Chicago Foodies

Sixteen's New Chef Thomas Lents Recommits Trump to Fine Dining

When your restaurant is located in Trump Tower, it seems a given that it would ooze fine dining. Or would it? A recent spate of "re-concepting" to more casual ventures from The Peninsula's Avenues, The Four Seasons' Allium (née Seasons), and The Park Hyatt's NoMI Kitchen (née NoMI), makes one wonder whether Sixteen's new chef, Thomas Lents, wasn't also headed in that direction. The answer, it turns out, it a resounding "no." Here, Lents explains why not.

Chicago Foodies: Why stay fine dining?
Lents: I think fine dining is always going to be relevant. Like any trend, the farm-to-table trend has reached its apex. Some people want space between tables, don't want to have to shout over people, and want to enjoy the companionship of fine dining. That market is here, and the talent level of other chefs in Chicago is certainly here. You have a fine setting in Sixteen, and a beautiful room, and it demands fine dining. I think there's room for not just maintaining the status quo in fine dining, but coming up with a new level for it.

CF: What does that mean to you?
Lents: You need to give choice to people and make it approachable and comfortable, and you can take some of the techniques and ingredient-driven ideas that have come through, and put them in a fine dining setting. If you look at my menu, you'll see ox tail and bone marrow, and I am a big belivever in nose-to-tail cooking. I've been doing farm-to-table for 20 years, but my tables and my farms are just a bit more spread out.

4 Things to Try at Tavernita

Ryan Poli's Tavernita opened just a few weeks ago to patrons hoping for the chic style of Mercadito, a bar dressed to impress and the flavors of Spain. Needless to say, guests haven't been disappointed.

The ambiance is sophisticated and trendy, and the food matches perfectly. The bigger problem is what to order. From crudos, to small plates and entree sized meals, there is almost as much to offer on the food menu as the drink menu. Here are four dishes worth the buzz. 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race at Takashi's Slurping Turtle

For quite some time, the Slurping Turtle opening has been dangling in front of our faces. We came so close to those steaming bowls of housemade ramen weeks and even months ago. So when Takashi Yagihashi finally opened the doors to his new noodle hotspot, I couldn't wait long before stopping in to try it out. 

After hearing wonderful things about Takashi's namesake restaurant in Bucktown, I set the bar pretty high. When you arrive at Slurping Turtle, you'll realize why the construction took so long. One long communal table flanks the center of the restaurant, while small booths circle the outer rim.

BLT American Brasserie Now Open in River North

Maybe they're all trying to capitalize on holiday diners and shoppers, but last week was quite a week for restaurants openings. First came Bar Toma, The Slurping Turtle, and Yusho, and on Friday night, Laurent Tourondel's BLT American Brasserie opened unexpectedly. While the project, housed in the former Brasserie Ruhlman space on Superior, had been in the works for some time, it was something of a surprise when the doors finally flung open. So, what can Chicago expect from this NYC import?

Much-Anticipated Bar Toma and Slurping Turtle Open Downtown

Love it or hate it, you're going to be spending some time shopping downtown this month. In the consumer playground between Pearson and Hubbard, diners generally had to choose between two categories of restaurants: the generic tourist traps (here's looking at you, Pizzeria Uno!) and sceney lounges like Paris Club and Hub 51. Thankfully, homeotown heroes Tony Mantuano and Takashi Yagihashi bring two new casual restaurants to the area this week, just in time to save your holiday season sanity.

Eating Gluten Free is Hard! Or is it?

I was tested years ago for food allergies and the blood tests proved to be inconclusive so I never pursued it further. On a recent trip to my doctor she was reviewing some of the old lab results as reference for our conversation and noted that although I tested negative for Celiac Disease my scores were on the higher end of the range. She recommended eliminating gluten from my diet for a couple of weeks to see if it made a difference. She said, “Really, how hard could it be?” How hard could it be? My initial thought was extremely hard. I had been eating wheat at every meal every day of my life. It took me several weeks just to mentally prepare myself for the task. I decided to start the diet on a day that I went to The Loving Hut in Edgewater for lunch and noticed gluten free symbols next to several dishes. I was encouraged to see that I could go gluten free and still enjoy going out to eat.

Dose – River East Indoor Market

One Sunday a month food and fashion have somethings in common. They're both trendy, fun to shop for and they're both featured at River East's Dose Market. The market showcases a handful of artisinal or organic eateries as well as a number of small boutiques and vintage shops.While there is a $8 fee for tickets, these aren't the types of vendors you'll find at just any street fair.

The food vendors seemed to be trying to upstage each other. After sampling a butternut squash tea cake from Floriole,  delicious, I moved on to  a candy bar from Mayana Chocolate. I still regret not buying one of their Dose bars,  a delicate organic Twix-style creamy chocolate bar. Homemade nutella marshmallows were roasted on the spot at 240sweet. With handmade graham crackers to boot, this is one vendor definitely worth checking out.

Pops for Prosecco

Most people overlook Prosecco. There's wine...and then there's Champagne. Isn't that it? Prosecco is actually a delicious sparkling wine that comes from specific regions in Italy; Prosecco is made from the Glera grape and has now become the designation.  If you aren't sure if you like Prosecco, there's no better place to test out the waters than Pops for Champagne. The River North establishment is full of sophisticated sippers having intimate conversations. 

The Adami Prosecco tasting I attended definitely fulfilled my expectations - and even included some addicting cheeses. From what I had tasted previously, Champagne and Prosecco seemed fairly one note. This is not so. I enjoyed trying out a still Prosecco that tasted much like any good Pinot grigio. Brute Prosecco, while not my favorite, is enjoyed by many who enjoy a strong, sweet flavor. 

I would highly recommend Adami's Dei Casel Extra Dry. It just has a unique flavor, and you want to keep on enjoying it. It's easy to tell the softer varieties just by the smell alone. They have a much smoother mouthfeel and are easy to drink.

From asking around at the tasting, I found out that while cheaper Proseccos are definitely enjoyable, you will get a much more complex flavor by investing even in a $20 bottle. The Adami family is very precise with their bottling and the fermenting process. For a sparkling wine so labor intensive to make, it's incredible you can find it at Binny's. 

My favorite tidbit of information I learned from the evening is that Prosecco is surprisingly simple to pair with food. Prosecco with food? It's actually a great idea. Vietnamese food or Thai curries are perfect pairing options. The sparkling wine won't overwhelm the strong flavors of the food. 

Are you convinced yet? Go out and buy a bottle to enjoy at your next special dinner - or the next time you order takeout. 

--Marly Schuman

Restaurant Specials: June 27 - July 3

This week it's all about the tastings, and the pre-independence day celebrations.

Tuesday, June 28:

Benny's Chop House

From 6 - 8 p.m. guests can sample different Proseccos and sparkling wines from the Italian region. The event is featuring Sparkling Veneto and hosted by the Italian Trade Commission. Best part of all, it's free to attend.

Located at 444 N. Wabash Avenue in River North.

Phone: 312-626-2444

Glenmorangie Scotch & Bowties Benefit – NoMI Friday, 6/24

Ryan LaRoche, chef of NoMI, located in the Park Hyatt on the Magnificent Mile, will be serving up Glenmorangie Single Malt scotch pairings at the Scotch and Bowties benefit, held at NoMI, Art Gallery on June 24 between 7 and 9. There will also be a "bow tie butler" on hand for tutorials (for those who have tried a bow tie, myself included, it's frustrating) as well as a bow tie gift.  

The event is $95 for couples and $75 for singles, and the most important thing is it's a good cause: remember you are only paying roughly two-thirds the cost if you claim it as a charitable donation on your taxes.  The beneficiary is the Passport to Manhood within the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, helping develop responsibility in underprivledged young men.   Special room rates are aslo available at the Park Hyatt.

It would also make for a great Father's Day gift.   You can RSVP with Lynne Bredfeldt for a guaranteed dinner.

Giuseppe Tentori's GT – Oyster-Briefing

The secret's getting out about oysters... here are some awesome clues, hints, tasting notes and pairing suggestions. Always respect the knowledge! (Could also call this the Blair Oyster Project)

Pairing Oysters with Wine

A while back, Chicago Foodies was invited to a wine and oyster pairing event at Shaw's Crab House and Oyster Bar, a fitting place to become more educated about different oyster styles.  The panel was led by Rowan Jacobsen, an engaging and well-rounded author who had written books such as A Geography of Oysters and American Terroir, a book describing a sense of place regarding a variety of items other than the typical things we associate with location, such as wine and coffee.  Three winemakers were represented, courtesy of importer W.J. Deutsch:  André Lurton, a large producer in Bordeaux;  The Crossings, from New Zealand; and Barone Fini, a family-owned Trentino and Alto Adige producer of Pinot Grigio with roots dating from the late fifteenth century, represented by the charming Giovanni Bonmartini-Fini.

Balsan – Sunday Family-Style Supper

The Elysian is a stunning example of a modern high rise that can pull off classical elegance without being over the top.  Somehow it manages to be discrete as well; from its hidden, European-style courtyard to its impressive marble foyer, it was almost impossible to figure out how to go to Balsan, the restaurant on the third floor.

Along with other writers, we were invited to sample the $29 family-style Sunday night meal.  A tasty salad was served first, made of apple, celeriac (a type of celery root), and arugula, mixed with tarragon and a mustard vinagrette.  The other starter was perfectly-cooked sea scallops with fennel, orange butter sauce, parsley, and capers (though, frankly, how many times do you get bad scallops?).  

Nacional 27 Prix Fixe for $27

Though the recession is probably over at this point, good deals still abound for those still willing to eat out at restaurants, particularly at off-peak hours. At Nacional 27, I stumbled across a $27 prix fixe dinner that looked worth investigation, and included 3 courses plus wine or sangria. The catch is that it is available from 5-6:30 pm every day, and your party needs to be seated by 6:15 pm. No matter, I can eat at pretty much any hour of the day, and if anyone can make the early-bird special sexy, it's Nacional 27.

If you are unfamiliar with Nacional 27, it is named for the 27 Latin American countries south of the border. Their mission is to take traditional Latin dishes and serve them with a twist. This means your steak may be covered in a Malbec reduction, and your guacamole served with taro chips. Popular Chicago mixologist Adam Seger helms the bar offerings, and regularly teaches classes featuring his cocktail recipes. The restaurant also serves as a part-time dance hall, with complimentary lessons, salsa competitions and DJs spinning Latin rhythms after 11 pm on weekends. This is contemporary Latin with a flair for theatrics.

Restaurant Week: Topolobampo

With a PBS series, several cookbooks, multiple James Beard awards, and a prolific Twitter account under his belt, Rick Bayless is an undisputed elder statesman of Chicago's culinary scene. Despite my best intentions though, I never made it to either of his flagship restaurants, Frontera Grill or Topolobampo. There was always some new opening to see, another hole-in-the-wall to discover. Then last September, Bayless won Top Chef Masters, the lead time to get a reservation increased exponentially, and I put it off visiting some more.

But, strange things happen when you decide to move out of town. My normally procrastination-friendly mindset has evaporated and I am suddenly scrambling to check off items from an ever-growing bucket list. Should I be trying new restaurants? Revisiting old favorites? Should I be embarrassed that I've never eaten a burger from Kuma's? Is it really worth waiting in line for 4 hours at Great Lakes just to say I've tried the "best pizza in America"? I think I've covered a fair amount of territory already, but there are certainly missing Legos. Where would you go if you had two months left in Chicago? Anyway, the combination of impending deadlines and Restaurant Week was sufficient motivation for me to make a reservation at Topolobampo, 6 weeks in advance. And now that I have finally tried the Mexican maestro's work, I am upset that I didn't haul myself here earlier.

Pierrot Gourmet – Macarons, Macarons... Everywhere!

I am not sure if it is my imagination, but macarons seem to be everywhere these days. Restaurant menus, cafes, even Starbucks has a variety pack of 12 macarons to go with your skinny latte.
I was lucky enough to eat 'real' French macarons while on vacation last year and have not tried any recently through fear of disappointment. That was until last weekend, when we ate at Pierrot Gourmet, the restaurant attached to the Peninsula hotel. 

Their macarons were good, and fresh (much more so than I would expect the Starbucks version to be). They were quite large, which I think took something away from the taste, and meant that I felt more guilty for having eaten 3 in under 5 minutes. As the classic flavors are often best with macarons, we steered clear of the 'PB&J' version and got some chocolate and raspberry to take home.  We will certainly be going back for more......

 
 

Fado Irish Pub: It's not a Latke, it's a Boxty

I’ve had they pleasure of consuming a Boxty on a few occasions. Have you? Until last year, I was unaware of the Irish Boxty, which is the cousin of Tortilla Espanola and the potato latke. Fado Irish Pub offers several Boxty on their menu. This potato pancake dish is found in more rural parts of Ireland and cooked on a griddle instead of a frying pan. It is a perfect consistency to wrap up a hearty meal (like the Trinity Steak Boxty) or as a quesadilla. My favorite on the Fado Boxty menu is the Veggie Boxty Quesadilla. If you like grilled veggies, sour cream, cheese and marinated tomatoes, this might be the perfect pub dish for you.  www.fadoirishpub.com

The BEST 'Happy Hour' in Chicago… Fleming's

Fleming's has been serving their "5 for $6 'Til 7" special this summer and, frankly, it's the best deal in the city. They're offering a selection of 5 Cocktails, 5 Wines and 5 Appetizers for $6 initially, until 7pm but it now is running all night.  If there is a downside to tasty and affordable beef carpaccio, seared tuna, lump crab cakes and top shelf cocktails it's that the dining area is not a rooftop deck. That said, the rooftops seem to be aloof and un-apologetically trendy to a fault.

So I find myself more often than expected enjoying an after work snack of seared tuna with a lovely wasabi/mustard sauce and a nice glass of Mondavi's Solaire Chardonnay. Followed by a Dimond Rita (glorified margarita with Herradura) or a Grey Goose Appletini hold the apple and the jumbo lump crab cakes – all together you're looking at $24. Not bad at all.

Naha - Restaurant Week

Browsing the Restaurant Week options, the menu for Naha caught my eye for being interesting and well-planned, rather than a cleverly disguised effort to offload the restaurant's highest profit margin courses. House salad and pasta? No thanks. Plus, any restaurant that makes efforts to incorporate local, seasonal ingredients is worth a second look in my mind. Executive chef Carrie Nahabedian has created a regionally-sourced menu with Mediterranean and Californian influences and the results are impressive.

Sixteen at Trump Tower

Last week, I was lucky enough to be treated to dinner at Sixteen, the restaurant at Chicago's Trump International Hotel & Tower. This officially marks the most expensive meal of my life, though ultimately I wasn't paying for it (phew). Sixteen opened fairly recently last spring, to much hoopla and fanfare as is appropriate for a Trump property. Now, does it live up to the hype?