Chicago 2008: Sixteen

The new gem in the half-finished Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago (the coiffed man's first namesake project in the Windy City) is a fashionable addition to the Chicago culinary scene. Sixteen is located on its namesake floor in the hotel portion of the new Trump, and stepping out of the elevator makes for a dramatic entrance, with a hallway ensconced by the well-stocked wine cellar of the restaurant. The architecture and interior design generally is quite impressive, with a bar, side dining rooms and a main dining room that feel both intimate and expansive at once; excellent views from any perch, and well-chosen decorative art placed in the various angular and curved coves that define the form of the dining space.

The impressive view of the fine wine list becomes less impressive when one sees the prices - with a New York buyer perhaps come New York pricing on very recent vintages; some are quite mispriced, as it seems whoever laid out the cellar priced the list for shock factor and by name alone; a modest vintage of a well-known French wine, for example, exceeded by multiples some of the finer vintages of wines that most wine lovers would agree far outshine the former. That said, the new sommelier guided us through an excellent pairing with several wines I had never had - and was also good humored and knowledgeable (more on that later). The service, generally, was solid and very attentive waitstaff (if a little new to the menu) met our every need.

And then the food and libations - my dining companions and I opted for the mysterious and alluring "blind tasting" (with aforementioned wine pairings). The waiter noted to us that we might not want to partake of the homebaked bread and excellent butter, given the girth of the tasting menu, but we ignored him, finding a nice selection of rolls just the thing to start the meal (although this certainly did add to my girth).

The blind tasting was artfully done; a well-timed (rarely does the kitchen do it as well as Sixteen's does) set of ten dishes. A small amuse of Melon Soup with scallop cerviche was a decent first course, but should have been served in a shot glass to better mix the flavors rather than with the wee spoon. A gazpacho with raw oyster and and tomato sorbet was paired with a 2006 Shaleur Estate Sauvignon/Semillion Blend, which worked quite well. The fabulous-sounding braised beef shank tortellini with split peas needed a bit more tenderness in the pasta, but was complimented by my favorite wine of the evening, an Elio Grasso, 2003 Barolo, which had a great nose and a light finish. We switched back to a sweet white Alsatian Riesling by Hugel for the next dish, a scallop with corn vinaigrette, palm souffle and vidalia tart. A Lupe de Mer served with confit of potato and fava beans was quite nice, although the potatoes were a bit ho-hum. The crowning dish of the tasting, "Pork Three Ways" was delicious and paired with a wine, to quote the personable sommelier, that "technically doesn't suck", a Domaine du Grand Tinel. The balance of the well-portioned tasting included cheeses and sweets with ports and muscats. All in all, a very nice evening. I commend the new chef and staff on a top-tier service and culinary experience in a world-class venue - and hope to be blinded again soon by their next tasting menu.

San Francisco 2008: Dry Creek Kitchen

Well, ok - not really San Francisco. Sonoma, a bit of a drive from the cosmopolitan environs of SF, has developed its own culinary scene in an understated way which mimics the rural landscape. Much to the delight of visitors, Charlie Palmer has come to the region and started a "city class" restaurant in Dry Creek Kitchen (albeit with some weaknesses that are not evidenced in his other locations).

While the food was well-prepared, I do have some misgivings about this attempt to transplant world-class fare into the laid back, insular Healdsburg community. The location, on the town square of Healdsburg, is ideal - and the design of the restaurant is becoming the stature of the named proprietor. However, upon making a complicated set of reservations for a relatively large group, we were greeted with aloof service and management, a big disappointment and uncharacteristic of this beautiful part of the country. The night began and ended with waitstaff and management that seemed hasty, and a touch this side of rude, despite a number of attempts by this diner to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Enough said - it may have been a bad night, and the restaurant was quite packed. The dinner service started with a pleasant cheese puff amuse - delicate and well plated. I then opted for a surprisingly light Gnocchi with almost no sauce, but which well-represented the flavors that the chef was trying to evoke. A solid Sea Bass entree followed, paired with spring pea risotto. This was a decent, but not excellent, dish. I also sampled the lamb with a Moroccan spice, it had no taste of game, and carried the sauce well.

Continuing my gripes with the service, the sommelier, who was sent over once my wine order seemed too complex for the server, was a bit flaky. He had no real opinion on the wines on the list, and after we finally were able to order a few bottles, he returned 10 minutes later dejectedly to tell us that they were out of our chosen wine. Once we re-ordered, about 20 minutes into the sitting, we finally received the wine, which was spilled on me while pouring for the taste.

All in all, this is probably a nice restaurant to enjoy for a nice meal on the Healdsburg "scene", but I would urge you to sample the food on a quiet evening and a small group, when the service is not so stressed.

New York 2008 - Moco Global Dining

Sitting in the last meeting of a terribly long week I was disgusted to receive an email telling me my flight back to Chicago was cancelled, there were no bookings available on later flights (and those were likely to be cancelled too, given the "Chicago weather"); I would need to spend my Friday evening in New York. Whilst I was run down from a series of back to back meetings and flights, it could have been much worse. I could have been stuck in my prior night's destination of rural Pennsylvania. Despair became opportunity.

I rang my good college friend and his very pregnant wife, who, bereft of social opportunities other than waiting patiently for their soon-to-be-indeterminate-sex-offspring, finally conceded to join me at a new, "experimental" restaurant in the otherwise "post-college professional" Murray Hill neighborhood.

I had heard of Moco Global Dining (no website) from a number of "what's new" reviewers in April; the chef of this small, understated establishment, Joe Kurauchi, had apparently trained at El Bulli, the Fat Duck and Stella Maris, among others. I was intrigued to see if his cuisine would be the next generation of the inventive, rich and savory dishes I have come to love at those establishments.

Upon entry I was . . . nervous. A sparsely populated bar, completely empty dining room (Friday 7pm) in an otherwise bustling block did not bode well. I had expected a line out the door (my hotel concierge had made me the reservation, I presumed 'pulling some strings' given the last minute nature). Unfortunately, it was not my "clout" that had gotten me in. They merely had no early reservations. A few younger folks were in the bar area, but when three waitstaff swarmed me as I moved toward the back dining section I grew even more uneasy - had I, a bona fide foodie, been fooled by some hype and now had dragged my poor friend and his nearly immobile wife many blocks out of their neighborhood for a second class show?

I was seated (another scary thing in a NY restaurant - seated without "the entire party"), a lone diner in a small (typical New York) dining room, at a lovely banquette. Very comfortable. The tables already looked quite worn (3 weeks post-opening: query - budget-style or budget?) and the waitress arrived promptly with water.

The drink menu was extensive (3 pages) and filled with ShoChu and Sake options; I was again dismayed by the bad english translations "Croudy" instead of "Cloudy" Sake, etc. However, when I ordered a glass of Ginjo sake I was pleasantly surprised - a real artistic presentation that was a harbinger of the food to come - a fine crystal class in a glass carafe, filled with shaved ice surrounded by a banana leaf. Very high quality presentation gave me a renewed sense of hope.

My friends arrive (I hope the expectant mother doesn't take offense to my earlier jokes, she is glowing, mobile and athletic despite being close to her delivery date) and sit at out booth. We are still the only diners, and they look suspicious, being denizens of this fickle food city. We order some appetizers and some more sake (of course none for the responsible mother-to-be, she was all seltzer and cranberry) as the crowd started to trickle into the dining room.

The appetizers arrived: squid-ink, jet-black calamari; steamed edamame; nya-nya chicken wings and a fusion bruschetta. All excellent. The calamari particularly show the chef's potential - crispy yet succulent center, despite the black coloring which evokes naturally a "burnt" vibe.

The pace of the dinner was very casual; waitstaff did not crowd us or hurry our ordering, but as soon as one looked up, they appeared to serve (I would note that our female dining companion, in more discomfort due to her biological situation, was less impressed with the speed of service than I). As we choose our main courses and sake was refilled, I was feeling somewhat redeemed in my choice of venue.

The entrees were excellent - an inventive green gnocchi with a butter sauce; soba noodles in a rich curry broth; several sushi rolls with varying levels of creativity and success (the spicy tuna was some of the best I have had; the "blue california roll" was interesting, but heavy-handed on the namesake blue cheese ingredient; the roll with salmon and eel a bit too smoky). All in all, an honorable meal with great style and flavor. A true glimmer of what this chef could do with, perhaps, some more coaching and a better venue.

As dinner came to a close, I reflected upon what makes a great meal. While I was not "wowed" by the restaurant, I had an excellent meal that married exotic tastes in a casual environment, resulting in a very fine experience with some good friends. While I think this chef's next incarnation may improve greatly with some marginal tweaking of location, style of venue and precision in menu, all in all a worthwhile endeavor. Someone to keep your eye on.