Located near Union Square and suggested by a friend of Jewish heritage I made my way into Bread’s Bakery on a Sunday morning knowing I’d at least sample the signature Chocolate Babka (unfortunately not available in an individual portion but well worth the substantial hype at nearly $10 even if you have to throw some out…and all the more so if you have friends with whom to share,) but little did I know I would also find a truly outstanding Almond Croissant consisting of Marzipan as opposed to Frangipane, and a top notch rugelach that shattered to the tooth, exuding creamy cocoa and a light cinnamon note within. Overall an excellent bakery with plenty of space and a daunting number of options the only low point of the morning was the canele – the exterior soft and the interior too sweet; on one hand a tremendous disappointment, but on the other just a reason to eat more Babka.
Canapes – Rice Cracker with Yuzu/Pear Jam, Sliders with Korean Chicken/Spicy Mayo, Pipe Dough filled with Eel Mousse, Puffed Rice Cake with Fermented Red Pepper Paste, Egg Salad with Homemade Tofu
3 Breads and Butter – Green Olive Ciabatta, Rye Sourdough, Walnut Raisin Roll
Beef tendon with parmesan cheese, fried shallots with chicken lemongrass broth
Whether one chooses to call it Korean with French techniques or French food featuring Korean ingredients, the first restaurant of Chef Jungsik Yim on American soil is a fine dining experience worth seeking out. Featuring a clean-lined room with exemplary service and both tasting menu or prix fixe options with plenty of bites and gifts before, after, and during the meal it would be hard to single out any one dish during the evening that outshined the rest, but likewise it would be difficult to name a single one that was anything less than beautiful and delicious. From the signature BiBim salad with icy arugula sorbet to the tongue-in-cheek Gangam Chicken every bit as good as the Ballotine I enjoyed at Guy Savoy and onward to the Jang Dok, a textural masterpiece based on Korean clay earthenware, Jungsik is a restaurant quite unlike most – upscale “ethnic cuisine” that does not come off as contrived, instead rivaling French, Italian, or Contemporary American restaurants throughout New York from start to finish.
SightGlass, Ritual, Stumptown, and more plus reserved seating for those with and without laptops and two locations including one close to MoMA PS1. Add in friendly baristas, a solid soundtrack, and $2 for an Americano – to quote Black Sabbath, “I love you Sweet Leaf.”
Located in MoMA PS1, the cafeteria-style restaurant by Hugue Dufour was a somewhat last minute decision for lunch and arriving to find the trendy spot packed everything from the no reservations policy to the uncomfortable seating to the downright rude service from everyone in the place, aside from a young man named Josh, could have turned out to be a total disaster…if only the food weren’t so damned good. Bold yet balanced, ‘grubby’ yet gourmand, and everything from appetizers to desserts served in a way that was unexpected yet somehow familiar (with plenty of fat and flavor to spare) this is about as close as New York gets to the Quebecoise decadence of APdC or Joe Beef and to those who fancy that style the cuisine justifies the inconveniences.
Bread Pudding Griddle Cake – Raw Maple Syrup, Seasonal Fruit
Beer and Bread Porridge with salted caramel ice cream
Undoubtedly going for that retro-chic style by placing Mads Refslund’s Nordic influenced cuisine inside of a building still advertising “Authentic Southern and Cajun Cookin” it was the fact that Mads opted to serve many of his famous dinner dishes during weekend brunch at ACME that got me through the door, but it was the quality of the cooking and the exemplary service during a busy morning that made me eager to someday return for dinner; all the staff smiling despite the bustling and tightly packed space, coffee refilled repeatedly without request, and plates brought out in separate courses exactly as requested. Beginning first with the simple chicken and eggs – a perfect breast glistening with butter and only lightly accented with salt and pepper topped with two perfectly poached eggs – and moving on to pancakes somewhere between soufflé style and dense griddle cakes that were never too sweet before culminating in a dessert at once bitter and sweet with each bite yielding something different this is a spot that should be on everyone’s brunch rotation, especially those who don’t want to wait out a table at dinner or deal with the late night bar scene.
Named for the stones of a traditional mill and featuring breads, pastries, and viennoisseries along with coffee at breakfast Runner and Stone would be the last Brooklyn stop on our morning pastry run and, unfortunately, the least inspiring despite all the great reviews even though the almond croissant was impressive, the layers shattering to the tooth and the frangipane lightly applied but heavy in flavor. Moving past the croissant, however, the flaw of Runner and Stone is a limited selection of otherwise underwhelming options – the apple turnover tasting burnt and the pistachio financier tiny, dense, and dry. Factor in a server who was almost too busy chatting with her friend to take my order…perhaps I’d be better off going back sometime for brunch, or to try one of the housemade breads.
Located in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn and now expanding as far as Manhattan I’d original heard about Chef Golper and his bakery, Bien Cuit, from a friend. A relative of the extensively trained baker my friend, well aware of my predilection for pastries, suggested I should give the bakery a try, particularly for their almond croissant – an almond croissant that I can say without hesitation is the best I’ve found to date in New York. Buttery yet crisp on the shell with an open and airy crumb substantial with custard-like frangipane yet not at all wet or sticky this is the sort of croissant that leaves you stunned – at least until you walk back to the counter for another because you were foolish enough to think you would share it with a friend (and end up ordering an equally impressive maple-yam Danish that puts even the best sweet potato pie to shame, as well.)
Rebuilt in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and long neglected on previous trips to New York Almondine would be the first stop on an early morning pastry jaunt with a friend and although the location on Water Street would prove a bit tricky at first the goods that awaited at the end of the line were every bit worth the effort; a slightly flat and over-frangipane’d almond croissant the ‘lowlight’ (though still better than most in Manhattan) of the quartet while a warm madeline, beignet stuffed to bursting, and the fluffiest muffin I’ve experienced to date all proved exemplary.
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)
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)
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.
With the short lived restaurant from Ben Roche and Thomas Bowman now closed it seems silly for me to delve too deeply into what did and did not work about the space on Hubbard Street, but suffice it to say that from the intriguing cocktails to the $24 jar of a dozen fresh cookies much of what my sister, Nate, and I ordered that night was playful yet well conceptualized and fun but also delicious. While service could have used a tune up (or simply a bit less arrogance) I look forward not only to what comes next in the space, but also to where Chef Roche ends up as dishes such as the Fun Dip Octopus, Grilled Cheese Dessert, and Candy Cap Foie Gras all indicated to me that the young chef’s time with Homaro Cantu was well spent honing an eye for intriguing ingredient pairings while at the same time overcoming his teacher’s unfortunate penchant for form over flavor.
Anatra e spinaci – Wood roasted, shredded duck with mushrooms, aged balsamic tossed with baby spinach
Millefoglie and Americano
Much like New York and Philadelphia, one of my favorite things about Chicago is the wide range of mid-priced Italian restaurants throughout the city – not the typical “red sauce” places that are ubiquitous in any “Little Italy” and packed with tourists, but rather the chef driven spaces where businessmen hold meetings, locals go to meet friends, and the maitre d’ knows (or at least seems to know) everyone in the room…especially the round table of big guys that may or may not be “Family,” – blood relatives or otherwise; all these things present in spades at North Halsted’s 5 year old hot spot Piccolo Sogno.
Translated as “Little Dream” and without doubt a work of passion from the kitchen to the front of the house the first thing one notices at Piccolo Sogno is just how friendly everyone is – smiles abound, chairs are pulled out for ladies, and whether they are real or not the Italian accents are thick and never cheesy. Seated quickly next to a table well heeled socialites happy to pay corkage on a duo of vintage Barolos even at lunch it was mere moments before I was greeted by my server, Gabriel, with a bread basket to go with olive oil and balsamic already on the table and working through the soft pillows of focaccia as I made my decisions it would not be long before my order was placed and even less time before the first of four courses arrived; the wood fired Margherita crisp and lightly charred, but unfortunately a bit bland with far less basil or acid than I’d have preferred – a flaw leading me to only eat 2 slices, something my server noted after I declined to have the rest boxed up to go home, with the item subsequently removed from my bill.
Moving on to better things, paste and secondi followed next with each showing far more attention to seasoning than the pie, first the small pillows of tender green pasta interspersed with intensely sweet tomatoes, hefty notes of garlic, plus tableside shavings of slowly melting pecorino and then the rich, crispy duck over tender spinach finding balance in a sea of earthy mushrooms and sea salt brightened up with aged balsamic.
With an Americano offered on the house as I perused the dessert menu it would not be long before I rejected my server’s suggestion of tiramisu in favor of a puff pastry tower sandwiching vanilla custard and with the pastry baked to order with the cream added a la minute I’ll simply say that anyone who goes to Piccolo Sogno and doesn’t order this is making a huge mistake as it is every bit as good as the Mille Feuille at Au Cheval and therefore nearly as good as those throughout Paris – a truly exemplary dessert whose shattering layers caught the attention of the ladies to my left and a table of four just behind them – both placing their orders shortly thereafter and, judging by their “oohs and aahs,” further cementing my sentiments above that this, by itself, is a reason to put Piccolo Sogno on the short list.
Chocolate Mousse, Valrhona Chocolate, Maldon Sea Salt
Gilt Bar
Delice de Bourgogne with Apricot Jam and Toast
Chopped Kale, Apple, Pecorino
Ricotta Gnocchi, Pork Belly, Sage
Toffee Date Cake, Coffee Ice Cream, Shortbread Crumble
Imagine, if you will, a perfect evening – for myself that concept brings forth a number of thoughts but foremost amongst them are family, friends, food, and the Los Angeles Kings…all four of them accounted for on the evening of March the 25th, 2013 when I sandwiched a come from behind victory at the Madhouse on Madison between early dinner with my sister at Maude’s Liquor Bar and late-night bites with my buddy Jon at Gilt Bar; the last two restaurants remaining on my Brendan Sodikoff bucket list.
Impressed by everything from the Chestnut at Doughnut Vault to the Fried Chicken and Meatloaf at Bavette’s to…pretty much the entirety of our experience at Au Cheval it should be clear to anyone that Sodikoff has a particular style and with a strong focus on high quality ingredients and proper technique to prepare classic French and American plates that style generally meshes very well with my idea of a great meal – something I would find at both Maude’s and Gilt Bar over a six hour span.
With stellar service the rule – at Maude’s from a young man named Peter and at Gilt Bar delivered by Lisa – plus plush seats and low lighting just like Bavette’s and Au Cheval my general rule at each of Sodikoff’s restaurants is to ask questions and then go with your gut, both literally and figuratively, ordering whatever sounds best with full knowledge that both the flavors and the portions will be bold and bountiful; terrines and pates large enough to serve a party of four, salads garnished with quarter pound portions of pork belly, and finger length gnocchi that melt on the tongue as rich sauces find balance with fine herbs.
From drinks to desserts and salads to a cassoulet as good as any I’ve encountered to date it was with little surprise that I enjoyed both Maude’s and Gilt Bar immensely and having since sent at least half a dozen friends through the doors of Sodikoff’s restaurants the consensus seems to be that no matter which location everyone comes away impressed; no small achievement considering the variety of palates involved and more than enough to make me excited for his next venture – or a return visit to any of the current lineup.
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.
Parisian Gnocchi – house made gnocchi, roasted root vegetables, tomato sauce, poached farm fresh eggs, pecorino
Lemon poppyseed pancakes – lemon compound butter & maple syrup
French Toast – Brioche, honey mascarpone & maple syrup
Goat Cheese Sticky Bun
Nutella & orange spice Pop-Tart
Wild mushroom & goat cheese Pop Tart
Chocolate Bread Pudding with Coffee Anglaise
If my first visit to 2 Sparrows represented the very best of what the restaurant is capable of then I have little doubt that my second represented the worst – from the disinterested service of a young woman named Jackie to a sticky bun that was essentially an over-baked biscuit topped with dense, sticky paste and onward to three “poached” eggs that were better called hard boiled served over undercooked, barely edible potatoes in not one, but two dishes it was the saleable art on the wall and the Bread Pudding alone that prevented this from being the most disappointing meal of all time…and even then, those saving graces aren’t enough to ever see me return…not when an answer to the overcooked eggs was to take them away, leave the gnocchi and hash cooling on the table, and return ten minutes later with better eggs…and twenty minutes later with a bill pushing $100 and no acknowledgement that anyone cared that the meal was awful (even after an e-mail to the restaurant later that day.)
With a first dinner at Ruxbin separated from a second dinner by an hour long walk in the chilly Chicago air I met my family at the South Loop’s Northeastern themed Acadia just after 8:00pm; having heard mixed things about the restaurant I’d admittedly booked the reservation based on two facts – the first being that it was open on a Sunday and the second being that the menu appealed to my mother and aunt more so than that at Ruxbin. Seemingly a menu of ‘safe’ ingredients with a few esoteric options scattered about I entered the restaurant with modest expectations and in the end those were met, though not exceeded, despite a rough start.
Owned and operated by Chef Ryan McCaskey with a truly elegant dining room lush with natural colors, organic arts, wood tables, and clothed chairs our meal began with the hostess seemingly trying to force us into the lounge despite a reservation for the dining room and proceeded to get more bizarre as we sat, enjoying cocktails, only to hear our server, Carlos, tell us they were “out of” the foie gras…despite the fact that he had just taken an order for it from the 2-top to our right. When asked how this was possible the young man explained that they had been seated before us; a fact that I quickly disproved when I showed him a picture of the dining room that I’d snapped as I walked in showing their table to be empty…and one that somehow, miraculously, put liver back on the menu – a truly excellent preparation, I must say, even if the service never achieved anything more than mediocrity (nor did the unnecessary and frankly annoying music playing overhead.)
Service and sound issues aside, with our group of five opting to dine a la carte we sampled widely from the small but polished menu and ended up ordering all but three of the nightly offerings with much of the cuisine beautifully presented and well crafted, though largely ‘expected’ with only a few plates aside from the aforementioned foie gras truly memorable, and often more so for the garnishes than for the featured item; pieces like the celeriac bread pudding, goat cheese fondue, and cuttlefish noodles far more interesting than the plate’s primary focus.
Certainly not a ‘bad’ meal by any means, but also one where the company at the table was more memorable than the food on the table, I do not doubt Chef McCaskey’s skills since each dish was nicely prepared and quite good. I also do not doubt that one could have a truly memorable meal at Acadia – Foie Gras, Stonington lobster, Black Walnut would be an excellent start. In the end, however, what I do doubt is that Acadia’s food, room, or service is anything worth going out of your way for – especially in a city like Chicago.
With just 32 seats and enough critical acclaim to fill them each night I will start with one suggestion and move right to the next. First, plan in advance and make a reservation for Sunday since it is the only day Ed Kim’s “American bistro” will guarantee you a seat without the possibility of waiting in line. Second, go with an open mind, close your eyes, and just point at anything on the menu because no matter what you order there is a good chance it will look little like what you expected and taste far better than you’d have guessed.
Small, long, and dark with the kitchen up a flight of stairs and the diners below I requested a seat near the back and within minutes received the night’s menu and a list of specials from one of three friendly servers, each personable yet professional and more than capable of describing the ins and out of the menu. Not telling them that this was a pre-dinner it was suggested that 2-4 plates per guest was advised and after a short discussion opted for a quintet that would begin to arrive shortly following the restaurant’s oft raved sweet and salty popcorn.
Featuring reclaimed woods, menus, cookbooks, and even forks to support the mirrors in the (awesome – check it out) restroom the décor of Ruxbin could best be described as shabby-modern while the food, a testament to Chef Kim’s tenure in some of America’s best kitchens and excellent sourcing, is anything but…the flavors and textures sharp and bright while presentations are that of comfort foods, familiarity with finesse – a palate cleansing carrot soup shooter topped with cracklin’ pork and a light, balanced, and truly impressive flatbread proving ample skills in melding sweet with savory while the duck and pork dishes both took heavier proteins and brought their subtleties into focus with crunchy vegetables and the restrained use of acid; the pork belly especially impressive as the grapefruit and cornbread melded with the melting fat to great effect in both flavor and mouthfeel.
Never one to pass on desserts I was equally impressed by the pastry side of Ruxbin as I was by the savories, both dishes the sort of situation where reading the ingredients may give one pause (as it did for my family who opted to sit out this meal) but both rustic in structure but refined in taste and texture; the cake ‘deconstructed’ at best with hints of earth and spice hiding behind the sweetness, all mellowed by the coconut and the Rocky Road without a doubt one of the best desserts I’ve had in 2013 – a sweet and smoky pudding that played like a fudgy sundae spread across a long plate; a plate that my seat at the back wall allowed me to scrape clean (and briefly debate licking until I realized I could use my finger to similar effect.
…there had been no plans to dine at Slurping Turtle when the trip began, but after a truly disastrous visit to BellyQ for brunch leading to us walking out before even placing an order a friend’s comment about the virtues of Ramen got me thinking “why not?” Certainly not a food I seek out and one that actually brings back few memories as I never even enjoyed the cheap stuff in college I’d heard largely positive things about Takashi Yagihashi’s Izakaya and although I can’t say I was surprised given my lack of a reference point, the meal actually turned out to be a smashing success with even the most finicky eaters in our party of five.
Hip and fun without being ‘loud’ and featuring service that was humorous yet educational as Chef Takashi looked on, largely folding towels and watching a basketball game on the television while we dined, the meal consisted of a trio of appetizers, three desserts, four different soups, and a bento with each proving to be not only well prepared and delicious, but also wholly satisfying…each bowl and bite offering something unique from the others – a true education to a group of novices on the diversity of Japanese broths and noodles.
From the defiantly creamy pork broth to the earthen dashi and from thin ramen to springy rice to thick, toothsome udon I’d be hard pressed to say which noodle dish I liked best while appetizers, particularly the crab croquettes (not to mention the tempura shrimp with the udon) were also very impressive. Picking out a single item in the tonkatsu box, as well, I could have eaten a dozen of the egg cakes – described as a “Castella” as an accoutrement or as dessert…but that would have then prevented me from enjoying the delicious egg shooter, Paris-quality macarons (the Caramel Soy particularly excellent,) and the black sesame ice cream.
Overall a really great meal I think the most important takeaway points from our experience at Slurping Turtle was two-fold…first, that although I never expect to sit down and tuck into a whole bowl of Japanese noodles, I’d gladly go back with a big group willing to order and share diversely. And two, I owe Takashi a visit on my next trip to Chicago.
Bull’s eye french toast – crispy chicken, sweet onion brioche, bbq maple syrup, eggs
Spiced apple pancakes – cream cheese butter, oatmeal crumble, maple syrup
Fat elvis waffles – banana, peanut butter-butter, bacon maple syrup
Cookie Pie
Smoked pork & toffee crunch shake
Peanut butter cookie sandwich
Chocolate chunk cookie
Open from 7am until late and located on Randolph in the Fulton Market there was little doubt in my mind that Stephanie Izard’s second Chicago restaurant, the cleverly named Little Goat, would be successful and considering my single visit to Girl & The Goat I also expected the food to be bold, uncompromised, and delicious – the first two readily apparent the moment the website went live displaying a menu that read like Frankenstein mash-up of comfort foods gone overboard. The question then became, would it be delicious – an answer I decided to find out for myself when I gathered up the family for early Sunday Breakfast.
Arriving shortly after opening – a good plan considering the fact that every seat would be filled by 8:30am – and seated promptly at an oversized booth menus were presented and coffee was poured by a young woman named Yolanda who would prove every bit as friendly as she was capable of keeping my cup of Stumptown’s Hairbender filled throughout our 90+ minute stay. Selecting widely from the large and eclectic menu but requesting that food come out in courses I really cannot say enough about the pacing of our meal, particularly as it is in the restaurants best interest to turn tables given their “no reservations” policy, but in a word it was perfect.
Starting off with pastries and the oft praised fried mashed potatoes I was particularly taken by the muffin and the scone, both available in the bakery/bread shop next door and both a fine balance of sweet and savory with a great crumb and plenty of butter. Moving next to our primary plates, myself going savory for the first time in memory as the ladies each went sweet, I’ll simply say that any chef willing to put brandade on a breakfast menu – particularly with pork belly and kimchi – has guts, and all my respect for making such diverse flavors work so well.
Less impressed by the shrimp and grits, particularly as compared to those at Carriage House the day prior, but more than happy with the delicate pancakes, soft and savory waffles, and particularly the unique toad-in-a-hole-meets-fried-chicken-meets-gooseberries-meets-barbeque French Toast; a dish that much like the belly and brandade simply defies logic in turning out so well.
Clearly not skimping on complexity or calories in any way, desserts would prove equally interesting to the main plates and whether one opts for a simple chocolate chip cookie, peanut butter cookie, cookie pie, or defiantly excellent savory milkshake each one was resoundingly good – the entire meal easily warranting a return visit in the future and, despite the fact that I’ve never seen a single episode of Top Chef, assuring me that Chef Izard deserves every bit of the praise and success that has come her way.
My first and only encounter with Chris Nugent prior to the evening of March 23rd, 2013 was on his last day of service at Les Nomades – the first of what turned out to be two tasting menus that evening – and although the stuffy service was not my cup of tea, Nugent’s food was superlative; more than enough to assure my patronage at his new restaurant, Goosefoot, the next time I visited Chicago…assuming I could get a reservation. Small in space and somewhat obscure in policy I was fortunate to have assistance in securing a two-top on short notice for a Saturday evening and arriving even before the restaurant opened my friend and I were seated promptly at 5:30, he with a bottle in toe given the restaurant’s BYOB policy, and within moments were greeted by the Chef’s wife and our server, Molly, who would guide us through the night’s nine course menu.
Small, narrow, and minimally adorned with walls light, tables black, and chairs sleek wood opposite gold banquets much of the experience at Goosefoot harkens fine dining with a touch of whimsy, a sensibility matching the food on the table, while severs are polite, personal, and professional with light background music at times noticeable and at others entirely forgettable completing the picture; a nice room, if not particularly memorable.
With a crowd ranging from the mid-twenties to a quartet of septuagenarians I was intrigued to see that much of the cuisine emerging from Nugent’s kitchen was at once beautiful and technique driven and yet at the same time quite ‘safe’ – the theme of every plate a deft degree of balance and none more apparent than the first and the third; both present since the restaurant’s December 2011 debut and both rich, aromatic, and very carefully spiced – the curry acting to highlight the lobster’s natural sweetness and the soup a chestnut tinged mushroom veloute punctuated with notes of truffle, vegetable, and briny little gougeres.
Moving from lighter dishes to heavier proteins by way of a flaky and delicate piece of loup de mer paired with a rich and bright citrus sauce balanced by aromatic leeks and fennel the most impressive course of the evening for myself would be the duck; a flawless piece of rosy red breast with crisp skin and melting fat lightly spiced with ginger and juniper allowing the bird’s characteristic flavor to show not only in the flesh, but as a basenote to the lentils beneath.
Transitioning from savory to sweet through a cheese course that took Roquefort in directions I’d have never guessed – by far the most aggressively flavored dish of the evening – followed by an aromatic beet elixir I personally found the citrus dessert far more interesting than the chocolate, a rarity for me, largely because as interesting as it may have read, the chocolate largely tasted like a dense ganache with too much sweetness, the rest of the ingredients getting lost in a flood of passionfruit and cocoa.
Exiting the restaurant and receiving a signed copy of the menu, plus one to plant – yes, the menu is organic with embedded perennial seeds – it should go without saying that at $115/pp with a BYOB policy Goosefoot presents a truly affordable fine dining experience and although perhaps not as unique or interesting as Alinea, Grace, Schwa, or EL Ideas it is every bit as “chef driven” as the others and without a doubt a space that should be on everyone’s culinary map, local or visitor alike.
If you put one of my favorite artists, one of my favorite bands, and my favorite team in one of my favorite cities along with my entire family over the course of four days not even a missed flight and painfully expensive last minute reschedule can keep me away – add in a few good friends and a lot of good food and I’d honestly forgotten about the flight mishap until I started reviewing my notes from the trip – a visit that started rough and only got better and better with each successive day, meal, and event.
Starting with Allium, the posh space in The Four Seasons with prices to match, a nearly $100 breakfast for three can best be summed up with the phrase “so not worth it,” and the kicker “not even close” as a trio of starters including a Cinnamon Roll ($5), Glazed Donut ($5), and Almond Croissant ($5) would virtually define “The good, the bad, and the ugly” – the cinnamon roll a veritable soufflé rising out of a cast iron pot while the donut was thick and chewy and the croissant…more like a limp Danish with the cream cheese replaced by sticky, artificial frangipane.
With copious refills of the admittedly excellent Coffee ($5) from a service team led by our friendly captain, Patricia, our visit to Allium saw us as the restaurant’s only patrons until the very end of the meal and with kitschy décor abound our primary plates would prove capable and interesting, though clearly overpriced as the Huevos Ranchero atop a Chorizo Quesadilla with Guacamole and Cebollita ($16) utilized high end avocados and green onions plus house made chorizo in excellent balance while both the Peach & Blueberry Dutch Pancake ($1 and PB & J French Toast with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese and Concorde Grape Jam on Brioche ($1 were nicely prepared and not overly sweet.
Keeping in mind that the restaurant is indeed inside The Four Seasons and acknowledging the cost that comes with the territory I think Allium is best suited for the hotel’s guests or those on expense account, though I could probably justify returning for coffee and dessert…or if they slashed prices by half.
Moving on to better (and far less expensive) things, given the low quality of the Allium donut and four days in the city that I think makes the best doughnuts in America each morning for the rest of the trip would see us at a different stop, the first (and newest) being Firecakes where we arrived before the small shop even opened and proceeded with an “I’ll take one of each” approach netting us two large boxes of warm, fresh, fried dough including Honey Glazed, Apple Fritter, Maple Glazed Pineapple & Bacon, Butterscotch Praline, Lemon Verbena Meringue, Chocolate Hazelnut Long John, Valrhona Chocolate Iced, Classic Jelly, Triple Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Old Fashioned Buttermilk, Coconut Cream, and Vanilla Iced.
Carrying our bounty to the Rock n’ Roll McDonalds given the freezing weather and lack of seating at Firecakes we began our taste test with lighter options before moving on to the heavier, filled, or chocolate choices and save for the fritter, which I found a bit too greasy, and the tiny maple glazed pineapple and bacon which was far too sweet, the selections all proved not only delicious but also quite diverse.
With many restaurants doing either cake or raised, or at least doing one better than the other, Firecakes nailed the classics with excellent, yeasty lightness to the honey glazed and vanilla iced versions while filled selections were toothsome and more than capable of holding up to their contents; the butterscotch and hazelnut versions particularly impressive and the “classic jelly” a veritable paczki in the middle of March. Moving forth to the cake choices – from buttermilk to standard cake topped with coconut to the decidedly decadent Triple Chocolate – each of the selections were every bit on par with some of the best out there and although not quite hitting the highs achieved by Doughnut Vault with each and every item a very admirable ‘second place,’ with more variety and without the hour-long line.
Speaking of Doughnut Vault – no trip to Chicago at this point would be right without a stop…or two…and as one of the very few ‘Doughnutteries’ willing to take requests (via their tumblr account) a short wait in the cold landed us a quartet of options including two cake options, one filled selection, and a raised/glazed choice – all impressive as ever.
Beginning first with a yeasted chocolate on chocolate with chocolate sprinkles option that disproved all previously conceived notions that a chocolate donut needs to be heavy and moving to the tart, tangy orange marmalade selection before proceeding to my two “special requests” of Birthday Cake and Blueberry Cake I remain impressed to this day by how well each doughnut from Doughnut Vault is crafted – the textures always light and never greasy while the flavors are balanced and restrained, never overly sweet – something exemplified in the blueberry selection that tasted almost identical to fresh blueberries with a bit of added sugar. Try as others might to capitalize on the trend, Doughnut Vault remains – in my opinion – the best Doughnut Shop in America.
With the family opting to sleep in on Saturday and myself heading to a local gym by car as outdoor running in Chicago during winter is poorly advised the combination of transportation and empty roads even after an early morning workout finally led me to the last old school Chicago Donut institution on my “must visit” list – Dat Donut all the way down in Chatham.
Arriving just after 7:00am to find the store largely empty save for a vagrant sleeping at the long bar hoping to avoid the cold and greeted by the lone clerk, protected by half-inch glass I was informed that ‘fresh donuts would be ready in 5 minutes’ and opting to wait it would be exactly four before I placed my order – a mere $8.75 for five selections that could have, and did, feed five people.
Far from the refined, upscale Doughnuts offered downtown and tilted more to what you get at Abundance or Old Fashioned the Strawberry Yeasted choice would be my only selection that had been sitting in the case and on par with Dunkin both in taste and texture I moved on to better things with a pair of toothsome cake donuts, one chocolate and the other blueberry, before progressing to the items that have made Dat a destination – the hubcap sized Apple Fritter and BIG DAT – the former dense, crispy, and loaded with apples while the later is shockingly light, much like a Krispy Kreme, and equally sweet – an experience worth the drive and the calories, at least once.
Still hearing good things to this point about the cake donuts at Do-Rite and wondering if my single visit was perhaps an anomaly my sister and I stopped by later in the trip for a pair of the daily options, one Butterscotch and the other Lemon Confit and although better than the oily mess that had seemed to have been rushed from the fryer on my previous visit I still found the selections to be lacking in texture compared to those at Doughnut Vault. Excellent in flavor, particularly the lemon which bordered on sour as opposed to sweet, Do-Rite simply seems to be a ‘me-too’ in a city where the Vault, Firecakes, and Glazed and Infused have all impressed me more.
Last and decidedly least, a visit to The French Market would take me to Beavers’, the food-truck to counter conversion serving fresh fried donut holes with myriad toppings…except for the ones they are sold out of…and only by the half dozen, even though it would seem more sensible to allow the customer to top each donut or hole with a different topping – or to simply pre-top the donuts and sell them individually since there are any number of other doughnut shops in the city putting out warm donuts throughout the day.
Noting the friendly servers but finding them already sold out of the Cannoli as well as the S’mores despite an 8:30am arrival I settled for the Reese’s with Chocolate Sauce and Peanut Butter Sauce – a half dozen plus three additional which were gifted to me along with a sample of the cocoa powdered hole for $5. Light and tasty themselves but drown in the toppings and best eaten with a fork due to the messy nature of the preparation the entire operation just strikes me as sloppy and overpriced as a half-dozen holes are undoubtedly smaller than a raised doughnut from the Vault and far less interesting than the offerings at Firecakes or Glazed and Infused.
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