Cibo Matto: Polipo Poached in Corked Wine

Cibo Matto: Polipo Poached in Corked Wine

Cibo Matto – “crazy food” – is a new restaurant in the cleverly designed The Wit, which also houses Roof and State Lake, two places that MikeG has previously run through the Skyfullofbaconator.

Last night, The Wife and I were invited to a media dinner at Cibo Matto, and I was interested to see what this third leg in the Wit’s wine/dine triad would be like. This restaurant has been open a few weeks, and it was quite crowded for a recessionary Thursday night (People feeling upbeat over the Dow’s recent upward run? Maybe, though the menu is priced fairly competitively, with most entrées in the upper $20 range).

The room is dominated by a back-lit “fresco,” which seems to have been designed to pull through the theme of surreality, and a huge glass column filled with wine bottles, which The Wife observed kind of contradicts the notion of a wine “cellar,” though it looked really cool and created a stained-glass effect when light shines through it.



I enjoyed many of the dishes we had and was intrigued by what our server said about the preparation of the octopus: apparently, after the marinade, Chef Todd Stein poaches the octopus in wine that has a cork in it, and then grills it up right before serving. Odd, I thought, but the thinking is that the cork somehow tenderizes the seafood. This sounded incredible to me, but I had to admit, this was one tasty – and huge -- octopus.



Ari Bendersky – who knows his way around a wine bottle – was listening to the server’s explanation of this cooking technique, and he seemed as baffled as I was as to why corked wine would have a tenderizing effect on anything. So, this morning, I emailed Harold McGee about the science behind poaching in corked wine, and if he gets back to me, I’ll post his response here. Incidentally, if you have food-related science questions that are not already answered in McGee’s landmark On Food and Cooking, you might consider contacting him via his site: http://www.curiouscook.com/cook/harold.php. I have emailed McGee about other food issues raised on this forum, and he’s been gracious enough to reply within a day or so.

Cibo Matto is fun place and Stein seems to have a grip on dishes that are not insane: I had an absolutely knockout hunk of halibut (yes, it was sustainably harvested) and The Wife had a remarkably mellow half-chicken flecked with toasty fennel seeds. There are also more adventurous dishes on the menu, like a bucatini carbonara with raw duck egg dotted with crunchy little pancetta that explode with intense hamminess, as well as crispy sweetbreads, which we did not have but which would merit another trip just to try.

Cibo Matto
201 N. State
312.467.0200

maybe they are recycling TCA tainted wine?

Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening. Though modern studies have shown that other factors can also be responsible for taint – including wooden barrels, storage conditions and the transport of corks and wine – the cork is normally considered to be responsible, and a wine found to be tainted on opening is said to be "corked". Cork taint can affect wines irrespective of price and quality level.
The chief cause of cork taint is the presence of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) in the wine. Corked wine containing TCA has a characteristic odor, variously described as resembling a moldy newspaper, wet dog, damp cloth, or damp basement. In almost all cases of corked wine the wine's native aromas are reduced significantly, and a very tainted wine is completely undrinkable (though harmless). While the human threshold for detecting TCA is measured in the single-digit parts per trillion, this can vary by several orders of magnitude depending on an individual's sensitivity. Detection is also complicated by the olfactory system's particularly quick habituation to TCA, making the smell less obvious on each subsequent sniff.

IIRC, TCA is damaged by heat. I've been meaning to test this by braising a meal in a "corked" bottle of wine but I tend to think of it just after pouring the "corked" wine down the drain.

Given that (around) 6% to 10% of corked finished wines are tainted, a busy restaurant could have a ready supply....

My sicilian grandma has always put a cork in the liquid. It will be interesting to see what the explanation of the corked wine will be.

Found some answers in a NYT story from 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/05curious.html

Using TCA tainted wine is not the reason....

mhill95149 wrote:Found some answers in a NYT story from 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/05curious.html

Using TCA tainted wine is not the reason....

My understanding is that the wine was not tainted and that corks were simply added to, as McGee suggests, "bounce comically" in the poaching liquid. I'm interested to see if McGee can suggest any reason for poaching octopus this way. The octopus we had was delightfully tender, but perhaps the marinade the server referenced was actually a brine, which the NYT article does explain can help tenderize.

A Sicilian friend of mine showed me that trick 20 yrs ago after having the best pulpo I'd ever had @ his house. Said his mother used to do it to tenderize it. That was good enough for me, been doing it ever since. Another trick was to never let it boil rapidly. A slight simmer or "kiss" (like w/demi glace) is the proper way to poach it in a court bullion.

Jazzfood wrote:A Sicilian friend of mine showed me that trick 20 yrs ago after having the best pulpo I'd ever had @ his house. Said his mother used to do it to tenderize it. That was good enough for me, been doing it ever since. Another trick was to never let it boil rapidly. A slight simmer or "kiss" (like w/demi glace) is the proper way to poach it in a court bullion.

To tenderize a decent size octopus you have to cook it pretty hard for about 40 minutes or more. I've had great results with a full boil.

Not a big fan of the Wit, too faddish or "Vegas-ish" for my taste. I've been to the Pure Nightclub in Vegas and the entire hotel reminds me of that.

Johnsoncon wrote:Not a big fan of the Wit, too faddish or "Vegas-ish" for my taste.

The flash will certainly not appeal to some; somewhat ironically (and if memory serves) the place was designed by a former philosophy major from the University of Chicago, a place more Hogwart's than Harrah's.

Has anyone else been here recently? I'm thinking about going this weekend.

David Hammond wrote:

Johnsoncon wrote:Not a big fan of the Wit, too faddish or "Vegas-ish" for my taste.

The flash will certainly not appeal to some; somewhat ironically (and if memory serves) the place was designed by a former philosophy major from the University of Chicago, a place more Hogwart's than Harrah's.

Yep, BS in Philosophy from UC, MS in Architecture from UIC. Nice woman, went on a tour of the building with here yesterday.

SSDD

berryberry wrote:Has anyone else been here recently? I'm thinking about going this weekend.

A late August meal here yielded one of the most banal and bland dining experiences I've yet had in Chicago.

chezbrad wrote:A late August meal here yielded one of the most banal and bland dining experiences I've yet had in Chicago.

Similiar recent experience here for me. Didn't find anything redeming about the restaurant. Dishes were conceptually uninteresting and poorly executed. You are better off most anywhere else.

iblock9 wrote:

chezbrad wrote:A late August meal here yielded one of the most banal and bland dining experiences I've yet had in Chicago.

Similiar recent experience here for me. Didn't find anything redeming about the restaurant. Dishes were conceptually uninteresting and poorly executed. You are better off most anywhere else.

Wow, that's damning. If it's not too painful, I'd be interested in hearing what you had that convinced you Cibo Matto would be worse than anywhere else in Chicago.

I can't speak for iblock, but I found CM emblematic of contemporary Italian cooking in Chicago: too timid, too restrained; when there was flavor, it was predominantly salt. Which is not to say that the food wasn't edible, but I couldn't believe how poor the flavor-price ratio was: we paid nearly $100 for a crudo, the octopus, a burrata salad, the carbonera, and some rapini and not a single dish "popped." Given the goals of the chef, given the cost per person, I found this to be the most disappointing meal I've eaten this year.

David, if you've been back since your initial report, I'd be curious to hear about your experiences.

chezbrad wrote:I can't speak for iblock, but I found CM emblematic of contemporary Italian cooking in Chicago: too timid, too restrained; when there was flavor, it was predominantly salt. Which is not to say that the food wasn't edible, but I couldn't believe how poor the flavor-price ratio was: we paid nearly $100 for a crudo, the octopus, a burrata salad, the carbonera, and some rapini and not a single dish "popped." Given the goals of the chef, given the cost per person, I found this to be the most disappointing meal I've eaten this year.

David, if you've been back since your initial report, I'd be curious to hear about your experiences.

I haven't been back since my first visit (so little time, so many restaurants), but my experience with the octopus and carbonara were way different than what you describe. Both, for us, were excellent: octo tender and juicy, very fresh tasting, and the carbona was rich and crunchy with intense bacon and good tooth on the pasta. Now, I know Chef Stein was in the kitchen when we were there, so that might have helped, but at the prices, one should be able to expect consistently high quality every time.

David Hammond wrote:

iblock9 wrote:

chezbrad wrote:A late August meal here yielded one of the most banal and bland dining experiences I've yet had in Chicago.

Similiar recent experience here for me. Didn't find anything redeming about the restaurant. Dishes were conceptually uninteresting and poorly executed. You are better off most anywhere else.

Wow, that's damning. If it's not too painful, I'd be interested in hearing what you had that convinced you Cibo Matto would be worse than anywhere else in Chicago.

Sorry, should have backed this up a little bit. Here's my beef. I like my food to taste like something and I found the food at Cibo to be bland, uninspired hotel dining room boring. Undercooked fish and chicken dishes didnt help. (had to be sent back) A recent lunch downstairs in the area of the restaurant they call State & Lake (I know its a seperate entity but it seemed like the same place to me) was even worse. My list of many problems at lunch included my pet peeve of unintentionally warm lettuce and tomato on a sandwich (obviously sat under a heat lamp for a while) which demonstrated to me that they didnt have their act together. Coupled with the saltiest french onion soup and disgusting fried "something" that accompanied my heirloom tomato carpacio i found the place to be a disaster.

My problem with both parts of this restaurant is that i dont think they would last as stand alone fine dining destinations. maybe this is what travellers staying at the Wit are looking for.

Could my favorite sandwich @ Taste of Melrose Park have influenced a menu change at Cibo Matto?

I had dinner with a friend at Cibo Matto tonight and must say it was altogether a nice experience.

We shared the grilled octopus, crispy sweetbreads and seared scallops for appetizers. The octopus was tender, the vinaigrette accompanying it tangy and gave it a nice contrast. The scallops were scrumptous with celery root puree on the bottom and a olive mixture that complimented the scallops very well. I was hoping i would love the sweetbreads but it was undercooked. The outside was nice and crispy but the inside was still too soft and milky (i would say still liquidy infact) The huckleberries weren't bad, but still the liquid texture of the sweetbreads really didn't help.

We shared the bucattini pasta and the tuna special of the night. The pasta was fabulous, as David Hammond said, toothsome and i love the bacon and egg on it.
The tuna was oversalted by a tiny but the beans/ greans accompanying it were tasty.

We had the doughnuts with coffee crema for dessert. The doughnuts were slightly overfried but not by much (could be my preference too) but the coffee creme was perfect, a hint of coffee and not too sweet.

All in all, a good dinner.

Anyone been recently? Friend from New York coming in Tuesday and has to check out the place for work. Only going because it's on someone's expense account.

We had a foursome at Cibo Matto for dinner over the weekend, and the overall impression from the group was "hit-or-miss".

Hits:

• Roasted cauliflower soup : an amouse-bouche sent out early on. Hint of oregano and thyme, sweet and rich cauliflower flavor.
• Saffron risotto with uni butter : spot-on; toothsome, rich and creamy without being overpowering, and the combination of saffron and uni was unexpectedly complementary, a nice thought.
• Pork chop special : Hogzilla-sized, well seasoned and cooked just on this side of done, but a bit on the fatty side.
• Cocktails : The Aviation was fantastic. One of our party has been building up their bar as enthusiasm and interest in mixology has gained momentum, and has experimented with Creme de Violette - it's quite potent and incredibly unforgiving, but this night, the bar had it perfectly under control. Autumn plum was another winner, with the fresh lemon cutting through the plum vodka nicely. Finally, the Manhattan... one sip and you KNOW it's a "Man"-hattan, as the orange bitters and cognac pair up to make your toenails tingle.
• Bar service : The exact name escapes me now, but one of our party ordered a specialty cocktail. It was delivered promptly and was drinkable, but nothing earth-shattering. If any fault can be ascribed, it was a bit sweet. Not less than 5 minutes later, our waiter comes back with a new one, saying "The bartender made you another one - he felt that the first one wasn't as good as it could be." The difference was significant, and the second drink was much more balanced. Extra points to bartender.

Misses:

• Pork chop special : Very poorly trimmed, with an inordinate amount of fat. Maybe that was intentional, but it wasn't well-received.
• Bucatini : Debatable here. I thought that the pasta was too underdone, and the presentation of topping the pasta with the raw yolk didn't do a whole lot - duck egg? chicken egg? in this context, I was hard pressed to differentiate. Nice hit of romano, but more ordinary than extra-ordinary.
• Braised short rib : Needed salt. Is it bad that we felt uncomfortable asking for salt?
• Poached monkfish : 2 filets, artfully presented but rather bland. Since when does "poached" mean "flavorless"?
• Portion size : $7 for a fist-sized lump of polenta?

The service was prompt and attentive, but I found myself feeling subject to overt conditional training, as the waiter would do a fly-by every so often, "how is everything? is it still AMAZING?"

In discussion the next day, we found ourselves repeating the thought that A Tavola would've been a more satisfying choice. Cibo Matto has the "see and be seen" vibe down, but leaves a promise undelivered. The hit-to-miss ratio was low enough, and the prices high enough to strike Cibo Matto from my list of places to try again. At least, not until I come into some more money,a more stylish haircut, and a better wardrobe.

-s.

I'm more than a bit surprised at the debate over the bucatini. All three people who had it on my visit to Cibo Matto were stunned at how good it was. It's a carbonara with pecorino romano, pancetta, cracked black pepper and a duck egg. The pasta was a perfect al dente, and the combination of rich flavors was highlighted by the pancetta that was positively mind-blowing in its porcine goodness.



Other highlights of the meal were the short rib and accompanying outstanding ricotta creamed spinach:



And a really good salami platter appetizer:



My one disappointment was with the nduja. I'd never had it before so it might just be that I'm not a fan of the stuff, but I was expecting a lot more heat - it was pretty bland

Only the last post was written in 2010 and that one is several months old. I'm seriously considering this for a special dinner: any recent experiences?

I ate there two months ago and I thought it was excellent in every way. The appetizer was the only thing that I thought was so-so; it was sweetbreads but they went overboard on the lemon flavoring. The braised short ribs of beef were very good, tender and perfectly flavored. I had a side of their creamy polenta which was wonderful; I would probably be raving about the polenta except that the dessert was even better. They called the dessert "strawberry" but it was much more than that flavor. It was a composed dessert plating with a small excellent scoop of strawberry sorbet and an excellent amaretti cookie, but what blew me away was the main component to the dessert, a cardamom panna cotta. The latter was one of the very best dishes I've had in the past year or two, which is why I went to the rare (for me) extreme of posting about it in the topic about "best things you've eaten lately".

I think it's a great place to go for a special dinner where you want to impress people with great food and great surroundings, and without having some of the downsides of other trendy places (e.g. it's not overly noisy and you have a nice sense of spaciousness and privacy).

nsxtasy wrote:I think it's a great place to go for a special dinner where you want to impress people with great food and great surroundings, and without having some of the downsides of other trendy places (e.g. it's not overly noisy and you have a nice sense of spaciousness and privacy).

This is a stupid question, but I was walking up State Street on Sunday after the Chicago Half Marathon and heard a lot of cheering and yelling. It sounded much like the race I had just finished except that I was far from the Hyde Park finish line. I realized that the noise was coming from the Wit, specifically from the crowds cheering on the people climbing the building's façade. Does anyone know if this wall-climbing noise is audible inside, specifically within Cibo Matto? Also, are the climbers visible from the restaurant windows? Or maybe the wall-climbing ends before dinner time? I think this is a regular activity now. I have plans to dine at Cibo Matto, and being a parkour practitioner, I'm all for scaling buildings (sans harnesses though), but I don't want to eat there if I'll be able to hear yelling or see people literally hanging outside.

happy_stomach wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I think it's a great place to go for a special dinner where you want to impress people with great food and great surroundings, and without having some of the downsides of other trendy places (e.g. it's not overly noisy and you have a nice sense of spaciousness and privacy).

This is a stupid question, but I was walking up State Street on Sunday after the Chicago Half Marathon and heard a lot of cheering and yelling. It sounded much like the race I had just finished except that I was far from the Hyde Park finish line. I realized that the noise was coming from the Wit, specifically from the crowds cheering on the people climbing the building's façade. Does anyone know if this wall-climbing noise is audible inside, specifically within Cibo Matto? Also, are the climbers visible from the restaurant windows? Or maybe the wall-climbing ends before dinner time? I think this is a regular activity now. I have plans to dine at Cibo Matto, and being a parkour practitioner, I'm all for scaling buildings (sans harnesses though), but I don't want to eat there if I'll be able to hear yelling or see people literally hanging outside.

I can't say I heard any of this the one time I ate there. I will say that the scene outside the Wit was incredibly annoying on the Saturday night that we ate there. It was like an amped up version of Rush St. It might have had something to do with a concert that was just getting out at the Chicago Theater, but yikes.

That I'll being said, I really enjoyed my meal there.

Hasn't the chef recently left though?

jesteinf wrote:I will say that the scene outside the Wit was incredibly annoying on the Saturday night that we ate there. It was like an amped up version of Rush St. It might have had something to do with a concert that was just getting out at the Chicago Theater, but yikes.

That I'll being said, I really enjoyed my meal there.

Hasn't the chef recently left though?

I'm near that intersection often for the Gene Siskel, and it's like that all of the time in front of the hotel, which is part of the reason I haven't just popped in to check quickly for myself. The wall climbing has just turned it into a circus.

And, yes, Todd Stein left for the Florentine. I haven't noticed who will replace him.

happy_stomach wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I think it's a great place to go for a special dinner where you want to impress people with great food and great surroundings, and without having some of the downsides of other trendy places (e.g. it's not overly noisy and you have a nice sense of spaciousness and privacy).

This is a stupid question, but I was walking up State Street on Sunday after the Chicago Half Marathon and heard a lot of cheering and yelling. It sounded much like the race I had just finished except that I was far from the Hyde Park finish line. I realized that the noise was coming from the Wit, specifically from the crowds cheering on the people climbing the building's façade. Does anyone know if this wall-climbing noise is audible inside, specifically within Cibo Matto? Also, are the climbers visible from the restaurant windows? Or maybe the wall-climbing ends before dinner time? I think this is a regular activity now. I have plans to dine at Cibo Matto, and being a parkour practitioner, I'm all for scaling buildings (sans harnesses though), but I don't want to eat there if I'll be able to hear yelling or see people literally hanging outside.

happy_stomach-

The Respiratory Health Assocation of Metropolitan Chicago held the Skyline Plunge at the Wit on Sunday as a fundraiser. Participants raised money to have the opportunity to rappel down the hotel. That's what you witnessed. I can't imagine the Wit does this regularly. It seems rather disruptive for its guests.

-Mary

The GP wrote:happy_stomach-

The Respiratory Health Assocation of Metropolitan Chicago held the Skyline Plunge at the Wit on Sunday as a fundraiser. Participants raised money to have the opportunity to rappel down the hotel. That's what you witnessed. I can't imagine the Wit does this regularly. It seems rather disruptive for its guests.

-Mary

Very funny. Thanks for the information, Mary. These fundraisers get crazier every year. Of course, I would never do any of them...

I'm considering Cibo Matto for a group dinner. Any recent experiences there?

Darren,
I just ate there at the end of January after the menu change. I've got to say, I was skeptical going in, but everything was fantastic. There were 4 of us, so we were able to sample a lot of the menu. Thought I can't remember exactly what cocktails I tried, I remember it being made with grapefruit and being very good. The squid ink and calamari risotto was fantastic and very oceany. The squid were some of the most tender I've had. The arancini with pork belly was a great cold weather dish. We then shared a plate of carbonara. Very rich. No way I could eat a whole plate, but it was great to split. The eggs were perfectly poached and I liked the thick pieces of guanciale. For entrees, one of the people at my table got the Spaghetti with foie gras and boar meatballs. I only tried the meatball, and I've got to say I wasn't that impressed. It has a good sauce on it, but the foie was hardly noticeable. My sister got the porchetta. There was a huge piece of fatty belly that was rolled with herbs and cooked until tender. I know the phrase, "melts on your tongue" is used to the point of cliche, but I believe it is accurate to describe this dish as so. For myself, I chose the ribeye three ways - grilled, roasted, and braised. Everything was expertly cooked to medium-rare and the creamed spinach was especially good. We had to get to a play, so we had to miss dessert, which is unfortunate given the quality of the rest of the meal. The space is very nice and intimate and I think great for group dining (depending on the size of the group). Also, the service was very good given the newness of the menu. When ate there only a couple days after the menu change, and our server was very knowledgeable and excited about the new direction. And, personally, I love it when servers are excited about the food. Overall, you should definitely give it a try!