Gadabout - Tasting Collective Dinner

Ever since the Tasting Collective came to Chicago, it allows me to try out some newer restaurants that I may not have otherwise thought about and allows me to do so with some like-minded people.  When Gadabout came up, I had heard about it, but knew little.  I knew that it was in Andersonville and it was very new.  I knew that I liked the name, for whatever reason, and looking it up, I saw that they were building a menu around globally-inspired street food. This really sounded good and interesting to me, so I decided that I had to try this out.  From the outside, the space looks large.  It has a large streetfront presence in a space that looks like it may have once been a department or clothing store with large picture windows and a large sign above them.  The entrance is in the center of the space and opens to the large bar, which sits in the center of the space and divides the room.  While the space was open, it felt like it was divided, by the entrance and the bar, into four rooms.  The entire space felt very comfortable with a lot of low tables and lounge furniture.  The table where we sat was large, a six top, though one party didn't make it and my party of three had the table to ourselves.  The floors were stained wood and the walls were brick, with a lot of decorative wall hangings.  With my friends there, it was going to be friendly and comfortable and I was excited to start.

I started things off with a cocktail that seemed pretty complex, but interesting, Purple Flame, which seemed to wander all over the map with it's ingredients.  It started with Fabriquero Sotol (Sotol is a distilled spirit of Mexican and West Texan origin made from a plant called the Desert Spoon or Sotol in Spanish), continued with Rothman and Winter Creme de Violette (from Austria), Ancho Reyes Poblano Liqueur (Mexico), Lingonberry Simple Syrup (Lingonberries are stapes of Swedish cuisine), Lime Juice, Owl and Whale Smoke Bitters, Owl and Whale Hot Bitters, and finished off with an Orchid Garnish.  It was sweet and really complex with vegetal, berry, smoke, and spicy flavors, and a little tartness to finish things off.  Our first course arrived when I was trying to figure out the flavors of my cocktail.  It was a Madai Crudo with Young Coconut, Blood Orange, Serrano Chilies, and Lotus Root.  This also, was very complex, and I like it a lot.  The fish was very tender, the Blood Orange and Serrano contributed sweet and spicy flavors, and the young Coconut added a crunchy texture among all of the tenderness from the fish and fruit.

 

The second course arrived on two plates.  First arrived the Grilled Flatbread.  The bread was simple and while it was to be eaten with the second part of the dish, Smoked Eggplant, it was good on its own, which was good, because when the second part of the dish arrived, we destroyed it.  There was more bread to be eaten, but it was fine, because it was also finished off.  The Smoked Eggplant was served with Golden Raisins, Goat Cheese, and Peppers.  On it's own it reminded me of Baba Ghanouj, which I like, but with the flat bread, it really reminded me of Pizza.  Because our table was a table for six, the restaurant was serving for six.  We first tried to allow for some time for the other party to be late, but when they never arrived, the restaurant told us to finish their food as well, which we happily did.

For our next course, we had another vegetarian dish that was modeled after a very popular Italian meat dish, Vitello Tonatto, Veal with a Tuna Mayo.  This was a Grilled Broccoli Tonnato, with Capers, Gremolata (Chopped herb condiment made with Lemon Zest, Garlic and Parsley), and Lemon Vinaigrette.  The broccoli was crisp and flavorful and went very well with the tuna mayo.  The gremolata and the lemon vinaigrette gave it a nice tart finish.

Our fourth course started our entrees, and while it was a fish course, there was a very significant twist.  It was a Monkfish, a fish that I very much like for it's texture and flavor prepared with the flavors of a Chicago Hot Dog.  In addition to the very good Monkfish, it had a Panzanella Salad (a Tuscan Bread Salad made with Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Basil), Mustard Vinaigrette, and Celery Salt.  This was also very good with a complex flavor and was enjoyed around the table.

For our final savory dish we had Steak, served Medium Rare.  It was a Denver Steak, a Chuck Steak from the Shoulder, served with Brussels Sprouts, Salsa Negra, and Chipotle Honey.  The salsa and honey gave the tender and flavorful steak layers of heat and sweet.  The Brussels Sprouts added a vegetal flavor.  This was a favorite and because we were getting so much, much of this went home with me (because I had to save room for dessert).

The food thus far was tasty, complex, and interesting.  Our menu listed a cake for dessert, while I will eat cake and enjoy it, I will generally not choose it.  There are a few exceptions to that rule (like the Chocolate Cake at Dos Urban Cantina), but generally I will not choose cake.  Our dessert was a Banana Spice Cake with Chocolate Custard, Peanuts, and Miso Caramel.  This is a cake that I will now make an exception for.  It was very moist and sweet, the chocolate added some bitter sweetness, the Miso Caramel was a combination of sweet, savory, and buttery, and the peanuts, which were crushed, added a nutty finish.  While we were enjoying our desserts, Chef Rolf Pederson and his Wife, Sous and Pastry Chef, Meg Pederson came out to answer questions about themselves and the restaurant as is a Tasting Collective tradition.  I really liked the food and the atmosphere and would be happy to return for another meal and the awesome Banana Spice Cake.         

Bad Hunter - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

 

 

While I am not a vegetarian, in recent times, I have been judging restaurants by how creatively they do their vegetables.  Luckily for me, there have been several restaurants that have opened in the past few years that have been vegetable focused, if not strictly vegetarian.  One of the most high profile to have opened recently was Bad Hunter, in the West Loop.  I was very interested in checking them out when they opened, but they had a fire that shut them down for several months.  They reopened recently and while they went back on my list, I was happy to see that Tasting Collective scheduled a dinner there, so I made a point to get a ticket for dinner.  Located in the heart of restaurant row on Randolph in the West Loop, it is not exceptionally flashy.  The building is brick with smaller windows and if it were not for a one color neon sign in one window, the fact that the building holds a restaurant would not be exceptionally obvious.  Looking into the windows, you can see tables and plants, but the space may well be a conference area or cafeteria as it might be a restaurant.  While the exterior is not obvious, the interior is obviously a restaurant with a very relaxed feel.  There are a lot of plants, both hanging and in plant holders, and the space has light colored walls and parquet floors.  The bar, on one wall, is long and runs into the space with round stones cemented together and ground flat to make the bar top.  It looks very cool and with the stone top, I don't imagine that they really have to worry about condensation ruining the bar top.  The rack behind the bar is bookcase like and holds a nice variety of both liquors and plant life.

I found before I came, that I had a friend that was working at Bad Hunter and was working on that night, so I decided to stop in early, say hi and grab a beer.  The beer that I grabbed fit in very well with the feel of the restaurant.  Whiner Brewery is a brewery on the south side located in a former meatpacking facility, their work is very much about sustainability and reusing as much as they can.  They produce a lot of wild ales and are very focused on barrel aging.  The beer that I got, Le Tub, is one of their most popular beers.  It is a Blended Barrel-Aged Wild Saison with a tart and funky flavor.  It has flavors of white grape and lemon and while it is good and I liked it there, I prefer their Le Bleu Tub variant, which includes blueberries.

After saying hi to my friend and finishing my beer, I continued upstairs to The Herbarium, their upstairs event space for dinner.  I started with Mermaid Water, made with Dolin Blanc Vermouth, Gin, Nardini Grappa, and Lime.  This was very refreshing, like a Gimlet, and was nice to enjoy with my meal.

Starting out, we were served a Caseificio Artigiana Burrata, a Burrata (Cream-filled Mozzarella) with King Trumpet Mushrooms and Sott'Olia, a combination of Cured Olives and Lemon Peels.  The Burrata was very creamy, of course, and the mushrooms, olives, and lemon peels added a tart, briny, and savory flavor.  The one thing that I didn't care about this, and it was minor, was that the olives weren't pitted, so you had to watch how you bit into them.

After the cheese came the salad course, and with this we were served Butter Lettuces, Lemon Cream Vinaigrette, Black Radishes, Bleu Cheese, and Cashews.  While it had all of the standards of a salad, it wasn't bad.  All of the ingredients were good quality and it did taste good, but ultimately it was a salad which, in many cases, is not exceptionally exciting.

Our next course, however, kind of blew me away.  We were served Butter Dumplings with Charred Corn, Smoked Peanuts, Corn Cream, and Radishes.  The dumplings were perfectly cooked and the corn and peanuts added a lot of smoky flavor.  The corn cream added a sweet corn and creamy flavor and the radishes added a crisp and lightly spicy finish.  This was probably my favorite dish of the night.

Our next course went the fish and seafood route.  We were served Monkfish Tail with New Potatoes, Saffron Fish Stew, and Asian Pear.  It was good and while I don't like pears, the Asian Pear was edible because it was cooked.  The stew reminded me of a Brazilian Stew that I had and enjoyed several years ago.  The Monkfish Tail was very tender and had a light flavor, though was spiced well.  Absent the stew and pear, though, it would have probably been a bit bland.  Together it made a very nice and flavorful bite.

Our last savory course was kind of a surprise.  While I knew that Bad Hunter was not a vegetarian restaurant and that there was meat on the menu, I figured that for those courses that did include meat, the vegetables would still be the star.  This course, though, Adobo Whole Roasted Chicken with Celery, Caramelized Onions, and Labneh over rice.  The chicken was the star with the vegetables working to elevate the chicken.  The chicken was well cooked, tender and had a nice and spicy crust.  The celery, rice, and labneh (soft cheese made by draining the whey from salted yogurt) tasted good on its own, but did a good job complementing the chicken.

From here we proceeded to dessert.  Dessert was pretty simple, but it did taste good.  It was a Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Boysenberry Jam and Cardamom Whipped Cream.  The cake had a texture of Coffee Cake and the Poppy Seeds added a little spice and crunch.  The boysenberry added some sweet and tart, and the whipped cream was light, fluffy, and sweet, with the citrusy, minty, and herbal hit from the cardamom.  All together, the elements made a perfect bite, with many flavors and textures that played very well together.

Dinner was very good and I really enjoyed it.  The lower dining room is very relaxing and the vegetable focused menu used a lot of styles to keep focus on the vegetables.  They also do a weekend brunch that I am interested in so I will definitely return.                 

Eleven|Eleven - Tasting Collective Dinner

The majority of my posts are positive, because I like food and I think that most places that I go to try their best to please their customers.  There are some restaurants, however, that while I want to like, had some serious problems during my visit.  I had encountered Eleven|Eleven at a few benefits around town, and while I had liked what I had tried from them, they weren't really on my radar.  Most of the dinners that I've had with Tasting Collective I have really liked, so I trusted them to curate a good meal at a restaurant that might not be known well by the greater dining community, but should be, so when I signed up for dinner I was pretty excited.

The menu is very eclectic with global influences, so I was very interested to see what would come out.  We started with California "Maki" Rolls with Grilled Calamari, Avocado, and Hibiscus Rice.  While three of the rolls were wrapped with Nori, they were all essentially the same.  I really liked these.  It was presented nicely, the rice was very flavorful, and the calamari and avocado made a good combination.  It was better, in my opinion, than a standard California Roll which uses Imitation Crab instead of the calamari.

The second course was also very good and kind of a show stopper.  It was a spin on chicken and Waffles, a dish that I like, but it was presented in a very unexpected manner.  The Breaded Chicken Nuggets were presented in a Waffle Cone with Buttermilk Dressing in the bottom of the Cone, Green Mango Salad topping the nuggets, and XO Sauce, a spicy sauce made with roughly chopped seafood like scallops and shrimp, originating in Hong Kong.  The chicken was tender and flavorful.  The Green Mango salad added a tart flavor, along with the buttermilk dressing, the XO Sauce added a spicy seafood flavor, and the waffle cone added a nice crunch.

 

 

 

The third course was when the wheels started to fall off.  To start, the third course had actually been listed as the fourth course on the menu.  This isn't a big deal most of the time, but it seems now that it was foreshadowing.  The course was Charcuterie and Cheese presented with accompaniments and served with Rice Crackers.  We were served three different meats, 3 different cheeses, Celery, Olives, Cranberry, and Peppers, and Rice Crackers.  The idea of this was good, but we only received one tray of each item for the table, which was set to receive two plates of each.  All of these items also arrived separately, so it was a bit confusing trying to try things and/or combine flavors, without knowing if the last plate had arrived yet.  All of the meats and cheeses and were from good companies (La Quercia and Smoking Goose), so it all tasted good, it was a bit confusing.

 

Our fourth course also arrived in two separate parts, was not explained, and we weren't brought enough, so the kitchen had to come back with another service.  We were first served our Salted Shishito Churros that were supposed to have been drizzled with Butterscotch, but seem not to have been.  The churros were very light and flavorful, it just seems that we weren't served enough.  After we wolfed down our churros, the Bourbon Glazed Pork Belly arrived.  It was tender and tasted good with a nice flavor of bourbon and wood with the sweetness from the pork, but the presentation looked like a joke.  There were three pieces of meat on the plate (for six people) and they looked like they were thrown on the plate and sprinkled with baby greens.

 

There was a pause for a bit before the fifth course showed up.  It was essentially Steak Frites served on two plates.  We first received a large bowl overflowing with Sticky Black Truffle Fries with Grana Snow which were the side to the main course, the Steak, a Wood grilled Bavette Steak with Pesto and Chips.  The steak was very good, flavorful, tender, and perfectly cooked, but it took about half an hour to arrive at the table and there really wasn't enough for the people it was serving.  The fries (Frites) were also perfectly cooked and flavorful, but there was enough for the table.

When we finally got to dessert, there were many people waiting for it to be over.  Luckily, dessert wasn't a fail, though it wasn't completely what is was advertised.  We were supposed to be getting a three pie flight.  What we received were three Shortbread Cookies with some very good pie fillings, Mama's Apple Pie, Banana Cream, and French Silk.  My argument in this case is semantic.  What we received tasted good and the pie fillings were there, if not the crusts, along with some very nice Whipped Cream.

While this dinner was ultimately a fail, it was not a failure of flavors; all of the food that we had tasted very good.  Our service also seemed polite, if harried.  This seemed a failure of poor planning, something the management has vowed to correct, so i am willing to give them a second chance soon.      

Flora Fauna - Tasting Collective Dinner

The day after I returned from Colorado, I did another dinner with Tasting Collective.  It was a brand new restaurant that had opened in the space formerly occupied by Bohemian House called Flora Fauna.  Located in the same building, it is likely going to look the same from the outside (except for the sign).  The entrance into the restaurant is also very similar, though there is now a very colorful mural of a parrot outside the heavy wooden door leading into the restaurant.  There is a menu outside the entrance that shows that the menu has completely changed.  What was formerly a restaurant focused on Bohemian cuisine (Austrian, German, Czech) is now very much an International restaurant with an eclectic menu focused primarily on the cuisine of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.  I did not get a chance to see the menu of the dinner that we would be served before I came, so I was kind of excited to see what we would be served.  Walking into the dining room, I found the layout largely the same with a large room with a high ceiling and a large bar on the wall opposite the entrance, kitchen in the back, and a large booth in the wall on the same side as the entrance.  There had been a lot of tile on the back wall and a brick wall on the bar side, but the tile had been removed with the wall painted a neutral color and the brick drywalled and given a green paint job.  There were still hanging lights, though the lights were now given a wicker basket cover.  We were seated at the front near the large windows.  After looking over the menu of what we would be eating, I then looked over the cocktails and started off with a cocktail called Basic Beach with Los Vecinos Mezcal, Coconut, Lime, Strawberry and Soda.  It was very tropical and refreshing with a lot of tart fruitiness and a sparkling finish.  I liked it and I thought the carbonation would be a good start because I figured that it would open up my taste buds as champagne does when you drink it at the beginning of a meal.   

We started with a spin on many types of Asian Cuisine, Braised Jackfruit Dandan with Papaya Noodles, Crushed Cashews, and Chili Oil.  Dandan is a noodle dish form the Sichuan region of China, Jackfruit is from Southern India, though is found in many cuisines of Southeast Asia, and Papaya Salad is a standard of Vietnamese cuisine.  As I was not familiar with Dandan, but was with papaya salad, that is how I related to it.  I really liked this.  It was spicy, tart, and crisp, and the jackfruit added a savory and  almost meaty side.  Dandan is frequently spicy, but so is papaya salad, and this was as well, but it wasn't overwhelming and added another flavor element to this dish. 

While I wouldn't call the second course strictly Indian, I will say that that is want it reminded me of, despite the fact that the ingredients used were largely Midwestern.  It was grilled Cauliflower and Broccolini with Goat's Milk Yogurt, and Mustard Seed Chow Chow (a pickled relish with varying ingredients with North American origins that is related to chutney).  The vegetables were tender and tasted very fresh with a lot of spicy flavor from what tasted like curry, though that may have simply come from the chow chow. 

For course number three, I would say that it was a spin Indian Cuisine which was pretty good.  We were served Seafood Fritters made from Octopus, Scallops, and Crab Meat, served with Kerala Curry, Chinese Broccoli, and Coconut Crema.  Kerala is a state in Southern India whose cuisines focus on vegetables and seafood.  The curry is made to go with vegetables and seafood and also includes a lot of coconut.   

The idea of the next course reminded me of Ssam, a Korean dish, or style of eating in which meat and vegetables are wrapped in a Sesame or Perilla Leaf.  In the Ssam that I have had, pork has been used.  This replaced the pork with a Fried Skate Wing and the Perilla with Lettuce.  Included with the Skate wing were a variety of vegetables including Carrots, Cucumbers, Mushrooms, Jicama, Lime, Tamari, and a Scotch Bonnet Vinaigrette.  This was really good and it was fun to see how the different flavors worked together.  The problem was to be able to fit everything on the lettuce leaf.  Many times I overloaded and had to eat over my plate so the vegetables spilling out didn't land in my lap.  The scotch bonnet vinaigrette could have potentially been so hot as to be inedible.  While there was some heat, it was not unbearable and did add some flavor to the fish and vegetables.

Our entree was largely Caribbean with the accompaniments reminding me of Cajun cuisine and the protein itself, Quail, North American.  We were served Jerked Quail with Dirty Ancient Grains, Braised Greens, and Mushrooms.  Jerk is a method of meat preparation native to Jamaica in which the meat is dry rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture including allspice, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Cinnamon, Ginger, Thyme, and Garlic.  The dish was spicy, but it was also very good and while quail are small, there was enough meat and vegetables to go around.

We finished off with a Mexican favorite, a Chocolate Taquito with Korean Chili and Tangerine Whipped Cream.  I love the combination of sweet and spicy and Mexican and Korean cuisines seem to go together well, so this was a great combo.  The tangerine whipped cream added a hint of tang to the whole thing and made for a great finish.

I enjoyed my meal here and liked the combinations.  When we came, the chef mentioned that they were brand new and were still trying some things out.  A few of the dishes that we had are still on the menu, so I assume that it was found that they work.  I would happy to return to see what other combinations that they do.

Clever Rabbit - Tasting Collective

 

In recent years, I have been looking at restaurants by how they do their vegetables.  Most restaurants you can expect to do steak well,  As well, most places can do good pasta or potatoes and you can find a good burger at many higher end restaurants.  The vegetables at many places are going to be very fresh, but how creative is the dish that they are in and does it keep the focus on the vegetables?  In that vein, I have been interested in going to Clever Rabbit, a vegetable-focused, though not vegetarian, restaurant in Wicker Park and I was very happy when Tasting Collective hosted a dinner there.  Located in a row of bars and restaurants on Division, it does have a great patio with a sign above the patio entrance, but the building is painted gray and the sign/lettering is kind of unobtrusive.  The bar and dining room are done in neutral colors, though there were David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust and LCD Soundsystem prints in the back of the dining room and the soundtrack was classic Pink Floyd.  While I mentioned that the menu was vegetable focused, it followed both in both the food and beverage menus.  The cocktail that I ordered, Spanish Moon, contained, in addition to Prairie Organic Gin, Strawberry, Lemon, Mint, White Balsamic, and Q Tonic, and was garnished with Juniper Berries.  Similar to a standard Gin and Tonic, it was was more tart and fruit flavored with an evergreen finish provided by the Juniper Berries.  I like Gin and Tonics, but with the quality of both the Gin and Tonic used and the fruit added, this amped things up and I really liked it.

The food menu at Clever Rabbit, while vegetable focused was also literally all over the map.  There were dishes inspired by cuisine from all over the world.  We started our journey in Mexico with Summer Squash Sopes with Tempura Blossoms, Black Beans, Honeysuckle, and Cotija Cheese.  The Squash Blossom was delicate, flavorful, and had a nice crunch.  The Black Beans gave the dish some heartiness, and the Sopes themselves were thick and crunchy with a nice corn flavor.  It was a very nice start and a good way to bring anticipation for the rest of the meal.

From Mexico we went to South Asia with Sweet Pea Paratha with Carrot Curry and Goat's Milk Curry.  Paratha, like Naan is a flatbread, though Paratha is fried vs. Naan, which is baked.  The Goat's Milk and Carrot Curries were served together and had a tart and spicy flavor which was very good even without eating with the bread.  The bread was soft and fluffy with a nice hollow inside which could be filled with the curry, but it could easily enjoyed on it's own.

From India we came back to the United States (or France, depending on how far you want to take it).  We were served Chicken Liver Mousse on Rye Shortbread topped with Raspberry Jam and Spruce Tips.  This was a really interesting combination that I would never have thought of, but worked really well.  The rye shortbread provided a firm foundation and a bitter base from the rye that actually complemented the Chicken Liver Mousse.  The Raspberry Jam brought a sweet tartness that brought out the sweetness of the mousse.  The Spruce Tips were sweet, bitter, and herbal and tied everything together (as well as going with my drink).

After our trip back to the United States, we returned to Europe, Italy specifically, for some pasta.  We were served Buckwheat Pappardelle Noodles with Porcini Mushrooms, Spigarello Broccoli (an heirloom broccoli considered the parent of broccoli rabe), and Pepperoncino.  It was very savory and hearty with a nice spicy finish and I really liked it.

From Italy, we returned to the United States to times past for a Meat and Three, a Meat entree served with three sides, though as far as the dish was concerned, it was very Mexican.  In this case, the meat was a Goat Barbacoa served with Fry Bread, Pickles and Radishes, and Braised Greens.  Things could be eaten separately or in any combination, though admittedly, the pickles and radishes were better with the meat.  All of the elements were very good and could make for a very good open faced sandwich, though it would stack high and be a little messy.  I found the best combination to be the barbacoa on bread with the radishes and pickles and the greens on the side.

After our journey we finished with dessert which was essentially American, but there was a bit of a an Asian spin on it.  It was a Cherry Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate, Sesame, and Marcona Almonds.  The Cheesecake was fairly standard, but good, though the Sesame did add an interesting flavor.  It was also served on a very cool rabbit plate.  The food here was very good, the vibe was very relaxed, and the soundtrack, which was vinyl, was pretty great.  I will definitely have to return.