Chicago 2008 - Big Jones

Service is critically important as I evaluate a dining experience, especially for a new restaurant. Big Jones started my Sunday brunch off right, seating me immediately (even though I was the first of my party) and tempting me with a bowl of fresh beignets and one of the largest cups of coffee I have ever seen.

The eclectic 'Coastal Southern Brunch' at the Andersonville upstart is inventive and true to one of Big Jones guiding principals - organic, local veggies, produce and dairy. Don't let me fool you into thinking this is a healthy spot - its organic, but savory and sweet and all things in between.

A wide array of unique selections, from french toast made with classic southern pan bread to a number of egg-based (Kalona Organics from Iowa) benedict-style dishes with exotic ingredients such as lump crab, creole ratatouille, carolina pulled pork and house-made Tasso (smoky-flavored Southern ham), made it a tough decision for this first-time diner. The continuing friendly service helped me narrow down my selection to Eggs Romero (Poached Eggs, Crisp Potato Cakes, Pulled Pork and a tangy sauxe) or Eggs Benedict (Niman Ranch Ham and Poached Eggs served on a fresh popover with Hollandaise). Your trusty foodlover went for the more intriguing Romero, and was excellent. Strong flavors in the spicy Carolina-style sauce, including nutmeg, may turn off more sensitive palettes, but the pulled pork was well-cooked and the eggs paired well with the crispy potato cake. Skip the Lunn toast; it is a bit dry, but otherwise no complaints about the cuisine.

Tea lovers will enjoy the large selection of specialty organic teas, evoking pleasurable feelings by name alone; 'Inner Blossom Jasmine' or 'Osmanthus Rooibos' or 'Dragonwell Green'. The traditional Cafe au Lait is also a house speciality.

Definitely worth the haul north for a casual brunch.

St Louis 2008 - Niche

So, faithful readers, it has been some time since I have posted.  Blame it on the terrible Winter in Chicago, I just haven't been compelled.  I have notes for about 20 new posts, and as I am feeling somewhat more inspired, you should be getting a spate soon with all of these new ideas.  

What has driven me to post (other than the weather, which a loyal reader like SS knows is a favorite topic of discussion) is a truly "sensational" experience I had last night on the cusp of the up and coming independent restaurant scene in St Louis (yes, Missouri).  For the moniker "sensational" I must really hand credit to my London dining companions on this fine evening.  These worldly travelers proclaimed many of our dishes at Niche as such, and I can't think of a better way to describe Ford Craft's new American gastronomic spot on the edge of the Old Soulard neighborhood. 

Fresh off the Food & Wine proclamation of Craft's Niche as one of the "10 best new restaurants in America", I was lucky enough to enjoy a night in the hands of the chef.  All aspects of his celebrated tasting menu were touched over a four hour dinner extravaganza.  I rarely detail each and every course, but this night warrants it, and will do so below.  All of these dishes are served a la carte, and many can be found on the fun and affordable "3 for $35" menu that is available daily.  

What makes a restaurant eligible for Cress_Travel's global top 10 is not just great food - many places have that.  It is a sense of space and an attention and care of the experience that justify such an entry; Niche has all of the elements, executed to perfection.  I am pleased to place this fine establishment in its new spot as the ranking #5 on Cress_Travel's top 10 restaurants to experience.  

In addition to the lavish care put into each delicate dish, the staff is exemplary.  From the front of house manager, Dia, to the knowledgeable waitstaff (Laura, in our case), to the carefully selected but not expensive wine list, Niche is a real culinary treat.  All these factors make a trip to St Louis to experience this fine venue a worthy endeavor - and if you are in St Louis, there is no excuse to not plan on this restaurant as a highlight of an evening.

So, now to the food.  The masterfully executed tasting menu included the following; any and all deserve to be ordered separately and savored.  There was only one dish I would not nominate individually against any other incarnation in any other restaurant in the world - the Thomas Keller inspired butter-poached lobster, which was just not my style.  Everything else would hold its own and then some, regardless of your specific tastes and prejudices.  Here is the tour de force I had that pleasure of winding my way through on a rainy Spring evening in the earthquake-rattled St Louis:

* Olives served fresh with thinly sliced orange rind: I am not an "olive person", but I munched with pleasure at these fine taste bud openers as we enjoyed a very un-chardonnay chardonnay from Lucia in the Santa Rosa valley.

* Amuse bouche of Parsnip, Bacon, Grapefruit foam latte with plump tapioca: Delightful flavor packed into a complex broth with the right amount of texture to make it substantive.

* Kampachi Crudo, Potato Chip, Soy Marshmallow, meyer lemon and pepper puree: Fish was excellent, paired with a salty, tart and savoy combination all in one!  The pinnacle of good execution.

* Roasted Beets, Poached Quail Eggs, Brown Butter Hollandaise, Quail, Caperberries: Sweet and savory, perfect beets.  People should use beets more.  They are the Chilean Sea Bass of 2008.

* Fried brandad, arugula, Quail egg, lemon butter:  I have never liked anything like a fish cake (the term my London-native dining companions use for a brandad). This blew my mind. Salted cod, fresh cod, perfectly cooked, lightly breaded.  If you abhor the idea of a fish cake, or aren't one for crab cakes, try it anyway. 

* Lobster, butter-poached, lobster tapioca, blood orange sauce:  As referenced earlier, I didn't love it, as the texture of lobster produced a mouthfeel that was too soft for my liking, but if this is the worst dish one ever has in a progression, you are close to heaven for a food lover.

* Carrot-Lime Sorbet: Well-executed, great mix, too tart.  Having written the initial reaction, I must go on; taste changes as one savors this break in the progression to quite a crescendo, rewarding the patient palette.

* Sea Bass, Black Rice, Meyer Lemon Puree:  Using sous-vide preparation, this dish took sea bass and turned it into a meat, added texture that highlighted the flavors of the dish.

* Lamb Prarie Grass Sous-Vide, White Chocolate Hummus, Trumpet Mushroom, Raw Garlic Foam, Rhubarb:  Again here, the sous-vide preparation took a solid base of flavors including the unusual white chocolate hummus, rhubarb and garlic foam aspects and combined them with a gamey lamb meat to achieve a great dish.

* "Beef Two Ways": Roasted ribeye and oxtail pie with Brussel Sprout slaw.  The use of Brussel Sprout as a "slaw" was ingenious.  A perfect way to deal with the strong flavor of the vegetable and contextualize the beef.

* Lime ice cream and rhubarb soup: Light and refreshing for another break in the progression.

* Coconut Kulfi: A reduced, thick, indian dessert with granola and pineapple.  Pineapple flavors tend not to suit me, but the kulfi texture was amazing.

* Chocolate Cake: The molten variety, warm in the center and firm on the outside.  As a dining companion noted, it touches the inner part of the inner soul.

Then, after being stuffed like a pig for slaughter, no pun intended, we shared at the table two more of the house favorites:

* Pappardelle with Pork:  So, maybe the pun was intended, but the house made pasta was excellent, firm and moist, with a pulled pork ragu that was not too strong to overpower the dish.

* Fried Pigs Head:  You caught me.  The pun was totally intended.  The somewhat scary name pulled together the cheeks, temple and other head bits into a fried cake with all the sophistication you need to make a dish like this work.  Heavily vinegared flavor cut with a pear. A little punchy, but having been braised in sherry vinegar and pork stock, something even a less-adventurous diner would crave.

To sum up my long and rambling post, Niche is a rare find in an off the path culinary haven.  The chef is truly a student of the art, and infuses this passion in his staff, making the experience a great one.

Chicago 2008 - Takashi

The minimalist new "Asian" restaurant on the Northern side of the Bucktown/Wicker Park trendy-ness has a lot to love. Takashi offers an excellent take on some French-styled Japanese favorites (e.g. raw and seared fish, spring rolls) as well as some more hip American comfort food, which scored big points with the Cress_Travel demographic.  The raw fish was very fresh, with light saucing accompanied by interesting vegetables (hearts of palm and avocado, as an example).

Where Takashi really shone from this diner's perspective was in a succulent rendition of "fried chicken", which consisted of petite chicken wings, fried in duck fat and accompanied by delicious handcut fries, also fried in duck fat.  So good that we ordered seconds for "dessert", much to the surprise of the waiter.  I imagined a chef from a southern diner imprisoned by a master of sushi (with a penchant for precision) and forced to remake a typical "comfort food" dish until it had achieved enlightenment - this was the reincarnation of fried chicken and fries that Siddhartha Gautama himself would consider Nirvana.

The balance of the meal was well crafted, but nothing to the level of art of either the sashimi appetizers nor what I will now call the Nirvana Chicken.  Skate paired with an inventive lobster sausage, Alaskan Halibut wrapped in a nice Yuba Tofu with strong essence of ginger. 

As always, service is a critical component of any good dining experience.  While disappointed that they would not seat me before my party arrived (a small birthday party for a friend), this is standard operating procedure in a big-city restaurant.  The real critique here is that the bar consists of enough space for no more than five or six people, and that is being generous.  I would counsel a waiting area (the hostess stand is practically on top of the door) for such a popular place.  The waitstaff was very friendly and well-versed in the food, so with the exception of the space itself, an overall great experience.

Events 2008 - JON BON JOVI

It has been quite some time since a real post. I apologize, but beg forgiveness on the ever-ambiguous personal issues disclaimer. I am jump-starting my hopefully more regular return to posting with the following abnormal snippet.

Whilst not exactly a culinary experience, I went to see Jon Bon Jovi in concert the other night. To coin a friend, the cultural relevance of JBJ three decades in is astounding. It was a mildly engrossing show, with the right mix of sap and hardcore rock moments to appease the cougars and the 30-sthg wanna be yuppies who miss their youth. What is most interesting is the ability of someone who was a young 'rocker' in the 80s to translate to a cross-ageular group in the year 2008. Not quite a Buffett or 'Dead phenomenon, but a truly interesting experience in our internet age - visceral yet normal. JBJ, keep livin' on a prayer, and helping us do the same.

New York 2008 - Country

For many years, I have felt like a star-crossed lover as I tried to visit Country, Geoffrey Zakarian's Midtown dining room in the historic Seville hotel. I had reservations no less than five times, only to be stymied by bad weather, bad timing or bad friends.

As I trekked back to Manhattan on a snowy Winter night, having been rebuffed by the gods who control the LGA-ORD corridor and sentenced to another night in NYC, a last minute call to a friend yielded a "yes, would love to have dinner, but needs to be near my office - how about Country".

Splendid, I thought; my friend is a regular to the cafe given his proximity to work, but we enjoyed a prix fixe in the formal dining room just 30 minutes later.

A delectable set of dishes awaited us; Ouefs Au Plat - sunny side up, crab meat, simmered fish broth and crostini, rich yet light; a Duck Torte - filled with organ meat, rich and tasty; a savory Bison Wellington - perfect for the weather outside; a serviceable (although highly recommended not great) poached pear dessert.

The biggest surprise was that despite a fantastic venue and solid food throughout with a bit of flair, the place was empty - - it may have been the weather, but I blame the service. I would not return to the dining room for only service-related reasons. A sommelier who pushed wine he wanted to get rid of - two $250 bottles that were not ready to drink, despite protestations, and invisible servers when something was needed.

My advice to Monsieur Zakarian: the food is right, get the staff in line.

Chicago 2008 - Nxxt

In an effort to keep my loyal readers up to date on new openings, I am posting the first "ghost written" piece on Cress_Travel, by CVW:

Swanky interior with red leather booths and chairs. Braised short ribs served pulled off the bones atop a southern recipe cornbread. "Scallops three ways" all excellent with great presentation. Plates all white, very clean and well designed dishes. Sous chef Alex Heinrich sent over a sample of the 'Mac and cheese'. You can smell the truffle oil as the food approaches the table. A wonderful new age representation of classic comfort food. Roasted beet salad with fennel and manchego cheese had a fantastic vinaigrette which tied the whole plate together. The crawdad cakes were a but spicy however the hush puppies were amazing. The chicken entree was à half chicken served on a bed of garlic mashers with honey glazed baby carrots. All good things. This chic new spot provides both excellent service and contemporary comfort food in the ukranian village.

Chicago 2008 - Happy Chef Dim Sum House

Chicago is a city of unique neighborhoods and niche-y restaurants. I have always been disappointed that many of my friends and colleagues have never explored the many fine dining experiences available in Chicago's Chinatown.

Take a bus, train or cab down to Archer and Cermak, where the "main street" of Chinatown is centered. There are a number of great, authentic eating places where you can experience as much or as little of China as you want . . . they range from the very "normal" American-ized Chinese, to adventurous forays into the most mysterious of Chinese delicacies.

One of the very best of these places is the Happy Chef Dim Sum House at 2164 South Archer Avenue (just East of Cermak). Happy Chef is open seven days a week from 9am until 2am, so there really isn't any excuse not to make it down there. One enters through a parking lot "back door" of the Archer Avenue mini-mall which houses tens of similar restaurants. The Happy Chef is unique in that it has some of the best cuisine in Chicago.

As you creep into the back of the restaurant, you will not be awed by either traditional Oriental-kitsch found in a restaurant of this type, nor higher-end Asian flair that drapes the likes of Shanghai Terrace further uptown. You will be greeted by a busy staff shuttling large, steaming dishes of recognizable and unrecognizable to simple white tables covered with plastic. Not romantic, not cozy, not even comfortable. But the food will make you forgive all of that.

If you are not Asian, or do not speak fluent Chinese, you may have a bit of a challenge communicating your order. However, once you choose from the vast menu (ranging from traditional "Americanized" dishes such as Kung-Pao Chicken to a Live Frog dish), things start moving quickly. Complimentary hot tea and soup arrive as you wait for the bountiful dishes you have selected. The portions are huge, and the taste authentic. Having spent many months in China, I can tell you that will find the ingredients and preparations to equal the casual restaurants of the Cantonese style.

In addition, there is an extensive Dim Sum menu for those who prefer the variety of dumplings for which the Happy Chef takes its name; however, I like the traditional Cantonese, family-style dishes at which this establishment excels.

Note: Sunday night dinner "dessert" consists of a pea-soup looking tapioca with sweet beans; it looks like a heavy sauce you might have with a black bean sauteed fish, and probably something you will tepidly taste at first, but it is a nice cap to the meal of a warm, sweet soup.