate while the oft-praised Basque cake excelled to a whole different level as the dense butter cake rife with cinnamon and sugar, warm apples, plus crunchy bits of walnut all surrounding a pastry cream center is even better than it sounds…the sort of signature dessert that should never leave the menu because I could not imagine going to The Bristol (or returning) without ordering it.