Chicago, Memorial Day Weekend

Three restaurants to report on from last weekends trip to Chi town...what a great city...

VTK  (Vong Thai Kitchen):

Many may know that Jean George is one of the great chef's in our country, he has done fusion better than anyone else.  The Asian inflected French style he has championed really float my boat...I have no more favorite restaurant in NYC than his flagship Jean George.  But he has fallen victim to the celebrity chef syndrome where he  is stretched too thin...and of late, his management team has not been up to the task of overseeing the vast empire.....poor service, especially. 

VTK is a former Vong restaurant that has fallen on hard times...downgraded to a bistro it is not even to the quality of your local Thai place.  The decor is faded, and so is the menu.

Alinea:

Purported by some to be America's greatest restaurant, it certainly merits the title of America's greatest dinner theater.  Chef Grant Achatz pushes every boundary...the place is great with stellar service second to none.  

We had the 24 course tour last weekend and Grant is out to prove he is able to push the bounds with presentation and technique.  Five hours of dish after dish 

While his dishes sometimes go more for shock value and creativity, they sometimes miss on taste....and sometimes there is way too much going on on the plate.  Yes, it is one of the most expensive experiences in the US, up there with French Laundry and Per Se, but it is a better value when you consider the effort that goes into each dish.  It is a terrific value that no true fan of food should miss.  We opted for the wine pairings (11 small pours that included aquavit and sake) as part of the experience, but the wines were relatively uninspiring and of only moderate quality.  For the expense associated with this option, you are far better opting for a couple of bottles from the stellar list.  Grant's food is far too complicated and out there to pair in any sensible way with wine.  In my opinion, the wine option provides benefit only to the bottom line of the restaurant.

Here is the lineup:

Roes  with traditional garnishes 

Wine:   Jorgen Lysholm Linle Acquavit from Norway

Foie Gras with daikon, shiso, yuzu

Wine:   Max Ferdinand Richter Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese, Mosel 1993

Pork Belly with Iceberg, cucumber, thai distillation

Wine:   Abbazia di Novacella Kerner, Valle Isarco, Alto Adige, 2007

Green Almond with juniper, gin and lime

Soft Shell Crab with peas, five spice and duck

Wine:   Franz Hirtzberger Grauburgunder Smaragd Pluris, Wachau, Austria, 2003

Blue Crab with peas, five spice and duck

Wine:   Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Cuvee Laurence, Alsace 2003

Black Truffle explosion with romaine and parmesan

Pigeonneau a la Saint-Clair

Wine:   Chateau Lascombes Margaux 2004

Bacon with butterscotch, apple, and thyme

Sweet Potato with bourbon, brown sugar and smoldering cinnamon

Mustard with passion fruit and allspice

Hot Potato with cold potato, black truffle, and butter

Wine:   Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Brut Rose, Reims

Yuba with shrimp, miso togarashi

White Asparagus with sorrel, white pepper, honey

Wine:   Takasago Ginga Shizuku (divine Droplets) junmal Daiginjo Sake, Hokkaido, Japan

Lilac with scallop, shellfish, honeydew

Wine:   Albert Mann Vieilles Vignes Auxerrois, Alsace 2006

Grape with lamb, ash, frisee

Wagyu beef with powdered A1, potato chips

Wine:   Jean-Michel Gerin Cote-Rotie Champin le Seigneur, N Rhone 2003

Lemon Soda   one bite

Yogurt   witn pomegranate, cassia

Bubble Gum   with long pepper, hibiscus, creme fraiche

Transparency  of raspberry and yogurt

Rhubarb with goat milk, onion, lavender air

Wine:   Elio Perrone Bigaro, Piedmont, Italy 2008

Chocolate with blueberry, tobacco and maple

Wine:   Smit-Woodhouse 1994 Vintage Port

Pound Cake with strawberry, lemon and vanilla bean

The truffle explosion was the wow of the night...one of the best bites ever.  The Piggeoneau is a tribute to Auguste Escoffier...it was one of the finest examples of classic French that we've ever had.  These two dishes alone prove Grant can cook with the best in the world.   While he has this incredible  ability to do molecular gastronomy (Wylie Dfresnse is a distant second in the US), I'd encourage him to concentrate on his flavors...Arzak is a great example of incorporating  molecular gastro while not letting it overwhelm things to the detriment of the overall dish's flavor and appeal.  Even Mugaritz had more hits and was a bit more playful than Alinea.  Lets not forget that Grant is still a youngster...he's one to watch.   

Mercat a la Planxa

For shear enjoyability, the Philadelphian tapas master Jose Garces has opened a restauant on Michigan Avenue that is just as terrific as his one's in the City of Brotherly Love.

Here's what our group of six sampled:

Jamon de Pato

Butifarra Catalana

Chorizo Cantimpalo

Ombra- Sheeps milk cheese with orange- Guindilla marmalade

Montcabrer- Goats Milk cheese with black olive caramel

Cana de Cabra- Goat Cheese

Pimientos de Padron-Fried Peppers with sea salt salbitxada

Datiles con Almendras- Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with almonds

Truita de Patata con Espinacas-Spanish Omelette with spinach, potaotes and saffron aoli

Gambas al ajillo- Garlic shrimp

Chorizo (housemade)

Setas al horno-  Wild mushroom with confit potato shallot and parsley

Patatas bravas- Spicy potatoes with spicy paprika aoli

Habas a la catalana- Warm lima bean salad with fava beans and shaved serrano ham

Tocino con cidra-  Slow cooked pork belly with cider glaze, green apples and truffle

mar i muntanya- slow cooked  short ribs and diver scallops shaved parmesan and artichokes

Anec amd Peras-  Muscovy duck breast, seckel pear duck confit and foie gras

Summer Grilling

As the summer produce starts to trickle in, its made me wistful for that meal back in February at Etxebarri, in Axpe, Basque region of Spain.  Victor did things on the grill like smoked butter(served as a tapa/pxinto) and smoked ice cream.  Or that simply grilled steak with rosemary,served over arugula, dressed with the local olive oil at Osteria Caranbar in Stia, Italy.  Rise N Shine's CSA has already provided us with various greens, turnips and kohlrabi, all of which we've grilled with varying degrees of success.  There is a terrific recipe at the New York Times web site for burnt oranges with rosemary which we've done twice on the grill the last week and are amazing.  Sometimes its hard to beat a simple grilled meal served with a simple slightly cold glass of something like the reliable Kim Crawford Sauv. Blanc.  The local strawberries have been great this year...small, intensely flavored, red and juicy clear to the core, unlike those gigantic supermarket berries from afar that lack the depth of those from right down the road.

Enjoy your summer.

UPDATE

It may be that Peter Chang has moved on again...a meal 2 weekends ago was not at the level we are used to with Chang's cooking. We were told by the restaurant that he was on vacation, but I've heard elsewhere that he has left.

UPDATE 2

Rumor is he has landed in Charlottesville, VA at a place called Taste of China.

Peter Chang Has Been Found

The Great Chef Peter Chang, who reputedly has cooked for the president of China and was originally brought to the US to cook at the Chinese embassy, has resurfaced again in of all places, Hong Kong House located in a strip mall in Knoxville Tennessee. He had been renowned by the Washington DC food fans for a restaurant there, then moved South for what was a brief jaunt at a Marietta, Georgia restaurant called Tasty China. From there, his whereabouts were unknown.

His food is unique in that it showcases Szechuan style cooking, a style not often seen in the US. Many of the dishes on the menu at Hong Kong House are still featured at Tasty China, but the unique puffy scallion bread which was dropped from the Tasty China menu has made a comeback in Knoxville. (We were told by the staff at Tasty China it was dropped after a hospital visit was required by a chef there from a burn...apparently it involves ladleing hot oil over the bread).

The photos below are in order, left to right, top to bottom:

Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken

Crispy Fish Fillet Hunan

Crispy Beef

Singapore Noodles with Chicken

Crispy Shrimp with Scallion

Dried Fried Eggplant

Dried Fried Eggplant(shown twice because you must not miss this)

Braised Fish Fillets with Chili Sauce

Puffy Scallion Pancake

Sichaun Wonton with Red Oil

Fish with Cilantro Rolls

No wine list....byob is allowed...a riesling is most appropriate to cut the heat of the food.

It is located at 8079 Kingston Pike. I have heard that Peter Chang's day off is Tuesday, but was not able to confirm this with the restaurant. He was there on a Sunday evening. Also, there is a lunch buffet that may not showcase his true style, so go for dinner.