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.