Trip Report - ATK, Henri, Violet Hour, G and G

Thanks for the pointers for the Sunday Foie Gras bonanza - a great time was had by all - here is a breakdown of the trip in my somewhat chronological rambling
ATK aka Andy's Thai Kitchen - WOW was this place good
Kao Soy and the Boat Noodles
http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ ... tchen.html

I don't really like curry that much (I am converting slowly) but this dish was the so flavorful with great textures and a lot of meat, the different types of noodles gave it crunch and tenderness

The Boat Noodles were like Pho crossed with Bun Bo Hue and hammered with some extra flavors - I would eat this once a week if I lived in Chicago

Also got the Basil Crispy Pork Belly, which was a tad salty when eaten plain (its pork belly duh) but it was served with a huge serving a jasmine rice, and was delicious - however not quite as good as the other two dishes - it packed some heat as well, all 3 made a great meal for 2

Best of all, 3 entrees, thai iced tea, and a hot tea total was $36 - If you are in Chicago go here - we went around 2-3 and walked right in it was empty - I am certain they get packed later on - the interior is very nice and pleasant - We tried to get back for more Boat Noodles and menu exploration but did not have time

Henri: Foie Gras, can we have another one please - Was an excellent meal, accompanied by tremendous service (sometimes service is there and sometimes it enhances the experience, this was the later) - the foie gras ala carte was great (if you get the tasting menu you only get the mousse so get it a la carte) - we ended up getting two for the table (although the mousse wasn't bad the seared portion was the star of the show)

For other apps we did the Diver Scallops (perfectly cooked - excellent preperation) steak tartare, which was good, but I am not a huge Tartare fan but this was a good preperation, Oysters Mignonette (good but not quite the same as getting them in San Fran at the Ferry Building) and 2x Foie

I asked the server what his two best items were, and he said the cassoulet and the New York au Poivre, so I went with the New York because it had sweetbreads (which were excellent) - Mrs D went with the Bouillabaisse, and that was the star of the evening for me in regards to the entree's - I would order that any day of the week, only flaw the entire meal was my steak was med not med rare but I just went with it - other people went with the duck (solid but I prefer confit) and the lamb rack (excellent)

Would Highly recommend the place - When you have a great wheel you do not need to reinvent it

They also made the best French 75 I have ever had, they had a Meyer Lemon "froth" on the top and used Nolet's Gin (which I am very fond of) and that really brought out the citrus essences of gin - excellent pairing and now the new gold standard

Spent a good 4 hours at Violet Hour (fun place great cocktails) and Girl and Goat was pretty good but a bit fuzzy, hard to say what was excellent there other than the Pork Shank, was dynamite - passed on Publican again but next time I think we will really go there

Made it to Sable for a cocktail late night, they served a great tiki drink in a tiki mug, so that place is due for some more recon

96th Floor of the Hancock building is a terrible place to get a cocktail - they serve an old fashion with club soda...stick with beer or just avoid that place

overall a good trip

Thanks for the report - I'm glad you enjoyed your trip!

Dapuma wrote:96th Floor of the Hancock building is a terrible place to get a cocktail - they serve an old fashion with club soda...stick with beer or just avoid that place

Yes, the point of going there is the view, not the cocktails. I think I got a glass of champagne when we went. They are better with drinks where the name = the ingredients (7&7, whiskey and ginger).