Marisol - Brunch

 

There is a restaurant in Logan Square, Lula Cafe, that has been enormously influential in the Farm-to-Table movement, and has produced a significant number of good chefs that have moved on and opened other cool and important restaurants.  Through all of this, Chef Jason Hamel has been the owner/chef/restauranteur at Lula Cafe.  While his proteges have expanded his influence, he has remained at Lula Cafe.  He opened another notable restaurant for one of his notable former chefs, Jason Hamel, about 10 years ago, the late lamented Nightwood, and has now opened a new place in coordination with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Marisol.  While you do have to enter the museum building to enter the restaurant, it is independent of the restaurant and can be entered from the ground level theater entrance.  There is a sign on the building for Marisol, but entering on the ground level puts you in an entry hall for the theater.  There is a coat check and a ticket booth near the entrance, Marisol is located toward the rear of the hall on the left side.  There is a coffee bar, running parallel to the length of the hall, that acts as a divider between the hall and the restaurant.  There are a few tables and benches for waiting for a table or for simply enjoying a coffee.  The coffee bar also serves a variety of fresh pastries.  Entering the restaurant, it is fairly narrow with a bar opposite the coffee bar in the front and a few marble communal tables in the middle of the room.  There are also two and four tops on the sides of the room.  There is a very colorful and abstract mural on one side of the room and a mirror on the wall opposite the mural.  We sat at one of the communal tables near the mirror, which had a design etched into it.  The design looked cool, but it was tough to see the overarching design.

When we were seated, I started things off with a cocktail.  I don't remember what it was called, but it had Cocchi Americano, Vermouth, Lime, and Soda.  Served on ice, it was more clear than most cocktails that I typically drink.  It was lightly sparkling from the soda and otherwise had a tart and slightly bitter flavor.  While it wasn't something that I might drink regularly, it was pretty good and I might order it again if I new what it was called.

There was a small selection of pastries offered, with my habit of ordering something sweet and savory for brunch, I ordered a Doughnut for the table.  It was a Cardamom and Ginger Doughnut with Candied Walnuts.  The doughnut was a fry cake style and had a nice icing that seemed to have ginger in it that went well with the ginger and cardamom.  The doughnut was sweet and lightly spicy and the cardamom went well with the candied walnuts.

My main course was labeled a Grilled Ham and Comte with Garlic Aioli, Date Honey and Petite Greens.  While that title is technically correct, it would be more commonly known as a Croque Monsieur with a side salad.  The bread was nicely crisp and the cheese (Comte) was melted just the right amount.  The greens were very fresh and crispand added a crisp and bitter counterpoint to the sweetness of the sandwich.

Brunch was good and fun and the space was beautiful.  It's a nice place for a timeout at the museum, but it is also good enough that it can easily stand on it's own.  I will definitely return whether during a museum visit or even for a visit just on it's own. 

 

Passerotto - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

I really like belonging to Tasting Collective because it has gotten me to several restaurants that are relatively new and have a pretty good buzz about them.  When we go we will be served a large family-style meal (6 to 10 courses) of  either menu favorites, or items that the chef wants to try out.  I recently went to Passerotto, a restaurant run by Chef Jennifer Kim and, despite the name is essentially a Korean restaurant using Midwestern ingredients and Central Italian influences.  Chef Kim was born and raised in the midwest to Korean parents.  Her culinary training brought her to Michelin Starred Bistrot des Saveurs in the South of France before coming back to Chicago to work with One Off Hospitality at Blackbird, Avec, and Nico Osteria.  She then opened acclaimed cured fish restaurant Snaggletooth in Lakeview.  Passerotto is her first solo venture, located in Andersonville.  It's a small space that's pretty rough.  It looks as if when they were putting the space together, they just stripped it to the brick walls.  The floor is mosaic tile and the ceiling, though unfinished, for the most part, (exposed ventilation ductwork and hanging lights), has a very cool tin tile cover.  There is a counter on one side of the room, that looks as if it might act as a bar, though when we were there, it was being used as a high top table with people sitting on both sides.  The drink menu for the evening was very short and simple and though they did have a variation on a Gin and Tonic (called a J&T), I decided to go with Off Color's Apex Predator Belgian Saison.

Our dinner tonight was essentially 6 courses, starting with Bay Scallops.  While Passerotto is not a seafood restaurant per se, it does still serve a lot of seafood.  The scallops were bite sized and very tender and served with XO Sauce (a seafood sauce from Hong Kong consisting of dried seafoods, cooked with Chili Peppers, and Garlic), and Soy Onion Puree.  The scallops, as I mentioned were very tender, but they also had a very nice flavor, with the onions, garlic, soy sauce, and chili peppers adding to the flavor.

The second course was a favorite because it tasted very good and was unlike anything that I have ever had.  Called Oden, it was skewered and consisted of a fried whitefish ball and several pieces of fried and cured fish, also whitefish, that really reminded me of bacon, both in taste and texture.  There was also a large green chili pepper that I expected to be a Shishito pepper because it was large and whole and most restaurants don't serve whole hot peppers to diners.  I was mistaken.  While the pepper was not Habanero hot, it was a hotter pepper than I would normally eat comfortably on it's own.  In the bottom of the dish in which the skewers were served was a Squash Curry which wa sweet, rich, a little spicy, and went well with the skewers.

For course number three, we stayed vegetarian with Sunchokes, Barley, Smoked Tofu, Apples, and Doenjang.  Sunchokes are the edible root of a type of Sunflower, also known as Jerusalem Artichokes.  Doenjang is a fermented soybean paste made with brine.  This was very savory and had a lot of textures.  The barley was chewy as are many edible grains, and the apples provided a sweet crispness.

Our next course was the dish closest to something that might be called Italian cuisine, although it also had a Korean twist.  It was a Lamb Ragu served with Rice Cakes instead of pasta, and topped with Parmesan.  This was very good.  The Rice cake was very similar to gnocchi and the lamb ragu provided a lot of flavor and the parmesan added savory cheese flaky goodness.

Our last savory course is a standard of Korean Cuisine, Kalbi, which, while the main part of it is the shortrib, could be put together in any number of ways.  In addition to the Shortrib, it had for dishes of banchan, traditional Korean sides that can be eaten on their own or with the short rib, in this case we had Green Onion Kimchi, Pickled Cucumbers, Pickled Water Chestnuts, and Korean Potatoes,  Sticky Rice, and Sesame Leaves.  With the sesame leaves, the dishes could be eaten as Ssam (wrapped in the sesame leaves).  I did try things independently and all together and everything was very good.  My favorite was the rib with sticky rice, some kimchi, and the cucumbers, but everything was good.

Our dessert was small and simple, but after the Kalbi, we were all pretty full, so a small dessert was fine.  It was a Kuri Squash Mousse, with Pomegranate Molasses, Pomegranates, and Almonds.  The mousse was sweet with a slightly savory finish.  The Pomegranate added some sweetness, and the almonds added some texture.  It was a very good dinner with a very friendly staff and a very good chef.  I will definitely return.            

Rue

 

 

While I do live in Chicago and don't own a car, occasionally, I will get out to the suburbs where my friends live and try restaurants out there.  I recently out to the suburbs for a concert and we stopped at Rue, a Cajun Restaurant in Glen Ellyn, for dinner and drinks beforehand.  When we arrived it was very busy, but there were some seats at the bar, so that's where we sat.  I enjoy sitting at the bar in any case, because it gives me a chance to talk to and watch the bartenders who seem to have a good handle on both the drinks and food the place is serving, so sitting at the bar was fine.  I am not sure if my friends had been here before, but they mentioned that we wanted to try some of the cocktails.  This was a very good decision because the drinks, while New Orleans standards, were mixologist complex, and they were very cool to watch being constructed.  The first drink that was ordered and our bartender constructed was a Hurricane, which was made with a Rum Blend, Passion Fruit, and Citrus, served in a Skull Mug and finished by placing a slotted spoon on top of the glass, placing a Sugar Cube on the spoon, lighting it on fire, and letting the melted sugar drip into the cocktail.  While this was not my cocktail, I did try it.  The sugar added a sweetness which went well with the Rum and the Passion Fruit and Citrus gave it a tart finish.  My first cocktail was called a Hoodoo Smoke and it, also was very cool to watch it being constructed.  It started with a small fire on a saucer on the bar over which the glass in which the drink was to be served which put the fire out, and allowed smoke to build up and coat the inside of the glass.  The cocktail that went into the smoked glass contained Peppercorn Infused Bourbon, Honey, and Hickory.  I am generally not a bourbon drinker, but this was really good.  It was smoky, a little spicy, and very smooth and sweet from the honey.  My second cocktail came well into the meal, but it seemed to fit better with the other cocktails.  Called Easy Street, it contained House Melon Liqueur (similar to Midori, though not as sweet), Gin, and Citrus.  While I am a gin drinker, Hoodoo Smoke was my favorite cocktail.  Easy Street wasn't bad, but the melon liqueur did nothing for me.  It was better than Midori because it wasn't as sweet, but I guess that I can't really get with something that was so melon forward.

 

For our appetizers, we started with Fried Gator and Oysters.  I have had Alligator before (fried) and it reminds me of  cross between chicken and cod.  It has a light avian flavor similar to chicken, the flavor isn't as strong as duck or turkey, but the texture is similar to a well prepared whitefish, tender and flaky.  A Remoulade Sauce accompanied the Alligator Tail Bites.  It was creamy, spicy, and good, but I thought the alligator was good on its own.  The Oysters could have been ordered On the Half Shell, Char Grilled, Rockefeller, or Bienville (with Shrimp, Mushroom, bell Peppers, and Parmesan).  I like my oysters with as little done with them as possible (besides shucking), so we ordered them On the Half Shell.  They were served with Lemon, Cocktail Sauce, and Garlic Butter on the side.  While I will squeeze lemon on my oysters, that's all that I think that they need most of the time.  The oysters tasted fresh and briny, and I really enjoyed them.

 

Our entrees were all Cajun standards, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etoufee, and an Oyster Po'Boy.  I ordered the Jambalaya, but was able to try the others.  The jambalaya was served in a large bowl and featured Rice, Trinity (Onions, Bell Pepper, and Celery), Andouille Sausage, Smoked Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes, and was topped with a piece of Cornbread.  The Crawfish Etoufee was the most visually striking.  Etoufee is more liquid than is Jambalaya, although it also starts with a Rice base.  Made with Rice, Crawfish Tails, Creole Reduction (onions, bell pepper, and celery, in a butter sauce reduced), and White Wine, It was topped with a Crayfish, steamed red, with it's claws extended threateningly.  I did try to suck any remaining meat out of the crayfish shell, but while I did get some flavor, I didn't actually get much meat because they cleaned it out well.  What I did try was good, though.  The Oysters in the Oyster Po'Boy were breaded and friedand served with Lettuce, Tomatoes, and a Spicy Sauce on a Baguette.  The bread was crusty and the oysters were crunchy and plentiful to provide a crunchy and chewy bite.

There looked like there were some nice sweets for desserts including Beignets, Bread Pudding, and Bananas Foster, but after our large entrees, we were set and waved off on the desserts.  The food and drink here were really good and I would be happy to return.

Kitsune - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

I have been to Elizabeth Restaurant several times and it is a favorite.  I was excited then, when Chef Ileana Reagan announced that they would be opening a new restaurant focusing on Japanese cuisine, Kitsune.  When it opened, it went on my list of places that I need to visit, so I was happy when they had a dinner with Tasting Collective, the dining group that I belong to, and I quickly signed up for the dinner.  Located in North Center, the space is small, like her original restaurant, Elizabeth, seating about 30 people in a triangular space.  We were seated toward the back, so I was able to get a fair view of the space.  The main seating area is a banquette along the longest wall.  There are also a few other tables in front of the bar and open kitchen and a few seats on the bar.  The bar is next to the kitchen and has a tall shelf behind the tap that holds the liquor.  The shelf is nice looking, but what is cool are the little toy figures including several foxes (which is where the name Kitsune came from) as well as a picture of former President Obama on the shelf above the liquor.  While they normally serve cocktails, the fact that they had a full house that they were going to try to serve the same thing at the same time and have a small staff, limited what they were serving on this evening to beer and wine.  On the beer list was a beer that I like, Maplewood Charlatan American Pale Ale (which had just won a Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for American-Style Pale Ales), so that is what I decided to drink.  It was smooth with a very light head with a bitter and citrus flavor, similar to grapefruit.  While it had been there when I sat, I didn't really notice the small ceramic cat that was sitting in front of me until my beer came and I had to move it a little.  I wondered what it was until later in the meal when it became more clear.

For our first course, we were served Koji Sourdough Bread, made from a culture that Chef Ileana has kept growing for 13 years.  This was served with Fresh Cultured Butter and Pickles (Pickled Vegetables).  The bread was dense and flavorful with a tart flavor which went well with the Pickles and the Butter.

From there, we were served a large Romaine Salad with Jumbo Lump Crab and Ramp Ranch Dressing.  This was really good, though it was a lot for two of us to eat.  The greens were fresh and crispy, there was plenty of crab in pieces big enough that you could actually bite into it, and the Ramp Ranch Dressing was both creamy, and provided a nice flavor of ramps (which have a flavor similar to a cross between garlic and green onions).

After a large and very nice salad, we were served more vegetables, Blistered Shishito Peppers with Kabosu (a Japanese Citrus fruit similar to Yuzu used instead of vinegar in some dishes), Shisho Meshi (dried Shiso leaves used for seasoning), and Sea Salt.  I like Shishito peppers not only because of their taste, but also because eating them is kind of like playing the lottery, in that 1 in 10 is noticeably spicy.  These peppers were well seasoned and blistered a little less than I have had at other places.  There were a few peppers in our bowl that bit back, but they were all good and the bowl disappeared quickly.

When I say the name of the next course, I didn't know what to expect because it was given a Japanese name.  Called Tomorokoshi, it listed Charred Corn, Fresno Kewpie, and Cilantro.  When it arrived, I saw that it also had a lot of Bonito Flakes and despite the Bonito Flakes, I knew it by a different name, Elotes.  It was funny as well when I heard the kitchen staff referring to the dish as elotes.  I am generally not a fan of bonito flakes, but mixed in well with the corn they did not feel like dried leaves and did add to the flavor.

We then proceeded to the first of our entrees, Ramen.  It was a vegetarian ramen made with Ramp Noodles, Shio Mushroom Broth, Enoki Mushrooms, and other vegetables.  It was very flavorful and like other ramen that I have had served in a large bowl with a large spoon.  Serving and eating ramen is a two handed operation with one hand holding chopsticks to hold the noodles and the other holding the large spoon to serve the broth and vegetables.  I did see a few people puzzled by this operation, but having seen and done it before, it was fine.  This was good and very flavorful, but I still prefer Tonkatsu Ramen (with Pork Broth and Pork Belly).  This is also where I figured out why the cat was on the table, it was a chopstick holder, used to keep the tips off the table.

Our second entree was a spin (pun unintentional) on Chicken Teriyaki.  It was made with a Tsukune (a Japanese Chicken Meatball) Stuffed Chicken Roulade, Brown Rice, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Carrot Caramel.  It was pretty good.  The chicken meatball and the chicken had different, though complementary, flavors and the carrot caramel added a vegetal sweetness.  The brown rice, carrots, and cauliflower added texture and flavor.

Our final entree was a monster of umami.  Called Uni Butter Beef, it also had Duck Fat Potatoes and Togarashi.  The beef was rare and sliced for easy serving and eating.  The butter and potatoes added richness and savoriness.  It was also one of my favorite dishes.

Our dessert was Yuzu Taruto (tart) with Graham Crackers and Pistachios. This was tart with a nice nutty flavor (from the pistachios).  While it wasn't built like your standard tart, all of the elements were there, and it went together very well.  The yuzu was presented as a sorbet, the graham cracker was the "crust", and the pistachio was the crumble.  I really liked my dinner here and I will definitely return. 

Sauce and Bread Kitchen - Stuff Stuffed with Stuff 2018.

I have been to Sauce and Bread Kitchen for many of their dinners, and have even been to their Stuff Stuffed with Stuff Dinner, but as their dinners allow them to experiment explore, each one is very different, other than taking place, for the most part, in their bakery/cafe in Rogers Park.  Dinners are BYOB and diners sit at communal tables.  For this dinner, I brought a Fruity Farmhouse Ale, Blackberry Farms Buckwheat Strawberry Ale which was funky and nutty and had a lightly tart strawberry finish.

For this dinner, the SBK crew seemed to focus on dumplings, because dumplings are by there very definition, stuff stuffed with stuff.  Because of this and because dinners at SBK are usually 4 courses (because of the way things were divided, this dinner could have been considered 6 courses), we had a lot of dumplings. For our first dumplings, we were served Xiao Long Bao, Mackerel and Poblano.  Soup Dumplings have liquid in them, so if you don't do it right, it could be easy to burn your mouth or at least make a mess.  Luckily, we were given pointers on how to eat them (poke a hole in the top to release the steam and pop the entire thing into your mouth).  I followed the instructions and avoided calamity and found that they tasted pretty good.  Mackerel is a mild fish and poblano peppers are a mild chili, so while there was some fish flavor and some heat, it was relatively mild and they went together well.

Our next dumplings were called Crispy Mushroom/Lobster Pierogis.  While I will agree with the Mushroom and Lobster, and the crispy texture, which were all very good, I would have characterized the dumplings as Empanadas instead of Pierogis.  No matter what they were called, they were topped with Black and White Sesame Seeds and were very good.  They were served with a Fermented Cucumber and Scallion Salad with XO Sauce and Malt Vinegar.  The flavor of the salad was pretty good with a tart and malty finish from the vinaigrette, though the texture of the vegetables were a little mushy for my liking, though not so bad as to be inedible.  As for the dumplings, I really liked the crispy texture and the lobster and mushroom were plentiful and well flavored.

 

The next course was served in three parts.  Called a Trilogy O' Steam Bun Tacos, that is exactly what they were, split Bao served with different fillings.  Our first Bao "Taco" was called a Veggie Queso Fundido with Charred Cabbage, Black Bean, and Sweet Corn.  While there was no cheese (queso), I will not complain, because the vegetable combination was very flavorful and good with a lot of texture.  Bao "Taco" Number Two was called Smoked Lake Trout with Watermelon Rind Salad and Hot Peanuts.  This had a nice crunch with some spice and tartness and good smoked fish.  For Bao "Taco" number 3, there were parts that I really liked, overall, though it was my second favorite taco behind number 1.  It was filled with Grilled Eggplant with Smoked Carrots/ Umeboshi Crema and Fried Shallots.  Umeboshi is a salted pickled plum, which as you may imagine, had a salty and tart flavor that I really liked.  The Steam Buns used for all of the tacos was very soft and lightly chewy and apparently required a lot of work to make and prepare.  In any case they were very good, and the wait required between each taco was worth it.

Dinner could have finished at this point.  While I do like dessert, and the dessert that they made, I'm sure took a lot of work, it used a lot of canteloupe, which I don't care for.  It was a Peach Phyllo Cup with Vanilla Bean Canteloupe Ice Cream filled with Canteloupe Sorbet.  While I did eat it and it didn't kill me, I would have been fine not to have had it served to me.

Despite those dishes that I didn't care for, I like SBK and I liked the dinner overall.  I appreciate their creativity and I will definitely return.   

Sunday Dinner Club - "Made Wrong" Burgers at Half Acre Brewery

 

I like Sunday Dinner Club, the underground dinner club that hosts dinners with many various themes and I try to go several times a year.  Their main location is above their restaurant, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, which itself started as a Sunday Dinner Club dinner, but several times a year they will partner with Half Acre Brewery for a dinner at one of their tap rooms (mostly the Lincoln Tap Room).  These dinners are similar to the dinners in their home space in that when people are checked in and seated, they will come out and introduce themselves.  With the dinners at Half Acre, a Half Acre rep will first introduce themselves and welcome everyone before introducing the SDC crew who will then introduce themselves, tell the story of Sunday Dinner Club, and tell everyone about the dinner they will be having.  The dinners at SDC Headquarters are BYOB, but the ones at Half Acre come with four beers.  This dinner also came with a sample of Camchi's Kimchi, a product from one of their crew that they plan on commercializing.  The beers that I started with were Eat Shop Apricot Milkshake IPA with Lactose and Apricot and Deep Space Double IPA, both IPAs, but very diffwewnt from one another.  Eat Shop Apricot was creamy and hazy with a nice soft mouthfeel and apricot and tropical flavors.  Deep Space was decidedly heavier with grapefruit and pine flavors and a nice dry finish.  

Their former sous chef Becca, had an enormously popular Cubano sandwich which they used as a theme for a pop up at Revival Food Hall.  It was also very successful, so there is now thought of opening another restaurant under the Sunday Dinner Club umbrella.  While the Cubano Sandwich is good, it's hard to build a restaurant on one item, so this dinner was sort of a try out to expand the menu.  For this dinner, they did a spin on the Maid-Rite Burger, a spiced loose meat sandwich similar to a sloppy joe without sauce, they called a "Made Wrong" Burger.  It was also a spiced loose meat sandwich on a bun, but it also had Camchi's Kimchi made with Cucumbers and Carrots, Spicy Aioli, and Muenster Cheese.  It was served with a very good Potato Salad made with Mustard and Spices.

For my beers to drink with dinner and finish off, I went with Shrub Tundra Coffee Brown Ale and another IPA, Half Acre makes a lot of IPAs, Fluorescent IPA.  Shrub Tundra is a collaboration with a local coffee roaster, Dark Matter Coffee, uses 5% liquid coffee by volume, the variety of which varies every year.  This years blend had a nice head, light carbonation, and a thin mouthfeel.  The coffee aroma and flavor were good and while there was a hop flavor, it was light.  Fluorescent IPA poured light yellow with a light haze.  It has a medium body and tropical flavors and was pretty good.

To finish our dinner, we were served Brownies.  I really like brownies in general, but these brownies were pretty fantastic.  The Brownie was Dark Chocolate topped with Peppermint Cream Cheese and Fueilletine Flakes.  Fueilletine, meaning leaves, is a very light pastry that tastes like a very light and crispy sugar cone and provided a nice crunch to the brownie.  The brownie had a great flavor and provided a great finish to a great dinner.  While Sunday Dinner Club does not do just one thing, there style is very homey and a lot of what they do is to elevate comfort foods.  I have liked the dinners that I have had with SDC, and I will continue going to their dinners.