Dinner @ Ambria

[Suzi Edwards]

i thoought i'd bump this up....i ate at ambria recently and posted it in my chicago food diary....

While I'm talking about French restaurants, I'll play catch up and tell you about my meal at Ambria last Friday. At least, I think it was a meal. I was in and out in 35 minutes so longevity wise it feels more like a snack. This is the first place I’d been to in Chicago that made me feel like a leper for eating alone. I was stuck in a small corner of the room, next to a table so noisy and nauseating I assumed my complimentary glass of wine was to make up for them. One female will remain in my mind forever, her voice the aural equivalent of licking a battery. Foodwise it was fine and the “mescaline salad” I was offered as a special very tempting, but the 3 minute wait between my appetizer and main meant that I never really got to appreciate what I was eating. The softshell crab with jamon vinaigrette that I had to start was pretty good; the ham in the dressing complimenting the sweetness of the crab really well. I followed with sweetbreads with judion beans and chorizo. This is a real “Year of the Sweetbread” for me and I’m having them wherever I can. These rate just above Sketch review of sketch but below Casa Mono in New York and The Fat Duck in Bray. They were served with a sauce that was just too reduced, the sweetness over-powered the rest of the dish and rendered the seasoning on the sweetbreads redundant. Luckily the flavour didn’t linger as they quickly cleared my plate as soon as my knife had hit the porcelain and served me a complimentary amuse to go with my green tea(bag).

Is this a new record? 35 minutes for 2 courses, an amuse, a predesert and a cup of green tea?

If you want to find out more about where I am eating, or make suggestions the topic is pinned at the top of this forum!