Oh, Zealous. How it pains me that my lack of verbosity, or rather frequency, of my own visits to publish my blog have neglected highlighting one of my first, and best, fine dining experiences. Many years ago, my ex-wife and I were a young couple trying to keep up with the trendiest and hottest new spots. I haven't researched it but I believe it was nearly a decade ago that we ventured into Zealous; Michael Taus continues to ply his trade at creating interesting cuisine and seasonal touches with excellence.
I will pretend for the sake of my readers that I haven't visited Zealous' striking, chic space dozens of times over the years, or that I have never stepped foot in one of the most impressive private dining rooms in Chicago. I will forget the memory of the otherworldly bamboo ringed "head table" in the center of the restaurant, or the multi-story glass wine room that serves as the primary wall separating the private dining area from the main dining room and bar. The accents of pale, grey-green that Chef Taus favors. And the fact that the dishware, while now nearly a decade "out of date" is still avant garde for "new American" restaurants, with place settings that cradle the plate of the amuse, and special dishes designed to highlight each course uniquely.
Now that I have forgotten all that, and the neat and quiet bar that one can lounge in waiting for guest to arrive, I will tell you that the space in the former "outpost" neighborhood in River North, currently besieged by yuppie condominiums, continues to impress with its interior.
I had forgotten (shame on me) that the wine pairings with the tasting menu were cheap (by Chicago or other major city standards), and was tricked into ordering a relatively inexpensive 2000 Bordeaux by our crafty waiter this eve. I had never heard of the Chateau (a Grand Cru from St. Emilion), but for the price it was quite a nice bottle (Destieux 2000).
After I got over my foolishness for forgetting about the variety of varietals I could have sampled with one of the Chef's many tasting menus, my guest and I perused the a la carte menu while noshing on the same herbed rolls I had first tasted years prior. While I still wish the butter was salted, this is one place where I am glad most things remain the same.
Having chosen our path with some recommendations from a helpful, but never hurried, waiter, we sampled the amuse bouche, a crab croquette - panko breaded, herbed with mango sauce, but with a hint of curry. Chef Michael seems to have added an Indian flair into many of his dishes on his current menu, and this light, fleeting curry flavor was a taste of what was sprinkled throughout the menu.
For appetizers, we chose the Scallop and Pork Belly, a fine, well-cooked scallop served atop a sunchoke puree and pea foam bed, with a thicker-than-expected slice of pork belly next to it; and "Taco-Dosas", three curried crepes filled with with oxtail and a blue goat cheese (a bit lighted than a hearty cow's blue). Both were excellent and frankly the highlight of the meal were these appetizers.
For my entree, I tried the duck breast, which was well cooked but still pink; I found it to be a little fatty but that is the way of duck. Next to the duck breast were two moo shu pancakes stuffed with good chinese spices, mushrooms, shoots and a duck confit, which was excellent.
For dessert (my dining companion had a sweet tooth) I tried the seasonal cobbler with vanilla bean beignets. I would say the beignets were good but were not as fresh as they could have been (ie, I suspect the pastry chef made them this morning, not fresh-fried on to my place). The Granny Smith tart with Goldschlager ice cream was excellent.
Lest you think I departed with a "very good not great" feeling from my food review above, I would keep in mind two things: (1) I am bound to be more critical of something I consider to be one of THE institutions of Chicago fine dining and (2) the large a la carte menu is not Chef Taus' speciality or love. I use this one meal to write a review only as I am feeling remiss that I have not yet encouraged my readers to journey to this singular River North spot - the multiple tasting menus (including vegetarian) shine to a degree I cannot express from tonight's relatively simple meal.
In my mind, Michael Taus paved the way from Grant Achatz and Homaru Cantu to do the wonderful things they do in Chicago today; he bridged the "fussy" fine dining gap from the old school of Trotter and the like to the new, fun, experimental cuisine that has succeeded here. If you want to see a chef that really moves things forward, through originality and a sense of space, taste and humility - and yet still is affordable - get to Zealous for a delicious tasting today.
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