Bonsoiree - Chicago

[jesteinf]

Bonsoiree is a new restaurant that has gotten a lot of love on LTH, but no mention so far here on eGullet. That needs to change.

I had a really enjoyable meal at Bonsoiree on Friday night. Although the menu only gives the options of 3 or 7 courses, our waiter let me and my dining companion know that there was also a 5 course menu available for $50. Although we would both have to choose the same items for our tasting menu, we decided to just go with it.

We started with 2 appetizers, the gnocchi with rabbit and sage and the kampachi tartare. Like I said, the gnocchi was ridiculous. The past was perfectly light and airy, the rabbit tender and flavorful and a gorgeous sauce that just pulled the whole dish together. I could have easily eaten a giant bowl of this for a main course. The kampachi was also quite good. The fish was pristine fresh, and there weren't too many flavors on the place competing with it. Served with a little cracker and some wasabi tobiko, this was another really nice starter.

For our main courses, our first was the lamb served with a tortilla with manchego cheese. The lamb was sliced and served a perfect medium rare. The lamb actually tasted lamb-y, so that was really nice to see. The tortilla was actually the surprise of the plate. While I was expecting a little mini-quesadilla (I'm not really sure why), it was actually more like a gratin, layers of tortilla and manchego. Just different and delicious.

For our other main we had the sliced flank steak. This dish was the closest thing to a miss we had all night. Although our server told us the steak had been marinated, I could really pick anything up, so it was a bit bland and a bit tough (but nicely cooked). The meat was definitely improved by an onion sauce and some heirloom tomato salsa that were also on the plate. The starch with this one need some help. The menu advertised "wasabi mashed potatoes". First I had to groan because I mean come on, wasabi mashed potatoes. Really? But putting that aside, they were really just mashed potatoes with a whole bunch of horseradish in them. They were tasty, but a bit one-dimensional, and not nearly as interesting as just about everything else we ate.

Dessert was bread pudding which was delicious and just the right amount.

Service was friendly and efficient, and the restaurant just has an overall nice feel to it. If I lived closer, I would be at this restaurant all of the time.

Side question...is this the old Savoy Truffle space?

Bonsoiree

2728 W. Armitage Ave.

(773) 486-7511

[nsxtasy]

is this the old Savoy Truffle space?

←

Yes.

[Alex]

I was the "dining companion" Josh referred to, and I completely agree with his assessment. (More rabbit, please!) I did appreciate that our server appeared open to our suggestions about the flank steak dish. Also, one of the owners, Kurt, was working the front of the house, which was good to see.

We were able to order separate desserts for the tasting menu. I had a trio of house-made ice creams. As best as I can remember, they were guava-vanilla, blueberry-something, and Guinness. I would have preferred a little more intensity to the flavors, but they were tasty nonetheless.

The decaf coffee was sufficiently strong, one of the best I've had in a restaurant. I didn't order an espresso, but the beans are from Seattle's Caffé D'Arte, one of my favorite roasters.

The wine glasses provided for BYO were adequate but not ideal -- the one for the white was too small; for the red, too wide. I'd be tempted to bring my own next time. The tabletop wine cooler, though, was very, well, cool.

FYI, the $24 three-course menu has up-charges for premium selections such as the rabbit, kampachi, lamb, and ice cream. The five-course ($50) and seven-course ($65) options have no up-charges.

Here's their web site.