MK

I am going to MK on Saturday with a group of friends. After looking at their menu online (at www.mkchicago.com), all I can say is: for those prices, the food had better be outstanding. Any recommendations from LTHers? I was unable to find a review on the forum.

Thanks!

I ate there about five years ago and had an outstanding, contemporary-American type meal. That's about as deep as my memory runs on it; enjoy!

I ate there 3 years ago and had a very forgettable, mediocre meal. I was heartbroken, as that night I was supposed to dine at Trotters (I was a poor student) and a kitchen fire knocked them offline. MK took our reservation at the last minute (thank you MK) but the food just didn't win me or my family over.

But that was a long time ago, a different menu...who knows, maybe it will be great.

The room is loud, the service can be disjointed, but I've never had anything other than great food there.

mk is a restaurant that i really don't want to like (and i have no describable explanation for feeling that way), but the two times i went, i had great food and found no fault with the place. as mentioned, it's loud, but there are intimate aspects (lighting, ambience) to the place at the same time.

the first time i had steak/frites. well executed. i cannot recall what i had the second time that i was there, but i recall it being better than the meal on the first visit.

I was at mk a month ago and had the sweetbreads, foie gras and a salad. I wasn't all that impressed, especially since I had three similar dishes at Blackbird just a month before that and was absolutely blown away.

shakezula wrote:I was at mk a month ago and had the sweetbreads, foie gras and a salad. I wasn't all that impressed, especially since I had three similar dishes at Blackbird just a month before that and was absolutely blown away.

Funny you mention that - I went to MK about 3 years ago. It was shortly after a visit to Blackbird. I left satisfied, but thinking that my meal at Blackbird was substantially more enjoyable, similar preparations and ingredients but better execution. And a notch cheaper (at that time anyway, not sure how they compare price-wise now).

Still, I enjoyed MK. And I did think the service was very polished. Desserts were fantastic.

MK has a different chef then they had three or four years ago, that can vastly influence the quality of food.


E

I dined at MK once in 2005. I went into it with very high expectations. Based on everything that I had read, I wanted and thought it would be my favorite restaurant. Well, no worries about making MK an expensive habit. I don't recall exactly what I ordered, but it was fish. The frites were okay. I remember the cake and share for dessert. While nothing was bad, the food didn't strike me as memorable. I didn't have to worry about finding a good reason to get back there for another meal soon. My hubby had similar sentiments based on his dinner there. However, I know they have some big fans, too.

While I have not dined at MK, I have enjoyed meals at Volo and Hot Chocolate - two restaurants owned and operated by MK alumni (if I'm not mistaken).

I've not been to MK but fwiw, the now-defunct MK North (Northfield) was really disappointing. It was across the street from my office, so, in spite of our dissatisfaction, we went there with some regularity because of the convenience factor. When it first opened, we were definitely excited but the restaurant never really found its groove. Eventually it was reconcepted into A Milano Italian Grill, which was recently shuttered.

The food at MK North was over-priced and erratic in quality. The service was a memorable combination of inefficient and pushy. We routinely had to fend off aggressive upselling by the servers at the same meals where we waited for water glasses to be refilled.

Also, MK is in the "anti foie gras" camp; another major strike against it, IMO.

=R=

Victor and I went to MK for the first time in December, to celebrate an anniversary. The room IS loud and crowded, but the service was very nice, and the food was fine. We each had a really lovely salad, and most memorable was my arctic char (this was melt-in-your-mouth good) and the vegetable sides, including fries with truffle cream. We also had a small cheese plate and the cake and shake dessert, which put us over the edge of fullness.

Was it good? Yes. Was it worth close to $200 for the two of us? Maybe not.

We weren't sorry about it, but we aren't anxious to go back, either.

Not even for arctic char that melts in your mouth.

Not that they're that relevant, given their age (circa 2000), but two memories from MK have floated to the surface:

1) One of the best things I had, indeed one of the better things I've ever had, was the corn dish (sort of succotash-ish) on the side of some meat I've forgotten. Excellent vegetables, sharpened up by a reduction or a hint of veal glace or somethin', not sure what, but it was like Doubleplusgood-corn. Of course, the downside of being wowed by your side dish rather than your entree at these prices also occurred to me...

2) This was the first time I can remember the chef coming out and chatting me up at a meal. I quickly realized I had nothing much to say to chefs in the middle of a meal other than "Oh yeah, everything's uh, great, hey, and, uh, nice outfit, white works for you." So chefs who read this, in advance I apologize for having nothing to say when I meet you, it all ends up here instead....

New Executive Chef Alan Stein, is the first time Michael Kornick has named an exec chef at MK. I beleive he was the original chef de cusine followed by Michael Gaspard(Grace), Guiseppe Scurato(Boka) Bernie Laskowski(Park Grill) and then Stephen Dunne(Volo). I have yet to try Stein's food, but was certainly impressed in the past.

ronnie suburban-i think your wrong about the anti-foie for MK, I just saw a recent copy of the menu and one of their apps is a foie/scallpop combo with celery root puree and black truffle vinaigrette

farmerfood wrote:ronnie suburban-i think your wrong about the anti-foie for MK, I just saw a recent copy of the menu and one of their apps is a foie/scallpop combo with celery root puree and black truffle vinaigrette

I very well could be. I remember a letter to the Tribune -- written by Michael Kornick -- in support of Charlie Trotter's stance against foie gras. But you're right, supporting a friend doesn't necessarily mean sharing that friend's position. My apologies for piling on . . . and that app does sound delicious.

=R=

We had a wonderful dinner at MK last night. The amuse was a tiny cauliflower blini - whatever roe was on it was uniquely ripe. It tasted like a fishmonger's floor smells. I had grilled mussels, a special duck entree, and apple crisp for dessert. The mussels had a smoky flavor from the grill, and were served on a bed of grilled diced tomatoes, garlic, and onion. The duck breast was medium rare, and served over a cinnamon risotto-like grain. It was probably the best duck I've ever had. The waiter said they got the breasts from the same ducks they get foie gras from, so it was extra fatty. Yum! The dessert was good - the most unusual part was the cinnamon ice cream with armangnac spiked raisins. The apple crisp part was pretty standard. My fiance had the cake and shake dessert - chocolate cake with a vanilla malted milkshake - which he loved.

I was also very impressed with the service - seamless, unobtrusive, yet ubiquitous. We had 8:30 reservations, and upon arriving, were given the choice between tables along the banquette, or a round table that was currently finishing dessert. We elected to wait for the round table, but for some reason the diners there lingered and lingered and lingered. We didn't get seated until 9:35 - just before we were getting ready to leave. To make up for the delay, the chef sent us a bottle of champagne, and a complimentary appetizer of butternut squash ravioli (delicious). I thought this was a classy way to handle the situation.

Overall, an excellent meal! I will remember MK for future special occasions.

The name of the executive chef at MK is Todd Stein, not Eric Stein; Kate Neumann replaced Mindy Segal as pastry chef a while ago. They do still serve foie gras--I called just a couple weeks ago asking about it since it's no longer listed on their online menu. I was told their current offering is an appetizer of seared Hudson Valley foie gras with a lemon-fig compote; in other words, the one I had when last there, which didn't do anything to make me a convert. That arctic char truly is delicious, though.

Any recent updates on MK? Thanks!

kates wrote:Kate Neumann replaced Mindy Segal as pastry chef a while ago.

Where is Mindy these days?
So many places that turn out
great main courses, have such
disappointing desserts. MK (under
Mindy) used to be one of the few
that ended the meal on a particularly
strong note.

SCUBAchef wrote:Where is Mindy these days?
So many places that turn out
great main courses, have such
disappointing desserts. MK (under
Mindy) used to be one of the few
that ended the meal on a particularly
strong note.

Mindy is chef/owner of Hot Chocolate in Bucktown on Damen.

SCUBAchef wrote:

kates wrote:Kate Neumann replaced Mindy Segal as pastry chef a while ago.

Where is Mindy these days?
So many places that turn out
great main courses, have such
disappointing desserts. MK (under
Mindy) used to be one of the few
that ended the meal on a particularly
strong note.

By the way, Kate Neumann picked up very nicely where Mindy Segal left off. I though it took her a little while, but now I believe MK again offers some of the best desserts in Chicago.

Like the note about Neumann. Any must-have entree/dishes?

Not sure, but I think Kate has also left within the last 2 months. So you might want to call and ask.

Yes she has left MK. My roomate says she went to Vegas. If I remember what he said correctly the new pastry chef is from N9NE Steakhouse group. Specifically the N9NE in Vegas. Michael Kornick is also chef-partner with the N9NE Steakhouse group

baffler wrote:Not sure, but I think Kate has also left within the last 2 months. So you might want to call and ask.

Stork02 wrote:Yes she has left MK. My roomate says she went to Vegas. If I remember what he said correctly the new pastry chef is from N9NE Steakhouse group. Specifically the N9NE in Vegas. Michael Kornick is also chef-partner with the N9NE Steakhouse group

I think this merits further investigation -- I know she was out for a few months after a car accident, but I thought she was back in the kitchen and she's still listed on the restaurant's website.

My roomate works in the kitchen at MK. They just have not updated the website yet, because I know there is also a short rib on the degu menu and that is not updated either. I'll get the name of new pastry chef later today

Stork02 wrote:My roomate works in the kitchen at MK. They just have not updated the website yet, because I know there is also a short rib on the degu menu and that is not updated either. I'll get the name of new pastry chef later today

Thanks for the update

Kate Neumann left mk within the last month for another job outside of the kitchen. She was replaced by Amy Sampson, most recently of n9ne group in Las Vegas.

Had dinner at MK the other night w/ a few friends, best thing all night was the truffle cream dip for our french fry. Everything was good (3/5 stars?), the only relatively mediocre dish was probably the Whitefish-Lobster, too plain, and the rather thin broth was not a good compliment to the fish and lobster, could've used a thicker sauce. I myself had the liver bacon which was smoky and grainy as expected. All on its own, the liver might've been too rich for me, but w/ the bacon, it was balanced, and wish it came w/ more grilled onions as well. The baby octopus was also a personal-like, though the rest of the table seemed to not be too thrilled about it. Desert was good, but nothing spectacular (I'm not big on desert, so I digress).

Pix from the night,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83069851@N00/sets/72157603452103147/