Michigan Brewery Tour, part 2

After a restful day in a quiet motel, I started Friday with a need for a new tire and breakfast.  As breakfast places were open before bike shops, that would be first.  I was able to fill my tire and make it rideable, but I was not going to trust it for a long distance, so a primary goal would be to get it replaced as soon as possible.  My first stop, back in downtown New Buffalo was at David's Delicatessan, located in downtown New Buffalo.  According to Google Maps, there seemed to be a few other places, but I seemed to have chosen the most popular place.  There was a line to order and it was actually kind of hard to find a seat.  The place was a coffee shop/bakery/sandwich shop specializing in Reubens and the clientele seemed to be largely local with a range of ages from parents with young children to retired people.  Despite the line, it did move quickly and I was able to sit and enjoy my breakfast.  Although admittedly, I was a little uncomfortable sitting as far as back into the restaurant as I eventually found a seat because there was no place close to lock my bike so I leaned it against the front of the restaurant.  For my breakfast, I enjoyed a large, freshly-made Cinnamon Roll, Rhubarb Lemonade, and a Breakfast Reuben.  The Cinnamon Roll was large, soft, sweet, and was iced, and although it could have done with a little more cinnamon, it was pretty good.  The Breakfast Reuben was open-faced and included a fried egg on top.  This was essentially what differentiated it from a standard Reuben.  Eggs are very much like bacon, they improve whatever they are added to (for the most part).  This was the case here and I really enjoyed it as I did the rest of my breakfast.  David's looked like it might be a good place to hang out and people watch, but I wanted to get on the road as I was 25 miles behind where I wanted to be, so I finished quickly and went in search of bike shops.  A search on the previous night indicated that there were possibly two bicycle shops in New Buffalo.  The first was on the same road that I happened to be on although a little further than the other.  The closer shop was not yet open, so I went in search of the further and found that it seemed, no longer, to exist.  I returned to the other shop, Outpost Sports, which should have been opening.  From their website, it appeared that the New Buffalo location focused on watersports and mountain biking although I hoped that they would have something for me.  No such luck.  While they were very friendly, they had no tires for me that would work, so it appeared that I would have to bike 25 miles to St. Joseph and hope my tire made it.  A shop in Michigan City, Indiana would have been closer, but it was absolutely in the wrong direction and would have added two hours to the trip, so i decided to risk it and head to St. Joseph.

There were two breweries between New Buffalo and St. Joseph and while I wanted to stop at them anyway, I thought it would be a good chance to check out how my tire was holding up.  I arrived in Sawyer, MI at Greenbush Brewing Co. at 11 am.  I found out then, that the brewery didn't open until 11:30 am.  Fortunately their Annex, located right across the street, opened at 11 am and they had a great patio, which the brewery did not, so that's where I camped myself.  An inspection of my bike tire indicated that it was still in good shape, so I was confident that I could eventually make it to St. Joseph.  The food menu at the brewery is much better than at the annex, focusing on barbecue and some seafood appetizers versus charcuterie and sausages at the annex, but since I had had a good breakfast, I did not yet need to eat, so the annex with its great patio, was fine.  Greenbush had a pretty good tap list, broken into three groups basically by alcohol content, unfortunately they didn't offer flights, as such.  The smallest glasses they sold were 6 oz.  You could try anything that you wanted to before buying, but trying one thing at a time with a two or three ounce pour would have been tedious.  I just chose three beers that sounded interesting and went with the 6 oz. size.  I chose one from Group A, which were the lower alcohol beers, Bee Box, an Orange Blossom Honey Pale Ale, and two from the mid-range Group B, Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive, a Strawberry Habanero Ale that I would have chosen just for the name, Monopolipa, a Raspberry IPA.  All of the beers were very good and the listed flavors were evident, I think my favorite though, was the Atomic TaunTaun Overdrive, which started out tasting like a pretty good strawberry ale and finished with some significant spice (not overwhelming, but prominent).  The staff was very friendly and I saw that Greenbush seemed to be a stopping point for cyclists because several stopped while I was there.  It was also nice to run into the representative that I met and talked to at the Chicago Ale Fest the previous weekend.  After a nice rest and some good beer, it was time to be on my way.

While Greenbush wasn't far from New Buffalo, about 10 miles, the next brewery, Tapistry Brewing, was an even shorter trip, 6 miles, which took about half an hour.  Tapistry is in downtown Bridgman, MI and looks, from the outside, like a standard pub.  Before I went in, I took another look at my tire and while it seemed to be losing a little air, it was still fine.  For the most part, Tapistry also looked like a standard pub from the inside with a lot of finished wood and a long bar.  The brewery name comes from their ideal of combining chemistry and artistry.  The chalkboard tap list was behind the bar, but the taps while also behind the bar, they were at the back of the bar off to the side.  There was also a window that looked into the brewing area.  I have to say that besides the fact that it was a great color green, Tapistry had the best tap menus which were actually DVD cases (including a DVD).  They offered a flight with five 5 oz. pours of whatever beers were offered (also divided into three tiers).  As it was time, I also decided that this place was where I would have lunch.  For my beers, I went with Mr. Orange, another floral orange-flavored beer that this time was a Wit using Blood Orange, Chamomile, and Rose Hips, Twistin' Hay, an Irish Ale with a flavor of grass and hay, a single hop pale ale from Tier 2 called Hoponacci Strisselspalt which used a hop that I had never heard of (Strisselspalt), Gram for the Glass, a sessionable IPA, and a high alcohol Tier One monster called Heart Full of Napalm which was a Double IPA with a 10.0% ABV.  All of the beers were pretty good, Heart Full of Napalm kicked hard, but my favorite was Twistin' Hay.  For lunch, they had bar snacks including a charcuterie plate and a variety of sandwiches which came with chips.  I went with the Curried Turkey Sandwich with Cashews, Cilantro, Parsley, Spring Greens, and Swiss Chees on Marble Rye Bread.  It was a very good and flavorful sandwich and gave me the energy to get on the road for my next stop which was Cycle and Fitness Cycle Shop.  Cycle and Fitness was located in St. Joseph, which was about 14 miles away and took about an hour and a half to get there (with stops to look at the map and one to take a picture of the lake. 

This was a very good and well equipped cycle shop that had what I needed and got me in and out very quickly.  While they had a good inventory and the service was good, I'm sorry that I had to use them. 

Despite the fact that I had to stop at the bike shop, I may very well have gone in the same direction because the next brewery, Silver Harbor Brewing Company was less than a mile away.  Silver Harbor was just off the main drag in a building that looks like it used to be a warehouse (located across the street from an office building).  They seem to be going for a nautical theme with the outside walls painted a deep blue and a log incorporating a stylized S over an anchor.  The pub inside was gray and brown with the furniture and bar being blonde wood.  They also had a patio off to one side of the building which was where I sat.  The beers at Silver Harbor came in two tiers based on ABV, but they also did something called a Smoked Beer where they would poor your beer and serve it in a chamber filled with smoke which infuses into the beer.  While it is an interesting concept, not being familiar with the beers, I decided to see how they actually tasted before I tried the smoked beer.  Four of the beers I ordered were from the lighter tier, Tier 1.  Of these, I ordered Ginger the Blonde Ale, a Blonde infused with Ginger and Honey, Pier Jumper ESB, Hops, Sweat, and Tears IPA, and Pleasant Street Pale Ale (the brewery is located on Pleasant Street).  The Tier 2 beer was called Once You Go Belgian and was a Belgian Strong Ale at 8.0% ABV.  The flight came out on a great tray shaped like the lower peninsula of Michigan and the beers while all pretty good were just that, pretty good, there wasn't really anything that stood out.

The next stop was Arclight Brewing Company in Coloma, Michigan which was about 15 miles and an hour and a half away.  Like many other breweries on this trip, I had never tried Arclight's beer, but when I first mentioned this trip, a friend told me that Arclight needed to be on my list, so I made a point to add it.  When I arrived, the first thing that I thought, other than the fact that they have a cool sign was that the location was a former truck garage.  There was a bike rack in front, which was convenient and a food truck serving pizza parked to the back of the large parking lot.  The space was very industrial looking with cinder block walls, cement floors, and large garage doors.  There were a lot of windows, so there was plenty of natural light.  I discovered shortly after entering why there was a food truck there.  Arclight is BYOF (bring your own food).  I was still fine as far as not being hungy, but I could foresee a late dinner because the last place was a distance away yet.  Arclight also did not do flights as such, although their smallest pour was a 6 oz.  With a six oz pour, I was going to limit myself to three beers.  They had an interesting sounding stout, The Velvet Elvis which had Peanut Butter and Banana flavors, so that's where I started.  It was good, interesting and you could taste peanut butter and bananas.  I also went with CitraSun, their Wheat Ale brewed with Citra Hops, and When Worlds Collide IPA.  All of the beers were very good and while the bar looked a little incongruous in a truck garage, it worked.

The last stop was going to be a long run.  I was going to Saugatuck Brewing Company which was about 35 miles away.  Because it was 35 miles away and there were several turns, I had to stop to consult the map several times which slowed me down.  I arrived at Saugatuck Brewing Company well after sunset (which also slowed me down, especially when I had to rely on my own lights to navigate by).  Saugatuck closed at 10 pm which is about when I arrived.  So while I did go there, I could not drink there.  As it was dark, it was time to find a place to stay.  I quickly found out that being in a resort town on a weekend in the summer doesn't leave many rooms.  In fact, it seemed that it left no rooms to speak of.  After stopping at a few places and finding them full, I needed to grab some food, so I grabbed a sandwich at the deli counter of a convenience store.  After quickly eating and being rejected one more time, I finally found a room at The Saugatuck Motel which was 5 1/2 miles past Saugatuck Brewing Company and only had a room because of a cancellation.  After biking 90 miles that day, I took it at about 11 pm, paid way more money than I would anywhere else for a similar place, showered, and collapsed for the night.  The owner here also suggested that I park my bike in my room.  As I had passed Saugatuck Brewing Company, I decided that the only way was forward and that the next stop would be New Holland Brewing Co. in the morning.            

Michigan Brewery Tour, part 1

On the last weekend in June, I took a trip to Michigan to explore the breweries in southwest Michigan.  As Michigan has the 5th highest number of breweries in the country, there were a lot to explore and I had to choose which ones that I would visit.  The trip started by train, but was mostly done by bike, staying overnight in cheap motels.  The bike ride started in New Buffalo and ended in Battle Creek after a side trip to Marshall.  I then went to Midland via Amtrak to Flint, where my family lives, to recover for a few days before returning via Amtrak.  The trip officially started on Thursday, but fate seemed to be conspiring against me from the beginning.  For the last couple of years, I have been buying my train tickets electronically and showing them to the conductor through the app.  Looking at the app before I got to the train station, it did not list any of my tickets (to New Buffalo, to Flint, or from Flint to Chicago).  There is a way to display the ticket if you know the reservation number so I looked it up beforehand.  When I got to the train station, I tried to pull it up, but it couldn't find it.  I had time before boarding so I went into the station and accessed one of the electronic ticket agents and it couldn't pull my ticket up either.  I finally had to go to a ticket agent and have a ticket printed up.  After that, boarding and the ride to New Buffalo were pretty uneventful other than the fact that I realized that I had forgotten my water bottles after getting them out and cleaning them.  The plan was to leave the station, travel to two breweries, and then crash for the night in St. Joseph, MI with a possible trip to another brewery after I checked in.  That was the plan.  I got off the train, began my trip, and made it a grand total of one mile before getting a flat.  I had a patch kit, a spare tube, and a pump, so this shouldn't have been an issue except for a bit of a time waster.  Unfortunately, whatever I had hit severely damaged my tire, so I was going to need a new one.  It was evening, so the few bike shops that the small town of New Buffalo had were closed.  I saw that I was going to have to spend the night and get my tire replaced in the morning.  Before I went in search of a motel though, I hunted down a place to eat.  This happened to be the Stray Dog Bar & Grill, which was downtown and very close to where I had originally debarked from the train.  It was a nice place with a lakeside view and indoor, outdoor, and rooftop brewing.  Looking at the menu, I saw the usual mass market macro-brew subjects, but they did also have a pretty good list of craft brews as well.  I decided on a beer from the brewery that was going to be the optional brewery after I checked in to my motel for the evening had everything gone as planned.  The beer was a Kolsch from Round Barn Brewery which was a pretty good summer beer.  The food menu was fairly standard bar and grill fare with sandwiches, ribs, pizza, and burgers, with some pretty interesting appetizers.  I ended up going with a Blue Harbor Burger (with Fries) which was a Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger and was very good.  Sitting at the bar, I talked to several very friendly people, found that there was a nice, no-frills, cheap motel called the Buffalo Motel about 1 1/2 miles south of town.  I got there, got a room, and crashed for the night.  I was surprised and happy when I asked where I could park my bike that they suggested that I park it in my room.  So ended night one.    

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.       

Haywood Tavern

When you go into a bar that serves food, there are certain things that you expect to see like sandwiches, burgers, and fries.  If you go to a place that calls itself a gastropub, you expect much better food, but the place also looks like a restaurant (with a bar).  I went to neighborhood pub, Haywood Tavern recently and was very surprised.  From the outside, the place looks like a nice corner tavern a nice large front window and vintage accents.  Walking in, there was the large bar and a few booths, but the space was very open.  There was a very nice tin ceiling and a hardwood floor which played to the vintage feel of the place.  There is apparently also a nice patio in back, but I didn't see it.  Based on the appearance, I expected a place that did some good drinks and was a bar and grill as far as food was concerned.  I was correct as far as the beer and cocktail list was concerned.  They have a good beer list and some creative cocktails.  What I did not expect to see were things on the food menu such as Confit of Pork Belly, Raclette, or Parisienne Gnocchi, or Arancini.  As the food menu was going to take some time to peruse, I ordered one of their creatively named cocktails, Based on the Short Story "Fire in the Hole" which was made with Bourbon, Mezcal, Benedictine, and Peychaud's Bitters (and an Orange Peel Garnish).  It was smoky, citrusy, very smooth and a nice start.

 

After looking at the menu, I decided on something that I really like, but haven't had in a while (and another thing that I was surprised to see on the menu), a Tortilla Espanola.  A Tortilla Espanola is essentially a very thick omelet (or frittata) served cold.  It is made with Eggs and Potatoes and this was served with Brava Sauce, a mildy spicy Tomato and Olive Oil based sauce with Garlic and Cayenne that went amazingly well with the fried eggs and potatoes in the tortilla.

For my second course, I went with an Octopus Salad with Cucumbers, Pea Tendrils, and Romesco Sauce, a nut and red pepper based sauce from Northeastern Spain which goes well with seafood.  The octopus was very meaty and had a good texture and the cucumbers and pea tendrils gave the salad a nice fresh and crisp crunch.  The Romesco Sauce added a savory flavor with a little bit of spicy bite and altogether it was one great bite.

For my main course, I went with something that would not surprise my friends or family.  There was duck on the menu, so that is what I chose.  I had Seared Duck Breast with Spring Vegetable Fried Rice, a Fried Egg, and Green Onions.  As the duck breast was seared, it still had a nice pink color to it.  It was well seasoned, tender, juicy, and had a good flavor.  The fried rice had carrots, onions, a lot of soy sauce (but not overmuch), a crispy outside, and a moist inside.  The egg was a bonus that tied the rice and the duck breast together.  As this was a duck dish, it would be expected that I would like it, but everything tied together well and it was very good.

They don't have a printed dessert menu.  What they do have though, is a chalk board on the wall opposite the bar that lists specials and the one or two desserts that they're featuring.  On the day that I went, they had something called a Cornmeal Cake which sounded unusual, but I'm not someone who strays away from the unusual and I decided to try it.  It was served with Lemon, Strawberry, and Cheesecake, but the way it was served, very fragmented, it was possible to try everything individually.  Everything was also very different texturally.  The cornmeal cake was like crisp cornbread, although sweeter and a little less gritty.  The lemon was served powdered, the strawberry was pureed, and the cheesecake looked like it had come out of a pastry tube.  While all of the flavors were good individually, the best bite was to get everything together.  It was sweet, tart, creamy, and crisp, and a lot of fun to try the different elements in different combinations.

I was very surprised when I came here, but in a good way.  Both the food and drink were very good, and the bartender was very friendly and helpful and very willing to offer me samples of things behind the bar that I had not yet tried.  I will definitely be back.          

Sociale

We were introduced by a scallop.  Every fall, generally in October, there is a benefit for Meals on Wheels Chicago called the Celebrity Chefs Ball that I attend.  At this event, they have a sit down meal first featuring several notable chefs, this part of the benefit is pretty expensive and while it would be cool to attend, it would also probably make it difficult to enjoy the second part which is when I attend.  For this part of the event, about 40 restaurants are invited to set up tasting stations and offer bites based on dishes at the restaurant.  Many of the restaurants invited are well established with a very good reputation, but there are a few newcomers invited that have a significant buzz about them.  Last fall, Sociale, a brand new restaurant and wine bar that had opened in the Printer's Row/South Loop area was one of the newcomers.  They were serving a Scallop which was crusted in Sumac and cooked with Pistachio Butter which was absolutely amazing.  It was decided then that me must make a trip to try their food in person.  Located on a corner, it has a glass wall office space look from the outside.  The inside is a very open space with high, unfinished ceilings, floating liquor shelves and a kitchen, that while not open, was windowed so you could see it.  The dining room was L-shaped and we sat at a point where we could see both sides at a large black wood table.  Beer, Wine, and Cocktails were all available, but so were coffee and coffee drinks.  I started things with a Latte in which they did some very nice foam art.  I got a heart, another diner got a leaf.  The Coffee used in the Latte was also very good and flavorful.

As far as dining is concerned, I started things out with one of their small plates, a Pork Belly Pintxo, Braised Pork Belly Skewers wrapped in Iberico Bacon and served with Sherry Jus.  If you are thinking bacon on top of bacon, that is exactly what it was.  The pork belly was served as a big chunk of fatty and porky goodness.  The bacon was made from the highest grade of Spanish pork.  It was sweet and porky and had a more concentrated flavor than the pork belly.  It also provided some textural variety, being a little stiffer than the fatty belly.  The Jus provided some moisture and some sherry flavor on top of additional bacon flavor.  While this was good though, had i noticed the Scallops on the menu, I would have ordered them

For my main course, I chose Duck Sausage Hash with a Fried Duck Egg and Harissa Crema.  Like the first course was bacon on top of bacon, this was duck on top of duck.  I really like duck, but I think for other people, because of the variety, it wouldn't  be overwhelming.  The duck sausage tasted like sausage first and the egg tasted like egg first.  The Harissa Crema, a sour cream based chili paste added a spice to the dish, and the potatoes, which are an integral part of hash, gave it a nice heartiness.  It was a very good brunch with a friendly staff and I will return if for nothing else but to have another shot at the scallops.  

42 grams

A Chicago food writer made a comment about the Chicago food scene and Michelin Stars and said that with few exceptions, Chicago is a One Star town and that is what most restaurants should aspire to because Chicago is very relaxed about their dining and as the number of stars goes up, so does the formality.  While I would agree with this in many cases, there are notable exceptions.    Alinea and Grace are both Three Star restaurants, but they are also both very formal.  42 grams, which I went to recently, is a small BYOB (18 seats total) with a tasting menu with two seatings a night.  The first seating is at the Chef's Counter, which overlooks the open kitchen and has eight seats.  The second seating is at a communal table seating 10.

I chose the counter because I always like to watch what is going on in the kitchen.  I was seated at one corner, which was ideal because I was also sitting next to the staging area and was able to watch what would be coming out next and how it was plated.  With 18 seats, it was a very intimate setting to the point that there are only four people that work there, Chef Jake Bickelhaupt, his assistant, whose name has escaped me, Chef Jake's wife, Alexa Welsh, who runs the front of the house as hostess and server, and a 4th employee who works as a busser and dishwasher.  Aside from the counter and table, the room was fairly spartan with one major wall hanging consisting of wine corks.  As 42 grams is a BYOB and I was by myself, I didn't want to bring a bottle of wine because I wanted to be able to bike home so I brought a Belgian-Style Sour Ale from Une Anee called Le Seul V which was flavored with Kiwifruit.  While I didn't know what the menu was going to be beforehand, I figured that a fruity sour ale would go well with many things that might be served in the spring.  For the most part, this was the case.

Our first course was served on what looked like a pewter oyster shell.  The dish did feature an oyster so it was appropriate.  The Golden Nugget Oyster sat on top of a Sweet Corn Panna Cotta and a slice of Speck.  It was framed with the leaves of a plant called Oysterleaf (which is named such because it tastes of oyster) and crowned with fried Cornsilk.  It was small enough to be eaten in one bite which was how it supposed to be eaten.  Despite the small size, it had a wealth of textures and flavors and was a great start.

Dinner proceeded with another seafood course which was served in a bowl similar to a ramen bowl, deep with concave sides.  In the bottom was a Gyokuro (a green tea grown under shaded conditions) Gelee with Tofu, Carabinero Shrimp (with Head Foam), Finger Lime, and Rice Noodles flavored with Phytoplankton.  Looking at the dish left many people wondering how to eat this.  The noodles were light and crisp and couldn't really easily be separated from one another.  We were instructed to use the back of the spoon that we were given to eat the dish with to crush the noodles into the dish and to mix everything together.  It had a very saline flavor from the noodles and the shrimp (which was cooked perfectly) with some creaminess and a light green tea finish.

The next course was one of the most beautiful courses that we were served.  It started with thinly sliced Hamachi served with with Tom Kha (Chicken Coconut Soup), Dulse (Red Algae or Sea Lettuce, which was fried), Cucumber Blooms, and Radishes.  The hamchi was tender and delicate, which went well with the textures of the flowers and the flavor of the soup.  The dulse provided a little crispness to the dish.

The last of the seafood courses finished with Mussels which were served with Curry, Cauliflower, and Wild Fennel Foam.  This was one of my favorite dishes and I am generally not a huge fan of mussels.  It had a multitude of colors, flavors and textures.  The mussels sat in the curry broth which was thick, creamy and very flavorful and went well with the multicolored cauliflower.  The wild fennel foam was surprisingly flavorful and also went well with the curry as well.

The first of the meat courses was not something I would have expected, Lamb Neck.  It was braised so it was very tender and was served with Fermented Lily Puree, Fried Enoki Mushrooms, Cara Cara Orange, Carrot, and a Dandelion Green to provide some bitterness.  Lamb has a bit of a strong flavor although I imagine it would be less so in the neck because a lot of the flavor of meat resides in the fat.  There was a definite strong flavor with the meat although it was moderated by the bright flavors of the vegetables and the bitterness of the dandelion.

From tender meat and a lot of brightness, we went to Thanksgiving.  It wasn't actually supposed to be a Thanksgiving dish, but that's what the flavors and spices reminded me of.  We were served Squab Breast with shredded Black Truffles, Ground Cherry, Caramelized Onions, Ancient Grains Porridge, and Sage.

If there is anything like a signature dish at 42 grams, it would be the next course, which has never left the menu.  It was a slice of A5 (highest grade) Miyazaki (breed of cattle) Wagyu Beef served with Baby Bok Choy, Umeboshi (Salted Asian Plum Sauce) and a line of white powder that turned out to be a mixture of Bone Marrow and Beef Tendon.  The meat was very tender and there was a lot of umami.  It was a very good dish, although for me, I would say it was only my third or fourth favorite (out of 11 courses).

There was one more meat course after the Wagyu that, while it was kind of a step back in formality, it was one of my favorite dishes.  It was Jamon Mangalica, a Hungarian Pig sent to be finished in Spain like Spanish Iberico served with very fresh Cheese, Flax Crisp, and Siberian Pineapple Jam.  We were given a spoon to eat this with and instructed to spoon the very soft cheese with some ham onto the flax crisp and eat it like cheese and crackers.  The crisp was very delicate, so the operation was to break off a piece of the crisp, spoon the cheese and ham with some jam onto the crisp and bite carefully to prevent it from shattering.  The cheese was very soft and tart, the ham was tender and flavorful, and the crisp was delicate.  It was fantastic in it's simplicity.

In a standard progression, there will be a palate cleanser between the savory courses and the desserts.  This is generally a tart sorbet.  In this case, the progression followed tradition, although it was very different in form and very creative.  It was simply called Tart and consisted of a very thin globe of White Chocolate fixed to a spoon with Honey, topped with a Pineapple Sage Flower, and filled with Calamansi Juice.  Because the shell was so thin and delicate, we were instructed to have it completely in our mouth before biting down because it would shatter and make a mess for the diners if they did not.  Despite having said this, there were still some people that kept their moth open or tried to bite into it and had the sour juice dribble down their lips.

Like the previous dish, Tart, our dessert was simply called Sweet. It consisted of a scoop of Aloe Vera Gelato with Miso Caramel, Oxalis (Red Clover), Dried Pears, on Ginger Carrot Cake.  It was sweet, but it was a lot more than just sweet.  The aloe vera added a floral flavor, the miso caramel brought some savoriness, and the ginger carrot cake added some spice.  It was complex and I really enjoyed it.

To finish things we had Coffee.  It was a special blend made by Sparrow Coffee called the 42 grams Blend and was served as a Cappuccino with Cardamom.  It was a nice looking cappuccino, but it wouldn't be a fine dining restaurant if there wasn't a twist.

 

The coffee was semi-solid, like pudding.  I didn't get a picture of our hostess turning it upside down, but I did take one of my own.  It was a nice cappuccino and the cardamom added a nice twist  9not to mention the creamy texture).

I really enjoyed my dinner here.  It was one of my favorite fine dining experiences.  I enjoyed the intimacy and Alexa explaining the dishes, not to mention the great flavors and textures.  After the dinner service was finished they actually took pictures with us.  It was a lot of fun and I would definitely do it again.  

Kai Zan

While I really like sushi and have been to many sushi restaurants, somehow, I have not managed to do an Omakase menu.  Omakase basically translates to Chef's choice and it the sushi equivalent to a Chef's Tasting menu at a fine dining restaurant.  I recently read an article listing Chicago's best and most affordable Omakase menus and I happened to notice that a restaurant that has been on my radar for a while, Kai Zan, was on the list.  I decided quickly, that it must move up my list so I could try the Omakase.  The restaurant is a small place with the bar on one side and booths on the other and it was pretty busy when I came, but they were able to seat me and at the bar, although I was told that my window was a little limited because they would need the seat for a reservation in 50 minutes.  I agreed to this and while I never felt rushed even after I went slightly past the time for the reservation, courses did come pretty quickly.   The next time I go, I will plan on making a reservation.  My position at the bar afforded me a great view of the action in the kitchen and there was a lot of action in the kitchen.  While the Omakase is listed on the regular menu, what is on it or even how many courses, is not.  If you order the Omakase, they will bring you a printed menu to keep before anything arrives.  I am not sure if it was a factor of time, but while I did receive everything on the menu, the first several courses were out of order.  It wasn't a huge issue though it was slightly confusing to try to keep track.  The first course to come out was actually the second course on the menu, Escolar and Maguro Pearls which consisted of Seared Tuna and Escolar, Sushi Rice, Spicy Mayo, Truffle Oil, and Scallions.  The course was served on a long plate with pickled ginger and wasabi on the side as were many of the fish plates.  While many people think of sushi as raw fish, many of the courses were at least seared.  While the two fish were served with the same accompaniments, they had very different flavors, the lighter colored escolar having a buttery flavor and the tuna tasting like tuna.  While the course was officially the second course, it fit well as a first course, introducing the diner to the flavors and styles that they would be experiencing.  It was very good and I really enjoyed it.

The second course served which was the first one on the menu was called Madai Carpaccio.  As might be expected from a dish called carpaccio, it was very thinly sliced and served with olive oil and greens.  In this case, it was Japanese Red Snapper with Basil, Toro (Bluefin Tuna Belly), Black Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe), and Olive Oil.  It was very delicate and flavorful and also served on a long narrow plate.  I will say here that while I am sure that silverware could be had if you asked, it was not automatically given to diners and the only dining implement provided for the sushi were chopsticks.  I will admit that while I can use chopsticks, I am not an expert with them, and the carpaccio was harder to eat with chopsticks than was the first course which had a regular shape and something to hold onto with the sushi rice.

The third course that showed up was actually the fourth course on the menu.  Called Angry Crab, it was Spicy Crab wrapped in Tuna with Tempura Crunch and topped with Spicy Mayo.  This was a one bite wonder with a variety of flavors and textures.  It was spicy and sweet with a nice beginning crunch and a good firm texture.

The next course were Shooters and while they didn't look exceptionally appetizing, I like them.  I was served one Oyster and one Scallop Shooter both of which were prepared the same way, with a Quail Egg, Tabasco, Scallions, and Black Tobiko in Ponzu Sauce.  Ponzu is a thin citrus-based sauce that essentially works the same way that the citrus in ceviche works, it tenderizes the seafood.  A shooter is supposed be swallowed like a shot, slamming it down, although it is possible to chew whatever shellfish is in the glass.  I generally will give it a minimal chew before swallowing it.  The shooters were very tart and the seafood was tender, but chewable.  The quail egg provided a depth of flavor and the Tabasco added a spicy finish.  The tobiko were salty and texturally similar to tapioca.

The rest of the courses that followed came in the correct order according to the written menu.  The next course was called Orange Rush and was a lightly seared Scallop wrapped in a lightly seared Salmon with a Citrus Glaze served on a Scallop Shell.  This was another one bite wonder that was as fun to eat as it was good looking.  It was tender and flavorful with a nice and tart finish.

The next course confused me a little with its placement within the meal although it was good.  It was a Tuna Dashi which was Dashi Broth with Shiitake Mushrooms, Little Neck Clams, Nori, Sesame, and a Tuna Skewer.  It was good and very flavorful,the mushrooms were plentiful, and the clams were like little bonus bites in the bottom of the bowl.  The tuna was tender and the flavor paired well with the dashi.  As I said though, the placement within the meal confused me a little because soup is generally served at the beginning of a meal.

The next course called the Main was actually four courses in one.  The first was Shrimp dotted with Tobiko and served with a Sliced Lemon.  It was very fresh and tender and had none of the bad flavor that shrimp gets as it gets old.  The next is one of the kings of Japanese Street Food.  Called Takoyaki, it's Fried Dough containing Sliced Octopus and topped with Takoyaki Sauce, which is similar to Worcestershire Sauce.  The next course was Char Siu, a Grilled and Barbecued Pork Belly that was served with Broccolini.  The last dish was called Tako Wasabi which was Wasabi-seasoned Squid and Octopus.  All of it was good, but I think I liked the Takoyaki best.

After the main, I was served my first and only roll and it was definitely something else.  Called Fiesta Maki, it had a little of everything.  Wrapped in Nori and the Rice, of course, it had Salmon, Tuna, Avocado, Cilantro, Masago (a small forage fish in the Smelt family also known as Capelin), Chili Oil and Jalapeno.  This was flavorful with a variety of textures and with the nori, pretty easy to eat.

After the maki, I was served another shellfish called Dynamyte Mussels.  While it did have a New Zealand Mussel and was served in a Mussel Shell, it also included several other things that enhanced the flavor.  It also included Masago, Black Tobiko, and Scallion Mayo with a slice of Lemon on the side.

The savory portion of dinner finished with Sashimi.  I was presented with four fish on a single plate in a very nice presentation which could be differentiated by color.  I was served a couple of slices of Salmon, which was red, Hamachi, which was pink, Escolar, which was rolled and white, and Snapper, which was striped.  Also on the plate were some Pickled Ginger and, on the other side, Wasabi.  I was also given a shallow dish with some Japanese Soy Sauce specifically used with sushi.  While I did eat the pickled ginger between fish to cleanse my palate, I was very light with the soy sauce and the wasabi because I wanted to taste the fish.  The fish was tender and tasted very fresh and was a nice finish to the savory side.

While dessert was not part of the Omakase and I generally don't think much of Japanese desserts, I will try them because, while I can't say that I have really liked many, I also can't say that I have disliked many and I am open to being surprised.  For my dessert, I had a  Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Kiwifruit, Mango, Mint, and topped with a Blackberry.  It was fresh and refreshing with a sweet and tart flavor.  I was very happy with this and found it to be a nice finish to a very good meal.

I really enjoyed my meal here.  The food was very good and the staff was friendly although I will say that the next time I return, I will make sure to make a reservation so I don't have to be as concerned about time.