Bistronomic

I have blogged about Bistronomic before when I came here for brunch.  A restaurant's look isn't going to change based on meal service but it's vibe certainly can and the menu will certainly be different.  Bistronomic is a modern bistro located in the Gold Coast of Chicago.  It's Executive Chef  Martial Noguier who was the first chef at the late, lamented one sixty blue, and later at Cafe des Architectes focuses on French seasonal cooking and during dining hours, he can be frequently seen in the dining room talking up the patrons and ensuring that they are having a good dinner.  I came for a dinner here where they were featuring the dishes of the famed French chef, Auguste Escoffier, who is known as the father of modern French cooking.  Many of the dishes offered were well known classics and it was actually a little difficult to choose what I was going to have because everything sounded good.  I finally did decide though and looked forward to my dinner.  For my appetizer, I started with a Bouillabaisse with Diver Scallops, Potatoes, Saffron Aioli, and Pernod and garnished with a Baguette Slice and Dill.  This was amazing!  The scallops were tender as were the potatoes, and the saffron and dill provided the dish with a lot of flavor complementary to the scallops.  While I did try to soak up as much broth as I could with the baguette, I had more broth than baguette.  If I thought I could have gotten away with licking the bowl, I would have readily.  I eagerly awaited my entree.

My entree was steak, specifically it was a Beef Tenderloin a la Berrichone with Savoy Cabbage, Chestnuts, and a Caramelized Onion Puree.  The tenderloin was very tender, juicy, and had a great crust.  I assume that it had been marinated in a red wine because it was more red than might have been expected from a rare steak (I ordered medium-rare).  The cabbage was crisp and slightly acidic.  The chestnuts provided crunch and the caramelized onion puree had a nice savoriness that really went well with the steak.

For my dessert, I had an Omelette Norvegienne.  I was unsure of what this might be when I ordered it, but I was curious as to what a Norwegian Omelette might be.  As it turned out, a Norwegian Omelette is the same thing as a Baked Alaska.  This is Meringue powdered with bittersweet cocoa on top of Coffee Ice Cream, Caramel, and Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce, and garnished with Mint Leaves.  The meringue was molded into a crown of delicate points and was lightly sweet.  The ice cream went well with the chocolate and it was an excellent finish to a great meal.

I again enjoyed my meal here and will surely come back for more.  The food was good, the service was friendly and welcoming, and I was able to have a pretty good conversation with Chef Noguier about my upcoming trip to Paris.