Hopewell Brewing - Monday Night Dinner with Flat and Point

 

I really like Hopewell Brewing.  They are good people that do some good and interesting beers.  Periodically, on a Monday night (when they are normally closed), they will invite a neighborhood restaurant who they are friends with and will host a Monday Night Dinner.  It gives them a chance to feature their beer with some different and interesting food served family-style, and it gives their friends a chance to try something that might not normally do.  For this Monday Night Dinner, they invited Flat & Point, a neighborhood restaurant that is similar to a barbecue restaurant.  The food is locally sourced and whole animals are used, though they feature things other than smoked meat.  The Hopewell Taproom is big and open with a bar on one side and three long communal tables in the center of the room.  Besides the large windows in the front, the space is lit with hanging light bulbs.  The walls also feature hanging art, which changes periodically.  The art that is now hanging was interesting and bright and if I were to add descriptors, I would say that it looked to me like Psychedelic and Robotic Aztec Art.  As in previous dinners, there was a Hopewell cooler sitting in the back of the room filled with beer to welcome us.  To be hospitable, I grabbed one, a Lil Buddy Lager, a light and crisp beer served in 8 oz cans and is very easy drinking.  Because I was dining solo, I was seated with another group which was fine because it made it easier to serve things family-style and it gave me a chance to socialize somewhat.

 

After everyone had arrived, was seated and had a beer, we started.  Our first beer was a favorite of mine, Table Salt Gose which is made with French Gray Sea Salt, Lemongrass, Lime Leaf, and Cardamom.  It's tart with a nice lemon-lime flavor and a salty finish.  This was paired with Charcuterie.  We were served Leberkase (literally Liver Cheese, it is a Sausage made with finely ground Corned Beef, Pork and Bacon), with Smoked Ricotta Cheese, and Pickled Radishes, on Sourdough Bread.  This was not what I expected as far as charcuterie was concerned, but it perfectly fit in with what Flat & Point does.  It was smoky and meaty, with the creamy ricotta, and dense and flavorful sourdough.

 

From the appetizer we went to the salad and what better beer to serve with salad then a Saison.  Great News Saison is a classic saison providing flavors of fruit, pepper, and citrus, and went very well with those things green.  Our salad wasn't completely colored green, but because it was all plant-based, I will use green as a generic descriptor instead of the color.  Our salad was a Winter Salad with Smoked Delicata Squash, Wilted Baby Kale, Carrots, Pumpkin Seeds, and Honey Dijon.  I really liked this salad because it had a lot of flavors and textures.  I am generally not a huge fan of Kale, because texturally, it's generally a bit stiff.  Wilting it, did soften it up, but with the squash and carrots, there was enough to chew on.

 

Our next course was lasagna, though it was lasagna with a definite twist.  It was a Veggie Lasagna with Parsnips, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and a Truffle and Creamy Mushroom Sauce.  It was served with Off Black, Hopewell's Schwarzbier (Black Lager), which is both earthy and crisp.  The Lasagna was layered with Sweet Potatoes and Parsnips, sliced, laid on its side, and covered in the amazing Mushroom and Truffle Gravy.  It was tender and very flavorful, and the earthiness of the sweet potatoes and parsnips went well with the earthiness of the Schwarzbier.

 

 

After the excellent lasagna, many of us would have been happy to finish, but we still had our entree and dessert to go, so on we plowed.  Our final beer was a seasonal beer that they have made since the beginning, 24:37 Red IPA (24:37 is the length of a day on Mars, the red planet).  It's good and a bit unusual, being both malty and hoppy.  It was served with a Thuringer Porchetta (a spiced Pork Sausage made largely from Pork Shoulder) with Red Cabbage and 24:37 Red IPA Gravy, it was also served with a big bowl of Polenta.  This was really good, though it was tender and flavorful, it was also heavy and it was hard to get through after the rest of the food.

 

Happily we made it to the end and while dessert was nice and sweet, it wasn't exceptionally heavy.  Our beer was a Cold Brew Imperial Coffee Stout made with the coffee of a local roaster and featuring flavors of Dark Chocolate and Coffee.  What better to match a stout with than a Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookie which was made with Glazed and Made with Dark Chocolate.  It was sweet, bitter, and made for an excellent finish for a great meal.  I was happy to talk to both the owners of Hopewell and the Chef/Owner of Flat & Point.  I will continue to go to Hopewell's Monday Night Dinners and will definitely visit flat & Point for dinner some night. 

Barton G - Restaurant Week

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned before, Restaurant is a good time for me to check out a restaurant that I might not otherwise go to.  I saw note of Barton G when it opened and noticed that it also had locations in Miami and Beverly Hills, I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants and with the other locations, my thought was that it would be an over-priced and flashy place that was more about being seen than the food or drink.  I won't deny that a place to be seen at frequently has good food, but they frequently attract people who are more interested in who is there than what is on their plate.  A look at their menu before restaurant week provided me more evidence of that idea.  While it did have several strikes against it in my head, I had seen pictures and thought it would be interesting, at least to see and their participation in Chicago Restaurant gave me an opportunity to check it out.  When I arrived, I noticed that it was located in the former Sullivan's Steakhouse and the first thing that I noticed when I came to the host's table was a wall of wooden monkeys similar to those used in the game, Barrel of Monkeys.  I could see the whimsy continuing as I looked around the dining room as I was being led to me seat.  There were large wooden gorillas with suspenders sitting on a divider between two banquettes, the hanging lighting across the bar from me was in the form of trapeze artists, and there was a wall of orchids.  I sat down and saw that my napkin was laid atop my menu.  It was folded in the form of a bath robe/lounge jacket. I saw that the place would be pleasure to view, even if the food turned out unimpressive and I was excited for the experience.

 

 

Looking at the cocktail menu, I saw that there cocktails were very expensive and some used liquid Nitrogen. I was a little put off looking at the prices of the drinks, I figured though, that since I was here, I should try to get as much of the restaurant experience as I could, so a drink would be included.  I happened to see a drink called a Howard Hughes which looked very like an Aviation.  As Howard Hughes founded Hughes Aviation, it made sense, but I also thought (cynically) that it was so expensive that only a billionaire like Hughes would order it.  I was shocked, surprised, and amused, when my drink arrived because it was served in a very large holder that was formed like a large Art Deco Airplane (with the glass holding the drink on top).  When it arrived, it was steaming after being chilled with liquid Nitrogen and I was instructed not to try to drink it until it stopped steaming.  I am a chemist that works with Liquid Nitrogen occasionally, so I know that it's at about -320°F.  This would not be exceptionally pleasant to drink, so I held off.  The drink was still a bit frozen when I took it out of it's holder though.  An Aviation is Gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Creme de Violette, and Lime, frequently with a Maraschino Cherry garnish.  The Howard Hughes was made with Pear-infused Gin, Maraschino, Creme de Violette, and Lemon garnished with a Marasca Cherry and frozen with Liquid Nitrogen.  It was essentially an Aviation, it was cold, and it was pretty good.  The presentation was outrageous and pretty cool and I was glad I spent the money for it.

For my appetizer, I went with the Popcorn Shrimp.  I like Popcorn Shrimp, but after my cocktail, I had no idea what to expect.  What I did not expect was to be brought an entire movie-style pocorn maker (with popcorn).  In the popcorn maker was a steel dish  with Popcorn and a paper cone with Popcorn Shrimp on the top and more Popcorn on the bottom.  It was served with Honey Sriracha Sauce and Chili Aioli.  The shrimp was very tender was very tender and flavorful with a light coating, and were very good on their own, but the sauces did complement them well, giving a nice light burn.  The popcorn, unfortunately was popcorn.  It was a bit overcooked, though not inedible.  It was better with the sauces, though it still felt like eating cardboard.

Now that I had an idea of what kind of place this was, I was excited to see how my entree would come out.  I ordered Salmon, so I kind of expected a nautical theme.  I was wrong.  The service tray was a floating paint can with orange paint pouring down into a puddle.  On the puddle was a Rectangular Steel Textured Tray/Plate on which was my entree:  Pan-Roasted Faroe Island Salmon with Heirloom Barley and Beet Risotto, Butternut Squash, and Toasted Hazelnut Butter.  The Salmon was very tender and mild, with a light crispy exterior, and a tender and flaky interior.  The Salmon was served on top of the Barley and Beet Risotto, and I frequently ate them together.  The barley was nicely al dente with the beets adding a bittersweet and earthy flavor.  The Squash was pureed and served on the side.  It did go well with the salmon, though in smaller tastes.  It was good and fun and I could hardly wait for my dessert.

 

Dessert was listed as chef's choice, so I had no idea what I would be getting.  At this point, with the whimsy I had experienced, it didn't matter.  I was excited to see what would come out.    What came out was a Wheelbarrow full of "dirt" and a Flower Pot with a Chocolate Covered Strawberry on top of stuff.  I was told that the "dirt" was Graham Cracker Crumbs, and while it was edible, it was more for presentation.  What I was supposed to eat was in the Flower Pot.  Under the Strawberry we had a Graham Cracker Crumble over Chocolate Mousse, over Dark Chocolate Crumble.  It was whimsical, tasty, and a great finish to a weird and funny meal.  I would love to return for a special occasion with someone else who might enjoy the whimsy.

    

The Albert - Restaurant Week

 

 

 

 

One of the advantages of Restaurant Week is that you get to try out restaurants that you think are interesting, but aren't sure that it's worth the price.  With the prix fixe menu, you can get an idea of the look and style of the restaurant, as well as an idea of their food without having to throw all in for the full price of a meal.  I had seen The Albert, located in Hotel EMC2, at a benefit and liked what they did.  That being said, while you might get an idea of taste for a given restaurant at a benefit, because of the sparse resources, you probably won't get an idea of the beauty of a given dish.  I had looked at their menu online, but the descriptions didn't seem to match with the prices.  While I was interested, I didn't know if I was willing to commit for the price of a regular meal.  I decided that while the Restaurant Week discount was not dramatic, it was doable and I decided to dive in.  The entrance of the restaurant is through the lobby of the hotel.  Walking into the restaurant you enounter a room that is very open with high ceilings.  The floor is carpeted and the bar is on the wall opposite the entrance with seating around two sides for about 12 people.  I was seated at a banquette table in the corner opposite the entrance, which gave me a good view of the dining room.  The wall opposite me was pretty amazing with a mural of various caricatured scientist types working on their various sciences (plus a chicken).  Above the mural were many book cases, card catalogs, and file and chart cabinets, which gave it the look of a science library.  I was of two minds about this.  While I thought it looked really cool, I also thought that if those books were real, they would no longer be able to be used.  Above the bar was a rack with round set places holding cloches with samples underneath them.  It looked pretty cool and fit well into the science-y vibe of the entire place.  The cocktail list was divided into four sections named after art movements:  Impressionism (bright flavors with soft notes), Surrealism (odd, yet familiar), Cubism (bold and modern), and Minimalism (boozy and to the point).  I started with something from the Cubism School.  Called Leave a Message, it had Mezcal, Hibiscus, and Apple.  It definitely fit into that school because I would not have expected those flavors to work together well.  The mezcal was smoky, though not overwhelmingly so.  The Hibiscus was sweet and floral, which toned down the smokiness of the mezcal, and the apple brought the sweet and tart flavors of an apple, which actually worked well with the toned down smokiness of the mezcal and the sweetness of the hibiscus.  It was a twist, but it worked well.

For the start of my dinner I started with a salad.  I would normally say that most salads are pretty boring, but I really like beets and this was a Roasted Beet Salad.  It had Red, Golden, and Candy Cane Beets, Figs, Frisee, and candied Walnuts and Pecans.  It was rich, and sweet, with the figs contributing more sweetness and a nice chewy texture that matched well with the beets.  The Walnuts and Pecans added a nice crunch and nutty flavor.

For my main course, I again went with fish.  This, like the previous evening, was also a white fish, Skin On Arctic Char, served with White Beans, Bacon and Dill.  It was much more simple than the fish that I had had the previous night, but it was simple done well.  The fish was cooked perfectly tender and flaky, except for the crispy skin.  The beans added body and depth of floor, and it had a nice finish with the dill.  The bacon was used subtly with the beans, more as an accent than an individual flavor, but it did add flavor to the beans.

Dessert was special.  Listed on the menu as a Chocolate Mousse, which would have been good in and of itself, it was denser than the standard Chocolate Mousse, it looked like a brownie, but it was still light and fluffy.  It was topped with a dollop of Mascarpone Cheese, a Banana Chip, and an Egyptian condiment called Dukkah consisting of Hazelnuts, Herbs, and Spices like Coriander, Marjoram, sesame, Cumin, and Mint, and surrounded with a Dark Chocolate swirl.  It was sweet, spicy, rich, and very good and made for a nice finish.  To pair with dessert, I ordered another cocktail, this one from the Impressionism School.  Called With Passion, it started with Vodka and Gin and added Appertivo and Passionfruit.  Passionfruit is very tart and it was there prominently, though the flavor of the passionfruit was softened by the liquor.  While the drink was generally tart, it worked well with the mousse, bringing out the bitterness of the chocolate and the dukkah.  I really enjoyed my meal here.  The space was very nice, the staff was very friendly and the food was good.  I would be happy to try it out for a regular meal.  
  

Mordecai - Chicago Restaurant Week

 

 

 

I love Chicago Restaurant Week.  Friends joke that for me, it's like Christmas.  Admittedly, they aren't far off.  While there are a few restaurants I will repeat, I generally use restaurant week to check out places that I have not yet tried and the first place that I went for Restaurant Week was one of the latter.  Mordecai is part of Folk Art Restaurant Group, the group fronted by Matthias Merges, a former Charlie Trotter protege, who went on to run the late lamented Yusho, Billy Sunday, Old Irving Brewing, and others.  Mordecai is located in Wrigleyville, across from Wrigley Field and is named for Hall of Fame Pitcher, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, who was with the Cubs from 1904-1912 and 1916.  There are several pictures and articles in the restaurant including a picture of his mangled hand, which was injured in a farming accident.  The dining room is high ceilinged with many TVs playing sports.  There is a large bar along one wall with a large liquor selection.  While it was pretty low key when I was there, I imagine that it can get pretty raucous during baseball season (or even when a Chicago team is doing well).  I was seated at a large corner banquette table where I had a very ood view of the room.

 

For Restaurant Week, a restaurant will offer a three or four course dinner for a fixed price.  Many restaurants will also offer their regular menu to offer diners a choice to go a la carte.  While there were some items of interest on the main menu, I decided to go with the prix fixe and started with a salad and a cocktail, which I ordered separately.  Both items were really interesting and good.  The cocktail, called a Soda Jerk was made with No. 3 London Dry Gin, Maraschino, Creme de Violette, Orange Liqueur, Egg White, and Cherry Soda on the side (options were Cherry, Orange, and Grape) which was available to dose your cocktail as you wish.  The base cocktail was kind of a combination of an Aviation and a Last Word, but the soda added a sweet flavor.  It was good and fun to add the soda to see how it changed the drink.  For my first food course, as I said, I got a salad.  I generally will not order salads because they are frequently very boring, but this salad had a lot going on in terms of both flavors and textures.  In addition to the Leafy Greens, it also had Frisee, Apples, Smoked Carrots, Shaved Roots (Beets and Radishes), Heirloom Tomatoes, Crispy Rice, and Creamy Coconut Dressing.  It was crisp and crunchy and had a nice nutty flavor from the crispy rice.

The main course was surprisingly good.  The choices were a Steak course, a Chicken course or a Fish course.  For me, the choice was easy.  I generally don't order chicken in a restaurant because I eat chicken so often at home and want something different.  While I will occasionally order beef, if it's a steak, I will pass, because anyone can do a good steak.  Fish it was.  I was served Broiled Cod with Japanese Spaghetti, Togarashi, Nori, and Shiso.  The Japanese spaghetti was Udon.  It was tender and had a lot of flavor.  The Togarashi added some spice.  The Nori (seaweed) added a briny flavor, and the Shiso was dried and crumbled with the Nori to add a slightly savory flavor.  The Cish was very tender, flaky, and some of the best tasting fish I have had.

For dessert, I had a classic with a twist.  I saw Flourless Chocolate Cake, which I knew and liked a lot, but also listed was Prickly Pear Gel, Brown Butter Ice Cream, and Cookie Crumble.  The Prickly Pear Gel was served over the cake adding a tart and fruity flavor to the dark chocolate of the cake.  I had had, and liked, brown butter, but I really couldn't imagine it being used in ice cream.  It really worked.  Brown Butter has a savory and nutty flavor which complemented the creaminess of the ice cream and the cookie crumble added a chocolate complement that tied the ice cream and the cake.  It was a great finish to a very good dinner.

I really liked my meal here.  The food and drink all started uncomplicated and did that part well, but added an upscale twist to elevate things.  The space looked very nice and the wait staff was outstanding.  I would be happy to return, probably on a day in which the Cubs are not playing. 

Good Fortune - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

This will be a story about several people and places and how they came together for a very nice Winter dinner in Logan Square.  Several years ago, there was a restaurant called Honey's in the West Loop, located where Eleven Eleven is now located, which received a lot of critical acclaim.  Despite this acclaim, Chef Charles Welch wanted to run a place of his own,  so he left the restaurant.  In Logan Square, popular cocktail bar Scofflaw opened a Seafood Restaurant next door called Sink|Swim which started out as a higher end neighborhood seafood restaurant, but eventually scaled back and then closed.  Chef Charles set up a long term Pop Up in the Sink|Swim space called Good Fortune, which also featured seafood.  Good Fortune was in the space for almost a year, until they found a permanent space.  The new space, also in Logan Square, was formerly the space of Specialty Gourmet Grocer, Provenance Food and Wine, as well as most recently, Taqueria and General Store, The General.  It took a little while, but Chef Charles' restaurant, Good Fortune, opened last year, pivoting away from a complete seafood menu, and rotating toward a Midwest-Sourced Mediterranean Inspired menu with a live fire grill.  Tasting Collective dined here at the beginning of the year.  The building was always dark colored, but I don't know that it was predominantly black as it is know.  There is no sign sticking out from the building and there is only a stylized logo featuring and intertwined GF at the door.  Lights are on the wall and ceiling and, in the back dining room, also from the open kitchen, which was lighter colored than the rest of the space.  Despite the dark color, the space was welcoming and the staff was friendly.

 

Seated in the back dining room, I started things off with a classic Cocktail, a Tom Collins made with Gin, Soda, and Lemon.  It was crisp and gin forward, but they used good gin, so it tasted good and was refreshing.  Shortly after my cocktail arrived, we received our first course.  Unlike many other restaurants I have gone to with Tasting Collective which have served all of the savory courses Family-Style, at Good Fortune, our first course at least was served individually.  We were served a course that reminded me somewhat of a cross between Ceviche and a Chowder.  We were served Hamachi with Golden Squash Broth, Crispy Black Rice, and Plum Vinegar.  It was light with a full flavor and the crispy black rice added a nice crunch.  The Plum vinegar brought a fruity tartness that tied well with the hamachi and the broth and it made for a very good start.

Our next course was a spin on a Wedge Salad.  Using Little Gem Lettuce, it included Maytag Blue Cheese, Bacon, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Chives.  With the exception of Little Gem Lettuce being used instead of Iceberg, and the addition of Tomatillos for some tartness, this was a classic wedge salad.  The lettuce was crisp and slightly sweet, The cherry tomatoes were fresh and very juicy, and Maytag Blue Cheese is just excellent.  The Bacon came as bacon bits on top, and added a salty crunch.

After the salad came the pasta and this pasta was just excellent.  We were served a Porcini Mushroom Campanelle with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Truffles, and Camembert Cheese.  The Campanelle was perfectly al dente and the mushrooms added a lot of savory and funky flavor which went well with the Camembert.  This was like a high end Mac and Cheese with a stronger flavor and really good.

For our first entree, we had some very good fish.  We were served Poached Cod with Smoked Paprika, Salsify (a root vegetable also known as Oyster Plant for its flavor when cooked), and Brandade Aioli (Brandade is an emulsion of Salt Cod, Olive Oil, and Potatoes).  Every element had flavors of the sea except the paprika which added some smoky heat.  The cod was tender and everything went very well with it.

For our final savory dish, we went extremely hearty.  We were essentially served a cassoulet, a stew of White Beans and Meats.  The kitchen mistakenly first served me a Vegetarian Cassoulet and while it did look really good, I did not order a vegetarian menu and I didn't want to be taking someone's vegetarian meal away from them.  I was then served Pork Sauerbraten with Cassoulet Beans, Celery Root, and Lyonnaise Salad, which was essentially the same thing as the vegetarian version, except with added pork.  The pork was flavorful, hearty, and slightly sweet. The beans added body and depth of flavor to the course, and the Lyonnaise Salad (Frisee, Bacon, Vinegar, and Mustard), added both some green and some tartness.  It was heavy, but it made for a good finish for the savory side of the menu.

I was unsure about dessert.  It was a Mochi Brownie with Cheesecake Puree, and Coconut Sorbet.  I was unsure about it, because I really don't get Mochi.  When it arrived, though I thought that it looked really good, so I pushed aside my apprehension and decided to try it.  It was really good.  The brownie tasted good and with the cheesecake and the coconut sorbet, I did not notice the unusual texture that is common with mochi, if it existed.  It made for a great finish to an eclectic and very good menu and I would be happy to return.