(K)new

I had wanted to go to (K)new for a while but a Groupon that came up last fall provided the impetus to actually go there. (K)new is a nice little neighborhood restaurant in Logan Square headed by Chef Omar Rodriguez (formerly of Think Cafe and the Carlucci Restaurant Group). The main room is light blue and brown and will seat about 50 people. The walkways are wide so it doesn't feel as if you have to share a seat with your neighbor. With the wife of Chef Omar heading up the Front of the house, this truly felt like a family run operation. There were two servers and one busboy working and while it wasn't terribly busy when I got there, it was getting there when I left. I arrived a little early and was immediately seated (in the corner). While I wasn't a huge fan of being sat in the corner, it did give me a good view of the actions of the dining area and the way the house interacted with the customers. The restaurant is a BYO with a fairly reasonable corkage fee ($5) so I brought a Ferrari-Carano Fume' Blanc because there was a lot of seafood and poultry on the menu. My dinner started with Amuse Bouche. They actually brought the Amuse out before I ordered the rest of my dinner. It was an Ahi Tuna Ceviche with Avocado and Beet Microgreens. This was in a Phyllo Shell and served with some chili oil. It was pretty good and gave a good foreshadowing of how the meal would be. The waitress came about the time I finished the ceviche and I made my order.

My appetizer was Diver Scallops with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Microgreens served over a Roasted Pineapple and with Brussel Sprouts on the side in a Pineapple Buerre Blanc. I have to say that the scallops were cooked perfectly and matched well with the pineapple and bacon. They also went well with my wine. They were probably some of the best scallops I have ever had. Because they were so good, I kind of wish that I hadn't ordered it because it set a high bar for the rest of the meal. My entree was a Cavatappi Pasta with Lobster, Shrimp, and Cherry Tomatoes. There was a light sauce made from Mascarpone Cheese and EVOO and it was spiced with Tarragon, Basil, and Mint. It wasn't bad and the serving size was pretty big. The lobster was pretty good. I don't know that I have ever had lobster that wasn't overcooked and rubbery so this was a real plus. The dish was good but it wasn't as good as the scallops.Finally, I had to try dessert. I ordered a Dark Chocolate Cupcake Brownie with White Chocolate Mousse and Mint Chocolate Gelato. There was an orchid on top of the brownie, the gelato was served in two bowls on either side of the brownie and the plate was spread with chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, and blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. It was a large beautiful dish that didn't taste bad and it was fun to eat the orchid but the gelato was a little too melted.

Overall, dinner was good. The food was good,the service was friendly if a little slow, and the fact that it's a BYO makes it quite affordable. While it isn't world class, it is a very good neighborhood restaurant that would make a good date or group dinner.