Katsu (Primary Review)

HOLY STICKER SHOCK BATMAN!

This is a very tough review for me to write because I'm going to say at the outset that the quality of everything was amazing, but I couldn't believe how high the prices were! I'm not one to usually complain about prices and rarely do I feel sticker shock, but this was just beyond the pale.

We decided to try Katsu because we had heard from numerous sources that it was the most authentic Japanese in Chicago. So we went with our Japanese friends to make sure we could get an authentic second opinion. Katsu is kind of in the boonies on Peterson. Its exterior is very unassuming and you would guess you were entering a $15/head sushi bar. When you enter, you would probably suspect you were confirming your belief because the decor is very bland and downscale.


Then you open the menu and you are magically transported to the land of overpriced sushi. I honestly thought that the chef was trying to mimic Nobu in NY. He even had the phrase "experience the essence of Chef Katsu's cuisine," which copied the "experience the essence of Chef Matsuhisa's cuisine" from Nobu's menu. The prices seem to copy Nobu too. Thankfully, the sushi is far better than the garbage they serve at Nobu.

Like in a traditional Japanese Izakaya (a Japanese style bar serving tapas size portions of food), there was a complimentary dish to start with. The bean sprouts and seitan were highly chilled and refreshing, but left me saying, "meh".


The agedashi tofu was fantastic though and the little matsutake mushrooms and scallions were perfect with the delicious miso-sake broth. The quality of the tofu was exemplary.

The fried oysters shocked me with how delicious they were. I was worried we were going to receive standard Izakaya fried foods, but the oysters were fresh and brimming with flavor. The tartare sauce was not overwhelming and complimented the oysters with a nice tang.


The miso-basted duck was disappointing. The meat was ok, but kind of overcooked. The portion was very small (especially for $19), and the miso flavor nothing special. The Kyoto style presentation was very nice though.


Onto the sushi! The rolls were well filled with high quality fish. The super white and spicy tuna were both delicious. The octopus with shizo was a bad choice though. The shizo easily overwhelmed the subtle flavors of the octopus and proved dissatisfying. One of our Japanese friends explained to us that this combination is traditional in Japan, but also hit or miss amongst the crowd. Some people love the flavor of the shizo, others have the complaint that JF and I registered.


The Chef's special sushi and Sashimi was very beautiful and contained the freshest cuts of fish I've had the pleasure of eating in Chicago. The presentation was adorned with gold leaf and various flowers, but to be honest, it was a little much. One of my Japanese friends said "I don't need this gold, how about not using it and just lowering the price?" I couldn't agree more! $46 for a few pieces of nigiri and sashimi was just outrageous even with delicious fish. The star of the plate was the yellowtail and the sweet shrimp. Both were unbelievably fresh. The sweet shrimp came with the fried head which was delicious even if a tentacle attacked me and lodged itself in my gum. The salmon with the large salmon roe on top was very good. The super white was good, but a little mushy/liquidy - meaning it had been frozen at some point. The maguro was quite good and better than most. There was some Coi (Carp) that was decent, but nothing special. The sashimi consisted of chu-toro (medium grade fatty tuna), hamachi, and tamago. The chu-toro was ok, but the hamachi, like its nigiri counterpart, was excellent. How egg custard can make it on a plate of chef special and sea urchin cannot I may never understand.


A quick note that the wasabi was fresh grated and wonderful.

Because we were still hungry we ordered more a la carte. We had to try the sea urchin and it was very disappointing. Really a big let down. Tasted cheap and generic. It even had a little fishy flavor. The spider roll was decent, but nothing special and at $16 for 4 pieces it was a little outrageous. The unagi maki was the worst part of the meal. The roll had very little eel and the eel was overcooked to the point of being burned. And at $9 for a tiny roll, this was daylight robbery.


Katsu had some of the freshest sushi I've ever tasted this side of the pacific, but it could not justify its prices. When I compare it to my beloved Toro sushi I have to say the quality is actually, for the most part, slightly better. But a 5% increase in quality does not justify over double the prices. One piece of salmon a la carte costs $8! Compare that with two pieces of roughly equal quality salmon at Toro for $5.

Even beyond the sticker shock, there was just no creativity in the dishes. I understand this is a traditional Japanese restaurant, but I've been spoiled by the creativity we see around Chicago in general. These days, I expect more than burnt eel and cucumber roll.

Despite the quality of the fish, I left Katsu feeling very disappointed.
All in all I would grade Katsu a C+

DOES NOT MAKE THE LIST

Sunda (Secondary Review)

JF's review is nearly identical to my thoughts on this place. I just want to emphasize a few quick points.

Firstly, this is the classic example of style over substance. This place is a scene to be seen at. If you are looking for an attractive clientele pulling out their blackberries, this one tops the list. Unfortunately, this list is about quality food and Sunda misses the mark.

A quick walk across the sushi counter let me know very quickly that this place does not take its fish very seriously. Only the escolar looked fresh, which is why we ordered it. The rest of the fish looked on par with the kind you'd expect from an all you can eat buffet (and I don't mean Sushi Para Too, which is decent).

The crab cake crusted ahi sashimi really was delicious, so much so that one of our dining companions ordered it again for her entree. The beef lollipops were unsavory and tasted like cheap hamburger. I generally concur with JF's assessment of all the dishes.

The only dish I disagree about was the crispy rice kobe beef tartare. I found it disgusting and easily my least favorite dish of the night. That's saying something considering how bad the lollipops were.

The pork confit was very nice, juicy, and tender. I thought of peking duck, which I love, with every bite.

All in all I would also give Sunda a C+

Sunda (1st Review)

Hey all! The GG and I were invited by some girl friends of ours to try out Billy Dec and Co's new spot, Sunda. It seems as if everything Dec touches turns to gold, a la Rockit and Underground. Sunda is an Asian fusion spot with a mixture of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. I was excited to be going with a group of five, as Sunda is known for its small dishes, which we were sure to get a bunch of.

The dining room is extremely large and very attractive. There is a main bar area, a sushi bar, communal tables, standard tables, and small private rooms. I had forgotten to take pictures of the place itself, but it was beautiful. Tony Chi was the designer, who is very well known in the restaurant industry, having worked on the Washington DC Hyatt and many hotels in Hong Kong. Sunda has commissioned the Food Buddha, Rodello Aglibot, as their executive chef. Aglibot comes from the well regarded Koi in Los Angeles. Enough of the background though, let's get to the good stuff.

We started out by ordering a few appetizers. We ordered a crab cake crusted ahi tuna sashimi, escolar with truffle shavings, potato chips and chive, lemongrass beef lollipops, roasted duck bao buns, and rock shrimp tempura. The crab cake tuna sashimi was definitely the hit of the bunch. A generous portion of quality crab meat bordered fresh tuna in a delicious sweet soy sauce.

The escolar was also tasty and of good quality. Very light, but slightly more expensive then most sushi restaurants in the city. It was a cool combination of ingredients that you wouldn't normally get with nigiri. Definitely something I'd get again.

The roasted duck bao bun's were also enjoyable. There is a Lettuce Entertain You place called Wow Bao that sells these buns. I have also wanted to try them but had been hesitant, as they always seemed very "dumpling" like. I am not a big dumpling fan at all, so I have always passed. After the Gourmet's Glutton's recommendation, I decided to give these a go, and am glad I trusted him. These were very light and fun to eat. The duck was smokey and each bun had the perfect amount of meat. The buns came with a plum sauce that was a good addition to the ingredients.

Some of the appetizers failed to make their mark however. The lemongrass beef lollipops were flat out disgusting. I refused to finish mine. The meat was tough and the marinate was way too overpowering. I would not recommend these. The rock shrimp tempura, although a good concept, had been coated with too much batter, resulting in way too much batter surrounding the shrimp. The dressing was also very sweet and didn't really do much for me.

After the apps we were still hungry, so we decided to order three main dishes. The first was a confit pork shank with garlick-foie gravy and pea shoots. The pork must have been cooked for hours, because it was so tender, it could have been mistaken for duck. The pea shoots seemed pretty meaningless, almost just for the decoration of the dish. I was excited for the foie gravy, but that tasted nothing like I had expected. It was almost like a watered down vinagrette.

The GG and I split the golden roll, which included escolar, mango, avocado, tempura crumbs, and ango creme. Again, this was tasty, but didn't blow my mind. The ango creme sauce also had a huge banana hint to it which didn't seem to work with the dish. It over-powered it too much.

The last dish we tried was the Food Buddha's signature dish, the crispy rice with kobe beef tartare. I had been expecting something in the form of fried rice, so when the dish was presented I was a little surprised. The rice had been sculpted in to little crackers with small pieces of kobe beef tartare on top. Definitely aesthetically pleasing, but taste wise, nothing special.

Sunda seems like a fun spot to go before you hit up the bars/clubs in River North. The place is filled with eye candy, which makes it fun. Other than the beef lollipops, none of the food was terrible, but nothing really stuck out either. For what we paid, I was expecting a lot more creativity, uniqueness, and quality then what we got. I think the problem with this place is that because it is Asian fusion and does not focus on one specific country's cuisine, it also does not excel in any of the region's either. The menu is too big and prices are 25% too high in my opinion. I will not be returning to Sunda, unless it is for a drink.

Sunda gets a C+ in my book, and as a result, DOES NOT MAKE THE LIST.

Sunda
110 W Illinois St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 644-0500
www.sundachicago.com

Avec Second Review

I think GG did a good job of describing the dishes we had at Avec. I will just give you a quick run down regarding what I thought of each dish. I thought the octopus was delicious. Very light, simple, yet perfect. My favorite dish of the night. The brandade was good. Not fishy tasting at all (which I was worried about), again very well executed. The flatbread was not very exciting. Tasted like bread with salad on it. Would not order this again if I came back. I wasn't a big fan of the monkfish either. I didn't like that it was on the bone and it had too much lime. That was all I really tasted from the dish. The trofie was great. The pasta was homemade and the fig, pistachio, lamb combination worked perfectly. My second favorite dish of the night. The pork shoulder was nice and tender. Very easy to eat and had a great broth. The flank steak was slightly tough in my opinion and didn't do much for me; probably would pass on that next time. Desserts were both tasty but neither struck me as daring or original.

What I really liked about Avec was the space. I loved the wood theme and the place has a minimalist feel to it. It shows that the main attraction to the restaurant is the quality of their food, rather than the spaces distractions. I also thought the communal tables were fun, as you get to experience great food with new friends.

As far as grading Avec goes, I think they did some dishes extremely well, whereas other dishes fell slightly short based on my expectations of the place. The common theme that I loved about every dish though, was that they are able to take so many complex ingredients and turn them in to simple, yet delicious meals. Everything was incredibly fresh and light tasting. Although I was full at meals end; I didn't leave in one of those food coma's. The simplicity of the items parred with the beautiful design of the space results in Avec scoring a B+ in my book.

MAKES THE LIST

Avec

As its name indicates, the perfect place to go with people. The minimalist design is highly appropriate given the communal tables.


Avec does not take reservations, so when we arrived we were told that the wait would be between 30 minutes and one hour. The wait ended up exceeding an hour and a quarter, but since it was a nice sunny day we were able to enjoy a refreshing beer outside and the wait didn't seem so bad. Plus I was able to enjoy the always effervescent company of JF, as well as two other friends.


The idea behind Avec is that it is Mediterranean style tapas. Avec offers small plates and larger plates and our server kindly recommended a ratio of 2 small plates or 1 large plate per person. We exceeded this slightly by ordering 3 large plates and 4 small plates.

Our server recommended a dry Italian wine with our selections. The wine was good, but not remarkable or memorable.

Avec ships out the dishes as they become ready and the first two dishes to arrive were the braised octopus (small) and the brandade (puree of salt cod, olive oil, and milk) (small).
The baby octopus was deliciously tender and the cilantro tomato flavor shined through. The brandade was really something special though. The texture was silky and creamy, and the flavor rich and decadent. The saltiness of the cod added the right amount of seasoning and the accompanying garlic bread was crisp and flavorful. When we finished the garlic bread, our server on her own initiative kindly brought out some bread so we could finish this amazing mixture.


The next course to arrive was the wood fired flatbread with shaved beets, arugula, olives and marjoram (large). I have to say that I had really high expectations with that list of toppings, but I was a little bit disappointed here. The flatbread was fine, but I expected it to be a little more hearty. The dough was delicious though and on JF's recommendation made an excellent dipper for what was left of the brandade.

The monkfish on the bone (small) was the next to arrive. The fish was tender and juicy, but I did not find the lemony sauce to be the correct choice. The tomato braised chick peas were quite good though and worked well with the tanginess of the lemon sauce. I did not notice the squid ink flavor on the fideo (similar to angel hair), but the fideo added a nice crunchy texture to the dish.


The trofie (a thick pasta with bran, but no eggs) with cinammon and coriander braised lamb (large) was truly a treat. This dish had such a nice clean flavor. The quality of the lamb was exemplary. The simple olive oil and lemon sauce was accentuated with just a hint of hot pepper. Just when I thought this dish couldn't get any better I bit into some pistachio and knew I had stumbled upon genius. This seemingly simple dish continued to reward with the subtle flavors that resonated.



The pork shoulder (large) was so juicy and tender that it was served and cut with a spoon as opposed to a knife and fork. The meat just melted in my mouth. The accompanying garlic sausage and beef tongue were tasty too. It was served in a cast iron dish and had some pearl onions and carrots that made for a good stew.


Our final arrival was the flank steak with egg, piquillos, housemade sausage and pickled carrots (small). This was very tasty and the meat was not overly tough as flank steak can often be. I felt the chef was showing off almost an South American flair in this dish.



We ordered two desserts. The cherry polenta cake was very simple, but oily and delicious. I was a big fan. The flavor was great and not overly sweet. I would have liked a little more cherry, but overall it was delicious.


Unfortunately the chocolate crisps failed to impress and seemed like a less hearty version of nestle's crunch.


All in all I would give Avec a strong B+ and my recommendation for Avec to make the list.

615 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60661
312-377-2002

L2O

L2O, L2O, L2O - WOW

From the moment you walk into the artfully decorated dining room you know that you will be in for a treat. The decor manages to strike a perfect balance between luxurious and minimalist - the first of many paradoxes you will unravel through your 4-hour journey.

Unfortunately, my dining companion was not JF, so there will be no secondary review, but I hope to do this justice in my solo venture. The menu has three possibilities. There is a 6 course tasting, a 4 course mix and match, or a 12 course tasting. We of course opted for the 12 course.

The wine list was extensive and the sommelier extremely friendly and knowledgeable. My friend selected a Gevertztraminer which the sommelier confirmed would be excellent with the first few courses.

The first amuse was lobster and taragon and bursted with flavor. The texture and flavor of the lobster combined well with the creaminess of the sauce, onion, tarragon, and I detected just a bit of orange rind.




There were 6 options for freshly baked bread with house made butter and I must say that the rosemary croissant stole the show.



The second amuse was a tuna tartare in an olive oil and soy emulsion with liquid nitrogen frozen shizo. I don't know what kind of olive oil they use here, but it made its way into a number of dishes and it tasted as if it had been squeezed from Mount Olympus directly into my mouth. Never have I tasted such pure olive oil.


The first course (cold) was fluke in a ume (plum) sauce with sudachi (japanese citrus fruit) and fried garlic. The ume and sudachi sauce was extremely tart, but delicious and the quality of the fluke was exemplary.


The second course (cold) was tuna with various sauce dots such as squid ink and miso. The presentation was extremely unique and the flavor was wonderful. The tuna had a nice fattiness that made it buttery and delicious.

The somellier was very kind at this point and offered to pair the next courses with a duet of sake tasting. My friend and I took her up on it and the sake choices were delicious.

Since neither my guest nor I are big Tofu fans we asked to substitute the third course (cold) and the chef did not disappoint. In its place he gave us a cured smoked escolar with paprika and just a hint of cayenne. Since this had more of that delicious olive oil, I was in love. It was also a perfect contrast to the delicately flavored dish that preceded it.



The fourth course (cold) was salmon with pickled shimeji mushrooms a frozen shellfish that broke into an emulsion, a piece of toast and a shiso leaf. The toast was the perfect example of how even something so pedestrian can be so delicious when prepared perfectly. Eating it with the salmon made me nostalgic for some childhood breakfasts eating smoked salmon on toast (though this salmon was not smoked). This dish had an evocative simiplicity and yet the frozen shellfish and flavorful shimeji mushrooms reminded me not to underestimate its complexity.


The fifth dish (warm) was so delicious that had it been the only course, I would have left quite happy. Sweetbread (thymus gland) with lobster dumpling and asparagus in a foie gras cream emulsion. I had to drink up every last drop of the sauce. It also contained an additional coiled vegetable, which I've seen on Bizarre Foods before, but I must confess I can't remember its name. Hopefully the attached picture of this course will prove instructive.



The sixth course (warm) was my favorite of the night. It had me proclaiming that it was "heaven on a plate". This sald cod with fingerling potato puree and caviar contained an explosion of flavor that allowed me to savor each tiny bite. I never wanted it to end. This was also another evocative dish as it both reminded me of a fisherman's pie, but taken twenty levels higher. Top it with some of that divine oil and I couldn't ask for more.


The seventh course (warm) was grilled Walu (Hawaiin Escolar), in a clear chorizo broth. I thought the fish was grilled to perfection and remained perfectly flavorful and juicy. I also thought the chorizo broth was not overwhelming as I feared it would be, but quite tasty. However, I just didn't buy the two together. Independently the components were wonderful, but together there was a dissonance that I just couldn't reconcile.


The eigth course (main) was skate wing with Shanghai bouillon (sweet and sour sauce) and winter greens. The bouillon was not as sweet and sour as explained but rather a delicious consomme style broth. This was my friend's favorite course of the night, but it actually did not wow me. The skate was cooked perfectly, but it lacked the pizazz of fifth and sixth courses.


The ninth course (main) was probably the only course I did not like. It was kuro buta loin with black truffle sauce and potato. The potato was very tasty, but my meat was almost entirely gristle and fat. My friend's piece was slightly meatier and he kindly shared, but it left me thinking of bacon, which is the one food I find repulsive. Even the truffles couldn't overcome that overwhelming bacon flavor.


The tenth course (main) proves you can play with your food and offered the flexibility to have the dish your way. They created a shabu shabu with hiramasa (small yellowtail fished in Oceana) as the dipping fish. I tried searing it in the shabu shabu twice, but realized I much preferred the fish raw since it was so flavorful and delicious. The shabu shabu was useful for the raw vegetables though and the smoky broth was tasty.


Next we received an olive oil chocolate truffle as our dessert amuse. Of course you already know that anything with their olive oil automatically gets my stamp of approval so this rich decadent truffle was the perfect way to enter dessert.


The second dessert amuse immediately the pulled back from the richness of the tenth course by offering a creamy sweet honey flavor with a honey cream and bee pollen. Anything with honey can call me honey, so this was a real winner with me.



The eleventh course (dessert) was a raspberry dessert with gold leave syrup and mascarpone ice cream. The mascarpone ice cream was deliciously creamy and proved a great counterpoint to the tart raspberries. Beautiful presentation as well.


The twelth and final course (dessert) was a praline souffle, with hazlenut creme anglais. As souffle is one of my favorite desserts and hazlenut is one of my favorite dessert flavors, it didn't take long for me to love the synergy in this one! The perfect way to end the perfect meal. Or was it?


No - they couldn't leave us without the obligatory petit fours, which were a macaroon with brown butter and a mini custard filled bundt style cake. The waiter told us a charming story about the bundt cake preperation and why it is hard on the outside yet juicy on the inside (bees wax), but it was the macaroon that actually won this course for me. The brown butter added just the right amount of savory to sweet and this truly was the perfect end to the perfect meal.

As expected, the check was large, but to our surprise the sommelier had actually comped us the sake tasting which was a nice surprise. I wish she hadn't already left by that point because I would have loved to thank her. All in all 17 courses were had if you include the amuse's and the petit fours. This is likely the best meal I've had in Chicago so I have no reservations giving it my first solid A and saying L2O

MAKES THE LIST

L2O Restaurant
2300 N. Lincoln Park West
Chicago, IL 60614
773-868-0002

Smoque BBQ Secondary Review

I'm torn. On the one hand, this is the best BBQ I've had in Chicago. On the other hand, I haven't had much BBQ in Chicago and this is not as good as some of the BBQ I've had in other cities. But the flavors are right, the portions are right, but the feel is not quite right. This is textbook good barbeque, but seems to be missing that all important soul that I get when I'm down South eating BBQ food.

Don't worry, I'm not going to get all holistic on everyone, but I do think there is something important about having the right feel to the food. The dining room feels more like a diner or a New England truck stop than a deep South BBQ smoke shack. I'm conflicted because I shouldn't let ambiance taint my impression of the food, but maybe it has.

On the first visit I tried the brisket and it was very tasty, but on the second visit I tried the pulled pork and it was wonderful. The pulled pork sandwich really nicely absorbs the flavor of the bbq sauce and you can really appreciate its intricacies.

The mac and cheese was thick, creamy, and luxurious, but not too rich. The cobbler was the perfect end to the meal not being overly sweet or heavy.

All in all I can't say there is a better BBQ in Chicago, but I'm game to try and find out.
I would give Smoque a B, which combined with JF's review

MAKES THE LIST