Elizabeth - Brunch

I last talked about the restaurant that was my favorite of the year.  Humorously, I actually had my favorite brunch in the same week that I went to my favorite restaurant of the year.  I had been to Elizabeth several times for different themed dinners, so the restaurant was "dressed" differently.  It's a small space with an open kitchen in the back corner and a very nice tin ceiling (painted).  From the outside, unless you knew where to look, you would probably never find it.  Located in the middle of a retail strip in Lincoln Square, it has a glass front with curtains covering the interior and a glass door.  There is a small logo on the door, but unless you're looking for it, it would be easy to miss.  Inside, there is a small entryway also obscured by curtains, before you enter the small dining room which seats about 30.  When we entered, we were seated near the front of the restaurant and were served by the wife of the chef, which was very nice.  While the more elaborate decorations were absent, there was still a lot of pottery with natural greenery on the shelves to the sides of the dining room.  There were also owl figures decorating the space if you knew where to look.  All of the table ware, though served mismatched, was very colorful and nice, many pieces having images of wildlife or flowers.  Tickets for brunch did come with an option for a wine pairing, but we decided to pass on that, and just stuck with coffee.  Which was a medium roast from a local roaster and was very good and served in a delicate looking cup and saucer.

Our food started out with what was essentially cereal.We were served Toasted Rye Crumbs, which really reminded me of Grape Nuts, though the nutty flavor also came from the fresh and juicy Blackberries that had been soaked in Pistachio Oil, and the Cashew Milk, which the rye crumbs and blackberries were soaking in.  While this was already Grape Nuts with a fine dining spin, the Edible Flowers that garnished the dish brought it there emphatically.  It was crunchy and nutty with the fresh and juicy blackberries and creamy and nutty cashew milk.

 

The first dish was served individually.  The rest of the dishes were served family style.  While we were sharing dishes, there was still almost too much food to eat.  Our next course was a course in two parts.  It started with a Kale Salad with Green Goddess Dressing.  It also had edible flowers, but I think that it also had julienned carrots for color if for nothing else.  The Kale was very crisp and there was enough Green Goddess Dressing to add both moisture and flavor (Green Goddess Dressing is made with mayo and various herbs, but also anchovies).  While I will generally not get excited about salad, the flavor and color of this was very good.  Part 2 of the second course was a spin on Chicken and Waffles, which would have been a win even as such.  This had the Waffles, which were very good, but it was also served with Grilled Peaches, Quail Terrine, and lightly topped with Maple Syrup.  Everything about this was good, though it was best if you could get a piece of everything at once.  The Waffles were fluffy and buttery, the Grilled Peaches were caramelized on the outside, but were still juicy inside, and the Quail Terrine had a nice exterior crunch with a soft interior and was very flavorful.

 

The next course, another course in two parts, was the star of the show.  both parts were good enough to stand on their own and I would have been happy with just either dish.  On the first plate, we were served Michelin Star Hash Browns topped with a Sunny Side Up Eggs (Elizabeth is a One Michelin Star Restaurant) along with the best veggie sausages that I have ever had.  The second part of the course was Poached Lobster and Grits topped with Arugula.  I have said in the past that I am very picky about my Shrimp and Grits, which I am.  This blew the best Shrimp and Grits that I have had out of the water.  The grits were very smooth and had a lot of butter which seems to have been what the lobster was poached in.  The lobster was also very buttery, sweet, and tender, and very flavorful.  The arugula added a little fresh crispness and peppery bitterness which complemented the lobster.

Our last course was a dessert.  We were served Brioche Apple Fritters, which were round enough that they looked like batter fried apples, served with Housemade Vanilla Ice Cream topped with Whiskey Caramel.  The fritters were iced and contained a lot of apples.  While the ice cream and fritters did go together well, they were both good enough to each enjoy on their own, though the whiskey caramel did add to the ice cream.

Everything about this brunch was good.  The food was fantastic, the place was cute, Our diningware was very nice, and the staff was very friendly and attentive.  We even got a vision from the chef!  While Elizabeth isn't a place I can visit with regularity, I really do like it and will continue coming here when I can.        

Bar Biscay

 

I will come right out and say that Bar Biscay was my favorite restaurant that I dined at this year.  Located in West Town, it is the new little sister restaurant to Spanish Seafood Tapas restaurant, mfk.  Bar Biscay is headed by Johnny Anderes, the former chef at another old favorite of mine that is no more, Telegraph.  Like mfk., Bar Biscay is a Tapas Bar with an emphasis on seafood, though Bar Biscay focuses on Basque cuisine.  The front of the building is painted bright blue and it really reminded me of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).  The sign over the door is small, though done in pastel blue, yellow, and pink, with black lettering, it is very noticeable.  Walking in, the color continues with the dining room lit with magenta and yellow light.  The floor is wood as is much of the furniture with the chairs for the tables and the feet for the booths painted light blue.  The booths, while open, have high backs, and a pillar between individual booths that attaches the the ceiling that gives the illusion of being in a private cubbyhole.  Like mfk., Bar Biscay also has bar and counter seating in addition to standard dining room seating.  I decided to sit at the chef's counter where I could watch the chef's work and talk to them.  Because I was there, the chef also took the opportunity to ask several questions of me.  (Where else I have been, what did I like about Telegraph, what do I like, etc.)  While there is a pretty good wine list, largely featuring Spanish Wines, there is also a pretty good cocktail list, which is what I decided to drink.  While I am generally a gin drinker and there were a couple of gin cocktails on the list, I was first thinking about leaning another way until the chef suggested I try the Basque Martinez.  I am familiar to a Martinez, it is the predecessor to the Martini, but it's sweeter.  I was curious as to what made it a Basque Martinez and saw that it used Basque Vermouth.  It used Mahon Gin, a gin that I actually thought was Irish, but is actually from the Spanish Island of Menorca (It's actually Mahón Gin), Atxa Rojo Vermouth (a sweet red vermouth), Maraschino, and Orange Bitters.  It was very good, and I appreciated the chef's recommendation.  It was sweet with an herbal flavor and a bitter orange finish.

As I was by myself and it was my first time there, in order to maximize the things I could try, I decided to go with the tasting menu.  There are apparently two tasting menus, the on menu and the off menu.  Again, as I had never been here, I decided to go with the on menu tasting menu to see what they do regularly.  It was a six course meal at a pretty good price  with the first two coming out at once as they were both nibbles in any case.  My tasting menu started out with a Manchego Gougère with Garlic Aioli, and a Salted Hake Brandade Crudite with Trout Roe.  A gougère is a savory cream puff.  The crust was very light with the manchego cheese the cream inside.  It sat on a dab of garlic aioli, both the hold it still on the plate and to also provide flavor.  While it was good, I did prefer the other bite on the plate more, the Salted Hake Brandade Crudite.  Hake is a Whitefish similar to Cod and is often used as a replacement for cod.  Brandade is an emulsion of salt cod (or in this case, salt hake), fish that has been cured and dehydrated using a lot of salt, and olive oil.  Crudite simply means appetizer.  In this case the whipped and salted hake was served on toast and topped with trout roe which added another pop of salty flavor and a variety of textures with the crunch of the toast, the creaminess of the brandade, and the light pop of the roe.

The next course was more seafood and also a favorite, Razor Clams with Radishes, Garlic Butter , and Toast.  While I had heard of Razor Clams, I had never before encountered them on the plate.  They were large meaty cylinders.  The radishes served were also cylindrical, though I am not sure whether it's the breed used or the way that they were cut (after looking, I am now thinking that they were French Breakfast Radishes).  While it was served on toast, the cylindrical shape of the clams and radishes made them apt to roll off, do it was easier to eat with knife and fork.  While it didn't work well as a pintxo or bruschetta, the toast came in handy for soaking up the garlic butter.

From seafood, we then went to vegetables with Roasted Delicata Squash served with Sauce au Percil Plat (Parsley Sauce with Garlic, Herbs, Oil, and Vinegar), and Marcona Almonds.  The squash was well cooked and flavorful with the skin being a little more dense, but still easily edible.  The Sauce au Persil provided a nice herbal flavor and the Marcona almonds added a nutty crunch.

After the squash came the first of my entrees, Sausage Piquillo Peppers with a Manchego Mornay Sauce.  This was really good.  The peppers were very tender and added to the really good sausage.  It reminded me of a spicier version of stuffed bell peppers.  Piquillo peppers are non-spicy, so the spice must have been in the sausage.  The Manchego Mornay sauce added a good cheesy flavor to everything and seemed also to have a little spice to it.

Before my last entree arrived, I ordered a second cocktail.  One of the things that the chef asked me about was sherry.  I know that there are a wide variety of sherries with a variety of flavors and while I have had some that I like, I don't know it well enough to order it on my own.  There were a few sherry based cocktails on the menu and the chef recommended I can help, which kind of reminded me of the classic gin cocktail Bee's Knees.  I Can Help started with Sherry, but also had Patxaran (a Basque Sloe-flavored liqueur), Citrus, Angostura Bitters, Honey, and Mint.  It was sweet, very smooth, and had a slightly minty finish.  My final entree was actually the first Basque entree (basically, details were different) that I had ever had, Oxtail, served with Watercress and Orange Gremolata.  Gremolata is a chopped herb condiment using Parsley, Lemon Zest, and Garlic.  In this case, orange zest was substituted for the lemon, giving it a softer citrus flavor.  Frequently Gremolata is served with Ossobuco, so it went very well with the very tender and flavorful oxtail.  The Watercress added a bitter green note to the dish.

After the very good tasting menu, it was time for dessert.  While dessert was not included in the tasting menu, the fact that I was sitting right in front of the dessert station made it basically a foregone conclusion.  While chocolate was on the menu and it's always a win, what I saw leaving the kitchen most frequently, and which also sounded really good was the Crepe stuffed with Nutella and Bananas and topped with Cashews and Powdered Sugar.  While Nutella is hazelnut flavored, it does go well with cashews.  The crepe was thin and delicate, the bananas and Nutella went together well and it was a great finish.  I really enjoyed my food and drink here, but being able to converse with the chef while he was working was a great bonus.  I will definitely return next year for more and will bring friends.        

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.