Jeong

 

Chicago Avenue in Westtown has a wealth of restaurants and even if a favorite restaurant leaves, it is soon replaced by another restaurant equal or greater than that that has gone away.  I was very said when vegetarian fine dining restaurant, Green Zebra, closed.  I became very excited, though, when I found that the people behind Hanbun, which was essentially a Suburban Food Court stall serving amazing Korean food would be coming into Chicago and replacing Green Zebra in their space.  The new place is called Jeong and while the color of the space has changed, Green Zebra was done in greens and Jeong is done in grays and browns, the layout is very similar.  The windows are also different.  The door is on one side and to enter the dining room you walk down a passageway with the glass outer wall on one side and a half wall overlooking the dining room.  We were seated on the side opposite the entryway under a cut in where a stairway is on the other side of the wall.  The menu looked really good.  They have both a Tasting and an a la Carte menu.  While there were several things on the a la Carte menu that looked good, we decided to go with the Tasting Menu.  Before that came our cocktails and wine.  They had what looked like a pretty good wine list, but I decided to go with a cocktail.   The cocktails were all named after key ingredients in Korean cooking.  I got a Gochujang which was a red, gin-based cocktail with, according to the listed ingredients, Junipero Gin, Calamansi Lime, and St. George Raspberry Liqueur.  I also wondered if it also contained Gochijang, because while it had a sweet, tart, and citrusy flavors, as would be expected, it also had a finish that was pretty spicy.  I like spice, but it was a surprise, but the drink was pretty good, despite the surprise.

For our first course we were served Silken Tofu with King Crab, Maesil (Korean Plum Wine), and Chili Braised Fern.  While I have had tofu before and have liked it based on what it was served with.  While tofu definitely has a texture, it essentially tastes like what it has been prepared with.  I would say that that also applies with silken tofu, but the texture is a different animal altogether.  As it sounds, it was very smooth and silky.  The crab was cooked perfectly and was very sweet and tender.  The Maesil added a tartness atop the sweetness of the crab and the chili braised ferns added both a green freshness and a spicy finish.  It was a very nice start.

Our second course stayed with the sea.  We were served Salmon Tartare which was served with Doenjang Yuza Gastrique (mixture of vinegar and sugar infused with a thick Soybean Paste), Bubu Arare (Rice Cracker), and Creme Fraiche.  It had a variety of textures and the salmon was very good.  The gastrique added a tart and savory element to the course which was very nice.

The next course looked pretty simple, but there were still some interesting elements to it and it was very good.  It started with a perfectly Pan-Seared Scallop that was very large, very tender, and nicely flavorful.  Served with it was a Spinach Namul.  I had no idea what a Namul was so I had to look it up.  It is simply a grain or vegetable cooked in a variety of ways and generally served as a banchan.  Our spinach namul was blanched and served, basically as a bale to the side.  The dish was finished with a Clementine Beurre Blanc, a white butter sauce with a nice citrus finish.

Our first entree was a favorite of mine, duck.  It was served rare with a Corn Tea and Soy Glaze and with Yulmoo Rice (cooked with Barley) and a stack of Kimchi.  Served separately, it was easy to try each element individually.  Everything was prepared perfectly and had great flavor and texture.  tried in combination, I found the best way to enjoy everything was to take some rice and combine it with the duck and glaze and finish with a piece of kimchi.

Our second entree and final savory dish was the height of savory.  We were served an A5 Wagyu Bavette (Flank Steak) with Sunchoke two ways, Whipped and as a Croquette, and a Truffle-Kimchi Emulsion.  As might be expected, the steak was very tender, though not the height of tenderness because flank steak is more prized for it's flavor than for it's tenderness.  It was very flavorfull and with the truffle kimchi emulsion, it was like an explosion in my mouth of savory funk and spice.  Sunchokes are from the root of certain sunflowers and remind me of a flavorful potato.  I preferred the croquette to the whipped sunchoke, but the flavor of both was very good.

For our first dessert, we had a Bokbunja (Raspberry Wine) Granita with Ginger Tea Crema and a Ginger Shortbread Cookie.  The granit awas served in the center of the shortbread cookie on top of the ginger tea crema, which was similar to custard.  As a whole, the dish reminded me of a Creme Brulee with the shortbread cookie acting as the crust and the granita as the fruit garnish.  It was very good and I liked the ginger and raspberry flavor combination.

To finish things off, we had what they called a Chestnut Financier.  Generally, I would say that you could eat a financier without silverware because it's basically a sandwich cookie.  This financier, though, while the shape of the cookie was the same, was essentially deconstructed.  There was the oblong Chestnut Cookie that was served with Doenjang Caramel, Smoked Chestnut Cream, and Chocolate, served both as nibs and as a custard.  While utensils were necessary to eat this, it was rich, sweet and savory, and a very enjoyable finish.

While Green Zebra is no longer and I can still see it in the design of the space despite the fact that the furniture is changed, I really enjoyed my meal and my time here and would happily return.