Chef's Station - Evanston

I couldn't find a thread specifically for Chef's Station, so I thought I would start one. It's been a restaurant I've wanted to try for a while now, since I'm often taking the Metra downtown and browse the menu outside. It's very mysterious to me though. I always head up to the Metra station from Church Street, so it took me months to figure out where the entrance was. On a Wednesday night, the restaurant was really empty. The whole time we were there, more than a couple hours, there were only two other tables. At least that meant all of our courses were promptly served.

We tried the Chef's tasting menu with wine pairings, figuring it would be a good way to experience the restaurant as first-time diners. My overall impression was that there were a few courses done really well (scallops, beet salad) but at this same price point, I think Oceanique and Quince have better food.

To start, the bread was served warm with light whipped butter. Pretty tasty



Our first course of the tasting menu was organic salmon tartare with pickled cucumber, wild ramp, wasabi vinaigrette and crispy lavash. This was a nice simple start and the salmon was of good quality, but nothing spectacular. Sorry the photo isn't the best, and that the salmon is obscured in the lavash's shadow.



Next came my favorite course of the night, pan seared sea scallop with baby spinach, asparagus puree, and lobster reduction. The scallop was just perfect and the sauce was salty enough but not overwhelming. I also loved the texture and light flavor of the asparagus puree and the baby spinach added a nice punch of color to the dish.



The third course was introduced as our fish course (The snarky side of me wanted to ask what the last two courses were...) and consisted of poached Alaskan halibut with asparagus, mussels, shiitake and little piece of chorizo in a Spanish chorizo broth. It sounded good on paper but the fish was overcooked and the three meats just didn't gel. I think Stephanie Izard at Girl & the Goat is one of the best in Chicago at combining multiple meats in a dish, and Chef's Station could really learn from her. The chorizo wasn't very good at all, not smoky or spicy, but just salty.



You can't go wrong with Green Apple Sorbet for a palate cleanser. This was light and refreshing, just as I expected. But what I was expecting was the puree consistency. It was almost creamy, while I had expected something icier. The texture was a pleasant surprise.



Our meat course was pan seared rack of lamb with wild rice, organic farro and leek risotto, morels, broccolini and rosemary infused red wine reduction. The lamb was delicious, cooked perfectly medium rare, and I loved the broccolini (but I like broccolini is pretty much everything). However, the risotto wasn't thick enough for my taste, although the toothsome rice and farro were a nice complement to the lamb.



Then came the salad course - roasted beet salad with goat cheese, organic field greens, toasted walnuts and honey mustard dressing; one of the best salads I've had in a long time. I loved how it was served after the main course and before dessert, in a European as opposed to American style, as discussed in this Italian dining fundamentals thread. The tangy goat cheese was perfect with the sweet beets, and the walnuts added a perfect crunch. The honey mustard dressing was unlike any I've had before. Just a little went a long way in bringing the dish together, with more honey than mustard flavor.



For dessert, there was a hazelnut souffle with Grand Marnier milk chocolate sauce; this wasn't bad and the sauce was quite interesting (I love my alcohol and chocolate...), but the souffle pales in comparison to those I had at Rise no. 1 in Dallas. Maybe that's not a fair comparison, but it's one I immediately made.

Mrs Willie & I had dinner at Chef's Station last night.

Starters:
Yellowfin Tuna Tartare - Avocado, Yuzu, - was good, yuzu was quite pronounced, hard to taste the tuna
Pan Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras - two nice pieces of foie gras, Caramelized Black Figs. Seared perfectly.

Same Green Apple Sorbet for a palate cleanser, really nice.

Entrees:
Wild King Salmon served with Maine Lobster Ravioli, Shrimp, in an herbed reduction. Salmon just slightly overdone (I like mine with a bit of translucence left on the interior), shrimp were overcooked.

Seared Duck Breast w/roasted vegetable medley, served w/black truffle sauce. I wanted to bathe in this sauce, amazing.

Dessert - mixed berry tart served with passion fruit creme anglaise

All in all a really delicious dinner, slight hiccups but we'll still be back.

Chef's Station
915 Davis
Evanston 60201
www.chefs-station.com