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CARLOS’ RESTAURANT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS:END OF AN ERA, BEGINNING OF A NEW

Consistently topping Chicago-area rankings in the Zagat Survey with the #1 ranking, Carlos’ Restaurant in North Suburban Highland Park will celebrate its 30th anniversary—and the decades-strong loyalty of its customers—with month-long November and December events.

The festivities will commemorate Carlos and Debbie Nieto’s lauded restaurant—and the special occasion destination it became. Signaling the end of an era—and, soon, a new start— Carlos’ will close its hallowed doors on January 1, 2012. It’s time to make a change so stay tuned for details on what’s coming next…Nieto’s!

In the meantime, the Nietos, a hands-on, husband-and-wife team, will present a Champagne menu; International House of Wine and Cheese birthday bash for owner Tom Jiaras and Carlos Nieto; guest chef dinners; intricate degustation menus with standout mushroom, fish, shellfish and meat dishes from the last 30 years; and a cooking class with Chef Ramiro Velasquez.

Among the most longstanding—and storied—fine-dining options in the Chicago area, Carlos’ has been the backdrop for many a marriage proposal, anniversary and toast. Now, in honor of its landmark birthday the following upcoming anniversary events will occur:

November 1-30 – Special degustation menus revive greatest hits from the restaurant’s 30-year history.
November 1-30 (most nights) – Half-price specials on select bottles of wine throughout the month.
November 1-30 – Parties of six- to-eight, each of whom bring a special bottle of wine, can enjoy a custom-paired menu, designed by Chef Ramiro Velasquez; call ahead with your selections of wine for the perfect food pairing ($100 per person plus tax and gratuity)
November 4 – An International House of Wine and Cheese dinner celebrates the birthdays of their owners Tom Jiaras and Carlos Nieto featuring the wines of Caymus; for reservations, call The International House of Wine & Cheese and ask for Lori 815.678.2500; ($68 per person plus tax and gratuity)
November 7 – Tallgrass guest chefs Bob Burcenski and Tom Alves prepare a special, four-course meal ($65, plus beverages, tax and gratuity).
November 11 – 11.11.11- Eleven course meal with eleven desserts ($111.11 per person plus beverages, tax and gratuity)
November 12 – Gather for a toast-worthy Champagne dinner, the only menu of the night, to honor Carlos’ 30-year run.
November 17 –Silver Oak wine dinner with Tom Jiaras of the International House of Wine & Cheese; reservations are required and can be made through calling the International House of Wine & Cheese at 815.678.2500 and ask for Lori; ($68 plus tax and gratuity); wines will also be available for purchase at a special price
November 24 – Thanksgiving carryout will be offered for a minimum of four ($50 per person). The full-fledged, traditional, whole-turkey dinner comes with soup, cranberries, stuffing, salad, sweet potato gratin, pumpkin soufflé and fall harvest fruit tart. Order a complete dinner or just sides!
November 28 – Guest chef Didier Durand of Cyrano’s Bistro prepares a special, four-course meal ($65, plus beverages, tax and gratuity).
November 30 ­– The restaurant will host a cooking demonstration with Chef Ramiro Velasquez, followed by a three-course dinner. Guests leave with recipes to take home ($90, includes wines of your choice, plus tax and gratuity).
December 7 – Carlos’ Chef Collaborative Dinner; Carlos’ chefs Ramiro Velasquez, Nabor Vasquez of the Freehling Room at Ravinia Festival and Eduardo Medina of Café Central in Highland Park, IL. (4-course dinner, $65 per person, plus beverages, tax and gratuity).
December Date TBD – Guest chef Gabriel Viti of Gabriel’s Restaurant prepares a special, four-course meal ($65, plus beverages, tax and gratuity)

As a way to further thank diners for their devotion over the years, the culinary team at Carlos’ will collect stories about guests’ most memorable restaurant celebrations. The Nietos will then select one winning story, offering a hands-on cooking class and dinner for six at the Nieto’s unique Antioch home.

Carlos’ will have special holiday hours from December 12-24, 2011; lunch service will be offered Monday through Friday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; the restaurant will be open every evening for dinner (including Tuesdays) beginning at 5:30 p.m. The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner on Christmas Eve from 11:30 a.m. with the last reservation taken at 8:00 p.m. In addition, Carlos’ will continue taking reservations for holiday parties, and private rooms are available—come celebrate your holiday celebrations!

Your special occasions deserve Carlos! Carlos’ special occasions deserve you! After 30 years Carlos’ is closing its doors. We want to celebrate with you and say thank you for 30 wonderful years. Please join us for our final New Year’s Eve dinner as Carlos’ and stay tuned for what is coming next…Carlos’ “Last Hurrah” New Year’s Eve dinner (degustation menu with choices; excludes beverages, tax and gratuity). The first seating is from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., $120 per person; upstairs seating is from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., $120 per person; final seating is from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and includes a midnight champagne toast, $140 per person The evening will feature live entertainment and a festive atmosphere.

Carlos’, owned by Carlos and Debbie Nieto, opened 30 years ago in Highland Park. Since that time, the North Shore has grown around it and with it. Ranked as Chicago’s number-one restaurant in Zagat Survey in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, the contemporary French food and award-winning wine list has garnered accolades from diners and critics alike. The restaurant is open for dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sunday through Saturday (closed Tuesday). Valet parking is available. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 847.432.0770.

ronnie_suburban wrote:If the food's still consisently great at Carlos (a dubious claim, in my experience) and the suburbs can still support fine-dining, what exactly are forces that are closing places like Le Francais and Carlos?
=R=

I agree that much of the traffic has been diverted from top stalwarts to the newer, "happening" places. The day when everyone frequented a place precisely because they knew they would get what they'd always gotten is fast receding. There are still folks, myself included, who want to go occasionally for more classic fare and still find it there, but a lot of diners, the younger diners in particular, are looking for 'the next thing." For me, seared foie gras will never lose it's allure, however much I dream about the hot potato/cold potato at Alinea.

However, for Le Français, I think the dynamic was slightly different. Jean Banchet was almost legendary. Some sources say he was among the most influential chefs of the 20th century. Le Français wasn't just good, it was one of the best restaurants in the world. Travelers planned layovers at O'Hare so they could dine at Le Français. It was kind of the El Bulli of its day -- the place where you went to be amazed and dazzled, but where you also went for a specific person, a specific chef. So when Banchet retired, there didn't seem to be any point in going.

I'm not sure if it would have helped if they'd tried to keep it similar after Banchet left (as they did at Le Titi when Pierre Pollin retired), but Don Yamauchi was next at the helm, and I tried it out then. It was good, but coconut shrimp and osso bucco were not what you went to Le Français for. People stopped going because it ceased to be Le Français. (Which, by the way, means "The Frenchman," and the three chefs who tried to keep it going, aside from not having anything close to the stature or brilliance of Banchet, were not French -- Yamauchi, Lachowicz, Liccioni were just not going to be convincing in the role, however talented they might be.) Banchet came out of retirement for a year, and the place was again packed every night, and when he left, it evaporated again.

So Le Français vanished for reasons other than the economy or current trends. It vanished because Le Français -- The Frenchman -- left.

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:what exactly are forces that are closing places like Le Francais and Carlos? I think it's completely misguided to blame the media.

I didn't blame the media for those restaurants closing, only for displaying a mindset that places in the suburbs are not worth reporting on.

I didn't mean to put words in your mouth. Sorry. I actually thought the premise about the media having some effect was an interesting one but after thinking about it for a few minutes, I more or less dismissed it, which is why I said what I said in my post.

=R=

Cynthia wrote:. . . So Le Français vanished for reasons other than the economy or current trends. It vanished because Le Français -- The Frenchman -- left.

Excellent post and a particularly excellent point.

=R=

Yes, a devastating morning email! But, not unexpected.
We have been going to Carlos for almost the entire 30 year history.
Roland Liccioni and his former wife were the first Chef and Patisserie couple and the food was excellent but at the time not quite as exquisite as when Banchet ran Le Francais.
BTW I ate at each incarnation of Le Francais and it never was as good and in one instance we actually walked out when they were having problems with plumbing odors.
What I believed happened is that Celebrity Chef's and 'small courses' made their appearances and for whatever reason(s) caught on. After Charlie Trotter, everyone had to eat there and check it off their list. About 10 years ago we stopped going to these places as it became obvious that food was no longer involved but celebrity had triumphed over dining.
Now you not only had to eat at the newest restaurant where getting a table was a significant achievement but photographing every course and blogging the results was mandatory.
I did have lunch at Tru before Grant left and I did like his style but have never eaten at his restaurants.
We kept going to Carlos because it was fairly close for us, never pretentious and they had days with no corkage fee, a significant enticement for a wine collector. But gradually we came to know Carlos and the Staff and they, to know us. I also doesn't hurt to share tastes of some older vintages with the Staff!
We have attended some of the wine tasting dinners in the last few years and found them not only very good values but serving some very good wines of which one has to remind them, only a taste or its a long taxi ride home to Wisconsin!
I will be sad to see Carlos close but change is inevitable.-Dick
BTW, we have never had anything but excellent meals at Carlos.

budrichard wrote:BTW I ate at each incarnation of Le Francais and it never was as good and in one instance we actually walked out when they were having problems with plumbing odors.

Maybe the "problems" were really that Patton Oswalt's parents were dining there that evening.

For those who didn't have the pleasure of dining at Le Francais, here are a couple of my most prominent memories. One was the presentation. Before you ordered, there was a procession of carts showing you virtually all of the items that were on the menu that evening. These were huge dining carts, and they would bring each one by and explain each dish to you. There were typically 6-8 such carts, and the presentation took about 45 minutes.

Another memory was the food itself, with layer upon layer of delight; a typical dish might start with poultry or beef, have it stuffed with some sort of savory mousse or charcuterie, then wrapped with puff pastry or something else - all a very elaborate combination of components, each exquisite and rich in itself, and together creating a symphony of excess. It was a very different style of dining from what you find today.

Incidentally, Michael Lachowicz occasionally serves special dinners featuring dishes "in the style of Jean Banchet" at his namesake restaurant in Winnetka.

I had one of the most memorable meals of my life there several years ago. It was a Sunday, and my sister gave me a certificate that she had won to cook and then eat there. I worked in the kitchen for about 4 hours, helping to prep things, joking around with the other employees and eating a late lunch with them. Then my wife, my sister, and her husband had dinner. There was no one in the restaurant, and we were having a good time with the staff. After an amazing meal, I picked up a case of beer, and we sat outside on a picnic bench in the back the restaurant, having beers with the staff until late.

What always struck me about this place was how elegant it was, but the staff always made you so comfortable- far from pretensious, which made dining there such a pleasure. In fact, when we would leave the table to go to the restroom on that night, the servers folded the napkins into bras before they came back to the table. I won't say what they made for the guys.

nsxtasy wrote:
For those who didn't have the pleasure of dining at Le Francais, here are a couple of my most prominent memories. One was the presentation. Before you ordered, there was a procession of carts showing you virtually all of the items that were on the menu that evening. These were huge dining carts, and they would bring each one by and explain each dish to you. There were typically 6-8 such carts, and the presentation took about 45 minutes.

Another memory was the food itself, with layer upon layer of delight; a typical dish might start with poultry or beef, have it stuffed with some sort of savory mousse or charcuterie, then wrapped with puff pastry or something else - all a very elaborate combination of components, each exquisite and rich in itself, and together creating a symphony of excess. It was a very different style of dining from what you find today.

Incidentally, Michael Lachowicz occasionally serves special dinners featuring dishes "in the style of Jean Banchet" at his namesake restaurant in Winnetka.

Yes -- remarkable layering of flavors -- and incredible sauces. And the staff always seemed to have such fun describing the dishes, especially if they could tell something had caught your fancy.

As for experiencing Banchet-style cooking, the other option still available is Patrick Chabert, who was Jean Banchet's sous chef (and, Chabert will tell you with some pride, the only one Banchet trusted to run the kitchen if Banchet had to be out). In fact, Banchet frequently drops by and helps Chabert (who is now primarily in catering, being a guest chef, and being a Bocuse d'Or judge) in the kitchen. We've enjoyed a few Banchet-esque dinners with Chabert -- and got to meet Banchet at a couple of them.
Two "ordinary" Chabert dinners
viewtopic.php?p=79287#79287
and one "blow out" created just for LTH
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=16832&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=patrick+chabert&start=90

Berutti's closed, so Chabert no longer has the facilities to put on a special LTH dinner, but if we had a location for it, and pull together at least 20 interested parties, we could probably do something like this again. Because sometimes I miss that over-the-top French food that Banchet created.

Had dinner with friends at Carlos' -- as a farewell gesture -- and I get the feeling they've given up already.

They were understaffed -- and someone at another table actually walked out, she was so upset at being ignored. We didn't get our orders in until we'd been there for 40 minutes. (Fortunately, the folks I was with were convivial -- and were sympathetic to the plight of the one waiter we saw racing back and forth, trying to take care of everyone. We had arrived at 8pm, so it made dinner rather late, but we realized it wasn't the waiter's fault.))

Finally, first course arrived. Two of us had ordered the seared scallops. The scallops were not only "off," they were also badly overcooked. We both sent ours back and got the soup, instead (a lovely porcini bisque with Stilton cream on top). Apparently, a few other people must have had issues with scallops, because a bit later, the waiter came and told one person who'd ordered a main course with scallops that the chef was "concerned" about the scallops and was recommending she change her order.

My lamb chops were superb, and the shrimp and snail gratin that one friend had was lovely. However, another person had seared foie gras that was completely raw and bleeding badly. (Being an unconventional group, a few people ordered three or four courses of appetizers, rather than getting a main course, so the foie gras, though an appetizer, was her third dish.) Most other folks enjoyed their food, though comments ranged from "fabulous" to "pretty good." The souffles, which were passed, were all nice.

I'd say all in all, while there were some really solid hits (my lamb was outstanding), the meal was a bit too uneven for the price point. That said, when things went wrong, they did try to fix them (as in replacing the nasty, gummy, funny-tasting scallop dishes). The only person who was really unhappy was the one who ordered the foie gras that came raw -- but then she chose not to send it back. (Probably because it was after 10pm and she didn't want to wait 1/2 an hour for a replacement).

The thought was, among those there, that they were kind of already on their way out the door. The heart had kind of gone out of the place. Even Carlos seemed pretty subdued, when he finally appeared around 10pm. I can certainly understand that -- but unless you really have strong emotional ties to the place, this might not a great choice at this point.

That sounds (sadly) like the other reports I've heard ;-(

We have our last yearly December lunch scheduled for 12/12.
We will see.-Dick

We had a really wonderful meal at Carlos' last night. Based on this meal, I wouldn't hesitate recommending a last trip to anyone who feels some nostalgia for the place. My butter poached lobster appetizer and seared escolar main course were both delicious. My dessert of a creme brulee "canoe" (half vanilla half chocolate) was a wonderful way to end the meal

It's refreshing to go to a restaurant every once in a while that's more or less straightforward. No shared plates, communal tables, mid courses, pre-desserts, etc. Just solid cooking, with attention to detail evident for everything on the plate (this is why I love Les Nomades also).

Full disclosure: Debbie and Carlos are good friends of my in-laws and they treated us to a bottle of champagne after dinner (we were celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday). I was them the best of luck on Carlos' 2.0.

I can firmly quell any rumors of the food or service declining at Carlos.
We had our Christmas luncheon at Carlos yesterday for 11 people. Food was as good as any time in the past with the foie gras custard(extra) to die for. The degustation was $42.50 as in the past few years and with tax and 20% tip, about $54 will get you out the door if no extras. On Mondays there is no corkage so a considerable savings advantage. Service was exemplary and Debbie was on hand greeting diners. The format will change and the chef will stay, so I expect the same excellent food, just not as detailed and simpler setting. Last chance this month at Carlos!-Dick