The Aviary

 

 

When high-end dining is talked about in Chicago, Alinea is at the top of the list.  They are the pure definition of food as art.  Because of this, while they can do largely anything, in the context of a restaurant, some things can't be done as well.  In order to explore cocktails, the Alinea group decided to open The Aviary, a combination cocktail lounge/chemistry lab/art gallery.  I had wanted to go for a long time, but decided when I bought The Aviary Cocktail Book that it was a good time to go.  I was meeting a friend there, though I arrived first.  Looking around outside, I saw that there was a rail outside the door like many nightclubs and the entrance had a temporary cloth shelter that is common in northern climes.  I walked past to see if I could see into the kitchen/bar/lab and saw the very nice door into the kitchen and was able to see a little.  When I entered though, I was able to get a good view behind a curved metal gate when I was waiting for my companion for the evening.  The work area did very much remind me of a cross between a kitchen and a lab.  There is also a table there for those that want to have a chef's table experience.  Looking into the lounge area, it did look like a lounge, with low lighting, high backed, curved couches, and low tables for drinks and bites.  There was also a Ventilation Hood which extended the similarity to a lab.

 

When reservations are made, there are 4 options:  The Chef's Table, which is 7 courses and located in the kitchen.  That is the most expensive option, but it is also the most limited option, with possibly two seatings a night.  In the lounge, you can opt for a 5 course, 3 course, or a la carte choice.  If you decide to go with a Prix Fixe menu, there are no substitutions, but you can augment your menu if you so desire.  I decided to go with a 5 Course which also came with small food pairings.  We started out with a drink called Return of the MAC, which was a combination of Orange, Thyme, Pimento Dram, Apple Brandy, and Cider Spices.  It was served to us in a vessel called a Porthole that looked very much like an old style canteen.  The canteen acted as an infuser and the flavor and appearance of the drink changed as time went by.  It started red and sweet, but became more red, less sweet, and more spicy as time went by.  Paired with the drink was a very good Takoyaki, a deep fried ball of dough with finely chopped octopus.  It was tender and flavorful with a little spice, and it went well with the drink.

For our second drink, we had a cocktail called Jesus Can't Hit a Curveball which was served with in a Tom Collins Glass with a large green ice cube.  The liquid part of the drink consisted of Gin, Green Chartreuse, Chareau Aloe Liqueur, and Celery.  The ice cube, which was also part of the drink, was a Serrano Ice Cube, which added spice to the drink as it melted.  I liked the flavor of the drink, and the fact that it got spicier as time went by was interesting, but I didn't care for the mouthfeel of the drink.  The Aloe has a slippery feeling and there was a slightly slippery feeling to the drink.  For the food pairing, we were served Crab.  It was a Crab Salad with Roe, served on a Silicone Plate that was vaguely shaped like a hand which we had to hold.  In order to eat it, we basically had to eat it out of our hand without utensils.  Despite the unusuality of it, it was good.

Our next drink also involved ice.  It was served in an Aviary mug and contained a Tequila Cocktail with a Popsicle soaking in it.  The Popsicle was Tequila and Ancho Chili and we could have the popsicle on it's own or soak it in the drink.  I tried both elements individually on their own and found them both good, and it also tasted good together, so I split the difference and had it both separately and together.  For our pairing, we were served a slice of Asian Pear (garnished with a bit of Nori) and a large Batter Fried Shrimp with Togarashi.  I generally don't care for pears, but I did try it, and as far as flavor was concerned, it was a good pairing.  I did not, however, care for the texture.  The shrimp, I liked.  The texture, spice, and flavor all went well with the drink.

There was a little theater with the presentation of our fourth drink.  Our server came out with a small chest, which looked like a pirate's treasure chest and when he opened it, a large amount of smoke poured out.  Our cocktails, which were gin based, had a reddish cast and a very smoky flavor.  As the smoke infused the gin, it became less smoky and more woody and smooth.  It was very good, and the food pairing, Short Rib Tortellini with a savory broth was a perfect pairing and a bite of pure happiness.  It was amazing and one of my favorite bites of food that I have ever had.

In a past visit, my partner had had a bite that she wanted me to try.  She ordered a Pork Cracklin' which I visualized as a Chicharron or Pork Rind.  I figured that we would get something like a paper coon and they would be the size of large chips.  I was mistaken.  It was like they removed the skin from the pig as a single piece and went with it that way.  It was huge and in order to eat it, we had to break pieces off.  While it was very light, There was also a lot of it, so it was a little filling.

The menu for The Aviary is pretty large and there were many that we were unable to try.  Despite that, they all had visually arresting presentations.  The couple next to us had cocktails served in glassware shaped like a bird and a glass bottle with a glass ship.  Despite the fact that we were unable to try them, it was still cool to see them.

For our dessert we were presented with more smoke.We were given round bottomed flasks filled with smoke that were set on their sides to allow the smoke to pour out like a liquid.  After most of the smoke poured out, we were given metal straws to finish the liquid within.  Called Easy on the Ice, it consisted of Hazelnut Hot Chocolate with Rye and Cinnamon.  It was sweet, a little spicy, and a nice finish to a very fun evening.  Our dessert was a Cake and Ice Cream with flavors of Tea and Spices and went well with the Rye Hot Chocolate.

We also had a cocktail equivalent of a Mignardise.  Called a Boomerang, it was a sweet shot containing more Rye and Cinnamon and it was a great finish to the night.  Coming to The Aviary is like coming to a Magic Show.  It's cool, a lot of fun and you don't know what to expect.  I would definitely like to return to explore more of the magical menu. 

5 Nights of Cassoulet at Publican Quality Meats

 

I like Cassoulet and have had what I thought was some very good Cassoulet at Frontier, and at Sunday Dinner Club.  Paul Kahan of The Publican, Publican Quality Meats, etc. has been inviting the chef from the restaurant in France that has been noted as having the best Cassoulet in France (where Cassoulet originated) to do a popup at Publican Quality Meats, and now Publican Anker, every year for the last several years.  I was invited by a friend from Tasting Collective to go with them to one night of the Five Nights of Cassoulet event that was being held for three days at Publican Quality Meats and two days at Publican Anker.  The date that worked for both of us was one of the days at PQM, so we planned, and met on Saturday night at PQM.  The setup of Publican Quality Meats is like a butcher shop (which it is) with tables in the front to either side of the cashier with space to look in the display cases and refrigerators.  The space was laid out for the event as two long communal tables that ran parallel to the display cases.  The background music was heavy metal, so things were pretty loud.  I could talk to the people next to me, but I did have to raise my voice to talk to people across the table.  It was not so loud, however, that we could not communicate.  We started things off with wine.  Things were pretty casual, so we were only asked red or white.  I generally like to start things off with white, so that is what I did.  It was pretty dry and tasted like a Chardonnay, but that's about all I could say about it, except that it was pretty good.  Also on the table, but left alone until the wine started to be poured were strips of Crispy, Spicy, Coppa.  Also known as Capicola, it is like thinly sliced back bacon, it was very good, and was gone very quickly after everyone stopped being polite (though people were polite enough to see that everyone got at least one piece). 

After the Coppa was gone, we were brought menus for the rest of the meal (written in French but easy enough to understand).  The menus were handwritten and "signed" by Chef David Campigotto of Castelnaudary, France, the middle of the Cassoulet trail.  We started out with a Salade Verte, a green salad with Frisee, Carrots, Radicchio, and a very nice Vinaigrette.  The salad was goodand I suppose it was kind of necessary as a precursor to the very high fat Cassoulet, but it was like an unknown band opening up for a superstar.  Even if it's good, it was, it isn't what people are here for, and while people were polite, they were still waiting for the Cassoulet.

 

 

Chef David had two large Cassoles, the vessels in which Cassoulet is cooked, and several assistants to help him serve the main event.  We were sitting on one end of our table, toward the middle of the space.  There was actually a Cassole that was close to us that they were serving from, but they were serving the other table.  The Cassole that they were serving our table from was on the far side served by Chef David.  I wasn't sure whether it was good or bad that we were served last, but when they were done serving, they did place the Cassole next to me.  I joked that I must have looked hungry, but it did make it easier to get seconds if I so desired (I did).  The Cassoulet was made with White Beans, Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, Confited Duck Leg, and Pork Terrine.  It was also served with some very good Publican Bread to soak up the sauce.  Many cassoulets will also frequently have mutton, but I had no problem with an abundance of pork.  It was rich and very good and there was plenty left after everyone had there fill, so I ended up taking some home.

 

While somewhat full, I (and most everyone else) were not going to pull out with out dessert.  We were first offered a dessert wine, a blend of Grenache and Grenache Gris, it was sweet, slightly syrupy, and perfect for our dessert.  Listed as Creme Catalan, it was what most Americans would recognize as Creme Brulee.  I am picky about my Creme Brulees in that I think that it should have a good crust.  Looking at the dish, I saw a good amount of Caramelized Sugar, which was a good sign.  It was also solid to the edges, which was also a good sign.  I gave it a light tap which failed to make it crack, which made me happy and it took a significant tap to crack the crust.  After cracking, it didn't disintegrate and it provided some nice textural variety to the very smooth and creamy custard underneath.  This was a great finish to a very good meal.  I really enjoyed this and will definitely keep my eye open next fall when Chef Paul Kahan invites Chef David back for another residency. 

Funkenhausen - Brunch

 

While the odd name and cuisine combination were kind of a draw, I knew, before I came that I would enjoy Funkenhausen.  I first encountered Chef Mark Steuer when he was working the savory side of the restaurant at Mindy's Hot Chocolate.  There, I had the best Shrimp and Grits that I had ever had.  He then went on to open The Bedford and The Carriage House.  When I later went to The Carriage House, I did not remember until I had the shrimp and grits that the chef there was the same chef as the one I first encountered at Mindy's Hot Chocolate.  Through these three restaurants, I saw that Chef Steuer did some excellent Lowcountry Southern food.  With Funkenhausen Chef Steuer decided to combine the Southern food that he grew up with with the German food which relates to his heritage.  I like both Southern and German cuisines, though there didn't seem an obvious connection between the two, especially with brunch.  With German food, I think of a lot of meat and starch.  Southern food uses different starches and seafood.  Before having the food, I was thinking, possibly that gravies and sauces could make the connections, but I would have to see.  The space is very large and open with a bar on the left side, an arched ceiling, and a half wall dividing the space in the middle.  The arches in the ceiling, gave the space an Alpine lodge look.  The wall behind the bar was covered in green tile that was laid out in a chevron pattern  On the wall was a Cuckoo Clock and the bar taps were decorated with antlers emphasizing the German Alpine feel.  The back wall also was tiled, though it was tan instead of green.  On that wall was a sign that said, "Wine, Stein, Dine".  Below the sign, a Boar's head was mounted, which could be either German or Southern.  In addition to all of this, the soundtrack was old school funk, which was a lot of fun to listen to and was a throwback to the name.  I sat at the bar and had a coffee (from Metric), which is kind of universal, served in a heavy rustic mug.  The coffee was a medium roast and tasted pretty good.  It was a good way to start things and I was excited for the food.  I was obviously seeing German elements in the design, I was wondering if the Southern would show up in the food.

The brunch menu had German elements, but was not strictly German.  The menu looked fun and didn't take itself exceptionally seriously.  I like to go both sweet and savory with brunch.  I started with sweet and a doughnut.  In this case, it was a Black Forest Doughnut, A Dark Chocolate Doughnut with Chocolate Glaze, Amarena Cherries, Vanilla Buttercream, and Powdered Sugar.  This was very definitely a very whimsical take on a Black Forest Cake.  It had the flavors of Black Forest Cake, Dark Chocolate and Cherries, but it wasn't overwhelming.  It was a little messy, but it was very good and a lot of fun to eat.

When I think of breakfast pasta, I think of Pasta Carbonara, a combination of Parmesan, Bacon, and Eggs (sometimes with a white wine sauce).  The ingredients combined with the pasta are breakfast regulars, so it just makes sense if pasta is gong to be served for breakfast, Carbonara would be served.  Funkenhausen did do a spin on Carbonara, using Spaetzle, a German hand-rolled pasta, with Parmesan, Bacon, Red Onion, Peas, and topped with a Soft Boiled Egg and lots of Pepper.  It was very similar to a good Spaghetti Carbonara, the Carbonara was what you would expect from a good Carbonara, but the Spaetzle was thicker than spaghetti and more chewy.  The soft boiled egg, served on top instead of being mixed in, was a good reference to breakfast.  Because it was soft boiled, it was easy to break up and mix in which provided enough moisture to the other tasty ingredients.

This was a lot of fun.  There were no obvious Southern dishes, but it definitely was not strictly a German restaurant.  The food was very good, the space was nice, the staff was friendly, and the music was nice to listen to.  I will have to return again to try out dinner sometime, and possibly return for brunch.        

Crosby's Kitchen

 

While I do go out to a lot of group dinners that already have set menus, I do occasionally like to go out to a simpler place and dine a la carte.  To this end, I decided to go to Crosby's Kitchen recently.  Located in Lakeview, it is part of the same group that runs Smoke Daddy, Ella Elli, Frasca's Pizzeria and Wine Bar, and Tuco and Blondie.  In fact, it shares a wall with Ella Elli.  This location seems to be very family friendly and there were many families there when I went.  It is on a corner on the Southport Corridor with a patio along Southport and the entrance on the corner of the building.  While the patio was set up when I went and it did have large gas torches, it was dark and cold and the torches were unlit, so the patio was unoccupied.  The dining room is large and open with windows looking out to the street on both sides, shaped vaguely like an L with the main leg pretty wide, and a narrower side that was parallel to Southport with a small fireplace at the end.  I was seated in a booth in the smaller section (all of the seating is booth seating) and got to watch the fire in the fireplace.  There is a bar on the back wall with TVs playing sports behind it.  While I could see the TVs from where I was sitting, I was more interested in the far.  The drink menu features beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails.  The wine list is the most extensive, though nothing was extensively challenging.  I was not feeling like wine, so I went with a cocktail.  Admittedly wine is generally not my go to unless it seems to fit the menu.  I will not order wine unless I am at a French or Italian restaurant or a wine bar.  All of the cocktails seemed to veer to the sweet side, I tried to pick one that was more than just sweet.  Called a Cherry Limeade, the cocktail that I ordered had Montelobos Mezcal, Cherry Sour (I imagine it was a shrub), and Lime.  The drink was still sweeter than something that I would normally go for, but it was more than just sweet.  The mezcal provided a little smoke, the lime added tartness, and the cherry sour added a sweet and sour cherry flavor.  If not for the smoke flavor from the mezcal, it could have very well passed for the cherry limeade that a kid might drink.

Like the drink menu, the food menu was also pretty simple, though it did have some finer dining spins to the various dishes.  I imagine the simplicity is what draws the families.  I started my meal out with an anchor of family cuisine, Deviled Eggs.  These deviled eggs, though, included Lobster.  There were three deviled eggs served.  As one deviled egg is half an egg, I was served an egg and a half.  I humorously wondered what happened to the other half.  The eggs were fixed to the plate with the whipped yolk that filled the hard boiled egg whites.  While deviled eggs are one of those things that are simple to make and everyone likes, elevating them with lots of lobster and some cayenne to give it some spice improved it a lot.

For my entree I went with something that is a regular special (regularly served a couple of days a week), the Wood Grilled Filet of Beef, served with seasonal vegetables, which in this case was Grilled Cauliflower with Pesto.  The filet was served medium rare with a well seared outside and a nicely pink interior.  It was very tender, juicy, and very good, but the star of the course was actually the Cauliflower and Pesto.  It was very tender with a little char and well covered with very flavorful pesto.

Dessert was also very much a comfort food thing and it was absolutely ridiculous.  Several restaurants in the Four Star Group, which Crosby's Kitchen is a part of, have a Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie.  This iteration was served hot, of course, and was topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel.  I love chocolate chip cookies, in general.  This one was very good with a crisp exterior and a soft interior.  The ice cream went well with the warm cookie as did the caramel and the entire thing provided a satisfying finish.

While nothing here was ground breaking, it isn't what they are about.  They focus on comfort food and they do it well.  It isn't a place I will go to stretch my palate, but if I'm looking for something that is simply satisfying, it's a good place to consider.