iblock9 wrote:From the current menu, a few must try items, IMHO:

'scotch' quail and egg with fresh bacon, pomelo, marcona almonds, parsnip puree and american sturgeon cavier 15.

I have to say that I was a little let down with this dish. I know that quail eggs are tiny tiny tiny, but I felt like there was hardly any egg at all. Granted, I'm used to Scotch eggs like what you would find at the Three Floyds pub or Hopleaf, but still, I was a little let down. I'm also not sure that the caviar added much to the dish, other than the price. But that's just me, of course.

There's a cheese listed on their current online menu that was outstanding, the great hill blue. Also, I strongly recommend the toasted gingerbread dessert. The included sorbet, with sheep's milk feta and cider, makes the whole dish worthwhile, to say nothing of the gingerbread itself.

LAZ wrote:Differentiating between subway and elevated trains is a New York/Boston thing. In Chicago, they are both, officially, the 'L' (not "El").

I'd be happy to be corrected by someone who is from there or who lived there for longer than the four years I did, but my feeling is that in Boston the subway/elevated train/streetcar system is universally referred to simply as the "T," without any great differentiation between the underground, elevated or street-level versions.

wino66 wrote:Others at the table had ... the bouillabaisse (high comments on that as well).

I can corroborate the excellence of the bouillabaisse, it is also one of my favorites, i am sorry i forgot to mention it!

Thanks for all the suggestions. My wife and I had an enjoyable dinner last night, unfortunately no pictures. We really enjoyed the food, but the service, as others have mentioned, wasn't as attentive as we would have liked.

The amuse was a small bite of sturgeon and radish; we both really enjoyed it. My wife had the crispy endive salad, and I had the suckling pig. For entrees, we typically try not to get the same thing, but neither of us could be talked off of the pork belly. It was wonderful, but almost too much. The serving consisted of three slices, and I would have been content with two, I think.

For dessert we split the bittersweet chocolate pave with caraway ice cream, roasted pears and candied olives. The guy sitting next to us summed it up best: while eating it, we were thinking of how different it was rather than how good it was. I don't regret the choice, but wouldn't be in a hurry to get it again.

The service was very attentive when we arrived for our 7pm reservation, but as the restaurant got busier, things slowed down.
- Two slices of bread were doled out soon after we sat, but we weren't offered any more after finishing what we were given.
- My wife used the restroom twice. She was seated against the wall, so the table needed to move for her to get out. The first time, someone jumped over to help. The second time, and again when we left, I moved the table myself. No biggie, but I expected someone to assist.
- After the dessert menu was delivered, it was at least 10-15 minutes before someone checked back. It doesn't take that long to peruse the half dozen items on the menu and make a decision.

We'll definitely plan on going back again, but it would be nice if the service kept up with the kitchen.

We ate at Blackbird last night as well.

To me, the amuse was some blah, but I'm not big on sturgeon.



I had the sweetbreads - phenomenal.



My wife had the blue cheese salad - the cheese was outstanding, but the rest while good, wasn't exciting (I don't know if I can get excited about a salad though - she enjoyed it quite a bit).



I had the pork belly which to me was portioned well (I had skipped lunch though, so I was somewhat ravenous).



My wife had the fried rabbit with chorizo which was excellent - the seasonings and breading were very much in the southern style so there was definitely a fried chicken feel.



People were then seated on both of our sides and I felt weird, so no pictures of dessert.....I had the cheese plate - the "great hill blue - raw cow's milk, marion, massachusetts - with grilled shallots and balsamic" is a must.

My wife had the roasted pineapple with brioche ice cream, hibiscus and puffed 'cinnamon toast' - the cinnamon toast was somewhat like a cinnamon twist that you'd get at Taco Bell, she loved the hibiscus sauce and pineapple.

Like wizzy though - service was certainly friendly, but there were several points in the evening I had questions, and either couldn't find our waiter or he was walking by quickly and not paying attention. When we were leaving, no one helped us with the table (though our coats were ready by the time we made it to the door). Nothing egregious, but when I'm spending $220 without tip, the small slips stand out.

The place was packed as we were leaving - as we were on dessert the sourpusses being sat next to us looked my wife and I up and down and requested a different seat (I guess we don't look the part) - they were told they were out of luck as every other seat in the place was full.

I'm glad I went, but I can't say I'm in a rush to go back - as I was say, after my first trip to Frontera, Moto, or Avenues.

chrisch wrote:The place was packed as we were leaving - as we were on dessert the sourpusses being sat next to us looked my wife and I up and down and requested a different seat (I guess we don't look the part) - they were told they were out of luck as every other seat in the place was full.

How bizarre! Do you think it was maybe that they didn't want to sit next to anyone, or do you think it was you in particular?

Well - as the woman sat down, she scowled at me in response to my smile and nod.

The couple on our other side didn't seem offended by us, so maybe they didn't want to sit so close to anyone, but the dirty look shot my way was strange. Some people are just that way I suppose.

chrisch wrote:My wife had the fried rabbit with chorizo which was excellent - the seasonings and breading were very much in the southern style so there was definitely a fried chicken feel.

Fried rabbit with chorizo looks fantastic!

We had a wonderful dinner at Blackbird last night. The service was just fine. Our waiter was everthing you could have asked for - attentive, knowledgable, a real pro - and the rest of the staff seemed well coordinated. The only glitch was that our table had not been set when we arrived which resulted in a bit of standing around - barely worth mentioning really. The real problem was that the restaurant was so packed, there was nowhere for us to wait while they set the table, so the hostess had to walk us into the middle of the room. People were piling up by the door the entire night.

There did seem to be some glitch in the service that night, although it was not clear quite what the problem was. I say this because at one point in the evening, Paul Kahan, in a suit and not working the kitchen, was dressing down a couple of his staff - something about "I've already told you this five times and I don't want it to happen again." Who knows. There was also one incident when a man had a glass of water dumped on his lap, but I think he may have done it to himself.

Our meal included Cheese Salad and Mussel soup appetizers, Duck breast and Pork Belly entrees, and a kalamata cake dessert with coffee. Standouts were the Mussel soup, which was really a seafood soup similar to a bouillabaisse with fish and a mix of seafood as well as the mussels, and the pork belly, which was topped with a giant grilled prawn. It was a perfect mix of tender layered meat and fat, crispy on the top and bottom and one side. The olive cake was a bit unusual. Small round balls of cake with sweet pickled rubarb, toffee, and buttermilk icecream. The cake itself tasted like blueberry muffin and was not bad, but the toffee and ice cream made the dessert. Net bad, but next time I might order something else. Unfortunately, the Bacon Icecream has still not returned to the menu.

My only complaint would have been if I was seated along the long wall at which the tables are jammed so close together. Fortunately we were at a stand-alone table near the kitchen and, although cosy, had plenty of room.

All in all an excellent meal that left me impressed that they have kept the quality up over the years and wondering why I don't go there more often.

a manager dressing down staff within earshot of customers is inexcusable at any level, especially that of blackbird

I wish that were a more commonly held sentiment, jp, and that Paul and other chefs and house managers would be more sensitive to diner comfort levels in this regard. I think too many restaurant patrons look the other way when this type of reprimand (which I've personally witnessed, bordering on abusive levels, at Blackbird and other spots) is issued, which subconsciously allows restauranteurs to do this with increasing ease as time progresses, alienating staff loyalty and affection, and taking some of the joy and love out of the cooking and dining experience.

I will say that the one time it has happened in front of me (well very near me) I wrote a very very nasty letter to the owner of the restaurant about it. It's possibly one of the most unprofessional things one can do as a manager in any profession, but it's especially egregious in the hospitality industry.

A couple of weeks back Blackbird was chosen by a friend for his birthday celebration and the whole experience reminded me of what a real high class restaurant should really be. I was so very pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the staff and the food and so unpleasantly reminded of how much I missed this kind of experience in all my previous outings in Chicago. Let me not dwell on the negative and focus on the positive.

First, the food. To start, I had the sauteed skatewing with sassafras, pickled pear, parmesan and rosemary. The fish was moist and flavorful, although I thought it a little too salty, and the accompaniments were interesting. The dish showed the chef's inventiveness, which I appreciated. For my entree I chose halibut, which I found was the best fish preparation I've had in Chicago thus far. It had the seared crusty layer of skin on top and was satisfyingly flavorful and cooked to perfection. B ordered the braised skirt steak and grilled wagyu flatiorn with spaghetti squash, braised chestnuts and vidalia onions. The steak was ridiculously good, beautiful to look at, melting in texture and bursting with flavors. One regret - there was just one small piece of it. And for dessert, which I could not resist and which I actually had room for, I got the avocado cremeux with local blueberries, hyssop and charteuse granite. This was simply awesome. I am a huge avocado fan as it is so when I see an avocado dessert, I cannot hold back the excitement and this one was spectacular. It teased, it joked, it played up its subtleties. The smoothness of the avocado cremeux.... Ah - I have no words. And B's sour cherry soup with guanaja chocolate ice cream, creme fraiche and espelette was on a level of ecstasy of its own with bold cherry flavor artfully complemented by creme fraiche. Excellent, surprising, diverse, extremely pleasing flavors and textures all around!

And refreshingly there was nothing plebeian about the service. The head waiter politely and efficiently took our order, made suggestions only when they were asked of him, answered questions and disappeared from our consciousness. Things were brought and taken away as soon as they were needed and not. Half way through dinner, B turned to me and asked if I had noticed the waiter. I said, no - why? And he said - exactly. Yes. Exactly!

If you want to read the rest of my ramblings about service and restaurant prices in Chicago click on my blog link below. Cheers.

I'll be making my first trip to Blackbird this Valentine's Day---glad I remembered to make reservations early. Now, my only decision is whether to opt for the special tasting menu or order a la carte.

Valentine's Day we will be featuring our a la carte menu
As well as a seven-course tasting menu featuring:
Taylor bay scallop and hidden rose apples
Sepia noodles, avocado, red onion jam and caviar
Flounder, hazelnut, swiss chard and blood orange molasses
Porkbelly, kasha, guava and buttermilk
Shortrib, passion fruit and carob
Quince, lychee and rose
Pineapple, hibiscus and brioche

Does anyone have any idea what this tasting might be going for? I sent an e-mail a few days ago and haven't heard back. It's not a huge deal, but last year we went to Vie and decided, spur of the moment, to go for their Valentine's tasting menu. While we agreed that everything was quite good, iirc we spent an order of magnitude more than we would have ordering a meal a la carte, and I'm not sure it was the best decision on our part. I don't mind paying for it, but I want to feel full when I'm done. Twenty courses at Alinea will do that; seven at Blackbird, depending on size, may very well not.

I'd go a la carte anyway, just because that seems like a whole lot of sweet flavors, and it might get overwhelming.

So I just got back from the best overall lunch experience I've ever had, which happened to be at Blackbird. The service, ambiance, and food met and exceeded every expectation I had. We had a very professional yet laid back server that was informative and accepting of all requests.

I went in thinking I'd order a sandwich and an entree and call it a day....until I was informed that they were participating in the restaurant week. I talked a bit with the waiter and we came up with a plan, I'd order the Pork sandwich like I had planned to along with the restaurant week 3-course meal and have it tied in so that I'd get the appetizer first and the meal would flow well together.

My first course was the grilled octopus confit with coconut-horseradish, fingerling potatoes, granny smith apples and candied black olive- The octopus was very tender, coconut chips intriguing, and the horseradish (served as a very light puree dollop) was mouth watering. Each component worked amazingly well together and left me saying "I'd order three of these as an entree". The overall portion, especially served at this price, was plenty large enough.

Second course was the monkfish with fennel, pine nuts, and grapefruit- The monkfish was perfectly seasoned and cooked just right (many don't have experience cooking monkfish and it often times comes out dry or misused). The heartiness of the monkfish and fennel cooked down with a cream sauce was cut beautifully by the grapefruit on the plate.

Third course was the organic pork belly sandwich with cabbage slaw, dijonnaise, winter vegetable salad and garlic frites - Overall the dish was great but had one less than great element. Next to the sandwich was a small pile of thinly sliced cucumber, red onion, and green beans that had little flavor but could easily be ignored since it didn't ruin the dish. The sandwich (served on an english muffin which I found clever) was hearty yet not heavy. The pork had a nice deep flavor and fell apart smoothly as you bit into it. The sauce had a great bite while blending well with the sweet pickles. And the fries.....the fries were good enough to rival your favorite hot dog stands here in Chicago. I took one bite and fell in love, definitely the item to order.

Fourth/Fifth course were milk chocolate fritters with cured plums, soy and rice milk sorbet and doughnuts- Now before you read this section let me tell you that I DO NOT LIKE DESSERTS and/or pairing sweet and savory all too much. With that in mind let's move on. The fritter dessert wasn't only disappointing but I couldn't even finish it. The chocolate fritters where a bit too hard, the soy was very strong....to the point where I could barely carry on eating after tasting it, and the rice milk was just not my thing. Overall I was very disappointed but what can I expect from something I don't plan on enjoying?
*story on the doughnuts...I often tend to 'over order' even though I can easily finish all my food and this was the case. As I discussed the meal plan with our waiter I mentioned I'd like to try the 'lunch pri fixe' which included any sandwich, a mixed green salad, and doughnuts for $15. I mentioned I only wanted the pri fixe so that I could try the doughnuts. He then told me "why don't we do this...rather than charging you the extra price for that and bypassing the mixed green salad you don't want I'll bring you the doughnuts at the end of the meal on me". So of course I said yes and thank you. The doughnuts, which were beyond my expectations, were amazing. I ate them so fast that I don't quite remember the filling but I'd say it was dark and sweet. They were little donut holes dipped in chocolate and filled with deliciousness.

Overall I rate Blackbird's lunch a solid A. I won't hold the dessert against them simply because I don't often enjoy desserts and don't completely understand them so I don't feel I'm entitled to nay say.

RAB and I were also at Blackbird for lunch today. Alas, we didn't have time for the 3 course lunch (or a lucky 5 in Jayz's case). Glad to hear the octopus was good. It sounded really tasty and I was sad I didn't get to sample it.

Jayz wrote:Third course was the organic pork belly sandwich with cabbage slaw, dijonnaise, winter vegetable salad and garlic frites - Overall the dish was great but had one less than great element. Next to the sandwich was a small pile of thinly sliced cucumber, red onion, and green beans that had little flavor but could easily be ignored since it didn't ruin the dish. The sandwich (served on an english muffin which I found clever) was hearty yet not heavy. The pork had a nice deep flavor and fell apart smoothly as you bit into it. The sauce had a great bite while blending well with the sweet pickles. And the fries.....the fries were good enough to rival your favorite hot dog stands here in Chicago. I took one bite and fell in love, definitely the item to order.

Agreed - - a wonderful sandwich. The pork was tasty, the condiments were great. I thought the bun was more of a ciabatta roll than an english muffin, though. Either way, it was tasty and held the sandwich together nicely. No soggy buns here. The fries were garlicky delicious and much better than the plain fries. You're right about the cucumber salad - - it was surprisingly bad. No acid, no flavor, not refreshing. Better if they'd left it off.

We also enjoyed the lamb burger. It was good, but not as tasty as the pork belly sammie. The burger was perfectly cooked to the rare side of medium rare. It had a salsa verde that we thought had mint in it. The burger was quite lamb-y, something I like, and it worked, even if it wasn't as good as the other sandwiches. The fries were plain, but good. The burger also had a failure of a side - - a cavolo nero and smoked lentil salad with celery. The salad had a muddy taste to it and nothing to balance the earthy flavors. It was not refreshing, interesting, or delicious. We left most of it (something we rarely do, especially when not ordering a ton of food).

Honestly, a bit of lemon juice would likely have rescued both the cucumber and lentil side dishes. I find it hard to believe that the kitchen tasted them and thought they were good.

Service was friendly and efficient. It took a tad too long for mustard to be delivered (a problem when you serve it in dishes rather than bottles). But, that was really the only minor issue.

I was surprised that we were able to score a table at the last minute. I would have thought that a restaurant as good as Blackbird would have been full for lunch during Restaurant Week. But, no, there were plenty of empty tables. Perhaps the bad economy is hurting even Restaurant Week, a program at least partially designed to bring in customers during an otherwise slow period.

Ronna

REB wrote:- - a wonderful sandwich. The pork was tasty, the condiments were great. I thought the bun was more of a ciabatta roll than an english muffin, though.

I thought at first "wow, this is a great bun/roll". But as I ate it I remember thinking it was more of an english muffin than anything else. I could be wrong but it seemed strongly similar to a simple toasted english muffin (which was great).

REB wrote:
I was surprised that we were able to score a table at the last minute. I would have thought that a restaurant as good as Blackbird would have been full for lunch during Restaurant Week. But, no, there were plenty of empty tables. Perhaps the bad economy is hurting even Restaurant Week, a program at least partially designed to bring in customers during an otherwise slow period.

I am actually surprised to learn they are a part of Restaurant Week, as they are not listed on the official website, nor is it mentioned on their own site. Does anyone know if they are doing dinner too?

Blackbird's actually only offering a Prix Fixe 3-course lunch menu for Chicago Chef Week which happens to fall the same time as Chicago Restaurant Week. It's basically the same concept but focuses more on the chefs & their restaurants.

Have to say, I was @ Blackbird a few weeks ago. I had the octopus which was delectable. I had the new pork belly entree which was wonderful minus one component. There were green olives. They were a huge distraction with the already salted pork belly. They were completely unnecessary.

Otherwise, a lovely meal. I would definitely return.

They don't show up on the Chef Week website either, as I was hoping to check out the menu before going there today for lunch.

Then I remembered that it's a 3 course lunch at Blackbird for $22 and realized it really doesn't matter what the choices are. One of my favorite places in the city. Can't wait until the summer when we can start taking our summers there (and many other places) for lunch on the company dime.

My wife had the RW special this week. She mostly enjoyed it, but I'm glad I did not get it as the hoison sauce flavored dessert would not be up my alley. On the other hand, regardless of the week, Blackbird has a $15 sandwich special that should be on everyone's short list. It's a well-dressed salad, your choice of sammy (between lamb burger and pork belly was a damn hard choice) and ideal for me, donuts for dessert.

At lunch, you skip a lot of the noise and other stuff that can make Blackbird a bit of a harried experience.

While I ordered off of the regular menu today, the $22 fixed price menu is still in play at lunch as well as the $15 sandwich special. Blackbird continues to be my favorite overall restaurant in town. Duck tartare was a revelation, The fennel soup beyond expectation and the grilled sturgeon with vanilla beets was outstanding. A Gail Simmons celeb sighting made the meal even better. Blackbird still rocks.

iblock9 wrote:While I ordered off of the regular menu today, the $22 fixed price menu is still in play at lunch as well as the $15 sandwich special. Blackbird continues to be my favorite overall restaurant in town. Duck tartare was a revelation, The fennel soup beyond expectation and the grilled sturgeon with vanilla beets was outstanding. A Gail Simmons celeb sighting made the meal even better. Blackbird still rocks.

I actually talked to Chef Kahn and his Sous the other night while working a larger event at the Sheraton and they said due to the success of the tasting menu during restaurant week (it used to be $25) they will continue to run it. Good news for you and me.

The dishes they served at the event were...amazing. A couple components included; pork belly, braised fennel, cuttle fish noodles, and fried beef tendon. I can honestly say that I haven't eaten anything better than that quick array of items throughout the night. I was left wanting more after nearly getting sick off pounds of their great pork. I can't get enough of Kahn's cuisine.

*If anyone wanted to know the even included meals prepared by; Topolbombo/Frontera, North Pond, Spiaggia, and Blackbird/Avec/Publican. It was a great time with some amazing food keeping in mind that we served 1,100+ people.

Anyone been here recently? I couldn't get a res at Tru for the day in consideration, so I made a reservation here for Monday. Thinking about doing the tasting menu.

Stephen wrote:Anyone been here recently? I couldn't get a res at Tru for the day in consideration, so I made a reservation here for Monday. Thinking about doing the tasting menu.

I went 6 weeks ago and had a fantastic meal. Cuttlefish noodles were especially memorable, and unlike what I expected. I thought it would be pasta made with the cuttlefish's black ink, but it turned out to be the actual cuttlefish cut and shaped like thick spaghetti. Delicious, and texturally very interesting.

Kennyz wrote:...it turned out to be the actual cuttlefish cut and shaped like thick spaghetti. Delicious, and texturally very interesting.

Kind of like the jellyfish noodles at Schwa, right Kenny?

-Dan

dansch wrote:

Kennyz wrote:...it turned out to be the actual cuttlefish cut and shaped like thick spaghetti. Delicious, and texturally very interesting.

Kind of like the jellyfish noodles at Schwa, right Kenny?

-Dan

I don't know, why don't I give Schwa a call and ask how those are prepared.

Kennyz wrote:

dansch wrote:

Kennyz wrote:...it turned out to be the actual cuttlefish cut and shaped like thick spaghetti. Delicious, and texturally very interesting.

Kind of like the jellyfish noodles at Schwa, right Kenny?

I don't know, why don't I give Schwa a call and ask how those are prepared.

While you've got Michael on the line, see if you can grab a table for 4 for me - anytime next weekend should be fine. Thanks.

-Dan

Pictures are in the blog - full review from our lunch below.

Food and Wine loves him. The Beard Awards love him. Chicago seems infatuated with each restaurant he and his partners open. The preceding refer to two persons in the Chicago culinary landscape and it was with those thoughts in mind that I decided to make my lunch reservations for my two days in Chicago - Blackbird and Frontera Grill. Having heard much of Chef Paul Kahan the influences derived from both his father's smokehouse and his time at Bayless's Topolobampo I had high expectations going into the experience - less art, yet high end ingredients presented in an artistic manner. Browsing the menus I even went out of my way to ask if any of the dinner items could possibly be prepped for lunch and was informed that since the chef himself would be in-house that day it would be perfectly acceptable.

Arriving 5 minutes late for our noon reservation we were greeted by a most-pleasant hostess and taken to a great table near the front of the room. Water was poured and menus were delivered - both the daily $22 prix fixe and the standard lunch menu. Almost on cue the waiter appeared at our table and stated "are you ready for the foie gras?" My sister laughed at me, typically, while I confirmed the fact. Browsing the room I was very impressed by the modern yet refined feel - the place nearly felt "casual" while the open kitchen teamed with life in back, Chef Kahan proudly working alongside his team.

Orders were soon placed and I was informed that the chef would be making the foie gras and sweetbreads per his inspiration - not technically per the dinner menu. "Even better" I thought. Sitting for another few moments as the restaurant slowly began to fill up we were next served two types of bread - a hearty and smoky rye along with a whole grain bread with at least 2-3 types of seeds and subtle hints of spice. Accompanying the breads was a house-made butter with sage, tarragon, and perhaps basil - a little too hard to spread at first but wonderful given time to warm up.

Before getting into the food I will note that while professional, the service at Blackbird was invariably slow on this day due to the fact that a server had called in sick while another didn't make it to work until later in the shift - aside from delivery of dishes our waiter really never checked on us and the delay between bread and appetizer was 30 minutes, appetizer and main nearly 45 minutes, and main and dessert another 35 minutes. While the scenery, food, and company was great I must say things felt someone prolonged and we were trying to make it up to Wrigley for the Cubs game by 2:00pm - a fact they were indeed aware of.

Arriving first, my two appetizers and my sister's first part of the prix fixe - a bonus being that Chef Kahan himself personally came to the table to present and explain his two lunch creations (clearly not expected by our server Christopher who arrived ~45 seconds later to describe the dishes.) Beginning with my sister's, Chilled cuttlefish noodles with avocado, red onion jam and puffed buttermilk was absolutely revolutionary with well poached cuttlefish cephalopods spiral-cut into "noodles" and paired with creamy avocado, sweetened red onion puree, and "crispy" buttermilk chips - a nice juxtaposition of textures, sweet and savory, brine and earth.

The first of my items, pan-fried sautéed veal sweetbreads with smoked potato salad and microgreens was another winner with the succulent gland melting in the mouth yet given plenty of balance by the crispy panko-style coating. Not oily in the least, salted only enough to enhance, and well paired with a creamy potato and microgreen salad with heavy hints of smoke and undertones of apple and spice. Generally not a fan of potato salad I must admit I was almost more impressed by it than the actual sweetbreads which is saying a lot.

The second item, roasted Hudson Valley foie gras with peaches, peppers, and tomatoes was new to me - I'd never had roasted foie, only seared and terrine. The chef stated he wanted to do "something different" and if this dish was "different" then I'm all for it. Somewhat more "dry" than the standard foie, the lobe was easily cut with a knife and was perfectly prepared with no veins, strings, or discolored areas to be found. Using the acidity of the peppers and tomatoes (also roasted,) and the sweetness of the peaches (grilled,) to offset the unctuous liver proved a perfect compliment and the chef resisted more common presentations that rely on a bread of crunchy component to add texture - instead allowing the fruits and vegetables to stand on their own with the liver.

As noted above, significant time passed between our appetizers and mains - while the bread and water servers visited our main server never did. Finally, once again delivered from a member of the kitchen staff, our mains arrived - the first (a part of the prix fixe) was wood grilled California sturgeon with gold bar squash, cucumber, bbq onion, zucchini bread, candied olive and it once again shined. Three 1-2oz slices of fish, perfectly grilled outside and barely touched inside simply flaked apart and melted in the mouth while the mellow squash and crisp cucumber were accented by the sweetened onion. Adding texture - a "zucchini bread" that was described to us when the dishes were collected as dehydrated zucchini bread cut into croutons (I describe it as delicious) and olives as sweet as honey - unique and unexpected, but also great.

For myself, I selected the classic "croque madame" with house-cured ham, Swiss, red onion, fried egg and pommes frites simply because I couldn't pass it up when I saw it on the menu. Clearly not exactly classic given the onions and cheese selection, but quite good none the less. Less heavy that the versions with sauce Mornay at Bouchon or Butler & the Chef and although not quite as tasty, very good. The fries, an item I generally don't prefer, were on par with Keller's famous pommes and much better than Doug's raved duck-fat fries in the Chicago culinary landscape.

Again a significant delay separated us from dessert - dishes which were quite small and the only "overpriced" part of the experience - but flavors and textures that were absolutely worth the wait and the price. For my sister, warm walnut cake with NY674 apples, brown butter gastrique, and fromage blanc ice cream was definitely as good as it sounded with smooth and thick slices of spicy cake well tempered by the sweet apples, creamy yet acidic gastrique, and creamy cheesecake-esque ice cream. Reading up on the apple after the meal was additionally interesting - apparently a high-vitamin C apple created through selective breeding to be browning-resistant.

For myself the dessert choice was a no brainer - "haute cornbread" is a dream of mine. Entitled sweetcorn bavarois with cornbread pain perdu, pecans, maple sherbet the dish featured a sweetcorn Bavarian cream/pudding with shortbread base alongside chunks of brioche style cornbread accented with cinnamon and honey then topped with candied pecans. Alongside this amazing presentation was a sherbet that tasted like the very essence of maple syrup - I found the sherbet particularly thrilling in its texture as many maple ice creams seem too "milky" to accurately portray the maple flavor as it is traditionally seen in syrup or molasses.

When the meal was finished my sister and I both sat quite satisfied with the experience - particularly the food, but agreed that the speed of the meal was quite prolonged - other tables on either side of us were also commenting on the same. While the seasonal Intelligentsia options did seem interesting, we instead opted for the bill so that we'd not miss too much more of the ballgame (a quick trip on the L got us there by the bottom of the 3rd.) Discussing the meal on the way to the game it amazed me most how much we each kept coming back to the supporting aspects of the dish as much as the main component - the zucchini croutons, the potato salad, etc - the attention to detail was truly stupendous. Service issues aside I absolutely loved the meal from top to bottom and look forward to dining Avec and the Publican on future visits.