Grace, Chicago IL

Grace

Balthasar Ress Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spatlese

Canapes (Carbonated Green Gage Plum with Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass Chip with orange puree and anise hyssop, Gougere with smoked banana pudding and coriander, Satsuma orange with smoked paprika taffy)

Osetra Caviar – meyer lemon, kumquat jam, CHIVE BLOSSOM (Chive oil Meyer Lemon Custard, Sea Weed, Candied Kumquat, Pumpernickle)

Nairagi – golden trout roe, pomelo, THAI BASIL (Crack through Ginger Water ‘sleeve,’ cashews, coconut milk rice pudding, grapefruit segments)

Dill, Parsley, Basil, Tarragon, Mint, Chive – Grey River and Black Hawaiian Salt Cow’s Milk Butters and Paprika Flat Bread

Warm Cucumber – burnt orange, idiazabal, PERUVIAN OXALIS (Poached English Cucumber, Marmalade of Green Onion, Tapioca Pearls)

Pretzel Roll with Fleur de Sel (not photographed)

Scottish Salmon – crispy red cabbage, citrus pudding, MARIGOLD (Lemon Peel Pure, Mashed Fingerling Potato wrapped in Cabbage leaves, Geoduck chilled and frothed)

Rosemary Focaccia

Grilled Matsusaka Beef – king trumpet, salsify, MASHUA LEAF (Dashi Tea to be sipped with beef)

Poached Chestnut – perigord truffle, roasted almond milk, RED SORREL (puree of chestnuts, raw almond, black truffle in meringue, shaved, and vinaigrette)

Potato Sourdough

Maitake – preserved daikon, finger lime, coffee, SCALLION (Mushroom broth, Coffee Scented Potato Puree, Braised Daikon, Grilled Scallion and Maitake)

Cranberry – crispy rye, toasted meringue, pine ice, SAGE

Poached Pear – elderflower, tamarind juice, BRONZE FENNEL (crispy Cardamom)

Caramelized Sudachi – toasted cashew, asian pear, NASTURTIUM (candied cashew and ginger)

Dark Chocolate – raw chestnut, LEMON MINT (chocolate puff pastry, Vanilla Crème Fraiche, Mandarin Orange, Toffee Powder, Frozen Chestnut Powder)

Sphere of Kalamansi and White Chocolate

Lavender Caramel Chocolate

Even before Kevin Pang’s inspired (and inspiring) article in The Tribune Grace had been on my radar – my single meal at Avenues would have been more than enough to get me in the door, but having followed much of the chef and restaurant’s story in the months preceding its grand opening had me truly excited to see what Curtis Duffy, a man who’d literally cooked minutes from my previous home in Dublin, was capable of in his very own space.

A surprisingly easy reservation, made by phone precisely when the reservations window opened, my friend and I made our way into the elegant dining room where we were given a prime seat gazing into the showpiece kitchen and with lavish yet friendly service from beginning to end it became quite obvious that Chef Duffy’s time at Alinea had not only influenced him in the kitchen, but how to manage front of house affairs as well. A simple choice, Flora or Fauna, and the evening began with a glass of wine before moving onto a nearly three hour tasting with gifts from the Flora frequently bespeckling the Fauna menu we’d each selected – one dish presented by Curtis himself with a “thanks” for coming in, followed by a kitchen tour later.

Moving past the room, the service, the plating, the stemware, and even the ‘seasonal’ lavatories – all more than worthy of mention – to the food, it should go without saying that as much thought was given to each of Duffy’s creations as was lavished on the restaurant itself and with a deft hand trending towards the sweeter side of the palate I personally found each plate to be not only beautiful and balanced, but truly ‘exciting’ with each bite offering something new – a flavor, texture, or concept to explore – the whole always more than the sum of its parts with no savory showing this more than the gifted Flora “Poached Chestnut” whose texture ran the gamut from crispy to creamy and fibrous to silken all while floating the aromatics of truffle atop sweet and smoky chestnuts.

With each savory beautifully composed and vegetables both common and novel aplenty the dessert half of the menu would prove equally compelling, each dish featuring at least one herbal component that lingered on the palate until the next plate arrived; the tableside prepared Cranberry showing that with a refined hand pine can truly prove a wondrous foil to both sweet and bitter while the Sudachi came across with a spicy finish quite unlike any dessert I’ve experienced – a risky move that worked beautifully not only in itself, but in the progression to the Chocolate finale.

Having heard some suggest that the food at Grace leans too far to the sweet but personally possessing a predilection for such flavors I will simply say that what Curtis Duffy and his team have achieved so far at Grace is exactly what I had hoped for; another ‘destination’ restaurant in the Windy City – one that exceeded my admittedly high expectations and one to which I cannot wait to return.