Papa Cenar - Brunch

 

 

 

 

I mentioned that while I really liked the restaurant Twain, I was happy to see that when it changed to Papa Cenar, the design at least, remained largely the same.  I decided to go for brunch recently to see how that compared.  I noticed when I went that in addition to the outdoor color change, they had added an oval sign with a twisting and stylized sign holder (2-dimensional) looking similar to a grapevine.  The door was still a big and heavy wood door with a steel handle that looked like a stylized squirrel.  I sat at the bar because it gives me a better chance to ask questions.  I noticed next to me another stylized animal sculpture, this one appearing to be a fox.  As I was there for brunch, coffee was a given, especially since it came from one of the best coffee roasters in the city, Sparrow Coffee.  It was a medium roast that had some chocolate and berry flavors and it was a nice way to get things started.  As it was also brunch, a cocktail was also in order, so I ordered a wine based cocktail called Byrrh, It's Cold Outside with Byrrh Grand Quinquina, Branca Menta, Angostura, and Lambrusco.  Quinaquina is a red wine based apertif that uses Cinchona bark (Quinine).  Branca Menta is a blend of Fernet that also includes Peppermint and Menthol.  The cocktail was interesting, tasting like red wine with mint and tonic.  I will not say that it was my favorite cocktail ever, but it wasn't bad.

For the sweet part of my brunch, I went with a doughnut.  This doughnut, however, was a bit ridiculous.  Called Nick's Doughnut, it was a yeast doughnut with Amaro Montenegro and Mascarpone Glaze, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Berry Jam, Mint, and Powdered Sugar.  It was like a fruit salad built on top of a glazed and filled doughnut.  While I would normally eat a doughnut with my hands, this would have been very messy.  It was very much a knife and fork thing but it was really good.

The savory side of my brunch is a classic of Spanish cuisine and while brunch isn't necessary to have it, it does work for brunch.  I had a Spanish Omelette, made with Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes, Red Peppers, and Onions, and served with Fried Potatoes, and Arugula and Fennel Salad, Burrata, and Toast.  The arugula and fennel were very fresh and crisp, with a slight licorice flavor provided from the fennel, The potatoes had a crisp and crunchy exterior and a fluffy interior, the toast was crisp without being exceptionally dry and the Spanish Omelette was served cold as it is supposed to be.  It had a lightly crisp topping, was very flavorful, and I really liked it.

While I was eating, I was talking to my bartender/server about Gin.  He was recommending Letherbee's Autumnal Gin to me, so to finish things off, he made me a mini Last Word.  The Gin included roasted rice which with the roast flavors evoked images of autumn.  It was very nice and made for a nice finish.  I really enjoyed brunch and the Last Word at the end was nice.  I will definitely return when I want to do something a little different in the neighborhood.        

Papa Cenar

 

 

 

I really liked Twain, and was sad when it closed.  When the space reopened a few months later as Papa Cenar, I was surprised that the space remained largely the same.  I mentioned it to my server and she said that the ownership remained the same and most of the employees remained.  The major change was that the Chef and his wife, who was in charge of the wine program, left.  Instead of doing a memorial to Mark Twain the restaurant now takes as it's theme, the time that Ernest Hemingway (Papa) spent in Spain.  Cenar is the Spanish verb meaning "to eat", so the restaurant focuses on those things that Ernest Hemingway may have had for dinner in Spain.  When the restaurant was known as Twain, the outer wall was baby blue.  It has now been painted to a dark orange.  Inside, the space remained, largely the same.  The murals on the walls, the wooden tables, and the decorative hanging lights remain as does the bar with the decorative copper etching on the wall behind the bar.  There is a new chalkboard behind the bar where the Happy Hour Menu is written.  The bar features a lot of Spanish Wines as well as some classic cocktails like a Daiquiri and the Papa's G&T which is what I ordered.  Papa's G&T contained Mahon's Spanish Gin, House Made Tonic with Quinine, Lavender, and Grains of Paradise, and a Lime slice.  This was clean, crisp, a little peppery, and very nice.

Just after I put in my food order, I received something that I will call a cross between an Amuse Bouche and a Bread Course.  It was a nice and thick slice of Toasted Bread served with Crushed Tomatoes and grated Manchego Cheese.  If the Tomatoes had been served on the bread, I might have called it a Bruschetta.  In any case, it was still nice and fresh and made for a very nice introduction.

For the start of the food that I ordered myself, I had Smoked Whitefish Dip with Olive Oil Crackers, and Fermented Chili.  Everything about this was great.  The fish was whipped and held together well enough to spread on the crisp and flavorful crackers.  The fermented chilies were a sauce served with the whitefish that gave a sour bite.  It was a nice addition to the flavors of the whitefish and crackers.

My second appetizer was a Farmer Squash Pisto.  A Pisto is a vegetable dish that, when done traditionally, looks similar to Ratatouille, containing Tomatoes, Eggplant, Onions, and Red Peppers.  This took a decidedly Midwestern Fall twist, using Roasted Farmer's Squash, Frisee, Spiced Pepitas, and Goat Cheese.  It was still a vegetable dish that focused on the flavors and textures of local vegetables, despite being completely different from a Spanish Pisto and it was a favorite.

 

 

And then came my entree, Bone Marrow.  The Bone Marrow, served in long bones sliced lengthwise, of course, was served with Lamb Bacon, Onion Jam, Fresno Chili Peppers, a Pickle Salad, and Toast.  In the past, I had learned that the proper way to eat bone marrow was to spoon it out of the bones and spread it on the bread.  You would then top it with any accompaniments that you might have and top all of that with your greens, which helps to cut the fattiness of the marrow.  I did all of this and it was good, but then I was told about another thing that could be done to clean the bones and finish things.  called a Bone Marrow Luge, it involves pouring an Apertif down the bone channel and into your mouth.  The Apertif that was recommended was called Bonal, a Wine-based Gentiane-Quina drink.  I poured the Banal down the bone and into my mouth.  It was sweet and spicy with a definite meaty aftertaste.  It was a lot of fun, very flavorful, and a great way to finish the savory side of things.

While it was wrapped in Spanish clothing, dessert was definitely Midwestern.  I was served a Couple of Apple Empnadas with Fall Spices, Chocolate, and Persimmon Sorbet.  The empanadas tasted like Apple Pies and the Persimmon Sorbet added a sweetness similar to peach or apricot.  The chocolate was sweet with the bitter aftertaste that chocolate tends to have, which tied things together.  For a digestif, I finished with a very dry Amontillado Sherry.

The food and service was very good here and while I was a little disappointed about the closure of Twain, they made a good transition with Papa Cenar.  I will be happy to return and to introduce friends. 
    

mfk.

I really like Spanish cuisine.  I also like Seafood.  When a restaurant can combine the two, it is a total win.  I went to mfk., a Spanish Seafood restaurant recently and on paper, it was a total win.  mfk. is located on the border of Lakeview and Lincoln Park on the Lakeview side.  There are several restaurants located close and the sign is pretty easy to miss.  The restaurant is actually below ground and the windows are kind of small.  Walking in, there is a guy standing on a landing before the stairs turns to the dining room with a tablet to check diners in.  There is a two-sided bar on the left side of the dining room and two and four-top tables for seating and a padded banquette.  There is also a small counter between the bar and the open kitchen where I was seated.  I had a good view of both the kitchen and the dining room and it was cool to be able to watch the goings on.  The dining room was mostly empty when I arrived, but quickly filled up.  The entire space seats about 30 people.  The walls were white painted brick with some art on the walls and mosaic tile on the wall below the front windows.  The light was provided by hanging lights.  The space did look like a basement, which it was, but it also had a very Spanish feel.  I started things off with a cocktail called Ranch Water which started with Mezcal and had Lime, Orange Bitters, and was topped with Topo Chico (Mexican Sparkling Mineral Water).  It had the smoky flavor of Mezcal, but it also had a citrus flavor and was light and refreshing.

For the start of my dinner I started with a staple of Mexican and South American cuisine, Ceviche, but this ceviche was done a little different than the standard ceviche.  This was Suzuki Japanese Sea Bass with Avocado served with Squid Ink Tostadas and Lime on the side.  One of my favorite parts of ceviche is the tartness, and this ceviche was definitely tart.  The sea bass was very tender, the avocado was very creamy, and the black squid ink tostadas had a nice crunch to finish things off.  The lime was nice for extra tartness, but I ended up eating it on its own.

A standard of Spanish cuisine is the Tortilla Espanola, something that is a favorite of mine.  When I saw it on the menu, I knew that I had to order it.  A standard tortilla espanola is essentially a thick egg and potato omelet that is served cold. I knew, going into it, that the one that I was ordering was going to be a little different because it had more than eggs and potatoes.  It was actually very different.  The dish included, in addition to the Eggs and Potatoes, Salt Cod Brandade, and Frisee.  It was also served warm.  It was creamy, and salty (but not too salty), with the fish flaky.  While it was not the standard tortilla espanola (it was more a standard brandade with mashed potatoes), it was very good and I did enjoy it.

 For the entree, I had a Whitefish with Potato Veloute, Spinach, Fresno Chilies, Farro, and Sumac.  It was a very good dish with a lot of flavor and texture.  The whitefish was flaky, tender and flavorful, with the potato veloute adding a richness, the farro adding a chewy texture, and some spice from the fresno chilies.

I finished things off with a Basque Cake, a rich, sweet, and savory cake from the Basque region of Spain.  It has a crusty exterior with a pastry cream interior.  In this case it had a crushed almond topping and a crumbly interior.  It was salty and sweet, very rich, and a fantastic finish to a very good meal.  I really enjoyed my meal here.  The staff was very friendly and the food was very good, I will definitely return when I am in the mood for Spanish seafood. 

   

Vera

The West Loop has become a hot area where restaurants are concerned.  Randolph Ave. is where most of the hot restaurants are although there are several very good places that are off the strip by a block or two that occupy spaces surrounded by food warehouses and art galleries.  Just because these places are off the strip does not make them any less good though.  Next and Moto are both Michelin quality restaurants that are off the strip and the Wine Bar, Vera, one of the best wine bars in the city, is also located off the strip.  It is run by husband and wife team Mark and Liz Mendez.  Mark is the chef and Liz runs the wine program.  As it off the strip, the vibe is a bit more low key and relaxed.  This does not mean however, that the service is anything less than excellent.  The waitress, bartender, and head of the wine program were all very attentive and very willing to educate diners (and drinkers) about their food and drink. It is located in a vintage building and it uses that in it's design.  The painted sign in the window is very stylized and has both plant-like and Art Deco elements to it.  The door opens to one corner of the dining room which is narrow and deep opposite the bar.  The space has high ceilings and is very open with track lighting and a finished ceiling.  Lighting is also provided by large candles on the tables.  The floor and bar are light colored hardwood (as are the tables) and the dining room furniture is upholstered with a light green velvet-like material.  As I was by myself, I decided to sit at the bar where I had a full view of the restaurant.  The menu is divided into nine sections and the dishes are small plates, a nine course meal would have been a little much.  I did spread my order around though.  My first course was a dish of Clams stuffed with Chorizo and Green Onions with a broth which was a combination of the clams, chorizo, and green onions.  The dish was topped with some toasted bread that was great for soaking up the broth.  The dish was spicy and salty and the clams were tender.  It was a great start and I really enjoyed it.

For my next course, I went for a vegetable dish that was a play on a dish that I have had many versions of.  The key component of the dish was beets and in many beet dishes, they are served with goat cheese.  For this dish, the Beets were served with Quark, Pistachios, and Sherry Vinegar.  It was garnished with baby greens.  The beets were well roasted and sweet, the Quark, which is a cow cheese that is essentially cottage cheese without the whey, was creamy, light, and slightly tart and the pistachios added a nice crunch.

While it wasn't bad in the order that it was served, I actually expected it to be served first.  It was a Pig Head Bocadillo with Caper Aioli, and House Pickle.  A Bocadillo is a simple sandwich served on Spanish bread and is commonly found in Tapas bars which fits the bill for this perfectly.  The pork was ground like a burger but it was very flavorful.  The pork was well spiced and the aioli and pickle provided some acid.  As I said though it was very good but because it was so simple, it would have worked well at the beginning of the meal.

The last thing I had before dessert was another meat course and it actually reminded me of an Irish breakfast.  It was Blood Sausage with a Fried Egg and Spicy Greens.  The blood sausage was like a breakfast sausage as it would be in an Irish breakfast.  It was not as firm as a regular breakfast sausage but every blood sausage I have ever had is a bit loose so it was as it should be as far as texture was concerned.  It was however, a little more spicy than an Irish breakfast would be but that was a good thing.  The egg was fried over-hard, and the spicy greens had a nice peppery flavor to them.

As far as the wines I drank, I started out with a lightly sparkling Portuguese, Vinho Verde, continued with a nice peppery red (although I don't remember what it was), and finished with a Madeira (which was on the house)  with my dessert.  For my dessert, I had what they called a Crema Catalana which was served with sliced apples and fresh mint.  A Crema Catalana is very similar to a Creme Brulee.  it is a creamy custard with a caramelized crust.  For custards of this type, I actually like a nice thick crust that actually takes a little work to break through.  This one had a very nice crust.  The Madeira that I had with this enhanced it.  It was on the dry side and had a citrus flavor that actually went well with the apples.  This dessert had a multilayered flavor of sweet and tart with a very creamy custard and a nice crunchy crust.  It was one of the best caramelized custards that I have ever had and it was a great end to a great meal.

Vera is a great wine bar not only in that they are very helpful in helping their customers learn about their wines but also in that they have some of the best food served in any of the wine bars I have been to around town.  The atmosphere is casual and welcoming and I really enjoyed my meal here.