yellow truffle
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Posts posted by yellow truffle
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5. ONAGA shellfish, waterchestnuts, floral vapor
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4. DOVER SOLE mosaic of mostly traditional flavors
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3. MANGO sesame oil, soy, bonito
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2. MAITAKE lola nut, braised sunflower seeds
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1. PEAR celery leaf & branch, curry
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THE MENU - 20051008
1. PEAR celery leaf & branch, curry
2. MAITAKE lola nut, braised sunflower seeds
3. MANGO sesame oil, soy, bonito
4. DOVER SOLE mosaic of mostly traditional flavors
5. ONAGA shellfish, waterchestnuts, floral vapor
6. PHEASANT cider, shallot, burning leaves
7. SQUAB watermelon, foie gras, licorice
8. IDIAZABAL maple syrup, smoke
9. MATSUTAKE pine nut, mastic, rosemary
10. BURDOCK dark beer, bitters, sassafras
11. QUINCE cumin, shiso, sour cream
12. PUSHED FOIE GRAS tart apple marshmallow
13. TROUT ROE pineapple, cucumber, coriander
14. CRAB chanterelles, ravioli of coconut powder
15. OPAH endive, ohio honeycomb
16. LAMB fig, pernod, pillow of anise star
17. DUCK SKIN cranberry, grapefruit, clove
18. BISON truffle, pistachio, sweet spices
19. BACON butterscotch, apple, thyme
20. RASPBERRIES orange blossom, cream
21. ROSEWATER PUFFS passion fruit, saffron
22. PEANUT frozen pedro ximénez
23. CHOCOLATE avocado, lime, mint
24. DRY CARAMEL salt
Looking at the menu one notes that there are a few absent dishes. Gone is the PB+J, the highly recognized starter course from the early days. Also missing in action are the SOUR CREAM, the HEART OF PALM and the VICHI CATALAN (on the beverage side). As you may have noticed, making its return, is the familiar tenant on the Alinea menu, BACON. Tasty as always, not a thing has changed since it was first introduced. Shall I dare say, "signature dish." It is fast becoming so, as the dish can be had on all the three menus (or at least you can ask for it). Is this the new Black Truffle Explosion?
And now, the gastro-porn.
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A NEW BEGINNING
With the weather getting down to the normal averages and autumn finally arriving in Chicago, Alinea is beginning to introduce their new fall creations. Last Saturday we were fortunate enough to experience some of their tasty dishes. Of course there are changes, some of which can be noticed prior to the first course arriving at the table.
The major change is in the number of items on the Tour menu. Previous Tour dinners at Alinea, brought in upwards of 26 courses. Now they have the Tour set at 24. Fret not. Although there is a reduction of courses, we did not walk away less sated, in fact we were feeling quite full at around the third quarter of the meal. Towards the end, one of our guest were unable to finish some of the dishes. No worries here, as the others at the table took turns at the leftovers. Such a faux pas, I know, but I don't think they have doggy bags.
There is also a change in the rhythm of the meal. The old Alinea meal cycle took on a traditional format (ie. appetizer, first and second courses and dessert) in 28 courses. The new format is taking the once long meal and breaking it into two short meals, similar to that at Trio when Chef G was at the helm. Upon talking to the chef, he felt that the 5-8 desserts at the end was a long stretch. Two meals for the price of one, that sounds like a great deal.
A new centerpiece is also introduced. As with the previous centerpiece, ginger sliced longitudinally, the fresh honeycomb, is used for one of the dishes to be had later in the evening. The honeycomb was placed onto a pedestal of an exotic, heavily grained, piece of wood. It sat for most of the evening and it slowly released thick gooey honey onto the table (a detail that should be soon worked out, I hope). The pedestal and the uber-chic honey extractor/mechanism was used for the 15th course, OPAH (please refrain from putting fire to saganaki). Buy not these tools from Willams Sonoma. This item is another creation of Alinea's product design guru, Martin Kestner.
New serviceware is also bought into play, from plates to cordial glasses and another MK (the designer, not the chef) piece. The modern looking fancy sheet music holder, is used for the 8th course to hold the Spanish cheese puff. The masculine looking item is weighty and heavily machined. A much better alternative than the previous holder.
FYI, when making reservations, have your credit card handy. Just another one of those changes.
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Nice ronnie, nice.
Did you take home any of their off-beat items?
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Great pictures yellow,
I was driving through there a few months ago and was upset to find the place closed on Sunday.. After seeing these photos, its a must that I return.. A little Kopps for dessert.. Oh baby..
Awh, thanx. And to you as well - great photo documentaries.
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Earlier this week I had the good fortune to tag along on a "research" trip being made by George Motz, the man behind the mouth-watering documentary Hamburger America. He and his burger-maven associate Rick, invited me to ride up to Wisconsin with them while they did field work for Mr. Motz's latest project, which will also center on hamburgers in America.
Mr. Kaplan, you are so the pulse of food and dining in the Heartland.
I'm seriously considering driving back up there for dinner tonight. It's about 90 minutes north of me but there's no question that it would be worth the drive.If you let me drive, Ron, I can get you there in 75 minutes.
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FYI, they serve Sunday brunch. Since they stopped serving lunch on the weekdays (damn you S+S), I should probably have a go at their weekend lunch. Has anyone been?
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great photosThere's no reason to post my lousy photos (Anthony's are always superior)...
thanx.
Click here for the Hamburger America site - a documentary about American burgers and the people behind them - which in my opinion deserved some kind of special award at the Cannes film festival - had they submitted it. Scroll down for some heart-pounding pix of Solly's butter burgers. AND download the trailer - food porn at its finest. As Glenn - the owner of Solly's says - "Good food should be made with a lot of love and a lot of butter."I also, highly recommend this documentary, although watching it will make you very hungry
One of the folks in our Hamburger-touring group this week was the filmmaker, George Motz. He's very passionate about the movie and he's got another, related project in the works, so stay tuned.
=R=
A great documentary, indeed. I first went to Solly's just because of Hamburger America. In fact I have never heard of butter burgers in the Chicagoland area until Culver's started moving in and press about the documentary started to come out. Kopp's Custard would always satisfy my Milwaukee burger needs, although not a BB by name.
Slightly off topic, it's interesting how Billy Goat made it on the documentary. IMHO, it does not have enough savory flavors than the rest of the other establishments in the movie. It just has a great story.
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the tab that you discussed above is per person??
Both restaurants for group of three.
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Sushi/sashimi has become as prolific as McDonald's. Me, I like to converse with the chef about what is good and how to prepare it ata sushi bar. I won't eat at a place that hands me a piece of paper and asks me to make check marks about what i want or restaurants with conveyor belts. Sushi is not just about eating fish and rice but is a cultural tradition that requires knowledge of the cusine and its protocol. It also helps if the chef has had classical training in Japan. -Dick
It is imaginable that there some traditionalists that may criticize Kaiten Zushi as possibly dismantling the "cultural tradition that requires knowledge of the cusine and its protocol," but this is not Urasawa or Masa.
Kaiten Zushi was created in Japan, in the 70's, with the focus on price-conscious customers, who may be rushed for a meal. It was also probably geared towards foreigners and children as they may not have any knowledge about sushi, and provides a visual ordering method of the items you want. It is you that takes the plate from the conveyor belt.
This is not a sushi restaurant, so you may not find all the things that you are used to at your local Kamehachi. Sushi Station has items that are comparable, if not better, to that of sushi or izakaya restaurants in Chicago.
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but just curious on how much an average tab runs out to be?
At Kampai, this was around $100 with about 3 large beers, 3 iced green teas, tax and tip
At Sushi Station, this was around $120, with about 6 glasses of beer, tax and tip.
The Thai restaurant is Pad Thai which I wrote up here, VERY good, perhaps some of the best Thai in the burbs.And so you did.
Will have to try it out. BTW, have you been to "Crabs and Things?" It has such a funny name and their sign is classic. Located just north of the restaurant mall on the other side of the street, some of my Korean friends have had good things to say about it.
Have tried Kampai a few times recently, quality is really hit/miss. Some really well executed/unique items, then some really horrible ones like serving cheap nasty store bought dumplings, deep frying them and then putting some of the teriyaki like sauce on them that covers unagi.We will go back seeing as there are some really good items and it is sooooo close to home.
We ordered one item from the menu and it was the gyoza. Not good. Microwaved, perhaps.
I would suggest traveling a few more miles out of your way and give Sushi Station a try. It will be well worth the trip.
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Image of SUSHI FARM
Damn! That is an amazing shot. That really looks delicious!
This was their way of kicking us out. Instead of the sushi coming around on the conveyor belt, it was being taken away onto a collection tray. No more sushi for you!
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Well there you have it. So you say it looks interesting, but how does it taste. If one were to compare the two, I would easily return to Sushi Station.
For one, the fish is so much better. Upon being treated by my Japanese frineds, they can easily place Sushi Station a default for great basic, traditional sushi (not the funky roll stuff) in the Chicagoland area. They feel that for the combination of quality, selection and price, the Station is the way to go.
But for those not too excited about raw fish and rice, and need some more stuff, they have got a wild selection of special rolls, with a broad flavor range of sauces. Dragon, Spider, Rainbow, Mexican, Jamaican, are just some of the few regular maki's.
Not only does the Station offer better quality, they offer a greater selection of ingredients. For example, the last time we were there, they had three grade of regular tuna and one white tuna. They also have two grades of salmon. By grade, I am talking about the about of fat. Higher fat content equals higher price. Toro, Chu-Toro, O-Toro, are the three grades of tuna. We were able to sample all three grades at one time. The Station also has interesting daily specials. I have been to the Station about six times and the specials keep changing.
Yeah sure I think Kaiten Zushi is a gimmick to get you in, but after eating at the Station over 6 times, they are doing something right. Sadly, I have only eaten at Kampai only once.
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Sushi Station
One big difference here is atmosphere. So much more brighter and so much more inviting. These guys use a conveyer belt system within a clear plastic tube. The tube has a series of garage door like door mechanism.
Unlike The Kampai, Sushi Station not only has dinner facing the center, but also has a connecting table stretching out perpendicularly to add more table space and more seat.
On the metal ribs of the tube are the price per plate, so you can always stay within your budget. The prices are about the same as Kampai, but Sushi Station offers much more sushi selections.
One important thing to note is they serve Kirin Ichiban on draft, mmmm. Not too many places in Chicago serve that up.
Ordering from their menu offers many a warm dishes. From regular items of gyoza, soba, udon, yakitori to specials like beef tataki.
And multi-grade varities of tuna and salmon.
The bill.
Kaiten Sushi Restaurant
1641 Algonquin Rd.
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
847 593 2450
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The Kampai
Located in a strip mall in Mt. Prospect, this restaurant combines a Japanese Steak House, karaoke loung and Kaiten Zushi. Actually the strip mall has an Indian, Thai, Chinese and another non-ethnic restaurant.
The inside is dark and is divided into three sections. Lots of spot lighting and dark wall coverings make for a dramatic effect. The dining room for the Sushi restaurant is one open room with a large island. The island is large enough to fill the room and is made up of a series of concentric rings. The center of the island, has chefs plating sushi. The next ring has the delivery system, a moat. The outer most ring is where the diner sit and watch the boat parade.
Kampai uses a series of wooden boats tethered together with a chain and propelled by jets in the water. Three dishes per boat with wasabi and ginger at the aft of the boat. Like a buffet, the dishes await your interaction. Just grab a plate, or a few and start eating. Not every plate has the same price, so look for the boat with an upright plate to define the colored plate's price category.
Each of the dish has a clear plastic cover, which can be discarded. The plate, on the other hand, gets stacked up beside you. The plates must be saved as it is your "ticket" to your meal. Just match the color to the plate and there you have it.
Traveling at about 2 knots, its quite easy to eye a dish and pick out something to your liking. Although if you do not see what you are craving, ask for the menu, as there are some items (usually hot or special stuff) that they prepare in the back and the wait staff brings to you.
The maki and nigiri are okay. Lots of dessert items and a small selection of fruit. As you can see the kid liked it.
The Kampai Japanese Steak House
2330 S. Elmhurst Rd.
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
847 640 6700
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Is it a buffet, is it a cafeteria, is it a buffeteria? No it's Kaiten Zushi.
In the northwest suburbs of Chicago lies an even faster "fast-food," Sushi Station and The Kampai deliver sushi and other small items on 5 inch round plates, via a looping conveyor belt system - in the case of The Kampai, it's delivery system are boats in water.
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On County Highway ES between Mukwonago and East Troy, you’ll find a huge, rustic yellow barn surrounded by orchards and fields of fresh fruits and vegetables. Inside, you’ll discover the ultimate in farm market culinary delights and a "Wonderful Shopping Experience."
Just outside Mukwonago, Wisconsin, located at an intersection surrounded by farm fields you are graced by a small compound of a few small buildings and a large 'smiley' barn.
If after seeing the 'smiley' barn, you do not find yourself feeling good, then the sign inside will definitely take away all your negative vibes (at least until you get back on the interstate).
The Elegant Farmer, 30 minutes from downtown Milwaukee, offers its customers with some amazing local produce, canned/bottled goods, cheeses, meats and some amazing baked goods.
From fresh rhubarb to bottled honey creme, prepare to load up your shopping cart.
And prepare to load up your fridge with some just frozen fruits. They have blueberries, peaches, corn, rhubarb, blackberries, cherries, apples and many more.
They've got cheese. Wisconsin, of course.
And for your haute bbq session where you want to impress, you can serve up freshly ground buffalo burgers.
Or try one of their stranger items, the Reuben dip. Ingredients include; cream cheese, corned beef, swiss cheese, sour cream, sauerkraut, and milk. If anyone tries on of these or their other dips, please tell us about it.
But these guys have been know for their, "Apple Pie Baked In A Paper Bag." A registered trademark item, this pie can be had in two sizes, personal or family size and can be had with or without a thick coating of caramel. I personally like the caramel on top as it adds another dimension of texture to the dish. You've got chewy, crunchy, gooey, flaky. Hey if Farmer Dan guarantees this pie to be the "The Best You Ever Hung A Lip On," and has that quote trademarked, it's got to be good.
Next time you find yourself in the vicinity, stop by the Elegant Farmer. It might be slightly out of your way, but well worth the trip.
1545 Main Street
Mukwonago, WI 53149
765 966 2939
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I first came across Solly's Grille at a showing of Hamburger America. After viewing the piece about Solly's, I had wanted to go and try out one of their burgers. I have never had a butter burger before and I figured that my first butter burger should be from a non-chain establishment, especially since Culver's has surrounded Chicago, but none have hit the city limits (as of summer 2005).
The new Solly’s (the old one was moved a block or so due to a Medical complex going up) is located at 4629 N. Port Washington Road. As one walks inside you see two U shaped counters (the same ones as in the old Sollys?).Solly's is a free standing house located at the corner of the block with its parking around it. According to Hamburger America, the interior is the same as the previous layout. You can seat about 20 to 25 people in the front room. There is also a back room for more seating.
Behind the double-U-shaped counters is the fry, grill and finishing station. From the counter you can see sticks of butter sit on the finishing station awaiting their spot on the just-toasted burger buns.
The menu has many burger selections. They range from the number of patties, kinds of cheese, additional toppings, etc. As a FISH, in Wisconsin, I had no choice but to order, "The Cheese Head," with a chocolate milk shake. The Cheese Head is two patties, mushroom, onions, two kinds of cheese and one HEAPING tablespoon of the state's best butter.
Once the burger has been sliced in half, it is immediately placed onto a perfectly sized plate and served to the customer. This is one great tasting burger. The beef is very lean. So lean in fact that if they did not add the butter, I would need to add lots of ketchup and other things. Remember to eat the burger fast or get ready to use up lots of napkins. Having toasted the bun makes it more difficult for the butter to seep into it, instead, the plate becomes the collector. After a while the lower bun becomes a sponge and soaks in the melted butter. I actually like this taste combination better. Mmmm, soggy buns.
As you look the half eaten burger, you notice the thing that makes this place so great. The thing that keeps the locals coming back for more. You see black gold, yellow gold and liquid gold. The burger is from a local farm as is the cheese and butter. And the milk shake, I think it's safe to say that it too is from a local farm.
The burger and shake was good, the fries and onion rings were okay. After you get over the horrific amount of butter that they slather onto the bun and focus on the flavors that they have to offer, you will not be disappointed with Solly's Grille.
For dessert, you can head North a few blocks to Kopp's Frozen Custard. Also, if you have time, the Sprecher Brewery is close by and worth taking a tour. If you are gonna do the Wisconsin thing, do it right.
Now upon return to your home town, make sure you make an appointment to see your cardiologist.
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The one in downtown Indy...
Does it look the same?
They upgraded the chairs.
On my third trip to Shapiro's Deli, I finally had the New York Reuben (substitute cole slaw for sauerkraut) with corned beef on rye. The sweetness of the cole slaw made a great tasting sandwich ready better, IMHO. I have had Shapiro's regular reuben with CB and kraut, and I find the New York style more to my liking.
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Chicago's Best Burgers (Chicago Tribune)
1. Rosebud Steakhouse2. Naha
3. Park Grill
4. Select Cut Steakhouse
5. Paradise Pup
Other Top Contenders Include:
Bristol Tap, Candlelite, Hackney's, Hunker Down Steaks, Jake Moran's, Medici, Nick's Tavern, Rockwell's Neighborhood Grill, Silver Palm, Square Kitchen, Wollensky Grill
[CHI] Alinea – Grant Achatz – Reviews & Discussion (Part 1)
in The Heartland: Dining
Posted
6. PHEASANT cider, shallot, burning leaves