• Taxim "takes the concept of Greek cuisine as Chicagoans know it and turns it on its head." The thick organic yogurt is the standout here: look for it everywhere from dessert to duck gyros. Oh, and don't miss the lamb shank. [Chicagoist]
• Phil Vittel hits up Palatine's Agio and gives it two stars. From the "simply outstanding" eggplant parmigiana to the delicious ribeye, most dishes are winners, though a few suffer from odd pairings (veal saltimbocca with a baked egg and broccoli side? really?). [Tribune]
• David Tamarkin is blown away by Lakeview's Fianco, to which he bestows four stars. The shock of an excellent meal coming from a nameless chef in a generic strip mall is spectacular, with the milk-braised pork a particular standout. Prediction: "when people get hip to this food, they’re going to pounce, whether they like the surroundings or not." [TOC]
[Photo: Flatbread at Taxim, ehfisher/Flickr]
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The Wit Hotel's third high-profile restaurant opening is scheduled for next Tuesday — chef Todd Stein's Cibo Matto will be on the hotel's second floor, in a sweeping space designed by the same team that did TRU. Along with the cheese- and salumi-focus that's got everyone all a-twitter, we got our hands on the opening menu. What should you be getting ready for? Crispy sweetbreads with artichoke fritto and lemon; roasted chicken livers with creamy polenta, pancetta, roasted mushrooms, and charred onions; the near-obligatory fried ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms; summer peaches with burrata and almond pesto; and seared trout with tuscan kale. We'll show off the rest of the menu next week.]]>
David Tamarkin packs a potent punch into a recent short article for Gourmet: in it he wonders whether Chicago, long a flagship city of experimental cuisine and molecular gastronomy, is riding the pendulum back towards a simpler, more straightforward culinary experience: "I first noticed it at The Publican," he reports, "where you’d be hard pressed to order anything that has more than five ingredients. At Taxim, a dish can take the simple form of a braid of phyllo and a chunk of feta. My unsauced, wood-grilled trout at Nightwood shared the plate with a little pile of lentils. And their cheeseburger is, well, a cheeseburger—no fried egg on top, no pâté stuffed in the middle." It's certainly the case that the preponderance of newly opened restaurants are no-frills, but we do question Tamarkin's hypothesis that back-to-basics is an actual backlash against molecular gastronomy.]]>
For starters, there's the economic question: opening a restaurant dedicated to simple preparations is simply less costly than, say, acquiring a weapons-grade laser for use in the kitchen (Moto) or enough liquid nitrogen to host nitro dance parties (Alinea). If you look at the number of molecular gastronomy restaurants in Chicago (or whatever phrase they use to self-identify their cuisine), you'll get maybe half a dozen. So of course a majority of the openings will be less complex, more accessible, more simplistic in their presentations.
Daniel Kamen, a Buffalo Grove chiropractor who is also a (possibly deranged) Cubs fan, has declared that he'll go on a 500-calorie-a-day hunger strike until his team wins five games in a row. "I'm going to motivate them," he told the Sun-Times. "I'm going to embarrass them into winning more games. They will see me get skinnier and skinnier, until maybe there's nothing left of me." Yeah, that'll totally work. [Sun-Times]]]>
July is national hot dog month, which means today — the first day of the month devoted to the weiner — basically should be a civic holiday in Chicago, where we don't just pretend to be into the sausages for the sake of keeping up touristy appearances. We suggest celebrating by going to your favorite hot dog purveyor and ordering one in the style of your choosing. Stumped for what to pick? Check out our gallery of some of the most inspiring Chicago dogs in town — some from quite surprising places:
Everyone's favorite Lettuce Entertain You haute-Chinese restaurant has reupped its commitment to America's little ones: they've revamped their kids' menu. Supplement your own order of mu-shu hunan-style pork or spicy dragon noodles with some wallet-friendly, child-sized meals for those pesky short people who run around your house all day: think chicken potstickers, sesame chicken with caramelized soy glaze and white rice, or Beijing Beef , all clocking in under seven bucks. Check out the complete selection post-jump.]]>
Kid's Menu
