Fisk and Co - Restaurant Week

I have mentioned that I use Restaurant Week both to visit favorites and to check out new places that I have not yet tried.  Fisk and Co was kind of both.  I had never visited Fisk and Co., but I know the chef, Ashlee Aubin, who had been Chef/Owner at both Wood and Salero, which I both really liked, and he is also from Michigan.  I really like seafood and Fisk and Co, seems to model itself after a Belgian Beer and Seafood Pub specializing in Mussels and Frites.  I was excited and decided to check it out.  Located at Wabash and Wacker, just inside the loop and attached to the Kimpton Hotel, it was very easy to find.  It has a separate entrance, so unless you have to use the restroom, which is in the hotel, you wouldn't know.  The entrance opens to look upon the twisting Raw Bar, which was full when I arrived.  I was guided into the dining room at the front of the restaurant (the entrance is on the side and toward the rear).  In fact, I was seated at a large table in the corner which gave me a great view of the space which had high ceilings, white walls, and a large windows running along the front and the side.  The tables and furniture were black wood, although the banquette on which I was sitting was white like the walls.  The menu came on one, two-sided sheet that was about the size of a place setting.  They did have a nice beer list, featuring some Belgian beers, but also many locals doing Belgian-inspired styles.  They also had some interesting cocktails listed, so I decided to go that rout while I was trying to decide what I wanted to eat.  The cocktail that I started with the Xochiquetzal, was a spin on The Last Word, using Ford's Gin, Luxardo Maraschino, Cocalero Herbal Liquer (instead of Green Chartreuse) and Lime, and it was Stirred and not Shaken.   Cocolero is a South American spirit using Coca Leaf, Juniper, and 16 other botanicals.  I cannot speak to how it tastes on it's own, though Green Chartreuse has a floral flavor amongst the rest of its botanicals, which comes through in The Last Word.  The Xochiquetzal was more booze forward than The Last Word is.  It was, however, pretty good and I did enjoy it.

Starting with my appetizer, I noticed that a selection of Oysters was on the menu.  I love oysters, so that was going to happen.  The Oysters were shucked and served on ice on the half shell with a wedge of Lemon, and small cups of Cocktail Sauce and Mignonette.  I like to taste the oyster, so I generally don't bother with anything but a little lemon juice.  I was given three Oysters, one from Maryland, one from Washington DC, and one from Mexico.  I don't remember the names of the ones from Maryland or DC, but I did remeber the one from Mexico, because it's name, Chingon, is pretty off color, and I had to laugh when I heard it.  That being said, the Mexican oyster was also my favorite.

For my entree, I did consider Mussels, but after having the Oysters, I figured that that may have been overkill.  I decided to go with some pasta, Crab Campanelle with Jonah Crab, Aleppo Pepper, Peas, White Wine, Lemon, and Butter.  This was pretty great.  The Campanelle was perfectly al dente, the crab was finely shredded and really flavorful, The peas added some sweetness and body, the lemon went well with the crab, and the pepper provided a light firey finish at the end.

 

And then we came to dessert.  Rum Cake seems to be a very popular dessert in seafood restaurants and that is the way that I went.  It was served with Roasted Apples and Whipped Cream.  The cake was very sweet and dense and the apples on top went with it very well.  The Whipped Cream, served on the side, was very light, and helped balance things a little.  While I was eating, I got to talking with my waiter about drinks and he wanted me to try a drink that he invented (on him).  Called the Cuberdon Club it had Botanist Gin, Imbue "Petal & Thorn" Vermouth, Lemon, Lavender Oil, Egg White, and Peychaud's Bitters.  It was similar to combining a Negroni and an Aviation and was very good.  While I was sitting, enjoying my last drink, the manager, Melissa, came over and asked how I knew Chef Ashlee (who wasn't there that night).  When I told her, she thanked me for coming, welcomed me back, and covered my other drink.  I really enjoyed my dinner, the space, and the people, and will definitely return to try more, especially the mussels.      

Cabra-Brunch

Being a lover of Peruvian food and a fan of Stephanie Izard's, I was very excited when it was announce that she was going to open a Peruvian Cevicheria, Cabra (Spanish for Goat), on the rooftop of the new Hoxton Hotel in the West Loop.  While I knew that I wanted to go, I didn't really have plans to go until I happened to be in the West Loop on a Saturday morning and was looking for a place to eat for brunch.  I knew that it was on the rooftop and it could be seen from the road, I was just not sure how to get there.  Walking into the building was not a big help because the lobby was occupied by Cira, a Mediterranean restaurant run by Chef Chris Pandel, and a Coffee shop, and I had to walk through the lobby/restaurant to get to the elevator, which was luckily labeled.  The elevator opened into a passageway that emptied emptied into two dining rooms, both large and open with large windows and a covered roof.  One room held the Ceviche Bar and the Cocktail Bar and the other side had a pool.  I walked into the bar side and saw that Chef Stephanie was working behind the Ceviche Bar.  It would have been interesting to sit there, though that bar was full, so I sat at the cocktail bar, which gave me a good view of the local skyline.      

 I started with a spin on a Pisco Sour.  Called a Sunrise Over Nazca, it was also a Coffee drink which included Coffee-infused Pisco, Passionfruit Honey, Lemon, and Egg White, and like all Pisco Sours was garnished with Angostura Bitters.  It was awash in a variety of flavors and I really liked it.  It started with the bitter of the Coffee, then went to the sour of the Passionfruit and the sweetness of the Honey, with the flavor of the Pisco available throughout.  

When I was in Peru, I tried something called a Causa.  It was generally a combination of Mashed Potatoes, Chicken, Aji Chilies, and Vegetables.  When I saw that Cabra had a Causa, it had to be had.  this Causa had replaced the Chicken with Crab, combined the Aji Chilies into the Mashed Potatoes, and added Avocado.  It was very creamy and tasted very fresh with the creamy avocado and the sweetness of the crab.  The Aji added a little spice at the end which was nice.

Next on the agenda were the Goat Empanadas.  I had had Goat Empanadas at Chef Stephanie's signature restaurant, Girl and the Goat.  With a Grilled Mushroom and Apple Giardinera it was savory and a little spicy.  The Empanadas were the same, though the mayo dipping sauce was different.  At Girl and the Goat, they use a Miso-Bleu Aioli and at Cabra they used a Huancaina Mayo, which combined Queso Fresco and and Aji Amarillo Chilies.  It was creamy and spicy and went well with the empanadas.  

Finishing off, I went with the Quinoa Peruvian Sourdough Toast with Strawberry Aji Jam, Passionfruit Honey, and Queso Helado.  It was sweet, a little tart, a little spicy, and pretty good.  It made for a very good finish to another of Stephanie Izard's very good restaurants and I would very much enjoy returning, especially now that i know where I'm going.

City Mouse - Chicago Restaurant Week

When it was announced that Chef Jason Vincent of Giant would be opening a restaurant (that became City Mouse) in the West Loop, I was very excited.  When it was announced that Chef Pat Sheerin, formerly of the late, lamented Trenchermen, that added to my excitement.  I set up a brunch at City Mouse in the first summer that it was open, and while we were unable to be seated on their excellent patio, we did enjoy ourselves in their nice and very open dining room.  I knew, after coming for brunch, that I wanted to come for dinner and wanted to share it with friends.  Luckily, City Mouse participated in Chicago Restaurant Week, where a restaurant will offer a three or four course Prix Fixe dinner at a set price.  As it was wintertime and night, there was no way that the patio was going to be open, so we were seated in the dining room, actually very close to where we sat for brunch.  Much of the restaurant has glass exterior walls, the interior walls looking into Ace Hotel, the hotel in which it occupies space.  Just outside the wall where we were seated was a very large canvas covered in paint.  There was no real design to the paint, but it was bright and very colorful with colors in patches that flowed into other colors.  It either reminded me of sunlight in clouds or the colors of a coral reef.  We started out with cocktails while we made a plan as to who would order what.  The first cocktails were the Second City Sour with Gin, Aperol, Kina L'Aero D'or Aperitif, Lemon, and Egg White, and Lake Effect (appropriate for the night that we went when there was a lot of snow) with Mexican Rum, Caribbean Rum, Coconut, Banana, and Lime.  Both drinks were good, though I liked my gin drink better.  It was bitter, herbal, a little tartness from the lemon, and a nice fluffy head from the egg whites.  The Lake Effect was tropical and sweet with an opaque white color and a blended consistency.

For my first course, I went with the Cauliflower Soup.  I am generally not a soup drinker, but it sounded really good, so I decided to go with it.  In addition to the Cauliflower, it had a Toasted Almond Crunch, and Turmeric Yogurt.  It was very creamy and obviously tasted of cauliflower, but the toasted almond crunch added a crunchy and nutty texture, and the turmeric yogurt added a nice tang and almost a curry spice.  I was very happy with my choice and it was a good start to the meal.

For the next course, there were a couple of choices that I was really interested in:  a Smoked Sweetbread "Schnitzel", and Octopus Bolognese.  I decided to go with the Octopus Bolognese which, in addition to the Octopus, had Squid Ink Spaghetti, which made everything very black, and Calabrian Chili which added a very nice spice.  It was rich, savory, perfectly al dente, and very black. but very good.  I did get to try my friends Sweetbread Schnitzel.  In the past, fried and breaded sweetbreads have reminded me of chicken nuggets.  The sweetbread schnitzel followed along the same lines.  It was good, though I was glad I ordered the octopus.

For my second cocktail, I went with what they called Flatlands and what was essentially a White Negroni.  It was made with Letherbee Springtime Gin, Gran Classico Bitter, and Italian White Vermouth.  I am generally picky about my Negronis, but I would definitely have this again.  It was bitter, though not overwhelmingly so, was very smooth, and had a nice bittersweet flavor.

As I had gone meat free for my first two courses, I decided to remain so with my entree (more or less).  I went with a Pan-Roasted Swordfish with Clams, Mussels, Oxtail Ragout, Braised Black Olives, and Bread.  It was really good and was kind of a combination dish.  The Swordfish was tender, flaky, and slightly sweet, the mussels and clams in broth reminded me of Moules Marnieres.  Both the mussels and clams were big and there were plenty of them.  The bread was good for eating with the broth, and the oxtail was tender, shredded, and added another savory flavor.

While I was kind of full by the time I got to dessert, I wasn't going to turn it away, especially since I was paying for it already.  For dessert, we had a choice of Cheesecake, Creme Brulee, or a Caramel Cake.  I almost never order cheesecake in a restaurant and I am very picky about my creme brulee, so I went with the Caramel Cake.  It was served with Kumquat Jam and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  The vanilla bean ice cream was very good, so good in fact, that I think that it was the highlight of the dish.  Both the cake and jam were good, but the ice cream was much better.

Overall, I really enjoyed my dinner here.  The food was good and stood up to the standards and reputations of all chefs involved, the space is nice and the staff is very friendly and helpful.  I will definitely have to return.

City Mouse - Brunch

I mentioned that I liked the restaurant, Giant, so I was both excited and a little nervous when I heard that Executive Chef, Jason Vincent and his team were working with boutique hotel, Ace Hotel, to open their new place, City Mouse.  I was relieved and excited to hear that he had hired Chef Pat Sheerin, formerly of the late, lamented Trenchermen, as the Executive Chef.  Located in the West Loop Restaurant District across from the Google Building, entry is through the hotel lobby.  It is a large and very open space with a modern look, glass walls, and, like Giant, also named after a character in a children's book.  Giant is named after a character in the poem, Me and My Giant in Shel Siverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and City Mouse is named after the City Mouse in the story, The City Mouse and the Country Mouse.  They have a great covered patio which is very popular in the summertime, so while it would have been nice to sit outside, it would have been a significant wait.  We had a good table at one edge of the room where everything could be seen easily.  City Mouse offers Brunch every day with a good selection of breakfast and lunch selections and a pretty good beer and cocktail list.  I started out with a cocktail called a Gap Toothed Fizz, which had Gin, Mezcal, Cloosterbitter (a dutch bitter using distilled liquor, similar to Chartreuse or Genever), Lemon, Egg White, and Matcha.  As it was a fizz and used egg white, it had a nice foamy top sprinkled with ground Matcha Tea Leaves.  It was very herbal and botanical, with a little smoke from the mezcal, and a tart finish.  The foam made it a little different from cocktails I generally order, but the flavors fit very well and I did like it.

To start things off as far as food was concerned, I ordered something sweet for the table, a Pretzel Cinnamon Roll, something that was similar to a pastry that I really liked at Trenchermen.  It also had Chocolate Chips and was covered with Butterscotch.  It had a crusty exterior with salt, like a soft pretzel, with chocolate chips and the very sweet and sticky butterscotch.  It was very good, though admittedly, I preferred the Trenchermen version better.

My main course was mostly savory, though it also had some sweetness to it.  It was called a Gas Station Sandwich and the only thing that I can think of that might explain the name is that it contained a bunch of stuff that you might be able to find at a gas station truck stop during a road trip.  it had Sausage, Egg, Hash Browns, Cheese, and Grape Jelly on an English Muffin.  It was a standard breakfast sandwich (sausage, egg, and cheese, on an English muffin) with hash browns and grape jelly.  It was very good.  Hash Browns are frequently ordered with breakfast sandwiches and the flavor goes together well.  I don't normally eat potatoes on my sandwiches, but it isn't unlike the French Fries on the sandwiches at Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh or fries on burgers in Canada or France.  They go together well and it works.  Grape jelly is also a common morning staple and does go well with English muffins, but it was a little unusual to think of eating it with everything else.  It did work though, and added some sweetness to the sandwich.  The sandwich also came with a fruit cup with what the menu called Michigan Fruits.  In the bowl were Blackberries, Blueberries, which I liked, and Honeydew, which was okay, but it also had way too much Canteloupe, which I can do completely without.  I would have been happy with everything else if they had left out the canteloupe.

Brunch was very good and a lot of fun.  The food was good, the service was very friendly, and the space was nice.  I will definitely have to return at a future date to try the rest of their menu.         

Sable Kitchen and Bar - Brunch

Located in the Hotel Palomar, Sable Kitchen and Bar is more well known for their cocktails than they are for their food.  Having said that, having dined here for dinner, I will say that they seem to care as much about their food as they do their drink.  As it's located in a hotel, they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Sable has been noted as having one of the better brunches around town, so I decided to try it out.  Located on a corner, the space is narrow and deep with the bar in front and the dining room further in.  The walls along the front and the side fronting the road are large floor to ceiling windows.  The host's station is in a narrow space between the bar and the dining room.  While you can eat in the bar area at the bar or at one of the high tops, because Sable is so well known for their cocktails, I think they would prefer people who are dining to sit in the dining room.  The bar is long and classic looking, black, and wooden, with high leather padded seats.  The dining room is split by a banquette in the middle with two tops next to the window and more seating on the side of the open kitchen.  The banquette is padded white leather, very comfortable and is where we sat.  As Sable is known for their cocktails, I decided to go with my favorite, The Last Word, to see how they do it.  The Last Word consists of equal parts Gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino Liqueur, and Lime Juice shaken with ice.  It is tart and herbal and is generally served with a Maraschino Cherry.  There also seems not to be a standard glass in which to serve it, because I have had it in a Martini Glass, Rocks Glass, or a Coupe.  Here it was served in a white wine glass.  In any case, it was refreshing and a good Brunch Cocktail.

The brunch menu has the standard eggs, omelette, pancakes, French Toast, and a burger for those people who aren't wanting breakfast.  These all looked good and many seemed to have a twist to step up their games a little, but I was interested in three dishes, the Filipino Breakfast Plate, Chicken and Waffles (with Tabasco Maple Syrup), and the Crab Cake Benedict, which is what I chose.  The standard Egg Benedict is an English Muffin topped with Canadian Bacon, a Poached Egg, and topped with Hollandaise Sauce.  The Crab Cake Benedict replaced the Canadian Bacon with a very good Crab Cake, changed the regular Hollandaise with Avocado Hollandaise, and added Arugula.  Simple and classic Hash Browns were served on the side.  The crab cakes were slightly crispy on the outside and had a nice crab flavor.  The arugula was very fresh, a little bitter, and peppery, and went well with the crab cake and while the green avocado hollandaise did look a little odd, it tasted good and went well with the crab.

The cocktail menu for Sable is literally a book with over a hundred cocktails offered.  Looking through the book, I came across a drink that looked to me, like a Mezcal version of The Last Word, so I thought I would try it to compare the two.  Called Abbey Road, it consisted of Mezcal, Green Chartreuse, Cynar, Lemon, and Egg White.  When I think of Abbey Road, I think of The Beatles and there was nothing about this drink that reminded me of The Beatles.  The Mezcal made it smoky instead of the herbal that you would get from gin.  I imagine that the Cynar was used instead of Maraschino to moderate the smoke with some bitter, and the egg white was used to moderate it all.  I will say that while not bad, I much prefer The Last Word.

Overall, I enjoyed brunch here and I would freely return.  I was surprised to find that the entire cocktail menu was available for brunch, but it was good and it gave me a chance to try something new.       

Sable

Several years ago, my brother, when visiting Chicago, had lunch at the Atwood Cafe and loved it.  At the time, the Executive Chef was Heather Terhune.  She was one of the first chefs in Chicago to promote local and seasonal cuisine in Chicago and she was on my radar.  Shortly after my brother dined at the Atwood, she went to open Sable which immediately went on my to dine on list.  It has been now open for several years and while several friends have been there and really liked it, I had not yet made it.  Admittedly, Chef Terhune's stint on Top Chef, where she was portrayed as a bit of a bully, did not help.  The restaurant remained on my list, but was pushed back for other places.  Finally, after seeing them on lists as one of the best cocktail bars in the country in addition to having good food, I decided it was time to go.  Sable is located in The Loop and operates as the restaurant/cocktail lounge for boutique hotel, Hotel Palomar.  The main entrance is on State St. and Illinois St., a very high traffic area.  The hosts station is in the center of the space dividing the lounge and dining areas.  This can be a little confusing for diners entering directly into the Sable space because the entrance is directly into the bar which you then have to walk through to get to the host's station.  There is a second entrance across from the host's station but you have to walk through the hotel to enter from there.  The space is long and narrow, with with one wall a window looking out onto State St.  The colors are black, gray, and silver, similar to the animal sable.  I don't know that the restaurant was named for the animal, but it does seem to fit.  The bar, which is long and classic looking, parallels the window.  The host station is on the outer wall and sits across from the hotel entrance and is flanked by a leather bench sitting in front of a televised fireplace and a decorative table containing what looks like specialized scientific glassware.  I am going to guess the glassware is there as a reference to their high-end cocktail lounge.  The dining area is flanked on one side by the window and on the other by the open kitchen.  The space is divided by a half-wall with banquette seating on either side.  I entered through the bar and was a little confused because I didn't immediately see the host station to check in.  I did find it soon enough and was quickly seated at a two top next to the window.  As this place is noted for it's cocktails and the cocktail menu is several pages long, I felt obligated to try one.  Their cocktail menu is very creative and covers everything from the classics to new and different.  It is divided by the main liquor used and their were two pages of whiskey drinks.  I decided to go with something using an old spirit similar to gin.  The drink was called Damn the Torpedoes.  It contained Bols Genever, a Pumpkin Cordial, Lemon, and Egg White.  It also seemed to have Pumpkin Spice in it (Allspice, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg).  This was both floral and spicy and kind of reminded me of pumpkin pie (with whipped cream).  It was light and I really liked it.  I ordered my dinner when my drink arrived and began enjoying my drink while waiting for my appetizer.

 I was a little unsure of what I wanted for an appetizer when I ordered (there were several things that looked good) so I went with my waiter's recommendation.  I ordered Veal Meatballs with a Gorgonzola-Walnut Cream Sauce.  The waiter told me that it was very good and rich.  I believed him on the good, but I was a little skeptical on the rich part.  While veal is fattier than most beef, I wouldn't really consider it that rich.  What I didn't consider was that cheese sauce (like Gorgonzola) can be very rich.  The meatballs were tender and flavorful, the sauce was flavorful and very rich, and it all went together well.

 My next course was a salad and while it was largely green, it contained no lettuce and was kind of savory.  It was a Brussels Sprout and Farm Apple Salad with Pecorino Romano Cheese, Smoked Almonds, Pork Belly Croutons, and a Brown Butter Vinaigrette.  This was much lighter than the appetizer and actually helped revive me somewhat.  The brussels sprouts and apples were fresh and crisp, there was a lot of Pecorino Romano and the Pork Belly Croutons were a bonus.  They were crispy and bacon flavored and reminded me of  what you might get if you combined bacon bits and croutons.

 For my entree, I went with something that I didn't really expect to see on the menu of a restaurant that specializes in American comfort food.  Having said that, American cuisine takes elements from all over the world and twists and combines them into something that is both convenient and works.  I got a Rojo Pozole with Pork Belly, Hominy, Cilantro, and an Ancho Chili-Pork Broth.

It was accompanied by a tray of add-ins which included Red Onions, Crispy Tortilla Strips, and Avocado and Lime.  I didn't consider why they would have made the diner build their own pozole but not everyone likes raw onions, if the tortilla strips were added to the pozole in the kitchen they might be soggy by the time they reached the diner, as would the avocado.  It also allowed diners to less of an item if that is what they desired.  I liked it all so it all went in.  The pozole was spicy and porky with crunchy bits with some richness provided by the avocado.  It tasted very good and the only thing I might have wished for was more hominy.

While Sable has a pretty good dessert menu, when looking over it, I knew immediately what I wanted.  I ordered the Dark Chocolate Souffle Cake with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sauce, Peanuts, and Salted Caramel Ice Cream.  This was very good.  The cake was moist and rich and with the different flavors in the dish it was like a deconstructed Snickers Bar.  I really enjoyed it and it was a filling finish to a very good meal.  While I can't say that I like the layout of the space.  The wait staff was friendly and professional and were happy to answer my questions and the food and drink were very good.  I may very well consider returning.

Longman & Eagle

While I have been to Longman & Eagle several times, I have been there for lunch, brunch, and cocktails, I have never been for dinner.  As it has one of the best whiskey lists in the city and it has a Michelin Star besides, I knew that I was going to have to go one evening.  That evening arrived recently.  While I like the rustic interior, it was a beautiful evening and they have a nice patio so I decided to sit outside.  The menu is divided into Bar Snacks, Small Plates, and Large Plates, many of which are great for sharing.  I ordered something from each section.  For my first plate, my Bar Snack, I ordered the Pheasant Pate, Sourdough Tartines, Pickles (pickled vegetables), and Mustard.  I like pate and I like pheasant but I had never had them together so other than being good, I was unsure what it was going to be like.  This tasted like pate but it had a flavor that was a little more gamy.  I ate the pate like an open faced sandwich, spreading the mustard  on the sourdough and the pate on top of that.  The vegetables used in the pickle were carrots, cauliflower, and peppers and I ate that between bites of pate sandwiches.  As one might expect with the sourdough bread, the mustard, and the pickles, the dish was pretty sour but the sour went well with the pate.

For my appetizer, I got Blue Crab Ravioli with Black Truffles, Fava Beans, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Baby Greens, in a Tomato Consomme.  The blue crab was finely shredded and filled the perfectly cooked ravioli shells.  The shells were a firm "al dente" and again reminded  me that most pasta prepared at home is overcooked.  The pasta was topped with thinly sliced black truffles.  Truffles have a distinctly pungent flavor and while the flavor was there, it was much more subtle than I would have expected.  There were a couple of different types of cherry tomatoes, fava beans, and microgreens, which were all very fresh.  The tomatoes and the fava beans were sliced in half which made their flavor more immediate.  While this would have been good on it's own, when it was presented, a tomato consommé, which was very clear, was poured over it.  While the presentation/performance was kind of neat, I really didn't expect much from the consommé and actually expected it to be kind of bland given that it was very clear.  I was happily wrong on that point.  The consommé was warm and had the taste of fresh salted tomatoes which finished the dish well.

I was a little surprised by my entree, mainly because I misread the menu.  I was not disappointed because I liked all of the elements of the dish but it wasn't exactly what I expected.  The dish was a Monkfish Osso Bucco with Clams, Broccoli Rabe, Cremini Mushrooms, and many elements of corn: kernels, silk, and powdered.  When I think of osso bucco, I think of a steak, usually veal, with a cross cut bone showing the marrow hole.  I was expecting to get this in addition to the monkfish and clams.  I was not expecting the monkfish to be the meat surrounding the large bone.  I like monkfish, I was just not aware that there is anywhere on that fish that you would be able to find a bone that big and solid.  The clams, mushrooms, and broccoli rabe went together well with each other and the fish and while the corn kernels were good, the silk and powder were just odd.

You would think that after all of this food, I would be too full for dessert.  While I was satisfied and could have walked away, I am never one to turn down dessert and in this case, I was very happy that I went for it because it was a thing of beauty and it tasted as good as it looked.  My dessert was a  Pralined Pecan Terrine with Caramel & Bourbon, Espresso, Honey Foam, Chocolate, Malted Ice Cream, and Bourbon Panna Cotta.  The terrine was to me like a firm multi-layered custard and was served with some pecan brittle.  It had a layer of chocolate on one side and bourboned caramel on the other.  The interior layers combined pecans with espresso and honey foam.  The malted ice cream was sitting on some powdered malt and was very good.  While the bourbon panna cotta was a little thinner than I expect for a good panna cotta, it tasted good.  The bourbon was subtle but it was definitely there and it went well with the other stronger flavors within the terrine.  It was also garnished with cinnamon which was a good finish.

I really enjoyed my meal here and was glad I finally made it for dinner.  The waiter was friendly and able to answer my questions well and it was nice to sit out on the patio on a beautiful evening and enjoy some really good food.

Elate

In general, I would not recommend a restaurant located in a hotel. There are exceptions, but a hotel restaurant, having to serve three meals a day for a wide variety of patrons, will have to generalize. When you are located in a boutique hotel aiming for a niche audience it is easier to focus your cuisine. Elate, located in LEED certified boutique Hotel Felix has been on my radar since it opened but when an opportunity to come out for brunch availed itself, I dived in. The dining area is laid out like a lounge. The space is very open and high ceilinged with window walls on two sides. The ceilings are unfinished and have an industrial look about them with big, black iron I-beams in the overhead with hanging lights also made of black iron and having a kind of unfinished, industrial look. There was a hostess station at the entrance and a big, heavy looking wood bar behind that ran most of the length of the dining room. The center of the room was divided by banquette seating on three sides which is covered with black leather. The tables used by the banquettes are wooden black two tops which can be pushed together for larger parties and there are several larger round six top tables outside the area surrounded by the banquettes. I was by myself so I got a two top and sat at at one of the very comfortable banquettes looking out on the street. I looked at the menu and saw many things that interested me. I decided to start with something at least slightly healthy because whatever I was going to have after was decidedly not going to be. I got a bowl of mixed berries which were really good. It contained strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and some blueberries. The presentation was simple and it didn't seem to have any extra sugar sprinkled on it which was fine because I thought that the fruit was good enough and could stand on it's own. It tasted very fresh and the strawberries were slightly crisp. It was a very good start because what I decided on next was a bit on the decadent side.
While I have heard before of a breakfast pizza, I had never had one. I like pizza and with the ingredients offered on this pizza, it sounded like a home run so I ordered it. As one might expect for something labeled breakfast, it had a fried egg on it which was very good but it also had, smoked ham, caramelized onions, truffled potatoes, and aged gouda. This pizza was ridiculously good. All of the ingredients had very prominent flavors which went together very well. They also announced themselves with every bite. The aroma of truffles was immediate when the plate was served but the flavor while prominent, didn't overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. The most subtle of the ingredients were the caramelized onions but they were very tasty when they were bitten into. On top of that (or underneath it as it were) the crust was thin and very crisp and didn't crumble when bitten into or cut. It held together very well.

It was kind of funny to find another such good breakfast place so quickly after my last one, both of which feature seasonal and organic food. While they are both very good, they are decidedly different and there is very definitely room for both of them. I will have to return here sometime for dinner because the dinner menu also looks very appetizing and after the great breakfast here, I am sure that the dinner is at least as good.

Longman & Eagle - Brunch

It has the name like an English Pub, but looks to me like what I think a modern western saloon would look like. It has a long hardwood bar, hardwood flooring, and wooden tables, chairs, and bar stools. Longman & Eagle even has rooms to stay at very reasonable rates. The main room looks like an old bar with a small open kitchen in one corner and a tremendous amount of liquor on the shelves behind the bar. While they have great beer and wine lists, the have one of the best whiskey lists in the city, including over 100 whiskeys, bourbons, scotches and ryes. While I am not a huge whiskey drinker, I do like the occasional scotch. I had been here once for lunch shortly after it opened and while I liked the service, I was really not impressed with the food. It seemed to have a lot of promise but the one dish I had had (a meatball sandwich with great meatballs, tomato, cheese and pesto but lousy bread) didn't cut it. From what I knew of the chef and the owners and the way the menu looked, I had to think that they were just suffering from opening jitters. Since that time, they have won several awards including GQ Best New Restaurant 2010, one of Esquire Magazine's 20 Best New Restaurants, and a Michelin star. I had been there since then and there had been times when I thought about eating there again, but things hadn't worked out until this last weekend. My brother joined me there for brunch.

Longman & Eagle does not take reservations and it gets pretty crowded on the weekend but there were a couple of places at the bar which also offers a full menu so we sat at the bar. I ordered the Fried Chicken and Waffles. The chicken was well fried and very juicy and the breading was very good. I got two thighs and a leg. The waffles were very crisp but softened nicely without getting mushy after adding the maple syrup which was served on the side. There was also a sweet potato and pork belly hash served between the chicken and waffles which was also very good. The sweetness of the pork belly and the sweet potatoes went well together as did the maple syrup. My brother got what was essentially mac and cheese but it was very good mac and cheese. It started with Orecchiete pasta used a combination of white cheddar, Fontina fonduta, and Gruyere for the cheese adds braised pork cheeks and is topped with bread crumbs. The pasta was very tender and the cheese sauce was heavenly. The pork cheeks just added to the flavor (It has a flavor similar to bacon) and the bread crumbs provide some variety to the texture. There was also a side salad that sort of served as a palate cleanser.

Longman & Eagle has redeemed themselves as I thought they would. The menu offers a wide variety on any given day and changes frequently and the prices are reasonable. While I have eaten here for the mid-day meal. I will have to come here sometime for dinner. Luckily it is close.