I certainly am a reader and wish I had the wherewithal to post more. I will say this story was in the works before the never-ending thread debuted on LTH. As usual you guys are at the heart of what's going on.

And thanks to jesteinf for his well-articulated comments. Now I just need to get back to Schwa for some lamb brains.

hi all,
we've "booked" a table next weekend for my birthday dinner. i say "booked" because it was a matter of phone tag and we never had a confirmation, but we assumed everything was OK as we'd left a credit card number on their answering machine as requested.

so we were in the neighborhood tonight and thought we'd swing by just to confirm the reservation. when we arrived everything was closed up, no lights on and a handwritten note on the door:

"sorry that we are closed, if we are unable to reach you by telephone we apologize, we will reach you to reschedule you in the very near future. thank you. schwa"

um, have they closed for a long time again? we're moving in 6 weeks and have no idea if we're supposed to turn up next saturday or not. any thoughts or knowledge would be welcome.

Ugh! We got hit with the sorry we're closed last night at 6:30pm also. I wonder what's up, and hope all is well in Carlson land. We ended up a May Syreet Market which was really good, but don't know that we'd return.


J

Anyone have news on this? I have a reservation for June 12 and would love to know if they will be open then...

conor610 wrote:Anyone have news on this? I have a reservation for June 12 and would love to know if they will be open then...

I received a message on my work phone from Saturday stating they were closed because of a gas leak(?) and would call back on Tuesday to reschedule, however I've yet to hear anything.

Any more updates, or is anyone nearby who can check it out that they'll be re-opening? I have a reservation there for Saturday night.

A friend of mine stopped by Schwa this evening and they're up and open. They confirmed that they had a gas leak and it closed them for a few days. They're back and going strong!

Spoke with Carlson last night and they did not reopen until that day, Wednesday. He was apologetic, yet enthusiastic, and very accommodating. We've rescheduled for two weeks, however I think he would of sat us right then and there if we desired as I'm a "cool cat" ya know.

Thank goodness! I made my reservation this past Friday for July 19.
Can't wait! Will be planning wines for the meal in the meantime......perhaps sampling some as well just to make sure they are up to par.

My friend who was there Thursday also got the sniping-antelopes-from-helicopter story, and the point was to keep the meat tender and flavorful, since the antelopes don't get scared and run off.

Carlson also said (and again this is hearsay) that there's a refrigerated truck moving around after the helicopter picking up the carcasses and processing just after the kill.



I have a very hard time believing this story, he may be a great chef, but I think someone (or he) is pulling a fast one. They ain't that hard to kill. I've been there and done it. Most of your time antelope hunting is spent glassing over herds looking for a decent pronghorn to shoot. If you are reasonably competant with a rifle a 250 to 300 yard shot is do-able.

If it is true (Again, I don't think it is) it seems like an incredible waste of fuel.

2146 north wrote:If it is true (Again, I don't think it is) it seems like an incredible waste of fuel.

I don't know for sure where he sources his antelope. But a lot of chefs in Dallas (and elsewhere) get wild antelope, venison, and boar from Broken Arrow Ranch. Helicopters are fairly common in modern ranching. And, with nearly a million acres of land dotted with wild game, a helicopter may be more cost-effective or (more often) a simple necessity given the terrain and roads (or lack thereof). I doubt shooting from a helicopter is the preferred method of harvesting (since, with the movement, it would be hard to hit anything more than a stone's throw away). But it does happen. (See here, here, here, and here.) See the portion of Broken Arrow Ranch's web site on field harvesting for more info on what they do.

If you called or e-mailed Broken Arrow Ranch, I assume they'd give you a direct answer about whether and/or how often they take down game by air. And I assume Carlson would tell you whether he's getting the antelope from Broken Arrow Ranch, if you asked. (I assume it without asking. )

Scott

Today I called around 3:30 and got a real person. I told him the date and he put me on hold. After 2 minutes of dead air I looked at my phone and my call had been dropped. I then said some words to my phone that I regret but have since apologized for. I called back and actually got another answer. Hooray, after 4 months of trying I am finally on the books. Yea me.

My party of 6 ate at Schwa last night, the first time any of us had been there. All I can say is WOW!! The cuisine is everything that's been written about it, and then some. Chef Carlson is clearly blazing some new trails in both ingredients and the makeup of courses. Truly unique is the pine ice cream cone with sea urchin ice cream, and the mustard tuile that accompanies the beer cheese soup and house made prezel. The staff is super courteous and a lot of fun to hang with. We were the only people in the place for the last hour or so, as our reservation was at 9pm and everyone else was gone by 10:30 or so.

One funny occurance about the wine from last night. I brought a 1971 Chateau Rayne-Vigneau Sauternes for drinking with the cheese and dessert courses. When they were opening it, Chef Carlson told me that it was older than everyone in the kitchen! After everyone at the table had been served a glass, I gave the rest of the bottle to the kitchen staff to try, which they all did. Afterwards, Chef Carlson came up to me and asked me to describe for him the expectation of flavor profiles of aged Sauternes. I'm glad I was able to impart some knowledge to him, as he's certainly got a lot to share on the culinary front.

Definitely an experience that should not be missed.

went back to Schwa on Friday...mostly the same dishes from back in April, but still wonderful. Brought three newbies who all thought it was an amazing experience.

New dishes for me:

Trio of anchovies
banana, garlic, and menthol. the menthol bite burst as a surprise - very interesting amuse.

pasta with ox tail and cheese - seemed simple, but flavors were complex and rich and delectable. the ox tail was braised and succulent.

pork belly - the cube of pork belly at the far end of the plate was out of this world phenomenal.

There's a line in the sand somewhere, and I'm on the other side of it from menthol anchovies.

Santander wrote:There's a line in the sand somewhere, and I'm on the other side of it from menthol anchovies.

I'm right there with you honey!

If there is a line in the culinary sand, I am on whichever side Michael Carlson is on.

I didn't like his Liver and Onions. Sorry, not everything is going to be a hit for everyone

My wife and I finally, finally got around to eating here. The experience was memorable, the pacing/presentation impeccable, the dishes themselves never boring and sometimes thrilling. And compared to other pricey places, I couldn't imagine feeling more comfortable. My wife pointed out how unusual it is to upscale-dine mostly with people our own ages (early 30s).

And yet ... there's not a single thing we ate that I'd honestly ever want to eat again.

Sure, several of the offerings were quite good or maybe better - beer and cheese soup, with a small bonus glass of Three Floyds for each of us; "gin" salad; urchin ice cream. A couple were minor disappointments (pad thai). But is it success or failure on the part of the menu that I left literally satisfied? As in, didn't want more, didn't want less, glad I went, but otherwise done and done? I feel kind of guilty about this, since there's really nothing I would have necessarily changed about the experience.

Except maybe the lamb brains. I had my back to the (very, very loud, so loud I wished they had turned up the kitchen music to drown out the other diners) room, but my wife relayed to me sights of several patrons pushing the things around on their plates with a funny look on their face. Personally, I thought the brains tasted like a cross between tofu and cream cheese, and while I don't regret eating them, the mental memory (if you pardon the phrase) doesn't sit that well with me or my stomach.

Sort of a different experience for me at Schwa recently. Went, of course, with the 9-course menu....but was only really blown away by 3 of them. The Kona Kampachi was superb, as well as the antelope. Most of my fellow diners preferred the sirloin, while I tended to really enjoy the ragout. The beer cheese soup was also quite tasty. The hendrick's gin & cucumber gelee was a fun dish as well.

Many of the other courses were either ordinary, or a total miss. The lamb brains & mushroom being one of them. Nothing on the plate really contrasted the earthy/gamey flavors enough. The 'pad thai' was just plain fishy. There was also an overwhelming theme of maple throughout the dinner, which doesn't exactly say Summer to me.

Presentation and plating was outstanding....but that's table stakes at this price point.

Granted, there is a lot of hype around Schwa, which left pretty high expectations in my mind that just weren't met. All of the chatter on this board is around it being a "foodie heaven" and the chance to get served by the chefs was equally exciting. In my mind, a large part of a great dining experience is the interaction with the staff about the food, the preparation and the story behind the dish. This was sorely lacking at Schwa. I found Michael's explanations to be perfunctory and lacking....almost as if we were troubling him by asking him to repeat his rapid and difficult to hear explanations. The somewhat surly attitude and lack of interaction really detracted from the night.

I have to agree with the previous two posters. I've been to Schwa three times since last May. The first time was amazing - probably the first time that I experienced a chemical high from eating at a restaurant. I can still remembering enjoying my favorite courses - the quail egg ravioli, of course, but also the oysters and oatmeal, the sweetbreads, and the Humboldt Fog cheesecake. Each subsequent time back, however, has been a little more disappointing. Certainly not to the point where I regretted eating there, but at some point you can't overlook the missteps anymore (strange tasting desserts, overly salty food). Not to say that I won't go back, because I will, but I'll have more reasonable expectations next time. I think an issue may be that this place is so hyped that anything less than perfection is somewhat of a disappointment.

Count me in the column of folks who enjoyed Schwa but wouldn't rush to get back. We dined there two weekends ago and while some dishes were revelatory (the quail egg ravioli, not on the menu but still served, might be one of the single greatest things I've ever tasted), and others were very good (the beer cheese soup and antelope), most were somewhat good but much more exceptional in their conception than in their actual taste.

I loved the room and the vibe (the kitchen was playing fairly obscure hip hop and experimental electronic music at just the right volume level) and the fact that we were served by Michael and the other kitchen staff, but I'd have to agree that the descriptions were rushed and spoken so quickly that they were often indiscernible. (and the place was only half full for most of the time we were there.)

Since it's BYO, it's definitely a steal at the price point and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something off the beaten Chicago restaurant path, however it satiated my curiosity without leaving me with a great need to return.

I guess I will jump on the bandwagon also of those that thought it was great but won't rush back. While I thought the food was universally excellent, I won't go back because of the noise level in the place. While it's a small room, there's nothing in the decor to absorb the noise. Between the high volume hip-hop and the loud conversation of everyone trying to be heard by their tablemates over the music, the noise in the place was deafening. We had a table for 6 and I was sitting on one end. I never once throughout the evening heard anything the two people at the other end of the table said. To me, fine dining is about the enjoyment with friends, and you can't do that if you can't hear a word they say.

I ate there last night and was wowed. Here is a guy who is doing it his way. He is living his dream and yet still being true to self. Yes, I am sure he has had to make some compromises but in all he does not answer to anyone but his own craft. So if one or two dishes did not wow you or if you could not hear your table mates comments too bad. Enjoy the fine craftsmanship of the dish and relish in the fact that you too can live your dream if you got the nerve and restraint to do it.

I will be back and feel no need to focus on the negatives but to smile about all the positives.

So if one or two dishes did not wow you or if you could not hear your table mates comments too bad.

"Too bad" implies that because he's "living his dream" he has license to do anything he wants, but that idealized freedom really stops the second you start inviting and charging others to share in said dream. As above, my experience wasn't negative. It was positive/neutral. But if every restaurant invoked the "too bad" defense, there'd be even more mediocre restaurants than exist today.

bobby z wrote:So if one or two dishes did not wow you or if you could not hear your table mates comments too bad.

Wow, is that arrogant! While I really liked most of the food, dining is about the entire experience. Remember, restaurants are in the service industry. Making your patrons head spin with a constant barage of loud noise isn't service. There's a dozen places in Chicago that are doing food at the level of Schwa, if not higher, so he can't rely on that forever.

John Danza wrote: There's a dozen places in Chicago that are doing food at the level of Schwa.

Just curious what dozen do you think?

OK Alinea, Moto, Trotter, maybe Tru, I can see an arguement for Bon Soiree too.

Who else do you think?

I'm interested in that dozen list as well, though I guess it depends on how you define "level." If we're talking raw quality of ingredients, even a place like Cemitas Puebla could qualify, with its custom-recipe bolillos, fresh papalo, imported cheese, etc. But for celebrity chef-exposure, tableware, and innovative plating, the others that come to mind are Graham Elliot, L.20, Vie, Blackbird, and possibly Topolobampo or onesixty blue. Maybe Spiaggia. Maybe Everest. Maybe NoMi on a good night.

Here's my starter list of the "dozen". Could be a little more or a little less. This is in no particular order.

1. Trotters
2. Tru
3. Avenues
4. Alinea
5. Everest
6. Spiaggia
7. Carlos (sorry, not in the city)
8. Vie
9. Blackbird
10. Topolobompo

These are the ones that I have experience with, so I'll apologize in advance that it's only 10 and not 12. I've not been to L.20 or Graham Elliot's new place, but from what I've heard they would go on the list.

"J" mentioned Bonsoiree. While I love that restaurant and go there a lot, I can't put them on the list quite yet. They're getting there though.

I hate to stir controversy, but my point is that there's more to being a top restaurant than being inventive with food. Every one of the places I named offer a truly fine dining experience with atmosphere, the ability to enjoy the people you're with, and inventive food. Every one of the places on my list provide that. I'm afraid that Schwa only provides one of the three things. Just my $0.02.

But Schwa doesn't aim to be a "'true fine dining experience", at least not in the way one would traditionally think about such a thing. To some people, that's what's great about Schwa. To others, it's a problem (heck, loud music likely cost Babbo a 4-star NY Times rating).