Bank Lane Bistro- Lake Forest

I have been a fan of Bank Lane Bistro for the last year or so since the new chef, John de Rosiers, from Charlie Trotters and Gabriels, took over, but I had never tried the tasting menus that are offered. On Friday, my wife and I took our 10 year old son out to celebrate his piano recital, and we ordered the 12 course chef's grand tasting. Though the menu mentions regular chef's tastings of 4 or 6 courses, I was unaware that they offered the grand tastings, and in fact 15 and 20 courses are also available. The price was $80/person, and I think that it stacked up favorably to the Tru, Trio, Trotter's tastings that are more expensive. It was kind of the opposite of what Moto sounds like. No foams, aromas, or eating instructions. Just good food.
Bank Lane Bistro is small, and the chef was able to serve most of our courses himself. He asked about likes and dislikes, and offered to do something different for our son, who took that as a challenge and insisted on having the same as us. Remarkably, for a kid half my size, he ate it all (and I was stuffed at the end). My wife and I had the accompanying wines, $40, Which were very good, but not particularly unusual. Joseph Perrier champaigne, Guenoc Chardonnay, Kunde Sauvignon Blanc, a French Rose, a David Bruce Petit Syrah, and an Australian dessert wine. They were planning to give us more red wines, but we asked them to slow down (they were almost full pours, and our son was asking why we were drinking so much).
The service was friendly and efficient, and we were out in under 2 1/2 hours. The room is very comfortable, but not as elegant as some other top places, which is fine with me.

The courses:
1. Lobster Bisque cappucino
2. Fresh mozzerella and Asperagus Napoleon
3. Tuna Tartar(sp?)
4. Beef tenderloin tartar
5.sauteed hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms on polenta
6. sauteed foie gras on grilled pound cake with macerated cherries
7. seared sea scallop on white truffle risotto (made with aged arborio rice, which I had never heard of, aged in barrels in Italy for a year)
8. Dueling ravioli (duck confit and veal-cheek confit)
9.venison loin
10. Humbolt Fog cappucino
11. warm chocolate cake
12. 20 bean vanilla ice cream (made with 20 beans per quart, and it was fantastic) and macerated cherry ice cream.

most of the courses had several sauces or garnishes that could be tasted with them, but usually not served on top, which was nice so you could experiment with different flavors. My favorite was the jalapeno ice cream with the steak tartar. My only real dislike was the consistency of the grilled pound cake with the otherwise excellent foie gras.
While Lake Forest is a hike for most people, Bank Lane Bistro is a welcome addition to area dining. I would put it up there with Carlos and Le Francais (depending on the incarnation) as the best of the north shore.
-Will

WillG wrote:5. sauteed hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms on polenta

Will,

Until I read the complete sentence, I thought this the perfect place for Hammond.

WillG wrote:1. Lobster Bisque cappucino

10. Humbolt Fog cappucino

I imagine Lobster Bisque Cappuccino is simply bisque that has been aerated, but Humbolt Fog cappuccino? Cheese cappuccino?

Your comparison to Carlos, of which I am a fan, though I have not been in a few years, certainly makes Bank Lane Bistro sound appealing.

Enjoy,
Gary

the lobster bisque was just a very rich bisque with some foamy milk on top.
The humbolt fog was melted humbolt fog cheese, which is very strong, mixed with a bit of cream so it was drinkable, served very warm, but not really hot. It was excellent. I tried to figure out if the rind was melted into it too, but couldnt really tell. It was not very lumpy. Humbolt Fog was a great cheese to use because it is sort of blue cheese, but not really, and has a distinct ripened flavor. I think it was called cappuccino, but expresso would have been a better discription because it was not aerated at all. Im guessing a 400 calorie demi-tas.
-Will

This evening I had a sublime meal at the Bank Lane Bistro in Lake Forest. I encourage all city folk to get on the Metra and go there.

The chef, John des Rosiers, who has worked at Trotter's and Gabriel's (where he helped craft their massive wine cellar) has a better understanding of food and wine than many chefs I've met in the city. His dishes all explore the finer points of texture and flavor and, basically, they rock.

I only had a few courses - but, damn, they were good.

Course 1: Heirloom tomato with smoked buffalo mozzarella from Campania with a watercress puree and 25 yr old balsamic; Frisee with Main lobster, bacon and truffle oil; endive with cranberry and pineapple.

The mozzarella was stunning - smokey, creamy and full of texture. It was a gorgeous accompaniment to the juicy, fruity heirloom tomato.

The star of the course was the frisee/lobster salad. There was a perfect amount of truffle oil that whafted up and made me smile. The frisee added a wonderful bite and texture. ... and, what can I say, there was bacon.

The cranberry and pineapple had been mascerated and were sitting neatly in a leaf of endive. It was a strange but delicious blend of summer and fall flavors. It oddly mirrored the weather we've been having.

Course 2: Onaga (a fish from Japan, known as "Ruby Snapper" in Hawaii... but this one was - truly - a Japanese fish) with morels (undoubtably my favorite fungus), asparagus, sweetbreads and a vanilla creme fraiche.

Holy #*$&@!! The morels and vanilla were a huge surprise. I had no idea they would complement each other the way they did. Massive bright vanilla bean notes up front lead to earthy, danky, herbacious, sexy mushroom flavors. Aw yeah.

Course 3: korobuta pork tenderloin w/chinese 5 spice on top of chippolinni onion salsa and a maple syrup reduction; english peas with reggiano and truffle oil on a little tuille; australian lamb on top of a spring potato with port reduction; tomato with fried capers

The 5 spice was sublime. The spice (particularly the clove element) lingered and was a powerful counterpoint to the juicy, clean flavors of the pork.

My thought about the english peas was that I wanted to take them home in a doggy bag and eat them all day long. A quart of them would've been good. When I'm scrounging around my kitchen looking for something to eat, I want to find them and have a fork-full of their bright, tasty goodness. Yum.

The lamb was truly some of the best lamb I've ever had. It was perfectly medium rare (well, maybe more rare than medium) and melded the savory flavor of the meat with an almost chocolate/cherry aspect. The pink Murray River sea salt lifted the flavors and kept any sweetness at bay. The spring potatoes added a warm and comfortable home cookin aspect to the dish.

Dessert: miniature bing cherry mousse with crispy phyllo and homemade 40 bean vanilla ice cream; wood fired house made smore with a shot of milk.

the bing cherry mousse dish had cherries mascerated in brandy. potent and awesome with the cool ice cream. the 40 bean refers to the inordinate amount of vanilla bean used to make the ice cream. A must for any vanilla lover - the beans mellowed the sweetness and made for a damn near perfect ice cream.

the smores were off the hook. the wood firing melted all the elements perfectly while retaining the crispiness of the graham cracker. the chocolate was exquisite.

I neglected to mention the wines... feel free to trust Chef John to pair every course for you. He knows his stuff and his pairings were stellar. Plus, his wine list is outstanding - filled with eclectic small producers and interesting varietals.

I only had 4 courses... and I am craving another 6!!!

Bank Lane Bistro
670 Bank Lane
Lake Forest, IL 60045
847-234-8802
Fax: 847-234-8837

I have eaten at BLB half a dozen times since my previous post, and it has been fantastic each time. For my birthday a year ago, 8 of us had a 15 course tasting, matched with 13 different wines (6 we brought, the rest they supplied), and it was probably the best meal that I have had in my life. I really am surprised that this place does not get more recognition. We went back recently for my sons birthday and did the 10 course tasting. The price is up to 88 bucks, but it is still a bargain. Chef John does not skimp on the ingredients. I agree that the morels in the vanilla creme fraiche sauce was a delicious surprise. I recreated it fairly successfully at home just sauteeing morels in butter and adding creme fraiche and vanilla extract. We all loved the smores too, particularly the fresh graham crackers. -Will

I've never been to Bank Lane Bistro, but I believe it shares the same kitchen and chef as South Gate Café, a favorite biking desination (Evanston-> Lake Forest and back) with a great outdoor patio, and a little more casual menu - at least at lunchtime. Every meal has been excellent, but don't ask me to report in detail as others have - I haven't yet biked up there this year, and my memory of specific dishes from last fall aren't good enough for a write-up.

South Gate Cafe
655 Forest Ave.
Lake Forest

I thought I would resurrect this old thread and post an update on this restaurant. I've been going to Bank Lane for several years, starting just after John des Rosiers started there as Executive Chef. I've been there many times since, both for dinner and holding events there for the International Wine & Food Society. I was there last Saturday with some folks who had never been there, so we ordered the 10-course menu with wine pairings. The food was fabulous, and the accompanying wine was excellent and well-chosen. I didn't record the wines, but did take shots of most of the dishes. They're below, with a description.

This was our amuse bouche. They're house-made parmesan "doritos" along with pistachios with a crunchy coating.



The first course was a take-off on a caprese salad. These are heirloom tomatoes, Michigan cherries, buffalo milk mozzarella cheese, and a balsamic reduction.



Next was a lobster soup with mussles and calamari. I forgot to take a picture, but it was excellent, with the seafood cooked perfectly. When my wife eats calamari, you know it's good.

The next course was mascarpone cheese filled agnolotti which exploded in your mouth.



Next up were snails, something I don't usually eat but found to be delicious. These are in a sabayone with pancetta, peaches, and jalapeno.



One of the folks with us is a vegan, so John did a special menu for her. One of her courses was white quinoa with artichoke and smoked tomatos with an asparagus coulis.



Next we had a seared giant prawn in miso broth with sea beans, ruby chard, and yuzu skin.



Another fish course was black cod with St. George mushrooms and a coconut sauce.



The meat course was a braised short rib that was fork tender, over wild rice.



The first dessert (yeah, baby - multiple desserts!) was chocolate filled agnolotti with cookies. Again, the chocolate just exploded in your mouth.



The last course was something John's been trying lately. It's chilled seared foie gras layered with bananas and served with chamomile ice cream. It was interesting, and I love foie gras, but I prefer mine warm. It was still tasty.



If you haven't tried Bank Lane, I highly recommend it. I'm not associated with the restaurant in any way. I'm just an enthusiastic customer.

All the best,
John Danza

This place really is under the radar, isn't it? I've had Bank Lane Bistro on my "must try" list for a long time now, ever since a friend recommended it to me a couple of years back but I've never been. It's very near my house, I've never heard or read anything negative about it -- and now, the wonderful, detailed report above has definitely put a new, higher priority on getting over there. Thanks, John Danza, for the post.

=R=

I also like South Gate.

I had lunch at Bank Lane Bistro and it was very good. Loved the dessert - creme brulee!

the food is superb at bank lane bistro.the second floor dining room is charming,bright and simple and their balcony tables overlooking bank lane are perfect for summer/fall dining.myself and a group of freinds booked the entire restaurant one evening a few years ago and the chef and staff were wonderfully acommodating to our guests.
i also enjoy dining in the greenhouse room at sister restaurant southgate for a broad range of well prepared salads,sandwiches and soups.they also have a members only private room upstairs called the marketclub.

Our first dinner at Bank Lane Bistro, and it will not be out last. Chef John de Rosiers' food was excellent. Why did we wait so long?

Nancy and I both had the four course menu, which I highly recommend (unless you go for the six or ten course). You pick the entree and dessert, the chef selects the first two courses. Of these four starters, we would have chosen three and the fourth was another great dish.

First courses:
House made and very delicate agnolotti filled with mascarpone and black truffle, with an amaretti cookie crunch. Velvety texture and melt in your mouth.

Seared ahi tuna sliced thinly over an apple slaw with wasabi vinaigrette. This was served with a tall shot glass of sparkling French lemonade. The course I may not have chosen, but we really enjoyed.

Second Courses:
Sweet corn budino over a chanterelle and honshimiji mushroom cake with pecorino grand cru cheese and blood orange vinaigrette. I loved this dish. Awesome with our 2001 Failla ‘Keefer Ranch’ Pinot Noir.

Perfectly seared foie gras, jalapenos, homemade pancetta, over fresh peaches with sweet miso sauce. What a dish! Our favorite of the evening. I wish it was an entrée-sized portion.

Entrees:
Wild ivory salmon wrapped in terrific bacon, white miso-honey glaze, and spicy coconut siracha chile sauce over crème fraiche whipped purple potatoes. We never heard of ivory salmon before. Delicious.

A single giant madagascar tiger prawn smoked with assam tea leaves over himalayan red rice, white chanterelle mushroom, and natural prawn broth. Another unusual seafood option, the prawn was great, firm with nice texture. Nancy felt the dish was a bit smoky for her taste. I liked it.

Desserts:
Fresh peaches (served warm) over warm clafoutis cake, Tahitian vanilla, and Valence goat cheese. The goat cheese was terrific with this. We were expecting a clafoutis, but it was like peaches over pound cake.

Sourdough bread pudding with amaretti cookies and chocolate cooked in the wood oven and served with crème fraiche vanilla sauce. Very nice.

Hi,

I spent New Year's Eve at Bank Lane Bistro. This was a bonus location for me due to its relative closeness to home especially with the new fallen snow. I drove through Highwood, which is a restaurant mecca, to find their streets better plowed and salted than either Lake Forest or Highland Park.

First course

My companions enjoyed the liquefied truffle & mascarpone cheese cheese agnolotti wth Carolina pecans, bourbon infused caramelized green and crisp pecorino. They likened the agnolotti, stuffed pasta, to Chinese soup dumplings.

I had the other selection of homemade smoked duck, abalone mushroom budino, emmental cheese, crispy curried rice paper. I would have enjoyed this a bit more if I didn't realize I was missing those dumplings.

Second course

We all enjoyed the seared la belle foie gras, jalapeno tempura, champagne poached pear and caramelized maple syrup sauce. I love interesting intense sauces, which I picked up every drip with a bit of bread.

Other options for the second course were:

Coconut soup, sweet bay scallops, crispy leeks, baby artichokes and preserved yuzu skin.

or

Belgium endive salad, Carolina pecans, arugula, fig vinaigrette, warm goat cheese.

Third course

Two of us selected winter smoked lamb breast, Saigon cinnamon glaze, Peruvian mandarin orange confit and their signature au gratin potatoes. The lamb breast was rolled with enough visible rings to seem like a cinnamon bun. I ate like a cinnamon bun too, from the outside ring to the center. While the lamb may have been smoked, it also appeared to be braised. I didn't quite care much for the au gratin potatoes, which seemed to be a whole new potato baked inside a veil of cheese pastry.

Our other companion had the wild Australian barramundi on a bed of red Inca organic quinoa, crispy leek napoleon, baby artichokes and yuzu creme fraiche. I tried a bit of the fish with quinoa, which was better than I anticipated.

Other choices we did not select were:

Roasted poussin breast, poussin leg confit, grand camembert whipped potatoes, honshimeji mushrooms and butterscotch curry sauce.

The best steak frites, filet mignon, black peppercorn, ripened "4 time" fries, natural jus.

Fourth course

Two of us had the essence of valrhona manjari chocolate, citrus slushy, sea salt, pecan dust and curry chili jsauce. The chocolate was very dense and thick cream filled pot. You were expected to nip a bit of the chocolate, then dip it in to salt, pecans or through the curry. It was suggested due to the richness the chocolate to take a sip of the citrus slushy. I did it once as suggested, then decided I didn't need the palate rinse the slushy provided. The curry-chili was my least favorite sauce due to the sharp chili action. I liked much more the salt as well as the pecans. Drinking the slushy at the end was almost like a bonus second dessert.

I did get a sample of the wood oven sourdough bread pudding, amaretti cookies, chocolate, creme fraiche vanilla sauce. The bread pudding itself was strongly seasoned with almond extract. If you like marzipan, then this dessert would be ideal for you.

The one dessert none of us selected was their Thai pumpkin pie, maple syrup walnuts, madeira sauce and 40 bean vanilla ice cream.

The menu changes daily in this restaurant. They ignite their wood fueled oven every day with the menus from the day before.

Very pleasant, low-key ringing in the new year. I look forward to visiting this restaurant again someday soon.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:The menu changes daily in this restaurant. They ignite their wood fueled oven every day with the menus from the day before.

Cathy,

Bank Lane Bistro's wood fired oven and ever changing menu sound quite interesting and your dinner, in particular the foie sauces, delicious.

Seems I've just started my '08 must try list.

Enjoy,
Gary

We had another enjoyable dinner at BLB last night. Sadly, Chef de Rosiers is leaving at the end of this week to pursue other opportunities. His sous-chef (Michael, I think) will be taking over the kitchen, and hopefully the quality will continue.

-Will

WillG wrote:We had another enjoyable dinner at BLB last night. Sadly, Chef de Rosiers is leaving at the end of this week to pursue other opportunities. His sous-chef (Michael, I think) will be taking over the kitchen, and hopefully the quality will continue.

-Will

Heh . . . we were there too but probably a bit earlier than you. Our meal was just excellent. I hope to post a few photos a bit later on. I'm sorry we missed you but it was an atypically early night for us.

=R=

WillG wrote:Sadly, Chef de Rosiers is leaving at the end of this week to pursue other opportunities. His sous-chef (Michael, I think) will be taking over the kitchen, and hopefully the quality will continue.

John told me about it a couple of days after Christmas, but was sworn to secrecy because he had not yet advised all the staff nor the public relations firm. I believe that it is Michael who's taking over the head chef duties at Bank Lane, while I think they're going to have someone else be the head chef at the South Gate Cafe on the lower level.

John's plans are to open a new place in April 2009, and it'll be somewhere on the north shore. I'm looking forward to that opening, as I think he's a great chef with an excellent palate for wine and food pairings.

All the best,
John Danza

John Danza wrote:

WillG wrote:Sadly, Chef de Rosiers is leaving at the end of this week to pursue other opportunities. His sous-chef (Michael, I think) will be taking over the kitchen, and hopefully the quality will continue.

John told me about it a couple of days after Christmas, but was sworn to secrecy because he had not yet advised all the staff nor the public relations firm. I believe that it is Michael who's taking over the head chef duties at Bank Lane, while I think they're going to have someone else be the head chef at the South Gate Cafe on the lower level.

John's plans are to open a new place in April 2009, and it'll be somewhere on the north shore. I'm looking forward to that opening, as I think he's a great chef with an excellent palate for wine and food pairings.

John, you may be interested to know that when I was taking pics of our meal, the general manager, Kris, came over to our table and asked me if I knew you. I told him that I knew who you were because I'd seen your posts here. I went on to explain that I was something of a food geek and he very nicely replied that we were actually both food "gurus." I hope this doesn't end up becoming a case of 'guilt by association' for you, if the truth about me actually comes out

As I posted above, we really enjoyed our meal. It was our first time in and we were there because it had been on our hit list for some time and word came to me last week, through a friend, that chef des Rosiers was leaving. We really wanted to try BLB before he departed and we even cancelled plans with some friends when we realized that last night would be the last Saturday night at BLB for chef des Rosiers -- and our last opportunity to try BLB on his watch. Actually, we invited our friends to join us but they had just been in, so we went by ourselves and we were very glad that we did.

Tasting menus of 4, 6 & 8 courses are available but we opted to put together our own menu, which consisted of 2 starters, 1 entree and 1 dessert for each of us. A long meal last weekend was the reason we didn't opt for the 8-course. We just didn't want to be in the restaurant that long. The menus we put together for ourselves worked out well in that we got to try almost all of the most compelling items, pacing was excellent and it turned out to be just about the exact right amount of food. At the end, we were definitely full but not uncomfortably so . . .


Rochioli Russian River Valley Pinot Noir...this is a personal favorite of mine, so I was delighted to see it on the wine list. Even though this wasn't the single-vineyard production which Kris has been coveting, it's still a rare find and a real treat.



Rochioli love shot . . . my apologies but seeing this on the list produced an unforeseen wave of emotion



Yet another Rochioli love shot . . . last one, I promise.



Semolina pasta, hand-cut with fried leeks, pecorino Grand Cru cheese and quail egg, Tuscan alfredo, tableside...here, the dish receives the sauce at the table.



Pasta after being sauced...really enjoyed this dish -- especially the leeks -- but thought the sauce, while nicely pungent, was a little thin.



Iowa Berkshire prosciutto tempura with arugula, goat cheese, Japanese, French and Italian sauces and extra virgin olive oil



I didn't ask but I assume this prosciutto was produced by La Quercia, unless a 2nd artisanal pork producer has popped up in Iowa lately. I loved this decadant preparation. The flavors of the sweet ham, arugula and goat cheese were fantastic together and the tempura blanket around them was so light and well-made that it actually enhanced them and didn't obscure them at all. The sauces were great, too.



Sweet corn budino with wild mushrooms, fried quail egg, pecorino grand cru cheese and blood orange juice...loved the combination of the very sweet budino and the earthy mushrooms. Their flavors matched up well and their textures contrasted pleasantly. I'm not sure the citrus note worked for me but my wife enjoyed it.



Seared La Belle foie gras with homemade pancetta, jalapeno, Virginia mammoth peanuts and Sambucca-infused blueberry...this perfectly cooked slab of creamy foie matched up nicely with the blueberries, whose sweetness was accentuated very successfully by the Sambucca. The pancetta was excellent, too. At first, I wasn't sure about the peanut element because their texture provided an almost jolting contrast to the foie, but I ended up liking them in the dish.



The 'best' steak frites...filet mignon, black peppercorn, ripened "4 time" fries and natural jus...a great take on the Bistro classic. I'm not really a filet fan but here, cooked perfectly* and served with a judicious amount of black peppercorns and the natural jus, the best attributes of filet were allowed to shine. The frites were excellent, too.



*To me, this is what is meant by 'cooked perfectly.'



"Earthy" duck breast with duck leg "bacon confit," crispy fingerling potatoes, wild mushroom spring roll and ming nau sauce



Close up on the duck leg "bacon confit" atop a seared 'medallion' of fingerling potatoes. This confit was sensational; tender and fatty with a perfect amount of external crispiness.



This moist, tender duck breast had a crispy skin and was seasoned very aggressively, wonderfully.



Crispy, wild mushroom spring roll.



Creamy, frozen Scarborough Fair...caramelized maple syrup and spicy macadamia nuts...we weren't sure what this was going to be when we ordered it but decided to just take leap of faith. It was 4 separate ice creams in the flavors of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. It was interesting and tasty, if not completely satisfying as a dessert.



"Unbelievable" homemade s'mores and a shot of milk



Dayum!! That s'more really was unbelievable and the shot of milk pairing was inspired

Of course, things are bound to change once chef des Rosiers is gone but I doubt very seriously that the quality at Bank Lane Bistro will. This operation is well-polished and manned at every point by talented folks who seem to genuinely care about the place, the food and the customers. This was especially true of our server, Lyndzee, who was as good they get and the aformentioned Kris, who seems to instantly make every customer feel right at home. The place has a long history of success, as does the rest of the South Gate Group. Chef des Rosiers will certainly be missed but the show should go on pretty well at BLB after his departure. It seems to be in great hands. And as John Danza posted above, it'll be exciting to see what chef des Rosiers does next. It'll also be exciting to return to Bank Lane Bistro and see what's next for it, too. They offer a special on Monday nights -- all wines 50% off. That's a nice incentive to come back sooner than later.

=R=

Bank Lane Bistro
670 N Bank Ln
Lake Forest, IL 60045
847 234-8802

ronnie_suburban wrote:John, you may be interested to know that when I was taking pics of our meal, the general manager, Kris, came over to our table and asked me if I knew you. I told him that I knew who you were because I'd seen your posts here. I went on to explain that I was something of a food geek and he very nicely replied that we were actually both food "gurus." I hope this doesn't end up becoming a case of 'guilt by association' for you, if the truth about me actually comes out

Hey Ronnie, that's pretty funny! We might be the only people to have taken photos of the food. I'm sure both our reputations are intact, for what there is of them.

I'm sure you're correct that BLB will carry on as an excellent food destination. Something that John brought to the place was a great palate for food and wine pairings and a love of small production wines. Hopefully the new exec. chef will be able to carry on in that area. Oh, and I agree that Kris does a great job.

December was a bit of a one-two punch for me, with two chefs I've known since the beginning of their restaurants closing up or leaving their current place for a hiatus. Earlier in December I had learned of John Bubala closing up Thyme, which I had been going to since he started. Then John des Rosiers. I know they'll both be back because they're too good to stay away, but it's still a bit of a bummer.

All the best,
John

Ronnie-
We didnt get there until around 8:15. Sorry we missed you. We had the tempura also....it is la quercia, and it was excellent. The smore has always been one of my favorite desserts, though I passed on it this time in favor of the cheese course. I do have high hopes of the quality continuing. It better, since I need somewhere close to eat until John opens his new place next year!

-Will

My 13 year old and I ate at BLB last night. It was our first visit since John left, and it is still excellent. My son talked me into the 10 course tasting so we got to try a lot of chef Michael's creations. He hasnt changed things very much yet, though none of the courses were things that I had eaten there previously. The only course that was particularly exotic was warmed humbolt fog cheese served over savory marinated strawberries with white chocolate sticks and a tempura fried mint leaf. The mint leaf didnt add anything, but the other three worked remarkably well together. The other courses were all very good, with more conservative preparations, which I tend to prefer. All the bases were covered, with Scottish salmon carpaccio, seared tuna, scallop, foie gras, salad with truffled grit cake, bass, short rib, duck confit, lamb, and a chocolate dessert. I found the overall level up to my previous visits.

My only concern for BLB in the short term is that they lost several front of the house people when John left, and they are still working on replacing them. Due to spring break, last night was a slow one, and our service was excellent, mostly handled by veteran staff and timed perfectly. I suspect that on a busier night they may have some issues until they get some more people trained.

-Will