Quince in Evanston now under chef Pete Balodimas

We decided to check out the new regime at Quince a few days ago and the experience was very exciting. I am a big fan of recently-departed chef Mark Hannon but his homey, somewhat rustic style represented a fairly steep departure from what had unfolded at Trio (which formerly occupied this space) over the years. This change of direction made perfect sense at the time, given the fact that the restaurant changed its management and its name before chef Hannon came aboard. It was clear that, beginning with chef Hannon, Quince strove to be something new.

Now under chef Pete Balodimas, who helmed the short-lived Fahrenheit in St. Charles, the restaurant in the Homestead seems to have returned to its more refined past. I'd really wanted to try Fahrenheit but I never got the chance. Given my location in Lake County, St. Charles is a tough destination for me and before I could make it down there, the restaurant closed. No question, though, opening Fahrenheit in that location was a ballsy move but apparently, the far southwestern suburbs were not quite ready for avant garde dining.

The front of the house at Quince is still intact and Brenna took great care of us. It was not only a pleasure to see the familiar faces but also to see the energy and enthusiasm that infused the space. It seems that chef Balodimas has quickly earned the respect of his cohorts and that he is adept at gathering followers. We asked Brenna if rather than ordering from the menu, we could simply have chef send out whatever he wanted to for us. Our request was obliged -- along with wine pairings for 2 of the 4 of us -- and the meal began . . .



Scallop with mini tortilla chips, red chile, radish, avocado and "guacamole"
A perfectly seared half scallop and 3 mini tortilla chips on the left. On the right, 3 chunks of ripe avocado -- topped with ribbons of radish and thin rings of red chile -- sit atop 'guacamole' puree. Straightforward, refined, elegant and expertly executed.



Wild Salmon -- olive oil poached -- with almond hummus, cantaloupe, fennel and salmon skin crackling
Here, I loved the moist salmon and the supporting elements, except for the almond hummus, which was a bit too sweet for me. It distracted a bit from the overall dish but the super-crunchy salmon skin crackling more than made up for it.



Wild Alaskan Halibut with asparagus puree, morels, spring peas, pea tendrils and olive oil
A highlight for me -- beautiful concept, flawlessly executed. Great flavors and textures. A real blast of spring.



Rabbit Rillettes with spring peas, pea tendrils, brittle sesame and hefeweizen
Another great cominbation. The rabbit, which was served cold, was rich and deep in flavor. The brittle sesame provided a satisfying textural counterpoint and accented the flavor of the rillettes wonderfully. The sauce was a bit too sweet for me but again, that's just me. I think I was the only person at the table who felt that way.



Close-up on the encased rabbit rillettes
What's up doc?



Spicy Lamb Loin with 'trio' of artichoke, cucumber, yogurt and mint
From what I understand, there is no immersion circulator at Quince, which makes the execution of this lamb all the more impressive. I enjoyed the 3 different preparations of artichokes, too: pureed, fried and pickled (iirc).


Chef Balodimas, who also makes the desserts, sent out a quartet of them for us to sample . . .


Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta with blueberries, polenta cookie and crispy lemon
Great dish. Classic flavors expertly combined into more than the sum of their parts.



Strawberry Shortcake with strawberry sorbet and basil meringue
I was the only person at the table who wasn't thrilled with this one. The combination of basil and strawberries is not unfamiliar but other than being interesting, it doesn't wow me. But again, the calling card of this dish was the execution, which was immaculate. The shortbread was tender, the meringue held together nicely and was just soft enough to coat the tongue without being runny, and the sorbet was perfectly creamy with no grain to it. To my knowledge, there's no pacojet in this kitchen, which again points to the kitchen's notably solid command over ingredients.



Peanut Butter Pudding with grape gelee, sugar donuts and malted milk shake
I laughed a bit at this dish because PB&J was one of chef Achatz's early signture items at Alinea (after he left Trio) but the flavors, textures and overall execution here made this dish its own success. The peanut butter pudding was compelling.



Warm Chocolate Cake with sweet corn gelato, salt caramel and marcona almond 'cracker jack'
I loved the combination of corn and chocolate, which I couldn't remember having before -- at least not like this. I thought the caramel in the 'cracker jack' unified the other components deftly.

Chef Balodimas' food is elevated, refined, distinctive and -- in some cases -- risky. I thought the execution and the ingredients were superb. I was so pleased by how perfectly cooked all the proteins were. They were truly a pleasure to eat. Accompaniments were also extremely well-executed, although in some cases, as I mentioned above, the combinations of flavors didn't always work for me. But this is a minor quibble because the conceptions were so distinctive. Beyond that, though, at their core, the success of flavor combinations can be highly personal. When you're taking risks like this, not everything is going to please every palate. That's ok because the care, creativity and skill exhibited here more than made up for the instances where I personally didn't love something.

Perhaps this will be a tough sell for the Homestead, which it should not be. But the age-old conundrum with this restaurant is again in play -- is it a destination restaurant, a hotel restaurant or a neighborhood restaurant? Can it be all 3 simultaneously? I certainly hope so. From my perspective there's no question chef Balodimas' food has not only maintained but also solidified Quince's status as a worthy dining destination. Flatiron steak and Veal Chop are just a few selections that should keep the less adventurous happy. And items we didn't try, like pork belly, suckling pig and zucchini blossoms (to name a few) are already calling me back. Hopefully, guests in the hotel and folks from the neighborhood will appreciate what's happening here. Only time will tell but I think it'll be their loss if they don't.

=R=

Quince
(in the Homestead Hotel)
1625 Hinman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
847 570-8400

Terrific report and photography, which make me want to run to Quince. I'm not usually enamored by foams and the like, but that airy looking stuff on the panna cotta looks truly delightful. I imagine it having intense lemon flavor despite what appears to be ethereal texture. That picture induces major salivation.

Thanks for the post Ronnie. I've been eating at the Homestead for years, looking foward to trying out the new chef's menu. The Q2 bar menu looks interesting.

I understand that Chef Balodimas has left Quince to pursue other options (as they say). When last I heard, the management had not hired a new chef. Good thing there are still jobs in the cooking biz.

GAF wrote:I understand that Chef Balodimas has left Quince to pursue other options (as they say). When last I heard, the management had not hired a new chef. Good thing there are still jobs in the cooking biz.

This was covered in Dish a couple weeks ago. Pete is leaving for Phoenix because his girlfriend got a new job (promotion?) out there. Andy Motto (Old Town Brasserie, Le Lan) has been hired to replace him.

=R=

Andy Motto interesting, I didn't even get a chance to try out Pete Balodimas dishes.

Now under chef Andy Motto

I recently had a chance to try a dinner at Quince – first time under new chef Andy Motto. With a resume that includes Le Francais and The French Laundry, and in a space that has nurtured the likes of Reis, Tramanto, Gand, McClain and Achatz, we expected a lot.

And it was pretty good.

Service was, to say the least, rather austere. Just one example — we tried to joke good-naturedly with our server, when he asked if we were finished with our wine. The bottle (in ice water, beside the table) still had four or five ounces left in it.

Me, joking, said with a smile: “You probably just wanted to take it in back and enjoy it in the kitchen, right?”

Server, dourly: “No, we wouldn’t drink that in the kitchen.”

With my trademark twinkle in my eye: “Oh, so you must be drinking better stuff than this in the kitchen.”

“No.”

He poured the remaining wine and walked away. End of sparkling conversation.

On to the food.

I started with the Octopus with heirloom tomato compote, citrus segments, garlic, shallots, and radish. The octopus was perfectly done – not at all rubbery, as it can be if cooked 30 seconds longer than necessary. The accompaniments were unexpected; I’d say they worked “okay.” They certainly made it different from any other octopus preparation I’ve had.

One companion had a simple asparagus soup. Never mind that asparagus was out of season, this was full-flavored and pure – almost creamy, but with no cream, or much else added – just pure asparagus and maybe some stock. Ethereal.

For my main, I had the skate wing & lobster, with quinoa, pearl onions, and cippolini onions. I love skate, and this was a very good version. But it seemed as if the lobster was almost an afterthought, trying to fight with the skate wing for meaty, fishy dominance. But still, I’d order it again.

Another had the duck breast with duck confit … both very duckily flavorful, although in my small portion I sampled, I was disappointed to find a stray bone in my throat. A small issue with an otherwise outstanding dish.

Our other companion had the pork loin. Truthfully, I don’t remember it well (occasionally the Alzheimer’s kicks in), but I do remember thinking was a very good preparation.

Overall, the meal was better than expected. It’s not up to the level of Trio in its heyday, but it seems to be on its way. If chef Moto hangs around for a while (unlike his predecessor), I think great things can be expected here. Especially if they can find servers with a sense of humor.

nr706 wrote:With my trademark twinkle in my eye:

He probably thought you were hitting on him.

Glad to hear the good report. My wife just bought a restaurant.com gift card for Quince.

I returned home from my first dinner at Quince (at the Homestead in Evanston) under Chef Andy Motto to find a copy of TOC with a review of Quince by David Tamarkin (four stars out of five). DT noted that at one of his meals at Quince, he and his companion were the only diners. Same with us last night. Unless the TOC review (it should have been filed under Save This Restaurant) does the trick, Darren, you might wish to use your discount card quickly).

The food itself was quite good. My four companions judged their dinners excellent. I loved Motto's Ravioli with a powerful liquid cauliflower center. It was a triumph and a surprise. The main course was skate wrapped with lobster, which itself was quite good, but for some odd reason (in the middle of October) was served with not-very-impressive peas (so much for seasonal dishes - they also were serving asparagus) and also quinoa, pearl onions, cippolini onions, and fava beans (the peas were not listed on the menu, but perhaps they were cleaning out the 'fridge). Tamarkin says that Motto is strongest with protein, and the peas prove him right.

My dessert - mango sticky rice - was a pleasant end, maybe a little gummy (again, see DT's review), but good and sweet and chewy.

I would certainly return for the ravioli. I just hope there is something to which to return. I have had so many excellent and amazing meals in this space. While this was of the former category, it would be distressing if the Homestead went dark.

Last night we had another "Why did we wait so long to return?" moments after a great dinner at Quince. Not sure why it fell off my radar, but based on Ronnie and GAF's comments, it may be others' problem as well. It was unfortunate to see so many empty tables.

The main dining room room is warm and inviting, with a nice mix of old world and modern. The very knowledgeable servers were friendly and attentive, without being smothering. The prices are a very good value for the food and experience received.

We had 10 courses among three of us and every dish was delicious. Appetizers included a Kabocha squash soup that my daughter adored, succulent pork belly with daikon, mustard, cranberry, and blood orange, terrific chestnut dumplings with foie gras and mushrooms, and spicy lamb ravioli with Serrano ham, olive, basil, and hazelnuts.

For mains there were white bean and truffle agnolotti with cranberry, grilled heart of palm, and basil, perfectly rare venison medallions on a polenta cake with a sweet raisin compote, and a taste of crispy sausage, and bass with gnocchi, mushrooms, and a quail egg.

The cherry financier with almond brittle, pear-apple brandy, pomegranate, and cardamon ice cream was our favorite, nudging out the very light (for cheesecake) vanilla mascarpone cheesecake with lemon sabayon, pistachios, and extremely deep blackberry sorbet, and chocolate crepes filled with more chocolate served with raspberry sauce.

It blew a recent dinner at Carlos' away in all regards, and the bill was less for three of us than it was for two in Highland Park.

Quince has some private rooms for small parties and seem to be very accommodating to create special menus for your group. I am going to suggest to a friend who is hosting a small birthday party.