WoodWind - Restaurant Week

 

 

 

 

It's hard to expect a fine dining restaurant at the top of a hospital.  While Green River occupied the same space  and actually earned a Michelin Star, it did run into the problem of a dearth of customers who didn't think about it because coming to a hospital to eat is not obvious and finding the location after was not made any easier with the fact that there was no signage down on the 1st floor to let you know you are in the right place.  WoodWind, located on the 18th Floor of the Lavin Family Pavilion of Northwestern Hospital, has avoided a few of the problems that Green River had by putting a sign on a pillar on the first floor and also locating a Host Station on the first floor to direct you to the elevator to the restaurant.  Having been there before (to Green River), I knew where the elevator was and knew that the restaurant was on the 18th Floor.  Walking out of the elevator, I immediately saw an impressive wine rack with the host station to my right.  I was led to a table in the middle of the main dining room.  Green River also had an impressive patio with a great view, but it was February and at night, so it was obviously not open.  The dining room for WoodWind remained largely the same as Green River, though the color scheme and theme was different.  While Green River was more green with maps of the Great Lakes area, WoodWind is brown and tan with a wall of plants and many diagrams of plant life.  While the tables in the center of the room were close, it was a good place to see the lay of the land.  The kitchen was open and over my right shoulder.  The bar was in front of me.  I was sitting among a group of high top tables that were all full with low tops and booths off to the left in a corner of the dining room.  While the wine list did look pretty impressive, the cocktail list also looked nice.  I started out, while I was looking at the menu, with The Big Boss, a cocktail made with Bombay Dry Gin, Pear Liqueur, and Mint.  I liked it and it was very good.   It wasn't listed, but it also seemed to have a strong Vanilla flavor.  The drink was very refreshing and I really enjoyed it.

The Restaurant Week offer here was to choose three courses and a common dessert would be served to all.   For my starting course, I started with House Ricotta, Honey, Mish Mish, and Grilled Toast.  The Ricotta was very light and creamy.  Mish Mish is a Lebanese Colloquialism for Apricot.  With the honey and the citrus flavor of the mish mish, it kind of reminded me of breakfast.  It was sweet, tangy, and creamy, and on the crisp toast, it was a very nice start.

My second course was a bit unusual, Sunchokes.  Sunchokes, also known as a Jerusalem Artichoke, are a root vegetable and come from a species of Sunflower.  The Sunchokes were served three ways:  Roasted, as a Fermented Puree, and as Chips.  They were also served with Apple and Parmesan.  I have, in the past, liked sunchokes.  They generally have an earthy, potato flavor, with some sweetness.  This, while it had all of that, also had a funky tart flavor, which came, I imagine, from the fermented puree.  Other parts of this I liked.  I liked the roasted sunchokes and the chips, but with the funky flavor, it didn't come together.

My entree, like many of the entrees that I had during Restaurant Week was fish.  This fish, Smoked and Grilled Sturgeon with Black Garlic, Housemade Creme Fraiche, and Shoestring Potatoes, was very good and came together well with all of it's elements.  The sturgeon was tender with a nice smoky flavor which went well with the earthy flavor of the black garlic and the crispy shoestring potatoes.  The sour flavor of the Creme Fraiche brought in a complementary tartness.

 

      There was one dessert that they were serving everyone, Cashew Gelato.  It sounded fine, but didn't seem exceptionally exciting.  I did notice that they had a nice list of Digestifs.  I decided to excite my gelato with a Braulio Amaro, not to add to it, but to drink it along side the gelato.  The Amaro was very nice, lightly spicy and bittersweet with a lightly minty finish.  It was nice and went well with the gelato, but the gelato was actually very good on it's own served with mint, tangerine, and cashews on the side.

For the most part I enjoyed my meal, the service was great, and while I didn't think much of the Sunchokes, I learned that I didn't care for fermented sunchokes.  In many places after the dessert come Petit Fors or Mignardises, which are generally a bite of love, to say thank you.  There was a Mignardise served here, but it was very unexpected.  The waitress came out with a huge mass of Lime Cotton Candy.  I will grant that Cotton Candy is mostly air (the rest being spun sugar), but the sheer size of the mass was a huge surprise.  A lot of cotton candy is incredibly sweet.  As this was Lime, it also had some tartness to it and I really enjoyed it.  It was a very good dinner in a great space.  I hope to be able to return in the future.

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.      

The Albert - Restaurant Week

 

 

 

 

One of the advantages of Restaurant Week is that you get to try out restaurants that you think are interesting, but aren't sure that it's worth the price.  With the prix fixe menu, you can get an idea of the look and style of the restaurant, as well as an idea of their food without having to throw all in for the full price of a meal.  I had seen The Albert, located in Hotel EMC2, at a benefit and liked what they did.  That being said, while you might get an idea of taste for a given restaurant at a benefit, because of the sparse resources, you probably won't get an idea of the beauty of a given dish.  I had looked at their menu online, but the descriptions didn't seem to match with the prices.  While I was interested, I didn't know if I was willing to commit for the price of a regular meal.  I decided that while the Restaurant Week discount was not dramatic, it was doable and I decided to dive in.  The entrance of the restaurant is through the lobby of the hotel.  Walking into the restaurant you enounter a room that is very open with high ceilings.  The floor is carpeted and the bar is on the wall opposite the entrance with seating around two sides for about 12 people.  I was seated at a banquette table in the corner opposite the entrance, which gave me a good view of the dining room.  The wall opposite me was pretty amazing with a mural of various caricatured scientist types working on their various sciences (plus a chicken).  Above the mural were many book cases, card catalogs, and file and chart cabinets, which gave it the look of a science library.  I was of two minds about this.  While I thought it looked really cool, I also thought that if those books were real, they would no longer be able to be used.  Above the bar was a rack with round set places holding cloches with samples underneath them.  It looked pretty cool and fit well into the science-y vibe of the entire place.  The cocktail list was divided into four sections named after art movements:  Impressionism (bright flavors with soft notes), Surrealism (odd, yet familiar), Cubism (bold and modern), and Minimalism (boozy and to the point).  I started with something from the Cubism School.  Called Leave a Message, it had Mezcal, Hibiscus, and Apple.  It definitely fit into that school because I would not have expected those flavors to work together well.  The mezcal was smoky, though not overwhelmingly so.  The Hibiscus was sweet and floral, which toned down the smokiness of the mezcal, and the apple brought the sweet and tart flavors of an apple, which actually worked well with the toned down smokiness of the mezcal and the sweetness of the hibiscus.  It was a twist, but it worked well.

For the start of my dinner I started with a salad.  I would normally say that most salads are pretty boring, but I really like beets and this was a Roasted Beet Salad.  It had Red, Golden, and Candy Cane Beets, Figs, Frisee, and candied Walnuts and Pecans.  It was rich, and sweet, with the figs contributing more sweetness and a nice chewy texture that matched well with the beets.  The Walnuts and Pecans added a nice crunch and nutty flavor.

For my main course, I again went with fish.  This, like the previous evening, was also a white fish, Skin On Arctic Char, served with White Beans, Bacon and Dill.  It was much more simple than the fish that I had had the previous night, but it was simple done well.  The fish was cooked perfectly tender and flaky, except for the crispy skin.  The beans added body and depth of floor, and it had a nice finish with the dill.  The bacon was used subtly with the beans, more as an accent than an individual flavor, but it did add flavor to the beans.

Dessert was special.  Listed on the menu as a Chocolate Mousse, which would have been good in and of itself, it was denser than the standard Chocolate Mousse, it looked like a brownie, but it was still light and fluffy.  It was topped with a dollop of Mascarpone Cheese, a Banana Chip, and an Egyptian condiment called Dukkah consisting of Hazelnuts, Herbs, and Spices like Coriander, Marjoram, sesame, Cumin, and Mint, and surrounded with a Dark Chocolate swirl.  It was sweet, spicy, rich, and very good and made for a nice finish.  To pair with dessert, I ordered another cocktail, this one from the Impressionism School.  Called With Passion, it started with Vodka and Gin and added Appertivo and Passionfruit.  Passionfruit is very tart and it was there prominently, though the flavor of the passionfruit was softened by the liquor.  While the drink was generally tart, it worked well with the mousse, bringing out the bitterness of the chocolate and the dukkah.  I really enjoyed my meal here.  The space was very nice, the staff was very friendly and the food was good.  I would be happy to try it out for a regular meal.  
  

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.

Tied House - Chicago Restaurant Week

 

I have liked Schuba's Tavern as a music venue for many years and have seen several shows that I have really enjoyed.  While Schuba's is a bar and music venue with little food options.  The attached restaurant has given people the option of enjoying dinner essentially in house before the show that they may be going to.  It also works the other way as well.  The attached restaurant gives diners the option to extend their night with a show at Schuba's (though it isn't a necessary option and tickets for any show need to be bought separately).  For many years, the attached restaurant was Harmony Grill which served comfort food in a space built out in a bungalow.  I had heard that the brunch was very good, as was the Mac and Cheese for dinner, but I never made it there for dinner.  Last year Schuba's closed Harmony Grill to upgrade the space and upgrade they did.  The building, now known as Tied House, references Schuba's time as a Tied House to Schlitz Brewery and is square with glass walls at the front and Schubas's side of the building and has a Prairie Style appearance.  In addition, they have hired James Beard Award Winning Chef Debbie Gold to head the kitchen.  I decided to come for Chicago Restaurant Week which offered a limited 3 course Prix Fixe menu at a given price.  The entrance to the restaurant from the street was a large door leading to a long hallway made of glass.  The dining room is partially obscured from view by several large shelving units covered with plants and knick knacks.  The entrance into the restaurant is toward the center of the room which is high ceilinged and very open.  The front of the room has 4 tops and a large marble bar.  The back, where I sat had a banquette on the entrance side of the room behind a shelf behind the host station.  There were 4 tops on the opposite side of the room next to a marble staging area behind which, is the restaurant entrance to Schuba's.  The ceiling was high with a tin ceiling and recessed lighting.  While the menu was limited, I did want to look at the regular menu to see if there was anything that I might want to add.  To give myself some time to peruse the menu, I decided to order a cocktail to start things off.  The Last Word is my favorite cocktail and they offered a spin on one using Mezcal and Hellfire Habanero Bitters.  It was very good and interesting.  The Mezcal replaced the botanical flavors of Gin with some smokiness and added a spicy finish with the bitters.  The drink was tart and smoky with herbal flavors and a spicy finish and I really liked it.

To start out my dinner, I went with a 3 Citrus Scallop Crudo with Coriander (Cilantro), and Chile.  The scallop was very thinly sliced and incredibly tender.  It practically melted in my mouth.  Of the citrus, Lemon and Orange,  I could distinguish.  They were all combined and applied in plentiful quantities and added a nice tart citrus flavor to the sweetness of the scallop.  While the menu listed Coriander, what was presented was coriander leaves, more commonly known as Cilantro.  The Chile added a spicy finish.  It was a very nice start to my dinner.

When looking over the menu, I saw listings of Bread and Cheese which looked really good.  I decided to go with the Manchego Cheese, which was served with Blue Hubbard Squash, a Brown Butter Crumble, and a Mustard Crouton.  I was not expecting what I got.  I had never had Blue Hubbard Squash or even heard of it, actually, though it was presented pureed as many other squashes would be.  It had a sweet flavor similar to pumpkin.  The cheese was presented in a size that I would expect.  The Brown Butter Crumble was exactly what I might expect, but the large unevenly shaped piece of fried bread called a Mustard Crouton really surprised me.  It was much larger than I expected, not that I'm complaining.  For the crouton, I would have expected small cubes of bread that have been fried crisp.  The large crouton was actually much easier to work with than many small croutons would have been.  It was easier to combine the different elements to eat them with the fried bread and it was very satisfying.

There was only one entree offered on the Prix Fixe Menu, though that isn't a complaint because it's a favorite and I probably would have chosen it in any case.  On the menu it was listed as Duck Confit with Heirloom Rancho Gordo White Beans, Slow Roasted Turnips and Microgreens.  The wait staff referred to it as Cassoulet.  While other cassoulets that I have had have used multiple meats and it's more like a stew, with the meat and the white beans I will go with it.  Everything was very tender and flavorful and I enjoyed it a lot.

We finished off with Cheesecake Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce,  They were very good, but it almost seemed like a test to figure out how to eat it without wearing it.  The cheesecake was cold and held together well, but the profiteroles that surrounded the cheesecake were delicate and it sat in the chocolate sauce.  While I think I would have preferred to eat it like an ice cream sandwich, I decided to be a little more civilized and eat them with knife and fork.  It also allowed me to use the pieces that I had on my fork like a mop to wipe up the chocolate sauce.  It was a great finish to a very good meal and I will definitely consider returning.  It will definitely be a pre-concert option.           

The Loyalist - Restaurant Week

Last year a combination Gastropub/Fine Dining Restaurant opened last year in the West Loop.  Headed by Husband and Wife Team, John and Karen Urie Shields, who met while working at Charlie Trotter's, Smyth and The Loyalist got a lot of buzz after opening.  Smyth, the fine dining half, is located upstairs, and The Loyalist is located in the basement.  Although they are both very different experiences, I was very interested in visiting both, Smyth because it's a fine dining restaurant which is like experiencing art, and The Loyalist, which looked to have some very good bar food.  In fact, The Loyalist was noted by Bon Appetit to have one of the best Cheeseburgers in the country this year.  Unfortunately, both restaurant and bar operate using Tock, an electronic reservation system that frequently makes it difficult to book odd numbered parties.  I understand the logic, an odd numbered party leaves an open seat which can't be booked and makes it that much harder to make a profit, but it does make it difficult for those people that like dining solo.  Luckily, The Loyalist decided to participate in Restaurant Week this year and I have an easier time finding someone to dine with during this festival of food, so it was a given that I would go.  The building in which Smyth & The Loyalist are located is kind of a non-descript office building.  Entering the building, you encounter a landing with stairs leading downstairs for The Loyalist and Upstairs for Smyth.  Going downstairs we enteres a space that was like a partially finished basement.  The floor was cement, the walls were black, and the lights were hanging.  The furniture was wood and steel and had a bit of a Colonial bent to it.  We were seated and we began perusing the menu.  The restaurant week menu was small, but it did select items from the regular menu.  The cocktail menu was pretty extensive and adventurous so it took some time to decide what I might be interested in.  I decided to start things off with Buddha's Little Finger, a cocktail with Genever (a Juniper flavored liquor that is the national liquor of The Netherlands and a predecessor to London Dry Gin), Italicus (an Italian liqueur using bergamot and with a citrus and floral flavor), Buddha's Hand (a hand shaped citrus fruit that is all rind and no fruit and is used in cocktails for it's citrus flavor), Lemon, and Egg White.  It had a nice creamy head, a citrus and floral flavor, and was a nice start to a relaxing evening.

For the Restaurant Week menu, there were two choices each for entree and dessert with a salad served for the first course.  We decided to order one of everything and add an additional salad off of the regular menu, so we could each experience as much of the menu as possible.  The Salad that came as part of the Restaurant Week menu was a Bibb Salad served Family Style.  It started with Bibb Lettuce leaves with Watermelon Radish, Walnuts, Dill, Green Goddess Dressing, and Fromage Blanc.  The vegetables were very crisp and fresh and the lettuce was served as whole leaves.  It was very good and flavorful, but I had a little trouble with the lettuce, because it became stuck in my head at a young age that you don't cut lettuce.  I realize as an adult, that while you might not want to cut the lettuce before service (to prevent bruising), the diner would be perfectly within his rights to cut the lettuce.  While the Bibb Salad was good, I liked our additional salad better.  It was a Beet and Endive Salad with Smoked Salmon, and Caramelized Mandarins.  It had a variety of flavors and textures and it was easier for me to eat.  The beets were bittersweet and cubed, and the salmon was served between the beets and endive leaves which were served on top.  While I knew that it was there, it was hidden under the endives, and it was a surprise to find and taste it.

 

 

For our entrees we were very happy to see the Cheeseburger on the menu.  If it had not been, we would have had to have ordered it off the regular menu.  Leaving without trying it was not an option.  The burger on the Cheeseburger was a mixture of Short Rib, Chuck, and Ground Bacon.  It was griddle fried (which results in crispy edges) and presented on a Sesame Seed Bun with American Cheese, House Made Pickles, and Onions prepared three ways:  Charred, Pickled, and Raw.  It was presented with a Jus and Onion Infused Mayo on the side as well as some perfect fries that tasted like they were double fried.  It lives up to the hype and is one of the best burgers that I have ever had.  Our other course was Fusilli with Short Rib and Tripe Bolognese, Goat Cheese, and Parsley.  The pasta was simple and had a nice flavor, and was presented perfectly Al Dente.  It was good, but it really couldn't compete with the cheeseburger.

Dessert was another winner.  We were presented with a couple of Macaroons with a Chocolate Mousse Brulee on top.  There were two served, so there was no worry of dividing them.  They were crispy and sweet with a nice smooth and creamy mousse topping that had been touched by fire crisping the outside and making it a little sweeter.  While these were good, I liked our other dessert better even though it was a little tricky to divide.  It was a large and very delicate cream puff with Hazelnut Praline topping, lots of Whipped Cream filling, and Toasted Hickory Nuts.  It was sweet, delicate, nutty, but also very much a mess.  I think that I did consider eating it with my hands, if I had, I would have ended up wearing as much as I ate.  Both desserts were very good and made for a perfect ending.  I decided to pair them with another cocktail.  The Lonesome Dove, a Gin Cocktail with Gentian, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lime Bitters, and garnished with a sprig of Sage.  It was tart and floral and was a contrast to the sweet desserts.  Everything was very good and I would be happy to return either here or to go upstairs to Smyth, for some fine dining.

Bohemian House - Chicago Restaurant Week Brunch

Bohemian House has been a restaurant on my radar since shortly after it opened about a year and a half ago but I had never made any firm plans to dine there.  I had tried some of their food at various benefits and really liked what I had, but I had not experienced the restaurant.  A friend, though, invited me out for brunch during Chicago Restaurant Week so I decided to see what it was about.  As it's name suggests, Bohemian House, or Boho, focuses on the food of Bohemia (a region of the Czech Republic) and Eastern Europe in general.  While there is a sign outside on the awning, the restaurant is in an old office building and is not exceptionally obvious.  The alcove leading to the door has some really ornate tile along one edge, so that can also be used as a marker as well.  Entering the modern glass door in the alcove, there is a stair leading to the right, at the top of which is a big, heavy, wooden door behind which is the restaurant.  The space is very open with unfinished ceilings and large wooden beams supporting the ceiling.  There is a large, long, and heavy-looking wooden bar opposite the door with a nice liquor selection as well as some antiques on the bar shelves for decoration.  The floor of the dining room was hardwood as were the tables, a combination of high two tops, four tops, and communal tables.  The seats were padded with leather.  Also along the same wall as the entrance was a line of booths with soft leather padded seats, padded pillows, and a half-round table.  This is where we sat.  The kitchen was in the back behind a large arched window and tiled wall.  It's a beautiful space that reminded me of the European-inspired beer halls of The Publican and The Radler. 

As this was a Chicago Restaurant Week menu, we were able to order three courses for $22 (plus drinks, tax and tip) which, having looked at the menu previously, was kind of a huge deal.  I started things off with Deviled Eggs with Spicy Pepper Relish and Crispy Shallots.  The egg whites were firm and the yolks were perfectly whipped.  The Pepper Relish and Paprika provided a nice addition of spice and the Crispy Shallots added a nice crunch to what would have otherwise been a toothless dish.  It was a nice start and I looked forward to my next dishes.

I generally don't go sweet for my main course, but my other choice was a Weinerschnitzel Sandwich and while I am sure that it would have been good, I wasn't feeling it.  I decided to go with the Bavarian Pancakes with Brandied Prunes, Apples, Pecans, Farmers Cheese, and Powdered Sugar.This was very good and I'm glad I choosed it.  The pancakes were thin, like crepes.  The Apples and Prunes were sweet, tender, juicy, and boozy, and the sugar and juice/syrup added more sweetness.  The Farmer's Cheese, a housemade cheese similar to a mild ricotta added some creaminess to the dish and the pecans added a nutty flavor and a crunchy variety to the dish.

I would have been happy to finish here, but there was one dish to go.  I had a choice of Doughnuts or Kolacky and I decided to go with the Doughnuts.  They were deep fried Doughnut Balls served on  a thin layer of Bavarian Cream (basically the Bavarian version of Panna Cotta) and a dish of Currant Marmalade for dipping or spreading on the doughnuts.  The doughnuts were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and were rolled in granulated sugar.  The doughnuts were good on their own (although admittedly, I have other doughnuts that I have liked much more), but the Bavarian Cream and the Marmalade added to the doughnuts separately or combined which was the best.

I am glad my friend invited me out for brunch so I could actually see the place.  I really liked brunch and would return again for brunch or dinner.