Chicago 2009: Japonais

As usual, I am catching up on my enormous backlog and places from my past. I was privileged enough to enjoy Japonais in Chicago the first week it opened; since then, I have hosted many a client, friend and even several parties at the reclaimed loft space on the river.

This Chicago restaurant has remained a perennial "hot spot", and kept the quality high. This is one of those rare restaurants that carves out a niche of its own and becomes an "old standby". Trendy, good food seems to persist at this River North gem - if you haven't been, you should go today.

When you do enter the half club / half restaurant in Summer, make sure you reserve an outdoor table, either on the terrace in front of the restaurant, or downstairs on the river - a unique spot in the city.

After many meals at this Japanese "steakhouse", I can recommend a number of dishes that constitute a perfect meal.

Begin with the lobster spring roll - crispy and hot, rich chunks of lobster wrapped in a thin pastry and salted lightly with a side of mango salsa are a delight to the senses. Perhaps a richer dish than what one envisions when Japanese cusine comes to mind, but perfection in a hot appetizer.

My favorite speciality of the house from the sushi bar is the Maguro Moriwase - two thick slices of Toro, Otoro and Chu-Toro, succulent parts of the Tuna that are of the highest quality in the Midwest.

Other sushi dishes are well-done and taste as if you were at the fish market in Tokyo - I don't know the secret, but the purveyors of Japonais' seafood are clearly artisans. Other favorites include barbeque pork "manju buns" and various gyoza.

For entrees, the Samuri Tuna Steak and Le Quack Japonais (Roast Duck) are excellent choices. If you make it further than this, you should look to a complete and creative dessert menu, including the signature "donuts with green tea semifreddo", a rich and subtle dish that caps off a perfect meal.

Hopefully, you will find a time to host your friends and family at the best Japanese Steakhouse in the Midwest.

London 2009: Locanda Ottoemezzo

After a long day of fine beer at the Ladbroke Arms, my dining companion and I stumbled over to Kensington Square to experience what she called the "best trendy authentic Italian in London".

Upon entering Locanda Ottomezzo, one is struck by the Fellini-motivated theme - old-school movie posters, many with the "8 1/2" (yes, that's what Ottomezzo means, I think). The restaurant even has its own movie poster, highlighting the intimate, small dining room with red stucco walls.

In addition to the exclusively Italian staff, who speaks a very sexy broken English, the dinner also includes a reasonably-priced Italian wine list (we chose a Pinot Nero from Niedermayr of the 2004 vintage, which needed some decanting but was smooth and delectable).

After we ordered our entrees, we gorged on fresh bread with LO's own olive oil - peppery but smooth with no aftertaste. We started with a fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes (housemade and silky - the cheese, not the tomatoes, silly) - a very well-done traditional Italian dish.

The speciality of the house (which my companion ordered) was the risotto with mushrooms. What makes this simple dish the house favorite is that fact that is it scooped table side from a massive Parmesan wheel - exquisite presentation and flavor to match.

I am a sucker for fresh noodles and the homemade papardelle fit the bill. The realization that this was a true fine Italian restaurant was the veal ragout - the sauce was surprisingly light; an elegant sauce

We were stuffed from our long day of imbibing both London's fine drafts and subtle Italian dishes, so we skipped desert, but were treated to light, homemade biscotti as we finished our wine.

Overall, a perfect Italian respite in the heart of a nice London neighborhood. Even if I used "homemade" too many times in the review, it exemplifies this fine little restaurant tucked away in the Kensington neighborhood.

London 2009: Ladbroke Arms

Dear reader, I am going to slip back in to my terrible habit of writing some of my au courant experiences; I wish I could wring the time out of my schedule to slog through the dozens of worthy draft posts I have not given due attention. However, my passion for my recent holiday weekend in London drives me to share what was just about a perfect weekend.

So, I will start with what was an auspicious Thursday in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. I had landed early that morning on the overnight flight; a few hours of sleep and a desire to get on London time led me to one of my favorite pubs in this fine city.

I went with two friends to the Ladbroke Arms, a venerable gastro-pub just off the Holland Park Road (I love how Britons use "the" in front of most roads). This was not my first visit to the Ladbroke Arms, but it had been several years. Nestled away from the traffic off a street called Ladbroke Road off a street called Ladbroke Court off a street called Ladbroke something across from a police station (confusing, right?) is a well laid out pub with a front garden area. Run by a team of French folks, they have brought truly good food to the pub experience.

More surprising than the anticipated French-style service (they mostly ignore Americans wearing ironic t-shirts) was the fact that, waiting for our third friend to arrive, I got a sunburn (you may ask, do they have those in London?) sipping London Pride (served warm-ish, of course) on the patio.

Even more surprising than all of this is the fact that they served a beautiful salad with fresh cooked rare salmon and frites.

I don't have a lot more to say than this pub gives you the real feel of the London experience without having to suffer through the terrible food that usually accompanies the experience. As a friend I once had recommended to the pub said, the Ladbroke had me "cradled in its Arms", and I couldn't think of a better place to start four perfect days in London with weather more appropriate to the South of France than London in the waning days of May. Go there.

Houston 2009: Tony's

I implore my readers to forgive me for forgoing the updates from recent jaunts to New York and Montreal to introduce you to an amazing location for fine dining in Houston, Texas.

Rarely considered a bastion of fine dining, Houston rises early to summer, and at the end of my first day in 90-degree heat in 2009, I was treated to the best this West Texas city has to offer. I felt it incumbent upon me to make you aware post-haste of the potential captured in this city's long-standing fine dining establishment, Tony's.

While I would have chosen a bit more subtle and nuanced decor, as I entered Tony's traditional "old school" Italian spot I realized I was in for a treat. For starters, the surreal bar area sported no less than three Secret Service agents dipping fresh strawberries in powdered sugar, as if at the end of a long journey of dining. I later discovered they were there to protect the evening of the current and past governors of Texas (both were present at the table next to us). Such Southern, nay, Texan (there is a substantial difference) royalty would only dine in the "best of the best", I figured.

As the sommelier tantalized us with his suggestions, we commiserated over some of the wines not available - sold out - as it would seem they had given up my first few choices of great juices to Texas' finest diners earlier in the year. Despite this inital setback, the talented wine steward made alternative suggestions for some amazing wines, none of which I had ever sampled before. Our party of four indulged in fine vintages from France and Napa: a Chateau Dauzac ('99 Margaux, not the best year, but softened to near perfection at its tenth anniversary); Ghost Block ('06 Napa Cab) with a unique cinnamon taste; and Hollywood & Vine, 2480 ('06 Napa Cab) with a heartier, tannic blend that stood perfectly with our main courses.

Before we ordered, the fine Texan gentleman I had the pleasure of dining with arranged for Tony himself to visit our table. Tony is a consummate restaurateur, having "kept his hands dirty" in the kitchen over a 45-year career to ensure that the menu and ingredients were true to his Italian heritage - farm ripened produce, house-made pastas, and nouveau cuisine entrees that married the "old world" with inventive new preparations and sauces.

With Tony's sage recommendations at hand, we attacked the menus our attentive servers appeared with. Favorites rarely seen in Texas (or outside of Italy), such as zucchini blossoms, were scattered amongst more traditional comfort foods from Texas - steaks and chops, fresh fish from the gulf, and lightly fried appetizers.

After we ordered, one of Tony's suggestions immediately came as an amuse bouche - a perfectly prepared morsel of foie gras that was simmered in a reduction evoking sharp cherry and salt flavors, tantalizing our taste buds for what was to come.

All of our party opted to start with the unique (for America) zucchini blossom stuffed with lobster and crab meat, lightly fried and delicate in its preparation. It was "Texas sized" compared to my expectation, but excellent.

As we struggled to decide between the fresh pastas and the heartier dishes for our mains, our waiter suggested an intermezzo course that sampled the house-made pastas and sauces, which we graciously accepted. Tony would choose a selection for us to share.

When the pastas arrived, we were delighted with a plate of three tastes: ravioli "amulote" with spinach & cream; Triangoli ravioli stuffed with veal in a light but rich sauce; and Papardelle perfectly constructed and slathered in Tony's own bolognese sauce (a bit salty but very tasty).

For my entree, I selected the bone-in rib eye (having been "dared" by the waiter that it was the "best steak in Texas"). This truly was a memorable steak: flavorful, perfectly cooked, and served with flash fried green beans and duck-fat roasted new potatoes.

Veritably stuffed from our multi-course fine dining experience, we passed on dessert but were treated to the signature strawberry tree (the house specialty even the Secret Service indulged in); fresh strawberries and meringues with a powdered sugar dipping bowl.

The only real negatives at Tony's are aesthetic - the space has a campy feel with a 1980's gauche decor; large monuments to bad sculpture and a too-loud piano man mar the otherwise amazing experience. However, with good company and excellent service, it is easy to look past the decor and acoustics at this downtown "see and be seen eatery".

All in all, an amazing dining experience and from here on out, my top recommendation for anyone heading south to Texas.

Musings

I have not written much about myself or my personal perspectives other than how they are reflected in my writing about food and travel. Today I just feel like noting that a lot of times, due to my schedule, I find it impossible to muster the creative energies to attack the backlog of posts I owe to my readers. I hope this changes - I am excited about the line-up to come: New York, Montreal, London and Minneapolis are on the docket!