New York 2008: Chinatown Brasserie

The onset of Winter always brings memories of family feasts; heavy, aromatic meals and comforting food in an atmosphere of close relatives and friends. I made my first trip of the cold season to New York this week, and had a hankering for Chinese food.

Chicago doesn't have good Chinese food outside of the small Chinatown on the South Side. To be clear, there are many good *Asian* dining opportunities, and I would be remiss if I didn't note that the Peninsula's Shanghai Terrace has a excellent Chinese cuisine. But for some reason, New York is just different - the pure Chinese restaurant (no Pad Thai, no pan-Asian noodle dishes, no sushi) is an art form. Outside of Asia, I know no better Peking Duck and Dim Sum than inside the borough of Manhattan.

So, yearning for some real Chinese cuisine, I called up a few friends and had a nice Chinese banquet at the downtown Chinatown Brasserie. CB is one of the better Chinese places in New York. I prefer Shun Lee for Peking Duck, but this is a great place to explore all the variations of Dim Sum.

The lush interior evokes the feel of a real formal Asian dining experience, the service is somewhat slow, but adequate. The menu is varied but not too voluminous as some Chinese eateries seem to be.

One of my friends who frequents CB did the ordering; we had all of the major food groups - Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Beef, and, of course, the Peking Duck.

There were so many varied dishes that it is hard to recount them all, but the highlights of the meal included the soup dumplings (tender pork and crab mixture filled with broth in a perfectly cooked dumpling), the turnip tofu with spicy sauce, and the chicken with crispy fried spinach.

The Peking Duck has less meat than crispy fried skin, but was solid.

Overall, a nice way to start the Wintery season, a solid meal for anyone craving Chinese after a long respite.

Chicago 2008: Province

I was perusing my backlog of drafts, and realized that I have over 40 items I have yet to properly post. For this, dear reader, I apologize. I am hopeful that I will be more diligent in posting in the coming months. With that lame apology out of the way, I bring you my latest dining experience.

New last week from former Nacional 27 chef Randy Zweiban comes Province, a LEED-certified, open space in the West Loop which incorporates green building materials and kitchen equipment, and stresses farm-to-table cuisine from local producers.

The service started off the evening right. From the minute our server came to introduce the South American cuisine and various "categories" of the menu, the service was exemplary. The manager and Chef Randy both came to chat with us at various points during the meal. In addition, the manager spent a good deal of time helping us pick a wonderful Tempranillo (Campillo, Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain '94) which was well-aged, still acidic but with great flavor. Very unusual in this day and age for a new restaurant to have such a good selection of older wines.

We decided to explore the different types of servings outlined on the menu: Bites, Raw, SoupsSalads, Small, Big, Bigger.

After we ordered the wine, the chef sent out an amuse bouche: smoked salmon, cucumber, olive with chile cream cheese. A nice gesture to start the meal.

From the "Bites" section (which are about the size of a passed appetizer) we sampled the Mini Pork Sandwiches, which were good but served a little too cold, and excellent, crispy Squash Taquitos with a delicious chive & mayo dressing. Next came the "Small" section of the menu, which were more "normal" appetizer size. We sampled both the Fluke & Grapefruit Cerviche, which consisted of slices of soft and tender fish laced with a citrus and pepper flavor throughout and an order of the Shrimp & Manchego Grits, which were smooth & creamy with firm, grilled popcorn shrimp (perhaps our favorite dish of the evening).

The "Big" dishes are akin to a half order of a normal sized entree, and the "Bigger" dishes are regular entree portions. We had a few of these eclectic dishes, to try the range of interesting combinations that have been put out by Chef Randy - Lamb with Cornbread & Chorizo (Lamb is a bit too gamey, cornbread with chorizo very good); Rabbit Confit with Garlic & Almond butter (amazing flavor, but I would lose the celery); Slow-Cooked Salmon with Leeks (decent, good flavors, but served too cold).

Overall, an ambitious environmentally friendly newcomer with great service, and with a few tweaks, a stellar menu.

Cleveland 2008: Table 45

Situated (somewhat oddly) in the Intercontinental at the Cleveland Clinic (I guess doctors at conferences and long-term patients' families need good food too), Zack Bruell's Table 45 is a spacious and open format, with niches carves across an expansive room, done in blond woods and dark letters.

While they were out of both of our first two wine selections, the entire waitstaff was extremely helpful and brought us a bottle of Torres, Mas Las Plana '97, which was a nice Bordeaux-styled South American with good earth tones. The waitstaff (numerous) were highly professional and amazing throughout the meal (terrible state of the world that this is *such* a surprise), but I applaud them.

The Naan of the Day, a fontina cheese naan, was a gracious portion and served with three sauces (tomato, hummus and a curry aioli - all very spicy).

The menu was substantial, and themed with many Indian flavors. We had a large party, but highlighted a range of dishes, including Scallops, Indian Peking Duck, Lamb and Venison.

I myself sampled the Tandoori Pork Belly, the Crispy Calamari and the Maple Glazed Venison with Bacon and Pumpkin Spaetzle.

The calamari was a bit too heavily breaded, and I would have served it with the curry aioli. The Tandoori Pork Belly was excellent, and the cumin-scented rice and bok choy was well-paired. One of our party also raved about the Beet Salad.

The entrees were universally well-prepared, with visual elements highlighting the Indian theme. The venison was much less gamey (and 'chewy') than a typical venison dish. The pumpkin spaetzle was quite nice, as was the sauteed spinach. I sampled the duck, which was very good (albeit a bit fatty) as well.

In sum, a shining high-end Star of American-India in the hospital district, with a few things to work on. But the service and several good dishes more than compensate for the 'room for improvement'.

Chicago 2008: Publican

A beer hall dressed up in couture fashion, the spacious market district addition to the numerous nightclubs that line the meatpacking corridor, brought to you by the creators of The Violet Hour and Blackbird, is off to a strong start. Fresh faced and attentive servers help fill the spacious, german-styled hall across from the Fulton Fish Market, which has been christened the Publican.

Large, communal tables of sharp-looking wood ring the outside of the room, while the East wall is adorned with booths (replete with swinging doors) that sequester you from the balance of the room if you have a party of four (similar to the reserved boxes in Oktoberfest tents in Munich).

The draft beer list includes eight varied beers (three locals, some fruity Belgians, a festival German, and an esoteric coffee-based beer as well as a cider); the bottled beer list numbers about another sixty, and is organized by country and representative of a well-thought our selection of craft beers. Wine is also available (but you should not come if you need it, the experience is really best with beer).

We started with a ham tasting - rare and fine Iberico (true to the menu: rich, nutty and sweet and worth the $35 for the tasting), an 'Iowa version of Iberico' (good but not as rich), and a Tennessee ham with a smoky flavor. Served with thin-sliced German brown bread and unsalted butter, a nice way to start a meal (although we couldn't resist also sampling the pork rinds - served hot with just a dusting of salt & vinegar, they would have delighted Homer [Simpson, not the Greek] at his brightest moment of food bliss).

For a main course, I took on the crispy sweetbread schnitzel, which was very mild versus many sweetbreads I have tried. The lemon & caper sauce, coupled with a rather thick breading, was a bit overpowering on the palette for such a rich organ meat, but it was a substantial portion and a very nice meal despite lacking the delicate nature of a typical sweetbread preparation.

My dining partner opted for the potee (pork shank, belly and tenderloin) served with mushrooms and a horseradish aioli. I tested the belly for him, it was excellent and a gracious cut - and the sauce paired quite well.

Despite the orgy of (unhealthy) beer hall noshing, we also opted for dessert, a crisp, flaky waffle with a fresh churned butter honey and figs - resplendent, particularly paired with the Norwegian Winter ale we sampled alongside it.

One constructive criticisms (which a few faithful readers have asked me to be 'less polite' on) would be the side dishes need some work - the frites were a bit 'vacuous' in their crispness (although the aioli dip was amazing); I would also not order the cavalo nero again (too bitter).

Overall - a good joinder of old world and new world, and a good time will be had by all who attend. Prosit!

Chicago 2008: La Madia

I stumbled upon La Madia with my brother and his wife a few weeks back, and was shocked to learn that this inexpensive, high-quality Italian in River North had been open for some time. Hidden (well, not really) at 59 West Grand, this stylish spot tries (successfully) to make pizza elegant and wine accessible as represented in the motto "Art of Pizza. Love of Wine."

The space has a nice, modern decor, and is well laid out in partitioned rooms for that 'always crowded' feel. Sharp, varied light fixtures impress and the open kitchen makes the restaurant feel personable despite the modern flair.

The waitstaff was helpful and very excited about the menu, making good recommendations on appetizers, pizzas and entrees. However, the assistance on the wine list was not as useful ("all our wines are good").

That said, the wine list has a wide variety of very good bottles, with price points ranging from a $19 Spanish Temparnillo to a handful of big Italians (Ornelleia '04, Tignanello '95/'97) and some top shelf Americans (Quintessa, Dominus). I was impressed by the range and also the accessibility across diners' wallets, particularly the specials by the glass.

We tried the Avignonesi, Nobile di Montepulciano '05 based on our server's recommendation (but that was really to drink something off the list). It was decent, a little lighter than expected, with some tartness, but a good bottle to pair with the appetizers.

We started with a special appetizer of the day, a taleggio-stuffed fig wrapped in prosciutto with frisee. It was nice and looked decadent on the plate, but the balsamic sauce was a little on the salty side (and this is a big thing for me to say, as faithful readers know - I prefer the taste of salt to most all else).

This was followed by the recommended (and excellent) heirloom beet salad (yellow and red), with arugula, salted almonds and gorgonzola dulce. A really tremendous set of ingredients and preparation, with a nice dressing - thin shaved beets, great flavor across the dish. We paired this with an heirloom tomato (red and green) caprese; the bufala mozzarella was solid but I could do without the addition of roasted peppers. It had a strong basil flavor with very tasty (and peppery) green tomatoes accenting the more traditional heirlooms.

At this point, I would point out that these appetizers were too much along with the bread for the three of us - the portions of both salads were immense, and we were just getting to the good stuff.

At its core La Madia is a fancy pizzeria. We ordered three types: taleggio with roasted vin santo grapes; 'Triple pepperoni' with truffle oil (a strangely excellent mix of flavors balanced by fresh basil); and a housemade fennel sausage with mozzarella.

All of the pizzas had superb flavors and toppings. While the crust was a little, well, crusty for my tastes (not as salty/soft as I prefer), my dining companions thought it was just about perfect.


I complement the chef on his selection of such unorthodox combinations of toppings, cheeses and spices - the flavors explode in your mouth and are really unique and tasty.

Check it out, try some new wines - but save room for the pizza, no matter how tempting the appetizers all look!

Chicago 2008: Duchamp

I had the opportunity to sample Michael Taus' new spot, Duchamp, in the old Meritage space in Bucktown/Wicker Park. On this first visit, my dining companions were two newlyweds celebrating their return to fine Chicago cuisine from their honeymoon, so we sampled a range of the items from the menu.

The intimate space is laid out with communal tables, and the decor is warm and modern at the same time. Small candles and dishes of various types of salt line the tables, lending to a subdued but convivial atmosphere.

The wine list was interesting, with a selection of affordable wines from every corner of the globe. We ordered a wine none of us had ever tried before at our server's suggestion, a 2004 Saint Emilion, Chateau des Laurets. The wine was good with earthy undertones, and relatively inexpensive.

We started with a lobster & mushroom pizza, which was a tasty, thin crust and flavorful mushrooms and sauce.

For a main dish, I had the bouillabaisse, which was decent, with a light browth including bok choy and mushroom, and generous portions of sea bass, mussels and rock shrimp.

The newlyweds tried the pork shoulder and the "steak and eggs". The pork was served with a puttanesca sauce, and lacked flavor - tasting a bit like wet tomatoes. The Duchamp version of "Steak & Eggs" was excellent, with grilled skirt steak and a parmesan–smoked bacon quiche & roasted shallot sauce

A fun new spot with solid, savory dishes that are perfect as Chicago's cold weather blows in.....

Paris 2008: Le Pre Catelan

While Frederic Anton's Le Pre Catelan is a bit hard to find (at least the taxi drivers claim), nestled in the middle of the Bois de Boulogne (a la The Boathouse in Central Park), it is well worth the search. Once you arrive at this fine set of mansions buried in the park, the staff quickly whisks you into a set of uniquely-styled rooms (I dined in the art deco parlor room) to begin what will undoubtably be one of your more memorable dining experiences.

Several dedicated waitstaff hovered helpfully (i.e., not too intrusively) around the table, helping make such critical selections as type of water, butter and wine.

While the salted butter doesn't top the rich Normandy crafted slab at Taillevent, the experience and food compared favorably to that perennial favorite of mine. To start, the approachable and direct wine master helped me to choose a half bottle of Puligny Montrachet to start (guided me to the 2005 for a clean and subtle white to start the meal) and was then quite patient as I hemmed and hawed before choosing a rich Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste 1990 to go with the main course, which was a bit tart but very good.

I would describe the meal as traditional French with flair; not going so far as the experimental cuisine that is avante garde these days, but sticking to 'versions' of classic, rich French cuisine.

An amuse of onion cream with pea soup was served neatly in a saucer shortly after my wine order(s) were placed. The onion flavor was very soft, and the pea pronounced. This amuse was a wonderful initiation, and, as I would later realize, it was highlighting two ingredients that would span throughout the meal; across various dishes, the chef sought to use fresh ingredients and maintain a consistent theme of the season.

My dining partner was kind enough to split both appetizers and entrees with me, so I was able to get an even deeper sense of the menu the chef sought to create.

For appetizers, we chose the "La Langoustine" and the house special "L'Os a Moelle". Both were superb in form, creativity and execution. A stunning set of courses.

The four large prawns were each served separately, in four dishes with four tastes and preparations. The first was in a ravioli with mint foam and cracked pepper; then "hot stone" grilled (and left on the searing hot stone on the table); a tempura with a spicy chili sauce that evoked the best dim sum houses in the world, and a liquefied romaine salad which balanced the chilies; and finally and baked with broccoli foam (which seemed almost 'plain' after the other three, but was indeed delicious and perfectly cooked).

The L'Os a Moelle was a triumph and coalesced many of the themes the chef was trying to evoke that evening. Three large bones, each half the length of the last, arranged in a bouquet. The tallest and widest bone full of rich, warm marrow, served with a small side dish of sea salt to melt the flavors into the palate. The other two bones, with some marrow gravy, we chock full of spring peas and chanterelles, both fresh and nicely paired against the richness of the marrow.

After this grand display, the balance of the meal seemed 'normal', but in fact continued as a highly stylized exercise of the best French cuisine has to offer.

We chose two rich specialties of the house: the pigeon and the sweetbreads. Despite the warning by the waiter that the chef's pigeon, the specialty of the season, might be too 'gamey' for mere Americans, I took the plunge and was not disappointed.

The pigeon arrived in two courses; the first was a top a crusty, long sliced baguette, with morsels of breast meat pasted down by a rich foie gras 'dome' covering the dish. The head, neck and leg of the pigeon were also presented, with the head split and the brain left in, sauteed for dining pleasure, all surrounded by a single, long macaroni with a paint of spring pea puree. The dish outwardly appeared gamey and adventurous, but was a good reflection of a French peasant delicacy. The second course of pigeon arrived in a silver domed bowl; two succulent pieces of breast meat, cooked medium rare, in a broth of truffles and (again) spring peas. This was topped off with a pigeon meat ravioli.

My dining companion chose the sweetbreads (which she had never tried, and I applaud her enthusiasm for this new experience). These were served in three decadent ways: a generous portion (think a large crab cake) fried with parmesan (almost seemed American!), another large slice fried with mushrooms, and a set of small 'bites' with celeriac puree (my favorite). Overall, two exciting and sinfully rich courses.

But it didn't end there, of course. A monstrous cheese platter (perhaps 20 selections) was wheeled to the table. We loosened our belts and selected a Comte, a Camberet, a Monbier, and an Essbier. Great to a one, and served as a good accompaniment to finish off the wine.

For dessert, we asked for guidance of the house, and were admonished to quickly order the "best souffle in Paris". We also selected an espresso cake (just to make certain we could write a complete assessment of the restaurant).

As I imagined a warm souffle perfectly prepared, the sommelier selected two dessert drinks, a Vieux Rivesaltes, Recolte '74 and a more recent vintage Chateau Coutet, Sauternes.

When a large, glassy-looking apple arrived topped with silver foil alongside the molten cold chocolate and espresso ice cream tower in a clear, thin sugar glass, I expressed confusion. However, this delicate green sphere certainly was the "best souffle in Paris". A cold, citrus souffle in the sugar apple hid even more surprises: similar to the more edgy Homaru Cantu dishes, the chef had included a pastry bottom laden with "pop rocks" providing a fun and unique end to a fabulous meal.
All I can hope for is that I am able to find this oasis in the park on my next trip to Paris.