gmi3804

Great report! I've heard great things about this place. Between this place and Courtrights, it looks like I'm gonna be puttin' a lot of miles on my car!

I think solo dining is perfectly fine, even at fine dining venues. If nothing else, it shows the chef/waitstaff that you're a serious diner. And it's my experience that the experience becomes more food-focusesd to the diner, as you don't have to worry about anyone else's reactions. I'd say go for it!

Yum! Lamb Sausage and Goat Cheese! We tried the ancho-marinated skirt steak (a new item) last week - exceptional! The banana cream pie was as good as the other pies we've sampled. I like how the menu at PGC changes ever so slightly each time we go in. It keeps us interested in going back sooner than we ordinarily would. For those of you burger lovers out there, their double-stack burger is out of this world. Thin patties, but extraordinary flavor. The burgers are always on the menu.

Are there food- or food-related things you're embarrassed to tell the eGullet community? Spill the beans here! OK, I'll start. I like Circus Peanuts.

Are you sure you don't mean "hair-don't"?!? I caught the segment on Sunday night too, and it was rather unfocused; Rohit really should have gotten some screen time, because he's the main reason the front of the house runs as well as it does. The segment, overall, was more about the restaurant as a "scene." Still, it's nice to see it getting coverage.

Five days after its opening, this new Lettuce Entertain You concept is hummin' along like a well-oiled machine. The service is already polished, and the food was, for the most part, tasty and filling. With no menu per se, the idea is that the whole table eats the same progressive Italian dinner, with only the meat entree changing for each diner. There are eight or so choices for the meat course, and each person at the table can choose his/her own. Chunks of parmaggiano reggiano with aged balsamic are presented with the wonderful bread basket. Our dinner last night started with several antipasti (house-cured salmon and capicola with shaved celery, thinly sliced proscuitto, and a heavenly carmelized fennel with parmesan), served by waiters strolling with platters. Next came two small pasta dishes (panzerotti, a rich mini ricotta lasagna; and oricchiette with lemon and olive oil). After that, our entrees arrived. Four of us sampled three different dishes: two of us had the hearty, smoky pork shank braised in veal stock with root vegetables; one had the rich (but exceedingly fatty) short rib in a rich demi glace with parsnip puree; and one had the veal tenderloin, cooked to the requested medium-rare. Meat dishes were served with family-style rustic roasted potatoes with rosemary, and caramelized carrots. This three-course dinner is $35.95 per person. We met the gregarious Belinda Change, sommelier, who helped us choose two bottles of wine for our meal; we declined the wine pairings in preference to some nicer full bottles, though the pairings were available at three price points, from economical to expensive. We shared two desserts: a bland panna cotta and a rich, moist pistachio cake. The comfortable lively (read: loud) room is dimly lit and rustic. The dress is "dressy casual," with quite a few men in jacket and tie. Despite the concept's sometimes heavyhandedness (the dessert menu felt the need to have include a description about why gelato is richer than regular ice cream), the seriousness of the 400-bottle wine list marks this Rick (TRU) Tramonto-partnered venue as a serious (and unique) new contender among new Chicago restaurants. I'd go back again in a heartbeat, provided I could snag a reservation.

Sounds like Scoozi!-type dress, no? We're going tomorrow night - looking forward to it. I'll report back on Sunday morning!

There's a lot of buzz about this place and their sommelier, Belinda Chang, who received many accolades while she was at Fifth Floor in San Francisco. You can read a mini interview with her in this week's edition of Chicago Magazine's Dish. =R= ← Does anyone know how casual this place is? The part about the wine list really grabbed my attention!

Make sure you read the fine print. Depending on which kind of certificate it is, some places may not accept them on Friday or Saturday nights. If by chance you don't get to use it this time, remember that Illinois law stipulates that gift certificates of any type (issued/purchased in IL) never expire, even if there's an expiration date on them. So if you have old "expired" certificates (and this goes for stores too), they're still valid.

Am I missing something? I read the review saw phrases like: "The pork tenderloin, which came with a square of cornbread and a passle of "slow-cooked" beans, was excellent" "The brandade was as good as I have had (including a dynamite brandade in Nimes, France)." "The profiterole small plate showed the ingenuity of the chef and an understanding of compatible flavors." The only negative I saw was that Pat says her salmon was "pretty rare" - which is exactly how I like my salmon prepared. The text of the review certainly sounds like at least another 1/2 star would be warranted. Of course, I haven't been there ... yet. ← Perhaps he's comparing it (unfairly) to Trio's previous incarnation. Trio Atelier is a very different dining experience, one that doesn't aspire to four stars, but certainly attains three-star (at least) levels. It's only fair to judge it that way, not on what it was in a former life.

We had a wonderful dinner at Avenues last night! Aaron, the sommelier, admitted to us that he "inherited" much of the wine list from the previous Avenues incarnation (lots of "corporate" selections and selections which were added to unload previous wine merchants' inventories), and that he's working very hard to make it more significant and in keeping with the new direction of the Chef. And we did meet ChefGEB, and he was most gracious. His food is cutting-edge, and worthy of such a stunning room. The tables are very well-spaced, and the service is absolute perfection! We had the seven-course Grand Tasting (there was also a twelve-course "Chef's Whim" menu, which we thought would be too much), with "special" wine pairings; Aaron wanted us to try different wines which he was testing with different dishes, so as a result would often bring out one or two different wines per course for us to try and give our brutally honest thoughts about. After three or four courses, we had to ask him to give slightly smaller pours, as we had to drive home after dinner (not that we didn't contemplate getting a suite for the night, but we have a demanding Cocker Spaniel at home!) All in all, a first-rate meal; over time, the experience will only get better as the wine list is tweaked and personalized to the unique menu.

So that WAS you, Ronnie! We braved the slick rush hour roads on Wednesday evening to revisit PGC. The place was hoppin', this time with larger parties, presumably families who were together for the Thanksgiving holiday. We were in a casual mood that night (and thankful to have arrived in one piece), so we stuck to cocktails. Our server, Nora, was one we'd had during two previous meals. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one Ronnie & Co. had, as her service was spot-on perfect. The caesar salad was well-executed and appropriately garlicky. The croutons were on the soft side, and slightly sweet. I tried the "double stack" burger this time, which was fantastically flavorful. Two thin quarter-pound patties came medium-rare, as requested, with cheddar cheese, grilled onions, lettuce and tomato. Mayo, ketchup, and mustard were served in little cups built right into the plate. I asked for a double-baked potato instead of the french fries, and was obliged. Greg had the chicken this time, and agrees with previous posters about its perfection. Dessert consisted of the pecan pie (for me) and the cookies and a tall glass of skim milk (for Greg). We found out about the previous evening's 190 North taping. It's supposed to air on 12/5. On a cold, snowy night, PGC is the pefect place for some great stick-to-your-ribs food and wonderful, professional service.

Sorry, just want to clarify that Aaron was the real redeeming thing about my trip to Avenues. The wine pairings were fantastic, a real treat and I'm glad to report that the cellar has improved dramatically since the restaurants last incarnation. Do you know if they will do wine pairings if the regular four-course menu is ordered? Isn't me being in Chicago always a special occasion?? ← But of COURSE!

LMAO...well EAT something!!! =R= ← Done!

I knew that! Alan's the reservationist at TRU! (My blood sugar's low - I need food!)

We're going to Avenues on Friday night for my birthday! I hope it's good. We know the sommelier there, Aaron, who used to work at TRU. So I'm hoping this will help contribute to a better experience than Suzy had. BTW, Suzy, what was the special occasion? Care to share?

The wine was a 2001 Vieux Telegraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape!

This was my second time dining at Trio Atelier, and it was just as good the second time as it was the first. Having first tried it in mid-September, I noticed that there were several different menu items, and a couple with different preparations. I wish I'd tried the parmesan cheesecake (served like a cheese course), but there's always next time! We got seated in the back room this time (I failed to make the front room request when reconfirming the reservation). I call this the "Yellow Submarine" room because there's a large yellow surfboard-like sculpture on a wall which is painted "Blue Meany" blue! Anyway, this back room is comfortable as well, and we had the same waiter we had last time (Scott), whose been recently promoted to Wine Director, so we were in good hands! Trio Atelier is a great place to have a casual yet culinarily significant meal, and it's great fun to try different small dishes. We didn't find one clunker the whole evening.

Thanks for the report! The next time you go to The Venetian, you must try Zefferino. It is one of the most authentic Italian restaurants I've ever experienced here in the US. Their trofie with Ligurian pesto, green beans, and potatoes is amazing. And the atmostphere is formal without being stuffy. I don't know why this place doesn't get more press - it's truly a hidden gem.

I thought I'd check in and report that we didn't end up going to GZ last Friday - our friends ended up in the north suburbs, so it just wasn't convenient. As for portion sizes, most small dishes are sized as smallish appetizers, while the larger dishes are smallish entree-sized. Three small/large dishes per person should be sufficient. I think four people at a table is ideal - you should be able to sample a good dozen (or more) things from the menu without things getting too complicated.

I've eaten at L'Ecole in NYC, the Frecnh Culinary Institutes's restaurant, on a number of occasions. There servers there are also student from the Institute and although the service was not highly polished it was always competent, efficient and genuinely friendly (without trying to be overly familiar). This dilemma at CIA sounds to me like a management/training issue. Admittedly, CIA is a much larger school, but anyone who can master the intracies and pressure of working the line in a commercial kitchen can surely become competent in FOH procedures, given the right training, supervision and motivation. ← Another thing to remember is that the teaching staff at the CIA is, by and large, very competent and sometimes downright dictatorial. There's no reason why students in the table service classes (which is what the waitstaff gig is) shouldn't be held to the same high standards as the other culinary classes. However, something else which comes in to play is nature of the rotation of classes. Each restaurant (at least when I was there in '92-'93) rotation is a 14-day class, 7 days in the kitchen, 7 days FOH. Within those seven days, each student rotates within the kitchen at various stations or within the FOH operations at various positions (host, waitstaff, busing, etc.) So any given day will give you someone with little/no experience at that particular position, so the experience for the diner could vary wildly. The instructors certainly have their hands full!

Thanks for the report, Lauren - sounds great! I'm looking forward to trying Olives. Even though I won't have time for dinner there, what's the buzz on Jasmine at Bellagio? I love the idea of formal Chinese, and the room looks gorgeous.

My problem (that word's a bit harsh) is that the CIA restaurrants are always touted as being some extraordinary culinary experience (with prices to match) which shouldn't be missed. While it's great to see the school (and it's a wonderful campus) which is devoted solely to the culinary arts, the food and service in the restaurants often fall way below standards for similarly-priced, professional establishments. In the students' defense, they're not at the school with the hopes of becoming professional waitstaff (though experience with table service is an important part of a well-rounded culinary education), and it often shows in the service. So go with limited expectations and you'll have an interesting meal and see a unique school.

Do the servers get tipped? ← Yes, but the money goes into some kind of student fund, not directly to the servers.

Oh, I hope you consider having dessert as well. The donuts are really good - they're a light and moist beignet in donut form filled with banana caramel and served with two dipping sauces. Or the brownie with espresso milk shake - the brownie is super rich with a layer of fluffy flourless chocolate cake baked on top. ← Thanks for the suggestion, Neil - those sound like heaven! Now maybe you guys can help me to decide just when I should have dessert here: After dinner at Circo, Prime, or Le Cirque?