Boka

[madisonite]

We are traveling to Chicago unexpectantly this Monday and are looking for a place to dine that we haven't been to. One of our good friends suggested Boca. Has anyone been there that could offer some opinions? Otherwise are there any other suggestions?

[ulterior epicure]

We are traveling to Chicago unexpectantly this Monday and are looking for a place to dine that we haven't been to.  One of our good friends suggested Boca.  Has anyone been there that could offer some opinions?  Otherwise are there any other suggestions?

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Do you mean BoKa in Lincoln Park? Giuseppe Tintori's restaurant?

I had dinner there back in March. I was not impressed. I'm sure others will have more enthusiastic things to say.

[Alex]

How about A Mano? (restaurant site here) The tagliatelle and skate wing I had been looking forward to were off the menu when I ate there on the 10th, but my three companions and I had an excellent meal nonetheless.

[Le Peche]

Had a great dinner at Boka back in June. Chef Giuseppe is doing some really good food there. You can see the write up and pictures on my blog here.

[jonlmac]

Whoever recommended Boka to you did you a huge favor. They are under the radar a little, but I am going to say that this is the best ala carte menu in the city. I am surprised about the post about not being impressed. Since the "new" Giuseppi I have been there 10 times and never been unhappy. There are some dishes that you need to like the ingredients or they may throw you off but they are great. A little bit of side note: Get the Macaroni and Cheese with Edamame as a side. I own a restaurant in the city and always recommend Boka to people who like mine.

[ulterior epicure]

I am surprised about the post about not being impressed.  Since the "new" Giuseppi I have been there 10 times and never been unhappy.

It was me.

Some things were good, but overall, I was really deflated. Plating was sloppy, fish was overcooked, and many items (especially a chicken main course) were over-seasoned. A lot of things just didn't make sense to me, like:

A little bit of side note: Get the Macaroni and Cheese with Edamame as a side.  I own a restaurant in the city and always recommend Boka to people who like mine.

The bowl of "Macaroni and Cheese with Edamame" was a bit too far removed from anything remotely like macaroni and cheese to be called macaroni and cheese. I understand that chefs are trying to be witty, but I do think there needs to some grounding at a certain level. Maybe I'm a bit dense, but this reference was a little too hard for me to get: it looked like a bowl of spaetzle with edamame. I mean, if "macaroni and cheese" is about pasta and cheese, then he could have also called this side dish "pasta primavera," or "spaetzle and beans." But nomenclature aside, I didn't find anything particularly appealing about the Macaroni and Cheese with Edamame. As a side dish, I liked the Minted Cucumbers much better.

On the the bright side, the best thing I had that evening was the toasted oatmeal ice cream that the Pastry Chef Elizbeth Dahl served on the ice cream trio. The "Toasted Tarragon Cake" was also lovely (there's a variation on this olive oil cake in one of the major food magazines this month; I forgot which one). The (gigantic) "Sesame Macaron" on the other hand, was nightmarishly chewy.

I guess that sums up my one dinner at boka (this was a few months ago): hits and miss, the misses being complete misses and the hits being just above competency level. I know that sounds harsh, but I'll be the first to recognize that every restaurant has a bad night and I might have just visited at the wrong time.

As an aside, I do know for certain that Tentori was not in that evening; not that it should matter.

p.s. What do you mean by "'new' Giuseppe?"

[jonlmac]

I am surprised about the post about not being impressed.  Since the "new" Giuseppi I have been there 10 times and never been unhappy.

It was me.

p.s. What do you mean by "'new' Giuseppe?"

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The restaurant openned up with a different giuseppe as the chef, and I was not a fan. I have to say a know a lot of people that are addicted to the mac and cheese there...me being on of them...i consider it mac and cheese elevated....not my favorite...if i want straight mac and cheese.... Stanley's is superb..and recently i have started to really like the Fifty/50 with the protein added to it...pork or chicken.

[ulterior epicure]

I am surprised about the post about not being impressed.  Since the "new" Giuseppi I have been there 10 times and never been unhappy.

It was me.

p.s. What do you mean by "'new' Giuseppe?"

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The restaurant openned up with a different giuseppe as the chef, and I was not a fan. I have to say a know a lot of people that are addicted to the mac and cheese there...me being on of them...i consider it mac and cheese elevated....not my favorite...if i want straight mac and cheese.... Stanley's is superb..and recently i have started to really like the Fifty/50 with the protein added to it...pork or chicken.

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I'm confident that Tentori was the chef when I was there (although, as I mentioned earlier, he wasn't in that evening).

I guess I'm a glutton: when I order mac and cheese, what I'm really wanting is mac and CHEESE - tunnels of it. There was barely any cheese in Tentori's version. Breadcrumbs, yes. Edamame, yes. Pasta, sort of. Cheese, hardly.

[DutchMuse]

I went there Thursday night and loved the place. Love the vibe, the friendly staff, and the cuisine. I went with mid-level expectations (was not expecting a "tops" place) and wasn't disappointed, except for the chicken main course--it seemed overcooked and dry. But other than that, the other things were terrific. I'll weigh in on the mac and cheese--loved it. The sweetbreads appetizer was great as well. To me this is a mid-level "go to" place for creative and reliable food.

[WarblyTremolo]

I guess I'm a glutton: when I order mac and cheese, what I'm really wanting is mac and CHEESE - tunnels of it.  There was barely any cheese in Tentori's version.  Breadcrumbs, yes. Edamame, yes.  Pasta, sort of. Cheese, hardly.

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There are four cheeses in the mac and cheese (one of them being VELVEETA, YUM).

I don't know who's mac and cheese you ordered, but it was the same one I ordered. Mine was practically dripping with melty cheese. Perhaps you should head to their bar, order a drink and some mac and cheese. it'd only put you out about $20 after all.