Charlie Trotter's

          When I heard Charlie Trotter’s was closing, I planned a trip to Chicago specifically to try it before I lost my chance. I booked my reservation not knowing it was the day before the official 25th anniversary. Between that and the closing a week later, the place was buzzing. The tiny bar in the lobby was full of people, and although it seemed like more of a service bar, they were serving glasses of wine while folks waited for a table (even with a reservation we were told they were running slightly behind).

          I was glad we were seated in the upstairs dining room, it seemed more quiet, and cozy. We chatted with some other diners who were from Chicago but hadn’t been in years and also wanted go before the closing.

          We were given the choice of two tasting menus, the vegetable or grand tasting. We both opted for the grand, although I was tempted to order the vegetarian to see everything they were offering for the night. I also opted for the wine pairings, but had to stop about half way through. The pours were generous, definitely not too much for most and not even too much for me any night, but I was tired and wanted to make sure I didn’t get too sleepy to enjoy my meal.

          The service overall was fantastic, but I got the impression it would have been even better had they not been so busy. When I was cold, they brought me a pashmina scarf but forgot my friend’s request for a lighter, no dairy dessert (although in the end she really enjoyed what came on the menu and I suspect was secretly glad).

           We started with the faroe island salmon roe with roasted salisfy, preserved shallots, and kumomoto oyster. This was a warm broth served with a single kumoto oyster, which was juicy and delicious. It sort of reminded me of Thomas Keller’s oysters and pearls, but it was definitely a unique and creative dish.

          Our second course was the Hamachi with squid ink, green tomato juice, kalamata olives, and avocado sorbet. This was the first time I’ve had Hamachi prepared any way other than sushi. It was rare, and delicious. I loved the flavor of the avocado sorbet and learned that I prefer the fish slight cooked. The combination of different textures in this dish was really outstanding, and we noticed the theme throughout the rest of the meal.

          The third course was a halibut with braised beef cheek, chicken liver purée, chanterelle mushrooms, and apple and onion profiteroles. I loved the combination of all of the flavors in this dish, the halibut was light and buttery, the beef and chicken liver added a salty component, and the apple and onion profiteroles gave it a hint of sweetness. This was another interesting and incredibly well executed combination of many flavors and textures.

          Fourth was the Muscovy duck with smoked coconut, spring onion, and Venezeulan chocolate. This also came with bits of duck confit and the combination of the confit with the sliced breast was fantastic.

          The fifth and final savory course was a lamb shank with curried sunchoke and New Zealand spinach. This also came with a slice of medium rare antelope. I’d never tried antelope before, and this was surprisingly not gamey and reminded me of lamb or venison.

          The first of the sweet courses was a little bit of a palette cleanser, a raspberry sorbet with lemon verbena cream and Chambord curd tart. This was similar to strawberry shortcake; the tart was dense like cake but the dessert overall was very light and flavorful.

          Next was the brown butter corn bread with Michigan cherries and corn gelato. The cornbread itself was light, not very sweet, and intentionally dry. When eaten in combination with the gelato it had the perfect amount of moisture and sweetness that you get with really good cornbread.

          The final course of the evening was the triple criollo Riviera cake with lemon balm puree and strawberry tonka bean sorbet. This was a dark chocolate cake that had more of a consistency like thick mousse or ganache. The chocolate itself was not sweet; it was eating it in combination with the strawberries and sorbet that gave it the sweetness. The strawberries were some of the best I’ve ever had, they were fresh and juicy, and the perfect ending to an amazing meal.

          After dinner, we toured the kitchen, which made an already incredible experience even better. We saw the chef’s table, several of the dishes we had just enjoyed being prepared, and caught a few glimpses of options from the vegetarian tasting we hadn’t tried. It was also the first time in a restaurant kitchen where we were not only allowed but encouraged to take pictures.

          I have mixed feelings about my experience at Charlie Trotter’s. I truly enjoyed the meal and experience, but I’m disappointed I won’t be able to go back. The staff did hint that he would be moving on to other new and exciting projects; I hope it’s the case and would love to try anywhere new that Chef Trotter opens!

Sip Wine Bar

          Sip Wine bar is a new restaurant that just opened in Boston’s theater district. The menu is a mix of small and large plates including sushi, and the extensive wine list (offered by the bottle, glass, or sip) is meant to pair with the food. Sip graciously hosted a blogger meet up last week, where we sampled several items from the small plates menu, the entire dessert menu, and four different types of wine. Everything completely exceeded my expectations, including the service. Our server was fantastic; he was knowledgeable, personable, made several great recommendations, and selected the win pairings for our desserts, which were spot on. The general manager and the chef also stopped by our table a couple of times to welcome us and make sure everything was going well.

          We started with a few items from the small plates menu including the ahi tuna, day boat scallops, skillet roasted mussels, arancini, fried olives, and tempura green beans.

          The tuna was diced raw with ginger, sesame, and chili oil and served on top of a sushi rice cake. I always love tuna tartare, and this was no exception!

          The scallops were blackened on the outside, but a perfect medium to medium rare on the inside and served with slightly spicy horseradish marmalade.

 

         The roasted mussels were served in a sizzling skillet with Italian seasonings and grilled ciabatta bread.

         The arancini were fried crisp on the outside and filled with gooey mozzarella cheese and truffle oil, and served with a marinara sauce.

          The olives were stuffed with sweet Italian sausage, and fried in a panko and red pepper breading. It was the perfect combination of spicy and salty.

I even enjoyed the tempura green beans with soy and BBQ sauces, and I don’t even like green beans!

          After the small plates, we tried some of the sushi based on the manager’s recommendation. We all agreed we probably wouldn’t have thought to order sushi, just because it wasn’t primarily a sushi restaurant but the two dishes we tried (the firecracker yellowtail and sip scallop roll) were definitely group favorites!

          The sip scallop roll was one of the most unusual rolls I’ve tried. It had tempura scallops on the inside, and the whole thing was wrapped in torched salmon belly rather than seaweed.

         The yellowtail was served with daikon radish and a spicy ponzu sauce. The presentation was absolutely stunning and this was my favorite dish of the night.

          We were completely stuffed and considering sharing one dessert, when our server suggested we order them all. We really didn’t need much convincing, and after tasting all of them we were glad we did!

          The apple crisp was my favorite, which was served warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel on top.

         The s’mores were also delicious and a creative presentation (they weren’t your traditional campfire s’mores). The marshmallows were already toasted and came out on skewers, and they were served with a trio of chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, and crumbled graham crackers for dipping.

         The chocolate truffles were rich and decadent, and included two dark, a milk chocolate, and a white. These were served with chocolate, pistachios, and raspberry sauce for dipping. My favorite was the white chocolate, which had a hint of orange.

          I also enjoyed the chocolate cake, key lime, and lemon meringue pie, but I was so full at this point I only tasted a small bite of each.

          I loved everything I tried at Sip, and would definitely go back (hopefully in the near future). I’m excited to try more of the sushi offerings, especially since the menu may be expanding in the near future.

Helen's Kitchen

          Helen’s Kitchen is a cooking school run by Helen Rennie out of her home in Natick, MA. She is extremely knowledgeable about all forms of cooking, and in addition to her classes she has a blog with recipes, tips on buying fish, and video tutorials.

          I attended her class one fish two fish, since fish is something I love but don’t know a ton about cooking. Prior to this class, my experience cooking fish was throw some olive oil, salt, and pepper on it, and stick it under the broiler (usually overcooking it).

          We cooked five types of fish in the class: salmon, swordfish, trout, bluefish, and red snapper. The preparations ranged from incredibly easy to slightly more complicated, but I left feeling confident I could make all of the recipes on my own. Even more important, I now have a couple of go-to recipes I can use on a busy weeknight after work.

          We started with a brief introduction to fish, how to judge its freshness, and the best cooking methods for different types of fish based on their personalities (thickness, texture, fat, and flavor). Next, we sliced and seasoned the fish with kosher salt and pepper, and set aside any we weren’t cooking with in the next hour.

          The first recipe we prepared was salmon teriyaki. This was the easiest preparation; we mixed soy sauce with sweet and sour sauce and coated the salmon lightly. We broiled it in the oven for about eight minutes, adding a bit more sauce as the fish was close to being done. I really enjoyed the combination of the salmon and the sauce, it had a great Asian flare.

Photo by Helen Rennie

          Next was the trout fried in almonds, which ended up being my personal favorite. We coated the trout in egg, dipped it in chopped almonds, and pan fried the filets in grape seed oil. When they were done cooking, we topped the fish with melted butter and fresh herbs. This was only slightly more difficult than the salmon, but still quick and easy enough to make in less than twenty minutes with very little preparation.

Photo by Helen Rennie

          The final three recipes were slightly more involved; we finished these around the same time, plated them, and sat down to a delicious, healthy dinner. These included bluefish with crispy potatoes, swordfish Provençal, and red snapper with fregola salad.

          The bluefish was another favorite. We prepared this by slicing the potatoes thin with a mandolin, coating them with olive oil, and baking them in a cast iron skillet. While the potatoes cooked, we coated the fish with lime juice, garlic, and parsley. When the potatoes were just about done, we added the bluefish on top, baked the whole thing together, and finished the dish with fresh herbs.

          The swordfish Provençal was probably the most difficult dish we made that night. We prepared a sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, and white wine which simmered for about thirty minutes while we worked on other dishes. We then coated the swordfish in lemon and olive oil, pan fried it, and topped it with the chunky tomato sauce.

          The final dish was red snapper with fregola salad; we pan fried the snapper and then served it with a fregola and corn salad Helen had prepared in advance. This tasted great, and we learned a little bit about plating techniques!

          I learned a lot in this class, and enjoyed everything we prepared. I would love to take another class at Helen’s Kitchen, she has a ton of great offerings including knife skills, sushi, French, and more.

Fugakyu

          I tried Fugakyu recently, after not having been for several years. I was reminded of how delicious it is and wondered why I hadn’t been back sooner! Both the food and atmosphere are impressive; the place is huge, with rooms to eat in traditional Japanese style on the floor and the standard American tables. They have a pond with real fish in the lobby, and a sushi bar where you can grab small plates off sushi off boats as they float by.

          I tried a mix of appetizers and sushi, starting with the Miso soup. It was very good, not too salty like Miso can be, and the seaweed was extremely fresh.

          Next I tried the beef Carpaccio. This isn’t something I’d normally order, but I really enjoyed it. The beef was very tender and I loved flavor of the toasted garlic.

          The tuna tartare was next, and this was some of the best I’ve had. It was a generous portion served in a martini glass with tempura flakes and spicy mayo mixed in.

         I finished with a spicy tuna roll and black tiger maki. The spicy tuna roll was very fresh, and like the tuna tartare had tempura flakes. The black tiger maki was one of my favorites; it came with tuna, asparagus, and avocado on the inside, and seared salmon and tiger shrimp on the outside. This came with the whole tiger shrimp, and what wasn't in the roll was on the side in the shell and could be eaten like lobster. It was delicious and a fantastic presentation!

 

         I enjoyed everything I tried at Fugakyu, and will definitely be back. I’ve been craving sushi ever since!

49 Social

          I tried 49 Social recently, not realizing until I arrived that they were in the same space as Ivy, an old favorite of mine. The atmosphere and décor really hadn’t changed much, so I was hopeful when I sat down and even more hopeful when I saw the menu – everything looked amazing!

          I started with a cocktail, Broken Vines, which was their version of sangria made with moscato, club soda, and frozen stone fruit. It was definitely the sweetest sangria I’ve ever had, and although I enjoyed it I switched to a white wine with dinner.

          I tried the deconstructed tuna maki for an appetizer, which was delicious but more like pieces of tuna nigiri sushi than maki. The tuna was delicious and fresh, and topped with a spicy mayo, lotus Root, Tobiko, Nori Powder, Ponzu Foam. I ate two pieces as is, and then ate just the fish without the rice to save room for my entrée. This was a generous portion and the rice made it very filling.

          I also sampled the clam chowder, which was delicious even on a hot day. It was thick and creamy, filled with plenty of clams, potatoes, and bacon, and topped with fried leeks.

          I had a really hard time deciding on an entrée, everything on the menu sounded good. I went with the duo of chicken, which included confit leg and thigh, a statler breast, collard greens, and truffle mac and cheese. This dish had a very southern feel but I felt slightly less guilty because the chicken was roasted rather than fried. The chicken was juicy, with crisp skin and the mac and cheese was delicious (although I would have liked to see some real truffles in addition to the truffle oil).

          Overall I had a great experience at 49 Social. This meal made me less sad at Ivy's closing, and I would love to go back and try some of the other dishes!

Eastern Standard

          This past weekend I went to a blogger meet up at Eastern Standard, where I got to try some delicious food and drinks, and chat with some new and familiar faces! The bar is definitely a hot spot, and on a Friday night it was packed. Despite the crowd and busy atmosphere, we never felt rushed and our server took the time to explain all the menu items to us in detail and answer all of our questions.

          We started with a new cocktail on the menu, the Garden Grove. Our server explained that this was a shrub, or a vinegar-based cocktail, which is an old now new trend. The drink also included blackberry and thyme, and was tart but refreshing the same time. It was a nice twist on a summer drink menu.

          The first dish we sampled was a flatbread with sautéed tomatoes, nicoise olives, and melted cheese. This dish was light and perfect for sharing.

           We also tried a cheese and charcuterie plate, with beef summer sausage, minted lamb andouille, goat cheese, a raw cow’s milk cheese, cherries, cornichon, and toasted mini baguettes. Everything tasted great, but my favorites were the lamb andouille and the goat cheese.

          The fried chicken livers came out next. This was something I’d never had before, and it tasted almost like a cross between sweet breads and fois gras.

          Next was my favorite dish of the night, the roasted bone marrow. This came with three small bones, you scoop the marrow out and spread it on toast with sea salt and a gremolata. I loved the flavor of the bone marrow so much, I didn’t even use the gremolata and just sprinkled a touch of sea salt on top. 

          The final savory dish we tried was the baked mac and cheese. This was incredibly cheesy and delicious and came with chunks of pancetta. This was definitely some of the best and mac and cheese that I’ve had.

          Unfortunately I had to leave before dessert was served, but I heard the fig tart and banana bread pudding were amazing. I will definitely be back at Eastern Standard soon for the full experience – appetizer, entrée, and dessert!