Spring Restaurant

guajolote · July 24, 2003

Anyone been to Spring recently? We're going in two weeks.

Any recommended dishes?

How's the wine list?

Do they have a website? I know they used to but I can't find it.

A really weird story about this building. It used to be a Russian Bath House, but it sat vacant for many years. Whenever you would walk by there would be a cool breeze coming out of it. :huh:

klinger75 · July 24, 2003

dean, was just there last night (for drinks only) :angry:

Spring is one of the consistent tops in chicago at the moment. Every meal has been great. The wine list has come a long way and Sue has done a terrific job sourcing out some very unique esoteric wines. Defenitly leave it up to her if you are unsure as she will defenitly steer you in the right direction.

For appetizers, the eggplant masala, potato/scallop ravioli, lobster salad, fois gras, lemongrass soup, tuna nicoise salad with white anchovies(umm) are some of the most recent offerings that I have enjoyed.

As the main fish courses tend to change on a frequent basis, i would say that you can't go wrong with any of them. If you are going for meat the beef tenderloin is great as are the sea scallops with seared oxtail .

FYI: chef McClain just began doing a tasting menu that is very inexpensive and there are wines available for an extra 15 dollars or so.

Hope this helps,

Have fun

klinger

Edited July 24, 2003 by klinger75 (log)

MatthewB · July 24, 2003

Here's the website . . .

Spring Restaurant

I love this place.

Go early & have an aperitif in the bar.

Last Friday evening we had yellowfin tuna "sashimi" over noodles & a Asian-style slaw for apps. The menu is definitely oriented toward the seasonal so some of the apps that klinger mentioned may not be on the menu that night.

Wine list is solid & they rotate the "by-the-glass" listings according to the menu. I had a glass each of a Loire white, a Gruner, & a Chablis.

Now what the hell is monchong? :biggrin:

Edit1: The "Asian-style slaw" we had is the "Fresh Hawaiian Hearts of Palm & Green Papaya Salad w/ Maine lobster, shrimp, & ginger dressing." The hearts of palm & green papaya are juillened on a mandoline.

Edit2: Dean, you were correct. Monchong is a Hawaiian fish. Here's what I found searching about . . .

Monchong (Pomfret) has a firm texture and moderate flavor. With a high oil content, Monchong is well suited for grilling and can be broiled, sauted or baked.

I had grilled monchong at Spring last Friday eve. I was told that this was the first ever service at which they'd offered this particular fish.

Edited July 24, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

ronnie_suburban · July 24, 2003

Keeping my fingers crossed that this is where Julie made our 'secret' reservation for Saturday night...

=R=

MatthewB · July 24, 2003

Keeping my fingers crossed that this is where Julie made our 'secret' reservation for Saturday night...
=R=

If so, you'll be a lucky--and knowing you, grateful--man.

We've had three meals there in the last nine months & all have been excellent. (I won't even mention the tremendous dollar value.)

guajolote · July 24, 2003

Keeping my fingers crossed that this is where Julie made our 'secret' reservation for Saturday night...
=R=

Ronnie's going to be bummed. Julie told me secretly last week that you were going to Bennigan's :shock: .

Matthew, how did you find the link (I never knew a restaurant could be a network :unsure: )

Great wine list, I've been drinking that Torrontes from Argentina all summer.

MatthewB · July 24, 2003

Matthew, how did you find the link (I never knew a restaurant could be a network )

I wondered that myself--as far as the dot.net thing.

But then again, anyone can register a dot.net or a dot.org.

And here's where http://www.springrestaurant.com takes you. Squatters.

nightscotsman · July 25, 2003

The wine list has come a long way...
For appetizers...
As the main fish courses ...

Very helpful Klinger, but you left out the most important part - dessert! What kind if work is their pastry chef doing, or do they even have a pastry chef? One-track minds want to know! :biggrin:

klinger75 · July 25, 2003

NSM

As i was salavating in my last post I competely forgot about dessert. Erin is a wonderful pasrty chef and turns out very creative very tasty desserts.

Chocolate dome is great as is the chocolate honeycomb. Great selection of homemade ice creams. The warm spicy chocolate soup served as a mignardise(sp) has been a winner in the past as well.

klinger

ronnie_suburban · July 27, 2003

Well, it wasn't Spring. We ended up at Naha...a truly memorable experience. I'll start another thread sometime soon...

=R=

guajolote · August 8, 2003

Oh my god, what a great dinner.

The combination of great food, wine, and service made for a memorable evening.

Details will come tomorrow when I;ve had a little rest.

On the way to the restaurant Flaca asked me why MatthewB had been here the last 3 times he's been in Chicago, now I know why. This is a fuckin' great restaurant.

Michael Laiskonis · August 8, 2003

I won't divulge the particular details, at least as I know them, though fans of Spring may be interested in a new project Shawn is working on. The concept is exciting and something that he should be able to pull off very well. Look for it to surface in the next few months...

MatthewB · August 8, 2003

Teases from both guajolote & Michael L. :blink:

Sounds like we'll hear from Mr. G. first.

Though, Michael, keep us posted as you may.

nightscotsman · August 8, 2003

I notice that "Check Please" is going to be featuring Spring on the show tonight. Thought y'all might be interested.

Oh, and Klinger - thanks for the report on your dessert. I may have to do some "research" there soon. :wink:

guajolote · August 8, 2003

First the gripes. These are minor and didn't detract from the overall experience at all:

-The hostesses didn't have a clue.

-Why do restaurants make you pay for your drinks in the bar instead of putting it all on one check? :angry:

-They brought the wrong bottle of wine.

OK, on to the good stuff:

-The restaurant is beautiful. You can still see parts of the old bathhouse in the decor. There was several vases of pussy willows (I just wanted to say pussy willow) throughout the restaurant. Does anyone know what is on the upper floors?

-Our waitress, Lynn, was very attentive and friendly.

-The amuse was a gingery tuna (?) roll.

-I ordered three Kumamoto oysters which were dressed with diced cucumbers and fresh wasabi. Oyster purists who only like them with lemon juice are just plain wrong.

-For starters I had the lobster, which is a new item. One large claw and a squash blossom stuffed with meat, served on top of a swiss chard leaf. The swiss chard added a nice bitter element to the dish. Flaca had a cold sweet corn soup with chilies and creme fraiche. Lynn had brought 2 spoons to the table, she obviously knew that I was going to sample everything.

- For a main dish I had the signature scallops with oxtails, wild mushrooms, and sweet soy sauce. Amazing. Flaca had the special yellowfin which was served with hearts of palm, rice, and a coconut sauce. She enjoyed it so much that she finished hers before mine.

- I had the cheese plate for dessert - a petit basque, some French creamy cheese(?), and a soft goats milk cheese with thyme and rosemary from Vermont. The cheese was served with currant toast and some almonds. Flaca had a funnelcake with peanuts (NSM - I made her promise to post more about the desert).

- The wine service was great. Sue (another female sommelier in Chicago) was very passionate and her descriptions made me want to try 6 different bottles of wine. We ended up with a a bottle of Avinyo Cava and a 99 Gewurztraminer, Altenbourg,”Cuvee Laurence”, Weinbach. For dessert I had a glass of Lustau sherry and Flaca had a Red sweet wine from Jumilla, Spain.

This restaurant really has there act together, and I highly recommend it. I also thought it provided exceptional value.

maggiethecat · August 8, 2003

Thanks for the review, Dean. I'll add another place to the growing list of places I'll try when I can.

That scallop/oxtail combo is truly intriguing. And yes, I love it when the server is canny enough to bring an extra spoon.

(re: Oyster Purist. Hey, I'm prepared to be swayed! No hot sauce, though.)

ronnie_suburban · August 8, 2003

Thanks Dean for posting this...I so want to try Spring. Can't wait to do so.

Sounds like you guys had a great meal and a great time too.

=R=

guajolote · August 8, 2003

That scallop/oxtail combo is truly intriguing. And yes, I love it when the server is canny enough to bring an extra spoon.

The scallop oxtail dish also had some chinese brocolli. Lynn was so good that she brought a roll (without me asking) when I was done so that I could mop up the sauce. If anyone wants to taste the sauce, it's all over my shirt. :laugh:

guajolote · August 9, 2003

I won't divulge the particular details, at least as I know them, though fans of Spring may be interested in a new project Shawn is working on. The concept is exciting and something that he should be able to pull off very well. Look for it to surface in the next few months...

Shawn is opening a vegetarian restaurant. My "source" says it's somewhat close to Spring and will be close to the same price point. I think with his talent this will be a very interesting restaurant.

If you know me well, you can probably figure out who my source is :smile: .

MatthewB · August 9, 2003

I won't divulge the particular details, at least as I know them, though fans of Spring may be interested in a new project Shawn is working on. The concept is exciting and something that he should be able to pull off very well. Look for it to surface in the next few months...
Shawn is opening a vegetarian restaurant. My "source" says it's somewhat close to Spring and will be close to the same price point. I think with his talent this will be a very interesting restaurant.
If you know me well, you can probably figure out who my source is .

God bless Iris. :smile:

Michael Laiskonis · August 10, 2003

I won't divulge the particular details, at least as I know them, though fans of Spring may be interested in a new project Shawn is working on. The concept is exciting and something that he should be able to pull off very well. Look for it to surface in the next few months...
Shawn is opening a vegetarian restaurant. My "source" says it's somewhat close to Spring and will be close to the same price point. I think with his talent this will be a very interesting restaurant.
If you know me well, you can probably figure out who my source is .

Good. Now I don't feel bad, as if I was letting loose any deep secrets. I haven't seen Shawn in a couple months... they've had the space for some time... it's to open soon, yes?

Alex · August 13, 2003

I just tried Spring Restaurant's web site and got a screen saying I needed a user name and password. Does anyone know what gives?

MatthewB · August 13, 2003

I just tried Spring Restaurant's web site and got a screen saying I needed a user name and password. Does anyone know what gives?

Some "techie" is fooling around.

Give it some time is my hunch. :smile:

Edit: Something goofy is definitely going on. I tried http://www.springrestaurant.net/taste.html--I had the URL cached--and received a "File Not Found" message. Someone's overhauled the site. The question is: who did the overhauling? :unsure:

Edited August 13, 2003 by MatthewB (log)

MatthewB · August 22, 2003

The Spring website is back up.

ronnie_suburban · June 16, 2004

Just caught this in today's Sun-Times...

Spring celebrates its third anniversary with a five-course tasting menu from chef/owner Shawn McClain at 7 p.m. Tuesday [June 22]. The cost is $125, which includes wine pairing.
Spring is at 2039 W. North. For more information, call (773) 395-7100.

Spring Fever (scroll down for blurb about Spring).

=R=

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