Frog Princesse in Chicago

[FrogPrincesse]

Inspired by recent spontaneous foodblogs by @Kerry Beal and @rarerollingobject (among others), I decided to document here my long weekend in Chicago.

 

It's my first time here. I started with something familiar - Eataly is just around the corner from the place I am staying at downtown, and I had loved that place in NYC. It's on two levels and about the same size as the other one. 

 

 

 

 

It was early (a little after 11) so the place was very quiet.

 

Lunch at the counter overlooking the charcuterie station.

 

 

 

 

Meat platter with a glass of Montanaro vermouth di Torino & soda.

 

Fluke crudo with rhubarb agrodolce, fritto misto, gamberi fritti. Glass of rosé.

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2017 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[kayb]

Ohhhh....my. I have never had the opportunity to go to Eataly. It will be on my agenda the next trip to Chicago.

[FrogPrincesse]

Eataly has an awe-inspiring selection of amari and vermouths (including locally made ones). It hurts not being able to bring everything home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grappas and the likes

 

Edited June 23, 2017 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

A small sample of the cheese selection. Still trying to decide what to try tomorrow.

 

 

Pastries. I had a delicious bite-sized baba au rhum with a little piece of candied citrus together with a double espresso (Lavazza). They also have a Nutella bar with crêpes.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

A farmers market on the way to the Art Institute. Raclette sandwiches seemed extremely popular, lots of people taking pictures including this lady who photobombed me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Art Institute

 

Caillebotte

 

Manet

 

Wiener Werkstätte

 

Francis Bacon

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Girl & The Goat. That place was buzzing with energy; it was super paked and loud but in a good way. Stephanie Izard who opened it won season 4 of Top Chef. The cuisine reminded me of Chris Consentino's Incanto / Cockscomb in San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Old Fashioned which was on the sweet side, and the Salt & Ash which was spicy and acidic with a bit of smoke, and went very well with the food.

 

 

The soft shell crabs with a light crispy batter were succulent.

 

 

The chorizo & lardo flatbread was almost too generous with its toppings (it could have benefited from a bit more bread for structural integrity), which included the most delicious dark cherries I've eaten in a very long time.

 

 

The escargot raviolis were surprisingly safe. I was expecting a bit more meatiness/ earthiness. 

 

 

Brioche bread with a fantastic onion jam on the side.

 

 

Grilled pork hearts with steelhead roe and oyster sauce. This was very good although very small, as the waitress had warned us.

 

 

The highlight of the evening was this crazy surf & turf combo of caramelized goat belly with lobster & crab. I can't even describe how amazing that was. I always make sure to order the weirdest thing on the menu and am rarely disappointed.

 

 

Dessert. We had the chocolate cake with shitake mushroom, and the goat cheese cheesecake with picked rhubarb. Both were very nice.

 

 

 

We left the place around 10 pm and it was still packed! Not too bad for a Thursday night for a restaurant with 100+ seats.

 

[Toliver]

Excellent posting and reporting! Thank you for taking the time to post pictures.

Adding the cocktails (like Kerry Beal and Anna N always post on their trip-blogs) rounds out the report.

I am hungry from looking at all of the delicious food and I am looking forward to reading more about your trip!

[FrogPrincesse]

Late morning snack in Hyde Park at the Plein Air Cafe. Lavender tea cake, chocolate madeleines, cortado (imagine a delicious intense super caffeinated cappucino without foam) and hot chocolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From their outdoor area you can see the back...

 

 

of this

 

 

which was the point of this morning's trip. Worth the terrifying uber ride!

 

[Alex]

FP, are you going to Oak Park to see more FLW (and other cool) houses?  A year ago we stayed in this airbnb in OP -- a coach house that he re-designed. We also ate at Citrine -- twice.

[FrogPrincesse]

17 minutes ago, Alex said:

FP, are you going to Oak Park to see more FLW (and other cool) houses?  A year ago we stayed in this airbnb in OP -- a coach house that he re-designed. We also ate at Citrine -- twice.

Maybe tomorrow for Oak Park.

That airbnb was already booked unfortunately! 

[Alex]

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Maybe tomorrow for Oak Park.

That airbnb was already booked unfortunately! 

 

Ah, too bad. If you do get the chance to do the walking tour, it's on Forest, behind the house that's immediately north of the Heurtley house. I assume you're staying downtown or nearby. OP is an easy ride via Metra or the Green Line.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks for the tips, @Alex!

 

Late lunch at Le Cochon Volant, a French brasserie near Millenium Park.

 

 

Glass of Burgundy wine and a Saison beer.

 

 

Steak frites. This was sirloin which isn't my favorite cut, but it was very tender and cooked to my liking (rare).

 

 

Croque Madame

 

 

A pair of double espressos with French sugar cubes (La Perruche)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

21 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Eataly has an awe-inspiring selection of amari and vermouths (including locally made ones). It hurts not being able to bring everything home!

 

Looks like that place has almost as many amari and vermouths as my local booze store has... everything. I could probably kill most of a day in a place like that. I'd just need to leave my money with somebody else while I was there. 

[FrogPrincesse]

After Millenium Park and some shopping, I went back to Eataly to study the amari a bit further and also to get dessert (ie, cheese for the adults and a pastry for my daughter).

 

After checking what was available to me where I live, I went with a locally made amaro from CH Distillery (top right in yesterday's picture, below). I also tried the one on the top left (Cinpatrazzo); I got a generous sample to try that was very flavorful but a bit too cinnamon-forward for my taste.

 

 

I also bought a bottle of rosato wine to go with the cheese.

 

 

 

The cheese selection was overwhelming; I looked only at one section and found three that seemed interesting (I tend to go for full-flavored cheeses, hard / crumbly, with a preference for goat or ewe).

 

The one in the front immediately caught my attention because of the rustic aspect of its rind. It's the Castromagno, with a crumbly texture similar to aged ricotta.

 

 

In this part of the display I spotted the fiore sardo that I had tried at Eataly NYC I believe, long ago, and that had impressed me despite an unassuming aspect. Very grassy and full of flavor.

 

 

 

Quick look at the kitchenwares before leaving

 

 

Hi Philippe...

 

 

We had our dessert in our hotel room. A chocolate ganache hazelnut for my daughter (I wasn't fast enough to take the picture!)

 

 

...and the cheese with a glass of rosé. I cannot really pick a favorite; they are all interesting and wonderful. From left, clockwise: pecorino ala canapa fulvi, fiore sardo dop organic pondini, castromagno dop giolito.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

On 6/22/2017 at 10:32 PM, FrogPrincesse said:

Eataly has an awe-inspiring selection of amari and vermouths (including locally made ones). It hurts not being able to bring everything home!

 

 

 

 

I can't believe I missed the Ramazotti! 

[FrogPrincesse]

3 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

I can't believe I missed the Ramazotti! 

Haha. You have to go back then! But honestly you didn't miss mich. Ramazzoti isn't super exciting; it's very mild for an amaro.

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Back in the middle of all the hispter action for dinner at The Publican. Imagine a German beer hall with a great beer selection and all things pork crossed with a French brasserie with lots of seafood offerings including an extensive fresh oyster selection. Completely packed with big communal tables and it's LOUD. Incredibly loud. The food is a bit loud too, every was very seasoned, often a bit overseasoned. But what a fun place! I loved it and the menu had great variety.

 

 

 

 

 

Hop Venom double IPA

 

Braveheart Scottish ale on nitro

 

Rustic bread - delicious

 

with a cultured butter so rich it tasted like the best part of a perfectly ripe camembert - sublime

 

 

Plum salad with burrata

 

Razor clam ceviche with cucumber. The razor clams were very tender.

 

 

Serrano ham with goat butter. That butter wasn't salted unlike the first one, and had a very distinct goat note. Wonderful. The ham was great too.

 

 

Skate wing (picture taken after it was expertly fillet'd). I always order skate wing when I see it on the menu; it was my favorite fish as a child and is still a favorite.

 

 

Tappist Achel

 

Porchetta with figs and endive (this was a half portion!). Great tasting meat but they don't prepare it with the skin crisped, which seems like a missed opportunity.

 

 

Some good-looking dessert and cheese options, but I was about to explode from all the food so I decided to pass.

 

 

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Now that I am reading about it, I am regretting not ordering the besk from the bitters menu, which would have made a great nightcap! The description from the distiller's website is incredibly enticing.

 

The violently bitter shot initially hits with flavors of grapefruit before an onslaught of wormwood alongside earthy gentian root — an effect that lingers on the palate for quite a surprising while. Beneath the acrid din of the more acute tasting notes rests more gentle traces of juniper, star anise, and elderflower musk.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

6 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Haha. You have to go back then! But honestly you didn't miss mich. Ramazzoti isn't super exciting; it's very mild for an amaro.

 

True - but a necessary part of a Ramazzoti Jim-Jam which is a favorite in Manitoulin. Missed it by a hair when I was in Saskatoon - discontinued here at the LCBO. 

[Kerry Beal]

6 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Now that I am reading about it, I am regretting not ordering the besk from the bitters menu, which would have made a great nightcap! The description from the distiller's website is incredibly enticing.

 

The violently bitter shot initially hits with flavors of grapefruit before an onslaught of wormwood alongside earthy gentian root — an effect that lingers on the palate for quite a surprising while. Beneath the acrid din of the more acute tasting notes rests more gentle traces of juniper, star anise, and elderflower musk.

 

 

Will you be taking one for the team this evening?

[FrogPrincesse]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Will you be taking one for the team this evening?

If I see it again, I will for sure! 

[FrogPrincesse]

FLW's home and studio in Oak Park.

 

 

We were headed to Citrine for lunch based on @Alex's recommendation, but it's only open for dinner!  

 

So we had lunch in a cute little restaurant called The Little Gem. 

 

 

 

Anti-hero IPA from Revolution brewing, a local brewery. Super hoppy and full of flavor.

 

 

Two Brothers Prairie Path golden ale. Another great local beer.

 

 

Burger with provolone cheese

 

 

The vegetable quiche which was more like a frittata with crust.

 

 

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Quick stop at Café Descartes in Oak Park for a punch-lunch espresso. I couldn't resist a coffee house with a philosopher theme.

 

 

Excuse the blurry picture. That's me pointing at JP Sartre and attempting to summarize existentialism to my 11-year old daughter.