Sable, Chicago IL

Sable

Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds – spicy ketchup glaze

Soft Pretzels – smoked cheddar cheese dip

Chicken Confit Poutine – house made fries, chicken gravy, fresh herbs, wisconsin cheese curds, roasted shallot butter

Bacon Wrapped Dates – ewe’s blue cheese

Deviled Eggs – truffle oil, black trumpet mushrooms

Bacon Jam – brie cheese, toasted baguette

Baked Mac-n-Cheese – cheddar, gruyere, cream cheese, taleggio

Sweet Corn Creme Brulee

Potato and Cheese Pierogi – caramelized onions, sour cream

Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Waffles -bourbon maple syrup

Duck-Juniper & Pistachio Sausage – sweet potato-corn hash, duck cracklins’, foie gras butter

Warm Maple Bread Pudding – Maple Walnut Praline Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream

Butterscotch Pot de Crème – Brown Butter Pecan Shortbread, Candied Kumquats

Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake – Whiskey Ice Cream

With a truly disastrous meal at 2 Sparrows to start the day it was with some hesitation that I walked into a ‘hotel restaurant’ for lunch, a truly unfair label considering the chef driven nature of The Palomar’s Sable, and one whose negative connotation went by the wayside less than five minutes after we took a seat in the long, narrow space on State Street. Featuring the cuisine of Chef Heather Terhune (present even during lunch and working the line right alongside her team) plus service from a young man named Ben who proved not only efficient and helpful, but also hilarious, it would be an understatement to say that our meal at Sable exceeded expectations as nearly every one of the fourteen plates we shared were creative yet comfortable and enjoyed by a variety of palates.

Served in rounds so as to never overwhelm and in portions that allowed for ample tastes without being too much most of Chef Terhune’s food proved to be reinterpreted takes of classic comfort foods; the deviled eggs, mac n’ cheese, pierogi’s, and dates all excellent versions of familiar foods with high quality ingredients allowed to shine while items such as the cheese curds, soft pretzels, chicken n’ waffles, and poutine all typified the current trend towards bar food culture – the poutine particularly excellent with the shallot butter and herbs serving to balance out the otherwise hefty ingredients while the chicken and waffles were lightly battered and impressively moist – a result of sous vide and panko…plus pure maple syrup.

Turning to more unique options, the “bacon jam” and Terhune’s signature crème brulee would prove to be highlights, the former literally a tomato and bacon spread with cheese and onions where a little went a long way on bread while the later could have easily been dessert…if only the actual desserts weren’t so good – all three proving to be the sort of dishes no one really cared to share, though with the others all getting full I was allotted more than my fair share – the toffee pudding a spongy textural masterpiece with the bread pudding trending towards custard and a tossup as to which I liked more.