Aigre Doux

Aigre Doux or Don't. I say do. My girlfriends and I were seated at a table near the kitchen which gave us a chance to see the entire restaurant; the décor was nice but my friend said not much had changed from its days as Pili Pili. I did appreciate the very pretty arrangements of fresh flowers on all the tables.

One reason I enjoyed Aigre Doux is their assistance with the wine. We were a group of five planning on eating everything from fish to lamb and were wanting a wine other than Pinot Noir. I suggested a bottle but asked our waitress for assistance. She conferred with her counterparts and came back suggesting a more appropriate, lower price wine. How often does that happen?  We ordered multiple bottles.

Another reason is the food – everything and I do mean everything we ordered had a perfect combination of flavors. We started with Parmesan topped bread that would make any carb-avoider weaken. The chestnut soup with pork belly was decadent - I could have licked the bowl; the scallop sashimi (with hearts of palm and a passionfruit sauce on the side) and ravioli with chanterelles and celery root, both fabulous.

For dinner I had the slow baked Alaskan salmon with farro risotto, zucchini brunoise and a pomegranate sauce. The sauce was not tart at all and went wonderfully with the salmon. I love farro. It is a great grain, it's not rice, and it was cooked perfectly. The Colorado rack of lamb – excellent. The truffled grits, fennel and apple, fava bean salad all paired wonderfully with it. The pan seared Loupe de Mer (sea bass) was cooked wonderfully and served with herbed gnocchi in a ginger emulsion – very, very tasty, especially for ginger lovers. We also had the evening's special, halibut with fingerling potatoes and swiss chard – again a great ensemble of complimenting flavors.

Desserts were good – not out of this world but tasty. We had a melting chocolate tart with cocoa nibs. It has a hard crust and warm, gooey center.

Ok, the only bad part of our experience was the timing of food delivery. We waited almost an hour between appetizers and dinner being served; after being requested by the waitress to put in both orders together so they could time it better, huh? That didn’t work too well for them.

Since our food must have been coming up at different times, some dishes were cooked right and others were too cold or over-cooked. We actually sent back the Venison for being over-cooked and received the Colorado Rack of Lamb, which was cooked perfectly. The slow baked salmon, since it is wrapped into a cylinder like shape, was good on the outside but a bit underdone on the inside. My friend’s salmon was overdone all the way through.

For me, this wasn’t really all that bad. I love long dinners, chatting with friends and drinking tasty wine. I prefer to dine slowly ordering my appetizers and then deciding what to have for my main meal.

And the staff did do a great job correcting the wrongs. Again the Colorado rack of lamb was excellent and they didn’t charge us for it. Plus we got a complimentary cookie plate because we waited a while for our food, which consisted of homemade oreos (quite good), marshmallows (not so great) and a few other tasty treats.The waitress, waiters, and hostesses were all helpful and pleasant. It was just timing and execution. The flavors are there. The presentation is there. the service is there, the wine is there… but as my friend said “After being open for a year, the processes of cooking and delivering hot food should be well in-hand”.

It’s your call but I still say Aigre Do…

Aigre Doux
230 W. Kinzie
312-329-9400

Comments

[Two Jacks]

Based on the humurous and insightful review... I can't wait to check it out.

[Charbel Nasser]

Okay well you started the do and Doux I say definitely Do and doux (just in case... Doux means sweet in French). (well if you insist, Aigre means sour, there you have it sour, sweet).
As foodies, my girlfriend Mary and I give high hats off for this beautiful restaurant.
we celebrated New Year's evening at Aigre Doux, and it was by far the best food we've ever had on a New Year's eve. I'm sure you all know how sloppy it can get even at the best restaurants.
But forget New Year's... The standards at "Aigre Doux" are extremely high at every level. The food is to die for, litterally. The ravioli appetizer made me want to get up, head to the kitchen and applaud chef Mouhammad Islam, maybe I should have, I'll do it next time.
The Guinea hen and the prime rib recommended by our waiter made us happy, what a way to start a new year.
the wait staff was very nice, all had a sense of humour, including the car valet, all friendly, it felt as if all of them were friends. Almost all at some point said hi, or smiled or commented on how Mary and I do the right thing and switch plates at the half mark, doubling our tasting experience.
The wine list is great, it has classics and new intrigues, plus it goes from affordable ($30's) to moderate ($60's) to kind of pricey ($100's+), and the good thing is that the affordable ones are good options.
The bread, baked on premise by Malika, the chef's wife tasted very fresh and so delicious. It had what we call in Middle Eastern culture "barakéh", meaning "blessing".
The lighting matches the interior design, very comforting and simple in a warm way and classy at the same time.
The deserts made by Malika as well were so well balanced, not too sweet not too sour just right. I like what Mary told Malika, when she and the chef visited our table, "there is depth to the deserts".
The live jazz music was so nice and complimenting to the entire mood.
There was a feeling of generosity overall, a sense of honesty. the food is recognizible, you know what you're eating. And you recognize it's goodness.
Chicago is one of the best food cities in the world. And it's being more and more noted. It only makes sense that Aigre Doux adds itself to the scene and takes a place high up on our list of most recommended restaurants. Cheers!