Archive for the ‘Chicago’ Category

Paris Club – Chicago

Sunday, July 24th, 2011
Brasserie Jo is re-invented into Paris Club
*****
Paris Club 2

Paris Club
59 West Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60610
312-595-0800
website: www.parisclubchicago.com
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 4pm-12am
Thurs-Fri 4pm-2am
Sat: 4pm-3am
Sun 4pm-10pm

Well-known French Chef Joho, and RJ and Jerrod Melman, sons of Rich Melman of “Lettuce Entertain You” fame have re-invented the space, which was formally Brasserie Jo. They are introducing to the River North neighborhood of Chicago a very straightforward, brasserie-style of French cooking, which will definitely appeal to a new generation of diners, with an emphasis on share-plates. They have assembled an impressive culinary team of some of the most respected names in French dining. The Paris Club kitchen will be led by executive chef Tim Graham (Brasserie JO, TRU), as well as notable French-trained chefs Walter Manzke (Church & State, Bastide), Doug Psaltis (Alain Ducasse, French Laundry) and Michael Bellovich (HUB 51).

Highlights of the menu include Scallop and Uni Tartare (an interesting combination), Sweet Frites, Short Rib Bourguinon and Vegetable Cassoulet plated with an array of fresh and seasonal sautéed vegetables.  Smaller portions make ordering simple and encourage guests to try a variety of offerings, such as Escargot by the piece, Lamb Meatballs with Harissa Tomato Sauce, and bite-size Croque Monsieurs “fingers”. In addition to these items, Paris Club also serves an array of homemade charcuteries and pates.

The team has handpicked a list of more than 10 champagnes, 25 reds and 25 whites representing France and U.S. vintners to offer guests easy, reasonably-priced, drinkable wines by the glass or bottle (see below). The restaurant will also feature a number of proprietary wines and craft beers on tap, as well as signature champagne cocktails and aperitifs.

Studio Paris upstairs is an indoor/outdoor lounge that doubles as a functioning photo studio by day and nightclub by night.  The club features an impressive outdoor lounge seating area under a retractable glass roof (a necessity due to Chicago’s quickly changing weather) that opens to the Chicago skyline. A 25-foot bar, festooned with bottles of French champagne, connects the indoor/outdoor bar area. Somewhat resembling the high energy clubs frequently seen throughout Europe, guests can expect to hear great music, see impromptu sets from recording artists visiting the Windy City and take in music spun by guest DJs from around the world.
The only way to secure a table reservation is with bottle service. Should you wish to come upstairs for cocktails or small bites, check in when you arrive – they let people enter based on availability. Table reservations can be made by filling out the form on their website Studio Paris is also available to host private events and photo shoots.

Studio Paris: Hours of Operation:

Wed 5:00pm-12:00am
Thurs-Fri 5:00pm-2:00am
Sat 6:00pm-3:00am
Sun 5:00pm-11:00pm

Dinner 2

DessertWine

Grant Achatz About to Open New Restaurant Called “Next” – Chicago

Friday, March 25th, 2011

small logo RDCCulinary Tidbits . . . It sounds like an attention-getting scheme to me, although next month when Grant Achatz opens a new restaurant in Chicago called “Next”, if in fact it opens, could be the most burdensome ever in culinary history. “My idea of fun seems to be more work,” he said; he will remain in charge of Alinea, his acclaimed restaurant nearby, while he is refining the new menu, which will be painstakingly reproduced from the classical French repertoire: whole lobes of foie gras baked in brioche, clear turtle soup with Madeira, duck pressed and sauced with its own blood and marrow, as served at the Tour d’Argent in Paris for more than 200 years.
These dishes, will be served for all of three months. Next will then morph into an entirely different restaurant, and again into something different three months after that.

Chicago Dining, First Check the Weather Report – Chicago

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Chicago Skyline 2DINING IN CHICAGO – BETTER LOOK AT THE WEATHER REPORT

Residents of Chicago say that if you are not happy with the weather now—do not worry it will soon change.
That is so true, and when last here in this fair city, it amazed me how many alternating conditions might occur within a twelve-hour period.
Most people will agree that weather has a great deal to do with the rudimentary choices one makes as to what and where to eat. Will it be indoors or out, casual or serious, heavy or light? Advancing it still further, we must understand that weather plays an important part in the types of food and drink that are consumed in different parts of the world. Most diners have not given it the slightest thought, although they probably would not drink port wine at midday in the tropics or eat a fruit salad for dinner on a cold winter’s night. Today, when comestibles from almost everywhere in the world are available globally, tinned, frozen or fresh, diners have to use common sense as to what to eat in accordance with the dictates of the weather.
In places with more prevailing weather conditions, it can still be troublesome to decide on where to dine at any given moment, especially if more than one person is involved. In Chicago, the whole decision making process becomes that much more complicated because of the constantly changing weather.
Chicago has an answer for residents and visitors alike, by offering a restaurant for every mood, taste, and change in the weather in a city that caters to the theory of eat, drink and be merry.

The Bristol
2152 N. Damen Ave. (Webster St.) Send to Phone
Chicago, IL 60647
773-862-5555

Chef-partner Chris Pandel creates innovative dishes from seasonal produce in a  casual yet refined setting with ingredients for many dishes that are made-from-scratch including but not limited to: vinegar, pickles and even ketchup.

The Publican
837 W. Fulton Market (Green St.) Send to Phone
Chicago, IL 60607
312-733-9555
Cuisine: American Regional
Opening Hours: Dinner nightly, Brunch Sun.
Full bar
Reservations required Sun.
Valet parking Fri.-Sat.
Casual
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

The Publican is a type of brasserie from the team that created Blackbird and Avec. once they taste the Wagyu beef tartare with duck fat fries; crispy-skinned pork belly; or wood-roasted black sea bass, all is forgiven. (Although the no-reservations policy, except on Sunday for the family-style dinners, might not be.) With a vibe that lies somewhere in between a European beer hall and a Henry VIII feast—think a large U-shaped communal table, booths enclosed with swinging doors, 14-foot-high ceilings—this Fulton Market restaurant may not look like it’s dishing out such good food, but chef de cuisine Brian Huston definitely is. Look for 100-plus ales, lagers, stouts and ciders, including Juliet, a wonderful fruity beer from local brewer Goose Island. Tide yourself over during the inevitable wait at one of the tiered round tables in the bar.

Yoshi’s Cafe
3257 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL
(312) 248-6160
Japanese/French
Expensive

A lovely 48-seat Lincoln Park cafe where Japanese accented renditions of French and Italian cuisine are prepared. The newly renovated setting is elegant and two new menus have been implemented one more casual that the other.  It is probably the best value for haute cuisine in the city.

Arun’s
4156 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago IL
(312) 539-1909
Thai
Very Expensive
Full bar, wine list

The unpretentious exterior gives no clue as to the lavish setting within and prices to match. The two floors offer a choice of compartmentalized rooms and crannies where a total of 80 persons may dine.
A set multi-course-tasting menu at $75 is the only choice; a westernized version of what they would term in Thailand as palace cuisine. Although good, the cooking is definitely geared to the American palate.
Three curries, grilled pork salad, celestial salad, Golden baskets are always good.

Everest
One Financial Plaza 440 S. LaSalle St., 40th Floor, Chicago, IL
(312) 663-8920
French
Very Expensive

Perched on top of the Chicago Stock Exchange on the 40th floor the Everest restaurant commands a westerly vista where diners, on a clear day, can view the city and beyond for many miles. Chef/Owner Jean Joho presents a superb selection of Alsacian specialties and a wine list to match. His outstanding cuisine and exemplary service by a friendly staff insures that Everest will remain one of the best restaurants in America.
Starters: Sauteed Pork Cheek, Green Lentils, Warm and Cold Foie Gras; Shirred Egg, Beluga Caviar, Marc de Alsace de Gewurztraminer; Salmon Souffle Auberge de L’Ill, Homage to Paul Haeberlin.Main courses: Roasted Squab, Marinated Turnips a la mode de Colmar; Poached Tenderloin of Beef, Pot au Feu Style, Horseradish Sauce; Crepinette of Guinea Hen, Wrapped and Roasted, Cabbage Alsace Style; Minnesota Free Range Poussin, Cracked Corn, Natural Juice.

Paris Club
59 W. Hubbard
312-595-0800
Casual French
(Opening February 2011)

The Paris Club venture with the Melman Brothers (Jerrod and R.J.) and Chef Jean Joho from Everest and the late Brasserie Jo, which was the most wonderful and authentic French brasserie in America, is poised to open sometime in February. There is not a lot of information coming from the Melman camp but they do mention “French”, “Casual”, & “Funky” as descriptive key words.

Charlie Trotter’s

816 W. Armitage Ave.,
Tel. (312) 248-6228
American
Very Expensive

Charlie Trotter, who is the current darling of the Chicago restaurant scene, creates a different menu nightly (except Sunday and Monday) from ingredients and methods borrowed from far and wide, in a slick two-story renovated Lincoln Park brownstone with a Biedermeier inspired design featuring clean lines and muted colors. The first floor seats just over thirty while the second floor balcony seats thirty-six and another thirty-six in the salon respectively.
Adjoining the restaurant is a test kitchen where Trotter tapes TV segments and on occasion gives cooking classes.
The restaurant kitchen uses only the finest ingredients available, the service is top notch, and the whole experience can be quite exhilarating. To really experience the varying styles of Chef Trotter’s cooking, ordering the tasting menu is a must.
The Grand Degustation is a multi course menu with both cold and hot starters and two main courses. The first seating starts at 5:30pm and the restaurant closes between 11pm and midnight depending on the bookings. The restaurant has a full bar and a large wine list. It is essential to reserve well in advance, as the restaurant is usually fully booked.

Frontera Grill –  Topolobampo
445 N. Clark St., Chicago
(312) 661-1434
Closed Sunday & Monday
Quality Mexican
Moderate

Located in the same building Frontera Grill (seating 65) is the more casual of the two restaurants. Topolobampo, the higher-end operation, seats only 45. They both share the same entrance and both have outdoor seating. Chef/Owner Rick Bayless is nationally acclaimed for his authentic cooking that represents many of the important gastronomic areas within Mexico. He is relentless in his quest for the finest ingredients and to truly reproduce Mexican cuisine on the highest level.
Tamales de Pescado Yucatecan tamales flavored with achiote, filled with fresh catfish, steamed in bananas leaves and served with fresh tomato sauce; Garnachas small homemade tortillas topped with savory pork pibil, pickledonions and habanero salsa; Cazuela de Borrego al Cascabel charcoal-seared lamb simmered with woodland mushrooms, potatoes and Mexican vegetables; Guacamole fresh and chunky, served with tortilla chips; Tostaditas made-to-order tortilla chips with two salsas; three-chile (cascabel, morita, guajillo) and roasted tomatillo with serrano and cilantro; Puerco en Salsa Roja grilled pork tenderloin in spicy New Mexico red chile sauce with grilled red onions and black beans.

Two Restaurant Legends, Blackhawk & Nick’s Fishmarket, Close Their Doors – Chicago

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Blackhawk, Closes Last Restaurant in Chicago Area

A Sign of the Times . . . Don Roth’s Blackhawk will close at the end of the year in Wheeling, ending a 90-year run of a Blackhawk restaurant in the Chicago region.
The Blackhawk is closing at 61 N. Milwaukee, Wheeling, because owner Ann Roth, Don Roth’s widow, concluded it was time. “With my 90th birthday on the horizon and none of my children in a position to assume responsibility for the family business, it will be better to close Don’s last restaurant while it is still a going concern,” she said in a press release.
The original Blackhawk on Wabash was where Roth introduced his “spinning salad bowl.” It also was known for hosting Big Bands, such as the orchestras of Les Brown, Bob Crosby and Kay Kyser, with some performances broadcast nationwide on WGN Radio.
The downtown restaurant closed in 1984 and its Big Band memorabilia moved to Wheeling. Some of the restaurant mementos will be given to longtime patrons when they come by for the last time.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Nick’s Fishmarket, which has been in the Loop for 32 years, closed after serving dinner on Friday 30 October 2009. The owner of the restaurant, who could not re-negotiate his lease at a lower price with the bank who owns the property, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., said that if he finds a new location it will be focused on grilled items as he thinks fine dining will not make a comeback until 2011.

Brasserie Jo – Chicago

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Brasserie Jo  (Closed) See Paris Club
59 W. Hubbard
312-595-0800
Chicago, Il
www.brasseriejo.com
French Brasserie
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

While attending the Chicago Restaurant Show either in May 1996 or 1997 I had the pleasure to have dinner at Brasserie Jo and met Chef Jean Joho, and also present that evening was Patrick Terrail and many other Los Angeles restaurateurs that I knew. I had this to say about Brasserie Jo sometime after:

“Brasserie Jo holds a very special place in America. It is a true Alsatian Brasserie decorated in the style of the turn of the last century and I can not think of another restaurant in this country that comes as close to duplicating the authentic feeling of a true French brasserie as this restaurant does. Brasserie Jo was and remains to be a hit since it opened in 1995.
Accomplished maitre d’hotel, Jean-Marie Vandenbulcke, handles the front and Jean Joho supervises the kitchen. Alsatian wines are featured along with many French and Belgian beers that can be quaffed at the 20 seat zinc bar that was imported from France. The enormous dining room is usually packed with people and an interesting event happens every Thursday night, the “Soiree de Chapeau” where customers that wear a stylish hat win a free dessert.
The brasserie can accommodate private parties of up to 80 people and the patio seats 30.
The wonderful Alsatian menu is supported by an excellent and broad ranging wine list that has many interesting choices from the Alsace region as well as a good selection of French aperitifs and eaux de vie.
Starters: Onion soup gratinée
in crock; Assortment of pate; Duck Rilette; Smoked Salmon, crispy potato; Pate en croute Strasbourgeoise; Oysters daily selection with shallot migonette la piece. Main courses: Roasted Chicken, pomme puree; Garlic Chicken, pomme puree; Chicken Coq au vin; Filet of Salmon, lentils; The Famous Shrimp Bag; Mussels, Riesling sauce, pommes persillees; Brasserie Skirt Steak, shallot red wine; Steak, pomme frites; Choucroute a l’alsacienne.”

As with everything else time passes, and things may not be as glorious as they once were under the present Rich Melman’s “Lettuce Entertain You” blanket. Although, on the other hand, it still has the brasserie look and feel and I was happy with everything including the wine list, extensive beer menu, steak frites, mussels, the excellent crusty bread, profiteroles, the shrimp bag with lobster sauce. All tolled, nothing much had changed and the menu was much the same, and it still remains one of my favorite French brasseries in the United States.

Frontera Grill, Topolobampo – Chicago

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

445 N. Clark St., Chicago
http://www.rickbayless.com
(312) 661-1434
Closed Sunday & Monday
Quality Mexican
Prices: Moderate

Both restaurants are located in the same building, Frontera Grill (seating 65) is the more casual of the two restaurants and Topolobampo, the higher-end operation, seats only 45. They both share the same entrance and both have outdoor seating. Chef/Owner Rick Bayless is nationally acclaimed for his authentic cooking that represents many of the important gastronomic areas within Mexico. He is relentless in his quest for the finest ingredients and to truly reproduce Mexican cuisine on the highest level. Tamales de Pescado Yucatecan tamales flavored with achiote, filled with fresh catfish, steamed in bananas leaves and served with fresh tomato sauce; Garnachas small homemade tortillas topped with savory pork pibil, pickledonions and habanero salsa; Cazuela de Borrego al Cascabel charcoal-
seared lamb simmered with woodland mushrooms, potatoes and Mexican vegetables; Guacamole fresh and chunky, served with tortilla chips; Tostaditas made-to-order tortilla chips with two salsas; three-chile (cascabel, morita, guajillo) and roasted tomatillo with serrano and cilantro; Puerco en Salsa Roja grilled pork tenderloin in spicy New Mexico red chile sauce with grilled red onions and black beans.

Farewell, Le Francais – Wheeling Il. (Chicago) (CLOSED)

Monday, March 24th, 2008

It was located at:
269 South Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling, IL
(708) 541-7470
French
Very Expensive

After researching one of the most famous French restaurants in America I discovered that present owner Michael Moran closed the restaurant last summer. The telephone at the restaurant does not respond and it looks as if Le Francais, after one comeback attempt, is now gone forever.

I remember driving up to Wheeling from Chicago en route to dinner at Le Francais, when Jean Banchet was still in the kitchen. I was with my friend and business partner and his then girlfriend who was at the time getting a divorce from her present husband. She was still wearing the wedding ring from her previous marriage, quite a large solitaire diamond, and somehow in a cavalier way I convinced them to throw it away, as a sign of true love. She took it off after much hesitation, and I tossed it out the window into the cornfields. Looking back at it now, it was a damn stupid thing to do, although they were married shortly after and now have three lovely children, the oldest of them is over twenty years old.

Le Francais was an Auberge (country inn) that you would typically expect to find somewhere in the countryside of France; in this case, it was located in the suburb of Wheeling about an hour or more from Chicago. The restaurant comfortably seated 90 patrons on a combination of tables and banquettes. Copper pots and utensils decorated the walls and hung from the ceiling in true Auberge fashion.

Originally, after he took over from Banchet, and on his return with Mr. Moran, Chef Roland Liccioni strived to keep the reputation of the restaurant at the highest standards, which founder Jean Banchet maintained before his retirement many years ago.

A “duet de foie gras,” which paired seared fresh duck foie gras with a thick slice of foie gras torchon.Two preparations of foie gras served over slices of daikon radish served over a bed of diced beets and roasted macadamia nuts; An assortment of game and fowl pates and terrines made with care from traditional recipes; Maine Lobster ravioli garnished with sautéed shrimp accompanied by
a lobster sauce or Vietnamese broth; Portobella mushroom tart served with fava bean and perigueux sauce; Napoleon of Sauteed foie gras with cumin bracelets accompanied by a sauce with slices of salsify; Wild mushroom soup garnished with seafood were just a few of the dishes served in this excellent restaurant.