Baume & Brix

Baume & Brix is officially opening tomorrow (October 10, 2012) and reservations can be made via Open Table. I have been following the build up to the opening on their Facebook page and it really looks like it will be a fun venue. It is spearheaded by three extremely talented former chefs from Moto and iNG (Thomas Elliott Bowman, Nate Park and Ben Roche). The menu is said to be affordable fine dining and to consist of globally inspired dishes that utilize modern techniques and some creative, whimsical presentations and features. There is also going to be a six person chef's table inside an old elevator shaft. I have already booked dinner tomorrow and will give a first hand report afterwards.

are you going to get the shaft?

Baume & Brix
351 W Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60654
312-321-0351

Sounds like speary-shafty kind of fun.

Both Baume and Brix are terms to measure sugar

Both Baume and Brix are terms to measure sugar

. . .and both Roche and Bowman have pastry backgrounds. Seems appropriate. Very interesting and creative name.

sundevilpeg wrote:Very interesting and creative name.

Sans the now obligatory ampersand

Here is my review from my dinner tonight at Baume & Brix (I am not posting photos as I just had my iPhone and the lighting was not conducive to good pictures):

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Baume & Brix tonight for the official soft opening. Baume and Brix is spearheaded by three extremely talented former chefs from Moto and iNG (Thomas Elliott Bowman, Nate Park and Ben Roche). The name of the restaurant stems from two culinary terms, baume (a scale for gauging the gravity of liquid) and brix (a scale for measuring sugar). The menu is divvied up into four categories: Explore (akin to appetizers), Summit (entrees), Divide (large dishes to be shared among small groups - these must be ordered in advance) and Conquer (desserts). The food is globally influenced and has modern techniques with creative, whimsical presentations yet is approachable and affordable (expect to pay about $90 per/person for three courses and a two drinks including tax and tip). Despite serving up high quality cuisine using fresh, high end ingredients there is a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

Baume and Brix did a great job renovating the space; the decor is really modern and trendy and very aesthetically pleasing. The space is rather large (the dining room and adjacent bar seat approximately 200); while most of the tables for two are fairly close together, the dining room was not too noisy even though it was more than two thirds full. Parties of four are seated at larger tables and parties of six in comfortable looking booths,. A really cool and unique aspect of Baume and Brix is a six-seat chef's table inside an old elevator shaft that will be rolling out next month and will consist of a tasting menu customized (both in terms of number of courses and type of cuisine) to the preferences of the party booking the space. Baume and Brix also has a bar adjacent to the dining area (featuring both classic cocktails and modern versions of the classics with tweaked recipes). There is also a large cocktail lounge underneath the restaurant called The Grid.

While the menu is not quite complete, the working draft is excellent. Currently there are about six appetizers, six entrees and four desserts to choose from (they will be adding a few more shortly). Most of the appetizers contain organ meats or nose-to-tail cuisine (so require an adventurous palate) but a couple (while still fun and unique ingredient combinations) are suitable for those with more vanilla palates. My wife and I shared the "naked lobster" (raw unshelled lobster with vanilla-potato foam) and Wagyu beef carpaccio; both of these had attractive presentations and tasted awesome. The entrees are "safer" (in terms of less organ meats and random body parts) and most sounded great; my wife went with the short ribs (which she devoured and loved every bite) and I took our server's advice and opted for the black cod - our server did not steer me wrong here, the sauce (infused with scallops) was divine and this was seriously one of the best fish dishes I have ever consumed. About my only criticism is that while the portion size of the appetizer was adequate, the entrees were a tad small; either slightly larger portions or bread service would make the meal more satisfying.

For desserts my wife ordered a deconstructed grilled cheese (tasted like a sweetened grilled cheese) and I went with the Frosty and fries (potato ice cream, chocolate mousse that tasted like a Wendy's Frosty, shaved French fry like substance on top and a cherry dipping sauce). The desserts were not quite as delicious as the savory courses, but still tasty.

Service overall was quite good, especially for a soft opening (there are still some kinks to work out - i.e. for two of our three courses both the person who delivered the dish and our primary server separately presented the dish). More importantly though, everybody we encountered seemed enthusiastic about the venue and was very friendly and attentive. Water glasses were kept full, the table cleaned between courses, napkins folded during bathroom breaks - yet the waitstaff was still down to Earth rather than stiff or overly formal. What really impressed me was my wife did not notice on two occasions that she had knocked her purse off the back of her chair and staff stealthy picked it up and hung it back up on her chair without her even noticing! Our primary server Kara had come over from Sable and she was extremely warm and pleasant.

While Baume and Brix is still a work in progress, the soft opening was more than impressive and the sky is the limit in terms of potential. This is a really fun venue where you can have an elevated, fun, upscale dining experience in a comfortable, laid back but elegant space. There is so much talent here and I really look forward to watching Baume and Brix evolve. I am excited to try out the chef's table experience in the near future and definitely see this venue ascending to not just one of my personal favorites, but rapidly becoming an extremely popular restaurant.

Congratulations to a successful opening and I look forward to enjoying many future meals at Baume and Brix!

I was able to dine at Baume & Brix last week with my step-dad, who lives about 3-4 blocks away. It's definitely an improvement over Rhumba, the previous incarnation! Lovely interior, warm and welcoming, yet still hip and groovy. The space is divided into a few spaces: the bar/lounge with its own food menu, the dining room with a "full" menu, and a small side room with a private dining table. The kitchen is closed to the diners, which in this space I feel works best.

Even though it's been open for about a month, I experienced a mix of relaxed and stiff service from the various staff members, but overall our experience was very positive, from host and table service, to the quality of the food in both flavor and presentation. I'm not a huge fan of "composed" or "decomposed" dishes, but the kitchen doesn't go overboard here, and everything seems to work well with a balance of sweet and savory (following the theme and name of the restaurant).


Pig Tails with Greek salad and minted yogurt - this appetizer is delicious, yet you'll be gnawing on tailbones so be prepared for that. It's a great starter for sharing.


I forget the official title of this, since it's a new starter, but it's basically a puree of wild mushrooms with crispy parmesan cheese and topped with a poached egg. GET THIS DISH! It's delicious.


Grilled pork chop with crispy kale and root veggies - another new dish, but very tasty.


A bad picture of my step-dad's beef shortrib with curry. It was excellent and he finished it rather quickly


Their "grilled cheese" dessert dish, a deconstructed version with Brun-uusto cheese, rooibos ice cream and quince. It works.

I look forward to returning and sitting at the bar to try that menu.

Thanks for the review; the new dishes look really good. I am going to have to make it back in there sometime soon.

wino66 wrote:
A bad picture of my step-dad's beef shortrib with curry. It was excellent and he finished it rather quickly

Does the sauce decoration indicate that it's a heart attack on a plate?

Good one! That is the curry sauce, but it definitely is a hearty dish.

Julia Kramer (Time Out Chicago) is not a fan. Ouch!

I have never been a fan of the TOC critics, but she does make a few good points. It's a concept restaurant, right there in the name, of marrying sweet and savory. Some dishes work, some don't. What we had on our dinner worked fairly well. Then again, we *didn't* order a few items for precisely that reason: they sounded like weird combinations.

sundevilpeg wrote:Julia Kramer (Time Out Chicago) is not a fan. Ouch!

Oh my. She was downright brutal. Even in the dishes she apparently liked, she found something negative to say. For instance, she apparently liked the short rib, but hated the presentation of the sauce, and she liked the octopus, but found the dipping powders to be unnecessary and tedious. If I were one of the chefs, I would find that critique disheartening. Buried in the unrelenting criticism, however, Ms. Kramer does make some really valid points. I too, am tired of squiggly lines of sauce (almost as much as I despise towers, piles and layers that prevent a diner from experimenting with varying ratios of a dish's components in each forkful), and some chefs do need to learn to self-edit, particularly when it comes to unusual combinations of sweet and savory ingredients, even if it is the basis for your restaurant's name. That said, the bar menu sounds interesting, and despite Ms. Kramer's aversion, I find the restaurant/night club vibe appealing. I might give the bar a try soon.

Can anyone tell me whether Baume & Brix is wheelchair accessible?

I had operated under the assumption that all new construction in Chicago had to be ADA compliant, but I was told yesterday by their reservations staff that there are five steps within the dining area, and that there is no alternative ramping for a wheelchair person to access the dining area. I indicated my obvious surprise that they chose to ignore that market segment, and flat out asked how the city approved and permitted their design without wheelchair access. The had no clue, of course.

So, were they just an ill informed reservations person, or is Baume & Brix operating outside of the requirements of the ADA???

rfleisch1 wrote:Can anyone tell me whether Baume & Brix is wheelchair accessible?

I had operated under the assumption that all new construction in Chicago had to be ADA compliant, but I was told yesterday by their reservations staff that there are five steps within the dining area, and that there is no alternative ramping for a wheelchair person to access the dining area. I indicated my obvious surprise that they chose to ignore that market segment, and flat out asked how the city approved and permitted their design without wheelchair access. The had no clue, of course.

So, were they just an ill informed reservations person, or is Baume & Brix operating outside of the requirements of the ADA???

My understanding is there is wheelchair access available via Orleans Street.

I had my second dinner at Baume & Brix tonight and my wife and I were very impressed. The menu has expanded since the soft opening and it is a great menu; we had a hard time narrowing down our choices as so many courses sounded appealing. Everything was cooked well, presented beautifully and tasted delicious. Such a fun, unique, interesting menu. The staff we encountered were great - very warm, friendly and attentive service.

We started with the Octopus Fun Dip - a whimsical play on the fun dip many people enjoyed during childhood. The octopus was very tender and perfectly cooked - you dip it into some olive oil and then coat it with your choice of three different spice dips. This dish ended up being my favorite on the night and I highly recommend ordering:


Next up was the Foie Gras:


Sous Vide Duck Breast with Crispy Skin - Really great dish:


The new version of Black Cod with Scallops:


Potato Chip Gnocchi:


Yuzu Dessert:


Deconstructed Grilled Cheese Dessert:


We had such a nice return experience that we definitely plan to come back again soon. We are thinking of possibly doing the special chef's table experience in the former elevator shaft next trip. Baume & Brix is really progressing nicely and is a wonderful addition to Chicago's booming dining scene.

Like others have mentioned I too have thuroughly enjoyed almost everything I have ordered at Baume and Brix. I will say that the entrees have always been overshadowed by the starters.

On our first visit my wife and I started with the mushroom veloute (excellent) the burrata (excellent) and the octopus (amazing). The octopus was perfectly tender and possibly the best I have ever had. For entrees we had the white fish and the duck breast, both very good but the starters are what took the show. For dessert we split the frostee and fries which was also excellent. All in all the starters made this a place I would be sure to return to.

On our second visit we started with the oyster duo (just ok) shrimp and grits bisque (outstanding) and the burrata again. I would have a hard time not getting the shrimp and grits bisque every time it was that good. For our entrees I had the potato chip gnocchi and my wife had the bacon and eggs. The potato chip gnocchi was prohibitively salty but our server was receptive of this and kind enough to take it off of our bill. My wifes bacon and eggs were just that a super thick cut of porkbelly and eggs, it just wasnt as inventive as I would have hoped and was more something you would find on a brunch menu. Still the starters were so good we are going back in 2 weeks.

I should also mention the drinks are amazing. All in all a very good experience and as their menu continues to grow I look forward to going back and trying new dishes.

I tried Baume & Brix for the first time last Friday to kick off Restaurant Week.

I loved the vibe walking in - laid back, full of personality, but definitely trendy.

The service was great. Kara was our server and helped us to pick out the right drinks. I looked at the La Vida Rose Mezcal but I had no idea what mezcal was and asked her. She replied by asking if I'd ever had a Big Star margarita (which I have and I love) and so I immediately felt like I could relate to her and trust her judgment. I ordered it and was very happy. It was smoky and tangy and quite strong.

I started with the naked lobster, which was fantastic. The vanilla potato foam was very subtly vanilla flavored, which I was glad about. This dish was a success.

Second course was the shrimp and grits bisque. The shrimp was fried (perfectly) and sufficiently shrimpy - the bisque was cheesy and corny with freeze-dried corn sprinkled on top. I could've eaten a LOT more of this dish. Definitely another successful dish.

Third course was the red curry beef. Very intense flavors but the beef was perfectly tender and sufficiently melt-in-your-mouth and I liked that the curry was on the dish so I could choose how much to add to my forkfuls. The kale was also tender and coconut congee tasted almost like potato puree. Another successful dish. And I find myself craving it now.

For my fourth course I ordered the grilled cheese, only because my dining partners ordered the frostee and fries. Big mistake. The grilled cheese fell flat for me - too much cheese, but the brown sugar almond crust was delicious and so was the rooibos ice cream. However, the frostee and fries were clearly the star. The potato matchsticks were heavenly with the potato ice cream (though the ice cream did not taste potato-y to me at all). I missed the boat on this dessert and would love to go back to get it.

I can't wait to come back here again when it's warm and dry out!

rfleisch1 wrote:Can anyone tell me whether Baume & Brix is wheelchair accessible?

I had operated under the assumption that all new construction in Chicago had to be ADA compliant, but I was told yesterday by their reservations staff that there are five steps within the dining area, and that there is no alternative ramping for a wheelchair person to access the dining area. I indicated my obvious surprise that they chose to ignore that market segment, and flat out asked how the city approved and permitted their design without wheelchair access. The had no clue, of course.

So, were they just an ill informed reservations person, or is Baume & Brix operating outside of the requirements of the ADA???

This is an important question. It also matters a great deal to me and my family that the staff be informed about accessibility, and, of course, that ADA requirements be met in all new public spaces. Shame on them. And what about the longstanding claim of the city tat accessibility is high on the agenda?

And, BTW, I noted on my recent trip to London that, while the city is old- much older than Chicago- ALL the cabs are accessible and many of the restaurants make a point of advertising their accessibility.

I had been planning on including access info in my posts on restaurants. Now that this has been raised I am reminded that it is not only my family that cares. I will make a practice of addressing accessibility in my posts. Thank you, rfleisch1.

LTH,

The issue of accessibility is indeed an important one and we now have a report that B&B is not entirely accessible, which is as far as it needs to go in our space. So please, let's drop this line of discussion right here and now. LTH is not the appropriate venue for discussion of such an issue, especially considering that there are layers of legal implications, and not all the details are known. If this is an issue that matters to you, best to contact the restaurant directly for accessibility details, or the proper Government agency, if you feel the need to pursue it further.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

We had a nice dinner at Baume & Brix a few weeks ago. The service was a little weird - a manager inserted himself as our waiter, though the actual waitress intermittently appeared. He explained that she was helping a large party. But then there was a long pause between us ordering drinks, her coming by and asking us about drinks, and the drinks actually appearing.

The food was universally good. One dish was excellent - the "bacon & egg." The black cod was good, but nothing special. The gnocchi was a really nice dish with good contrasting textures and tastes. The burratta was a good salad dish with bacon/date jam, and we liked the "shrimp and grits" (really more like a corn chowder). The room was nice, not too loud, though the light over our table suddenly became brighter right before our first course arrived.

We were, oddly, in and out of the restaurant in less than an hour (no dessert). The first course came very quickly after ordered. I'm not sure what that means in terms of to-order cooking. It then also took almost 20 minutes for the valet to bring our car, which seemed so odd after such a fast dining experience.

That does seem like a fairly odd experience Ed. I know that they are making a few changes to both menu and wine programs, but it does seem like service was inconsistent. I am interested in going in for bar menu soon, as I am told by the GM that he is expanding the by-the-glass offerings for more variety.

I had dinner this past weekend at Baume & Brix, and while I enjoyed the meal, I found that much of the evening could be summed up as unfulfilled greatness. Two perfect examples of unfulfilled potential were the shrimp and grits bisque (an appetizer) and the potato chip gnocchi (an entree). The shrimp and grits bisque featured a rich bisque with outstanding corn flavor, topped with perfectly fried rock shrimp, and some freeze dried corn, which provided some crisp texture to a largely creamy dish. As well as this bisque started, it did not finish quite as well. It simply became a little monotonous. Had the shrimp been given a creole seasoning, or if the bisque had been garnished with some sort of pickled vegetables, this would have been the best shrimp and grits-type dish I had ever tasted. As it was, it was tasty but it was missing a contrast in flavors that in my opinion distinguishes good from great.

Monotonous is also the best word to describe the potato chip gnocchi, which also had a sour cream and onion theme going, and showed off some caviar. But as feathery and delicious as the gnocchi were, the flavors offered only one note. Fine for a few bites, but nothing you cared to to keep eating. And yet this was an entree (though luckily four of us shared the dish).

Grilled octopus "fun dip"-style featured beautifully charred octopus tentacles which were lightly coated in olive oil to help the dips adhere (three powders really: coconut-lemon, Peruvian chile pepper and paprika). While I enjoyed the octopus, the only powder that really improved the flavor of the octopus was the paprika. And although the three powders made for a departure from the one-note flavors, they did so in a way that didn't really reveal so much creativity as much as a recognition that diners are sure to find at least one flavor they like.

But the biggest letdown among appetizers was the chicken liver mousse. On a plus note, the mousse was light and smooth as silk, with diced egg folded in. But that lightness was also a big problem - too much mousse, not enough liver flavor. A crispy piece of chicken skin really didn't do much to solve this problem. The mousse was served with delicious house made focaccia, but unfortunately that was the real star.

My favorite dish of the night, although I only had a few bites, was a French meets southern food course of fried duck leg with goat cheese grits and an acidic slaw of sorts as best I recall. The duck was masterfully breaded and fried, the grits dense and creamy, and all of the contrast missing during the evening was present in this dish.

But no matter the flaws with some of the dishes, I must note that absolutely every item we were served was perfectly cooked. And even the flawed dishes showed off enough flavor, enough skill, and more creativity than most restaurants in town, to make me think that small tweaks could have major, positive effects - the shrimp and grits bisque being the perfect example.

As for dessert, there was one huge gem, the milk and cookies. The milk was a take on Thai iced tea which wasn't particularly memorable. But the soft, freshly baked cookies featured chunks of candy cap mushrooms, a fungus I had never tried before. If you didn't know (and assuming you're not familiar with this mushroom), you would assume these were maple cookies, perhaps with some butterscotch notes too. I can't wait to do my own exploration with candy cap mushrooms - I'm thinking ice cream with nuts, or perhaps cookies with oatmeal and nuts, or maybe even some pumpkin-candy cap mushrooms soup in the fall. Most importantly, the cookies were delicious, but they were also eye-opening in their contrast of savory and sweet. I notice these mushrooms are $50 for 2 oz. (dried) from Rare Tea Cellar, so I think I understand why these mushrooms are not featured on every menu in town.

Service was friendly throughout the night, albeit with a few glitches which could be best described as just a general lack of awareness. But you could tell everyone truly meant well. Also, note that as the evening progresses, so does the volume level of the music, in case that bothers you.

I'd like to see these guys succeed because there really were some terrific and interesting elements throughout the meal, but tweaks are undoubtedly necessary if the want to ensure a lengthy stay.

My wife and I went two weeks ago to have the chefs menu and I have to say we were blown away with how good the food was. This has become my go to place for excellent creative great tasting food, I'm surprised every time I go in and it's not packed. The chefs menu was great and all courses are inventive and keep to their theme of sweet and savory. Mark the somallier does a great job of pairing wines and even a sake pairing which was great. This place has consistently been amazing, my only gripe would be the menu doesn't change as often as I would like but I hear a spring menu revamp is in the works.

Sadly things are not looking so rosy at Baume & Brix right now; many of you likely saw this article in Eater today where Chef Ben Roche announced he was leaving due to often not being paid and other issues: http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2013/ ... e-brix.php

I actually had reservations for the chef's table for next month, so was troubled about this news. My wife and I are friendly with one of the other chefs there, so we messaged him to seek his advice as to if he thought we should be concerned. He messaged back advising us to cancel the reservation - so this appears to be a much deeper issue than just Chef Roche being unhappy/disgruntled.

Quite a shame; I previously thoroughly enjoyed a couple of dinners here and my wife also has entertained colleagues at Baume & Brix and had extremely positive experiences. Certainly does not look promising for Baume & Brix going forward. Wishing the best for those caught up in an unpleasant situation there.

Apparently it's closing and becoming a steakhouse called The Grid House

I never ate at B&B, but what's important is that Ben keep making his JP Graziano gelato and it seems that he is

B&B now announced on Facebook they are closing after service this Saturday.

From Phil Vettel on whats next with Chef Bowman, hopefuly he will be back to cooking soon. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 7620.story

One of a few nicer places open for lunch down here. Always empty, though. The Grid is the bar/club thing next door. I guess the forthcoming Grid House is related.