Preview: C-House [now open]

Here’s the recipe; take one part celebrity chef, throw in an outdoor lounge, a dash of conteporary style, and you get C-House by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. This is Chef Samuelsson’s first venture in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean he’s a newcomer. Born in Ethiopia, Samuelsson gained his passion for cooking from his grandmother at a young age. That passion led him to a very successful culinary career in New York, including winning the James Beard award for best chef in New York City.

When asked what’s going to set C-House apart from the rest of the Chicago Culinary scene, Samuelsson proudly boasts of his exstensive raw bar and ultra hip decor. He is most proud of the C-Lounge located on the 29th floor of the contemporary Affinia hotel. He sampled Chicago cuisine extensively to ensure that his menu will stand out from the rest.


Last night featured a special preview of what’s to come from C-House. While the restaurant has been serving breakfast for a few weeks now, dinner won’t be officially available for another couple of weeks. Instead last night featured multiple hor’derves for guests to sample including mini burgers, scallop tar tar with caviar, fish tacos, ahi tuna, and more.

Check out the full preview at http://www.nbc5.com/streetteam


C-House Restaurant
166 E. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-523-0923

When asked what’s going to set C-House apart from the rest of the Chicago Culinary scene, Samuelsson proudly boasts of his exstensive raw bar and ultra hip decor.

Yeah, because we're all so tired of those staid Suhail interiors...

The opening of C-House probably would have been more exciting 3 years ago. I have no doubt that Samuelsson is a talented chef, but Merkato 55 in NYC has been pretty close to a disaster from what I understand. He is probably starting to overextend himself.

If C-House is, in fact, a success then that's fantastic. Always room for another good restaurant.

HungryZ wrote:Check out the full preview at http://www.nbc5.com/streetteam

I'd rather read your thoughts on C-House here.

That's a deal.

This is really neither here nor their as it relates to C-House but Samuelsson is on Iron Chef this Sunday. I am definitely looking forward to C-House but it is a difficult opening with all the delays and the timing with other high profile openings.

C-House does look promising, but it wont seat many. The small dining room is expected to only seat between 70-80 guests. Samuelsson was a pretty cool guy, and he said the delays are due to him wanting everything to be perfect. I think the thing that will set them apart is the C-Lounge located on the 29th floor. The vibe was very cool and the views were impressive.

$55 for a sea bass dinner? No thanks.

Here's the menu, thanks to ThrillistChicago's site. Click for fullsize.



(everything else edited out for not being worth it, although it's probably quoted below)

stevez wrote:$55 for a sea bass dinner? No thanks.

To be fair, the menu says the Branzino (sea bass) is for two. That said, some of the prices are a bit high, especially the sides ($6 grits better be some damn fine grits), but maybe not far out of step with the neighborhood. That is assuming the food is very good, which is hard to tell from Thrillist's piece. Mrs. JiLS and I are booked at L.20 for Friday, so my fancy-pants dining budget for the remainder of June is now officially busted; maybe next month...

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

stevez wrote:$55 for a sea bass dinner? No thanks.

To be fair, the menu says the Branzino (sea bass) is for two.

I guess I missed the fine print. I thought that was the price for a single dinner. In the words of Emily Latilla, "Never mind."

The GF and I went to C-House on Thu night and had a great time. The decor is very warm and welcoming, lots of earthy tones and woods.

Website is here, but no menu online so I going from memory, sorry...

We started with a cocktail at the bar, I had the "Back of the House" which I was told was created by the chef...Maker's Mark, vanilla maple syrup and lemon over ice. Yum! GF had a champagne/cognac/ginger drink and I can't remember the name but it was tasty...as were the spiced goldfish on the bar.



We got a comfy corner banquette with great little lower-back pillows.


View of raw bar from our table.

We started with a bunch of appetizers and took it from there.


Warm brioche bread and butter sprinkled with sea salt - addictive so watch out!

The starters are priced by-the-piece which is nice, and they have a chef's choice option if you want to leave it up to the kitchen for a combo. We decided on some tasty vittles to get us going. A 2006 Rudy Pichler Gruner Veltliner matched perfectly with our choices.


Fluke, Yellowtail tacos, sea urchin, and wagyu


Wellfleet oysters and stone crab claws - with a trio of saucy-dippy things (traditional mignonette, house-made ketchup sauce and a granita that I wasn't able to peg the flavor but tasty)

Edit: I forgot to mention that the stone crab didn't come with the traditional mustard/mayo sauce, which we both thought it needed...and the cocktail "sporks" were not very useful in digging out the crab meat, too wide and the tines weren't long enough - back to the design board we go!


Spot prawns lightly seared, yummy.

To accommodate a reservation (tables were full), the management asked us if we would move to the raw bar, in exchange for a little discount off our bill...no problem! The raw bar chefs were very friendly and chatty while they created some goodies in front of us.


Making Yellowtail tacos


Taco shells, ginger, and the sesame-wafer things they serve with the Wagyu.


Chopping the Wagyu.


View from our seats, lots of freshy-fresh fish!


Special of striped bass with brown-butter sauteed black barley and peas - way good!


Side of roasted beets, with kumquats and sprinkled with goat cheese...this was one of my favs.


Dessert: brown-butter poundcake with blueberry-buttermilk ice cream and "cracker jack" pieces.

Overall, we enjoyed everything and the ambience never suffered. Noise was mellow, and since it's not a huge room it never seemed crazy. The sommelier and managed were ever-present, and all staff were friendly and smiling. From the host greeting, to the bartenders, the server Jennifer and even the valet - all made us feel welcome. We'll definitely be back, and if it's just the 2 of us, we will choose to sit at the raw bar next time!

My Take on C-House
Here’s the recipe; take one part celebrity chef, throw in an outdoor lounge, a dash of contemporary style, and you get C-House by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. This is Chef Samuelsson’s first venture in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean he’s a newcomer. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, Samuelsson gained his passion for cooking from his grandmother at a young age. That passion led him to a very successful culinary career in New York, including winning the James Beard award for best chef in New York City.

When asked what’s going to set C-House apart from the rest of the Chicago Culinary scene, Samuelsson proudly boasts of his extensive raw bar and ultra hip decor. He is most proud of the C-Lounge located on the 29th floor of the contemporary Affinia hotel. He sampled Chicago cuisine extensively to ensure that his menu will stand out from the rest.

C-House is brimming with style. Inside you’ll see the “communal” table where guests will get a chance to sample all the restaurants offerings while mingling with the other patrons. Looking for more style and some awesome views? Check out the C-Lounge, located on the 29th floor, featuring amazing views of the city. Our foggy weather last night gave our city an almost Gotham look.

But is "C-House" all hype? Luckily that answer is no. The menu, while small, is executed quite well. A great place to start would be the fish tacos. Crisp tortilla shells are filled with yellow tail tuna and then topped with red cabbage, red onion, and a drizzle of creme fresh.

For main course options, you can go upscale with the monkfish, or choose the comfort of fish and chips. The fish and chips are large golden battered pieces of cod that are served with crisp seasoned fries, and a side of homemade ketchup. The monkfish on the other hand is served much like a bone in ribeye. Seared with the large bone still in, the monkfish might be a fish for the non seafood lover. Dense and meaty in texture, the monkfish not only looks like a chop, but eats like one as well. Glazed with a sweet and spicy relish, this fish is truly outstanding.

When deciding what side dishes are deserving enough to accompany your meal, there are a few quality choices, and one stand out. If you want to go simple, then choose the crisp seasoned fries. Looking for something creamy, then try the grits, topped with creamy spinach and sweet corn. But, the standout is absolutely the chorizo mac and cheese. Creamy goats milk cheddar is kicked up a notch with spicy bits of chorizo running throughout. Definitely a must try.

Dessert is treated in a very unique way at "C-House". For the indecisive, there is a "candy bar" option, in which you choose from 15 different types of house made confections, all for $2 a piece. Or go the more traditional route and order a larger single serving dessert of your own. Two quality options are the poundcake and the cinnamon toast ice cream sandwich. The pound cake is a dense brown butter cake topped with fresh blueberries and accompanied by a unique and wonderful blueberry and buttermilk ice cream. The cinnamon french toast ice cream sandwich is actually more upscale than it sounds. Thin crisp layers of caramelized cinnamon and sugar, sandwich together vanilla ice cream, for a crisp almost creme brulee type of dessert. Served alongside fresh raspberries and pears, make this dessert both decadent, and refreshing at the same time.

A typical dinner for two will run about $150 with tip. Overall "C-House" offers ultra hip decor, high quality food, for an upscale price. "C-House" and lounge are found inside the Affinia Chicago hotel, located at 166 E. Superior. The restaurant seats only about 70 guests, so reservations will be a must.

Location
166 E. Superior
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 523-0923

The food sounds somewhat interesting, but the hype has that whiff of New York smugness that can be so offputting.

Anybody been to this place?
Any recommendations from the menu?

I went there a few weeks ago. We started with the chef's selection from the raw bar which included the hamachi tacos, tuna tartar, a lovely little sardine which I got all to myself since my companions weren't too excited about it, a salmon-caper-cream cheese concoction which was my personal favorite and a tuna-ginger-soy one which was voted overall table favorite.

For entrees I had the monkfish, it was a huge portion, very good and I loved that it was bone-in (all of the portions were quite substantial - dare I say almost too big, I could only eat half of my monkfish). Others had the scallops which I did not try but heard were tasty and the skirt steak. The skirt steak was good but I would go for the seafood here - it is, afterall, C-house. Sides were green beans and mac 'n cheese. Everyone loved the goat cheese mac - it was awsome. The green beans were good, very rich and creamy but not what a few of us expected. I enjoyed them quite a bit but I will say that most of the sides were very rich, not a bad thing, just easy to fill up on. Sides on the plate - I remember having brussel sprouts (yum!) and a sweet potato terrine of some sort that I really enjoyed but others thought too sweet.

Don't miss dessert. We had the chef's selection from the candy bar AND a ginger cake AND a chocolate hazelnut torte. Items from the candy bar included, candied citrus peels (companion H's favorite), pistachio brittle (table favorite), white chocolate bark (least favorite since none of us really likes white chocolate), and I'm drawing a blank on the rest if there was more which there may not have been. The chocolate hazelnut torte wasn't very hazelnutty as I recall but it was the hands down favorite nonetheless. All in all, one of the best meals I've had in a long time my only complaint was that I was too full when I left!

Oh yeah, the service was great too from the hostess to the server to the valet. Overall, it was a great experience. My advice re: ordering is that you would really be missing out on the best part of the experience by not ordering at least a few items from the raw bar, next time I may order my whole meal from it.

I went to C-House last night and had pork for both my appetizer and main course.

That weirdness notwithstanding, we had a perfectly lovely dinner at C-House last night.

We started with a few selections from the C-Bar:

Yellowtail tacos - Our passionate and engaging (but slightly strange...she also referred to the menu as the "culinary list", C-List maybe?) server described the yellowtail as "slightly ceviched", which was actually a pretty good way of describing it. The fish had a slightly tart taste, but it didn't mask the overall fresh taste of the fish.
Tuna - Served in a rice wine vinaigrette along with soy infused pine nuts. This was probably my favorite C-Bar item, mainly because of the pine nuts
Wagyu beef - Served with a quail egg on top, along with buttermilk curds and cornichons. The cornichons may have been MIA because this dish desperately needed some acid.

For appetizers the wife had the butternut squash soup that had a pretty massive lobster claw in it (described by our server as "so aromatic!"...the soup, not the lobster). She pronounced it very good. I had sort of a strange dish. It's listed on the menu as:

Poached duck egg - pork belly/braised greens

So, the plate is basically divided in half. On one half you get some bite sized squares of pork belly in "Indonesian soy sauce", on the other half of the plate was some braised kale with a poached duck egg sitting on top (the kale and egg covered by hollandaise sauce). Kind of a strange plate, but the combination did work. Both the kale and the soy sauce worked nicely against the richness of the belly and the egg.*

For main courses, the wife had the salmon and I had suckling pig. The salmon was the better of the two dishes. A good size piece of fish, crusted in brioche. Along with the fish was a long, crispy rice cake topped with greens, poached quail eggs and bone marrow. There were some doneness issues with the fish (due I think only to a difference in the definition of "medium rare" between us and the kitchen) that were handled extremely well. My suckling pig was well cooked, had a nice crispy exterior, and was served along with some apple chutney and over a bed of watercress. I thought it was ok (between the sweet glaze on the pig and the chutney, the dish was a bit one-noted for me), but the salmon was way better.

We weren't really excited about any of the full sized desserts so we ordered a bunch of stuff from the "candy bar". Sort of the dessert version of the "C-Bar", you get 2-3 bite mini desserts. The standout for me were the fudge brownies topped with vanilla creme fraiche and sprinkled with Hawaiian pink salt and the grape jellies. We also ordered berry roll-ups (think Fruit Roll Ups) but many of the roll-ups we got stuck to the paper in such a way that they were impossible to eat (our server brought more...I would say 50% were edible and the other 50% just made our fingers sticky). They also have 5 or 6 types of hot chocolate. I had just the classic version with housemade marshmallows. I enjoyed the drink, but it was a bit much in combination with the 7 or 8 mini desserts that we ordered.

This place has a few quirks (our server, the abundance of mini menu items, the fact that 4 out of 7 main courses are not seafood), but I enjoyed it. I would say it sits slightly below the Naha/Blackbird/Sweets & Savories tier of restaurants, but only because I found the flavors in a number of dishes to be a little too muted (e.g., the lack of acid in the Wagyu beef, the one-noteness of the suckling pig). Probably a good spot to take a not terribly adventurous eater, but one who still appreciates good food.



* I didn't actually want this dish. I knew I was going to have the suckling pig for my main course, so I tried to order the "Char and Foie" for my appetizer but they were out of foie gras. Our server told me that the pork belly's preparation was different enough from the suckling pig that I wouldn't suffer from "pork overload".

Quick post while I'm waiting for my ride home from work:

Had lunch at C-House today. Tried a piece of cobia ($4) from the C-bar. It was a very tasty two-biter, but between the juniper creme fraiche and the very strong kumquat relish piled on top, I couldn't really taste the fish.

Also had their Angus burger ($10). Ordered medium-rare and it came medium. Very tasty though! The tomato on the burger is a tomato marmalade which was rich and unctuous, full of umami. That and the sharp aged cheddar really made the burger for me. Bun was mediocre, not bad but nothing great. The fries and the homemade condiments were great. The fries are dusted with berber spice and I think there was some garam masala in the ketchup. I couldn't really pick out what was in the tartar sauce which made it so tasty, but it was almost neon-ish green.

Also wanted to point out that they're taking part in the Opentable 1000-point promotion during lunch hours. So if you make a reservation and go for lunch, it's like getting a $10 discount right there. Very nice indeed.

Hi all!

My sister is visiting in a couple of weeks for a birthday and we were thinking of trying out C-House at the Affinia Hotel. I've searched for threads on this restaurant and can't find any existing ones, so I thought I'd start one and see if any of the distinguished LTHer palates have tried it out before and it you would recommend it? Thanks!

-marias23

Just attended an AIWF wine tasting there, and the nibbles they served (yellowtale tacos, wagyu beef tartar, outrageous mac and cheese) were so tasty that a few of us stayed for dinner. A couple of us had the velvety butternut squash soup with lobster and pomegranate followed by duck confit risotto. Yum. (Both were actually appetizers, but the wine tasting didn't end until 8:30, and that seemed a bit late to start a full meal.) The third person in our group had the salmon and foie gras combo. She said it was delicious. Based on this brief exploration, I'd definitely go back. Everything was incredibly fresh and beautifully and imaginatively prepared. Simply a dandy evening. And the sommelier, Lucas, who participated in the wine tasting and then chatted with us while we dined, is tremendously knowledgeable -- and surprisingly accomplished despite his apparent youth.

Nice people, good food, handsome decor -- all positives.

great place for a birthday. ditto to the raw bar options, especially to the yellowtail tacos. we ordered all of the raw bar items the first time i went there and wasn't disappointed by one.

the sides are also a great compliment to the main courses. especially the mac n' cheese.

desserts are a great concept, too.

and afterward, the c-view bar at the top of the hotel is really great, too.

LTH,

I was sure I had previously posted my experience to this thread............

C-View bar seemed unfinished, cobbled together studio apartment feel to the room, rec room style bar simply plopped into the space, overpriced just-ok drinks. I will grant it's a very good view.

Restaurant had a slight fishy odor, think walking into Isaacson and Stein as opposed to Dirk's, menu slightly confusing as to small bites from the C-Bar which ran the range of appeal. Salmon Pastrami, fatty, luscious, delicious, Yellow tail fish tacos, ok, though greasy wonton wrappers detracted. Dense meaty Smoked Eel with a 'chip' of eel skin, delicious, Sardine with quail egg just ok, marinated sardine was terrific, quail egg overcooked and toast so thick it overpowered.

Appetizers and entrees were uneven as well, Lobster Club, bacon, brioche, avocado w/fries an expensive disaster, $15 for scant amount of lobster, soggy bread and limp dull fries. Skate and caviar w/broccoli even worse, outside of skate was sheet rock hard yielding to a steamed mushy center. Creme fresh caviar an abortion, consistency of mashed potato puree, with a separated greasy mouth feel and fishy cheap tiny black caviar all served with Old Country Buffet worthy steamed broccoli.

Fish and chips were fine, but at $20 for a smallish portion, which included watery tarter sauce I will go elsewhere for my thrice yearly Friday night fix. Desserts were tasty, if slightly precious, service exemplary, room open and attractive. Overall an experience I am not likely to repeat on my own dime, that evening I was the guest of a food writer doing the review for a magazine.

Actually, there is one dish at C-House for which I would happily return, one of the best dishes I had in 2008, Poached Duck Egg – pork belly / braised greens. Drop dead gorgeous pork belly, rich golden yellow duck egg brushed with a hint of curry scented hollandaise brought into focus by the slight bitter edge of tender greens. An amazing dish, I actually used the word stupendous in my notes. Mike Sula of the reader (not the food writer I dined with that evening) picked it as one of his best of 2008.

In sum, I found C-House uneven, with one incredible highlight in the form of Poached Duck Egg, pork belly and braised greens.

Enjoy,
Gary

A recent business dinner near Northwestern Medical Campus led us to C-House. Chosen simply for proximity we walked in without any knowledge of the menu and walked out big fans.

The group I entertained was primarily from out of town with more conservative palettes. There were quite a few firsts for people in the group and the staff was extremely helpful throughout. The food was fresh, well plated for sharing, and everything was presented so that the ingredients maintained their integrity while complimenting each other with texture and flavor.

I didn't try everything on the menu but we did cover most of it. I found standouts to be

The Yellowtail tacos, heirloom tomato and goat cheese, lobster club sandwiches on homemade bacon brioche, Suckling pig, perfect gnocchi, and anything with the house made ketchup.

The space is modern and trendy though comfortable with a nice sidewalk option. Filtered water, local organic ingredients and a kitchen that was willing to faciitate any special requests made our experience even better.

On top of the food and service I would call a lot of the menu a bargain, though we may have made off a little better than the average diner since we were in a large group.

For Michigan avenue options this is one of my new favorites.

The C-view bar on the top of the Affinia is worth a visit while in the building.

Just recently found out Marcus Samuelsson has a restaurant in Chicago. Has anyone been here, recently or otherwise? Was hoping to get some opinions before booking.

This may help

Oh odd, I searched C-House and nothing came up. Thanks for the link!

Just had the beer pairing here last night. Amuse of yellowtail tacos, appetizer was advertised as steamed mussels, but had clams as well, and seemed to be more of a boullibase. Entree was a nice slab of pork belly over farro and kale. Dessert: "Black and Tan" of butterscotch panna cotta and stout jelly. Everything was tasty (with the possible exception of that jelly), and a bargain at $39 (Including three smallish pours of excellent midwestern beer to match each course).

Nonetheless, the place was almost empty on a friday night. Good food, reasonable prices, celebrity chef, but no customers. What gives?

Not much has been said about C-House recently. It was not on the top of my radar because it seemed as if the restaurant was a celebrity chef franchising himself, but I was in Streeterville at lunch on a beautiful early fall day, and decided to eat outside with C-House's modestly priced 1-2-3 lunch menu ($17, I think), and while it does not speak to the quality of the dinner, the lunch was excellent, especially for the price. I started with the Corn Soup (with Roasted Peppers and Creme Fraiche). It was outstanding. I followed this with a lobster club sandwich (with avocado and bacon). Well-made and very pleasant. Dessert was a sweet Red Velvet Cake "sandwich." Given that the food is severed simultaneously one can dine quickly and well.

The corn soup is also on the dinner menu, as are the excellent fries which came with the sandwich. The Red Velvet "Sandwich" is also available for dinner.