NNTP-Posting-Date: 14 May 2002 17:25:19 GMT X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.04Gold (WinNT; U) Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:15598 I had a guest in town who wanted to try Spring which, unfortunately, was closed. He mentioned the Tasting Room (TR), and I parried with one sixtyblue (160) which is right across the street. Right across the street near Randolph and Ogden in the way, way west loop(?). I had been to neither and had wanted to try both for some time- perfect. I made a 7:00 at 160 and we decided on 6:00 for aperitifs at TR. At 6:00 TR appeared near-empty with maybe twenty people present- it's a large airy room that small crowds disappear into. It appears sparse, but it is amply furnished, something you probably won't notice until you have to navigate your way to the bathroom. It can accomodate any small- or medium-sized crowd easily. It's furnished with lo-rise modern furniture that is situated into individual little party circles, some with large coffee tables. There is ample bar seating, and an upstairs that I didn't see. I bellied up. Their menu is separated into four sections, three wine and one food. There is a selection of wine 'flights' (three wines from a specific variety) followed by a selection of wines by the glass. Wines by the glass are also available by-the-bottle or by-the-taste, which is about a quarter of a glass (plus a heavy pour ;). The food section is exactly what you would expect to be paired with a tasting menu of wines- cheeses, pates, salmon- tasty nibbles paired with a selection of sliced fruit and nuts. The last section of the menu is wines by the bottle. Monday night is half-price night for wines by-the-glass, what a nice surprise! This doesn't apply to the flights, however. I started with the Grand Cru Champagne flight and pre-ordered some snacks for when the rest arrived. The flights (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Pinot, etc...) contain nothing /way/ out there, but some very tasty selections. Likewise with the wines by the glass. The by-the-bottle selection has some very fine wines, nothing way over the top, but some very good wines to be sure. Most are recent vintages with some nice older surprises thrown in. It's a good time to try all of those wines that you would never gamble on in a restaurant, and at half-price it's almost mandatory! The rest of the party arrived and ordered, I moved into some massive reds, and the food arrived. I had ordered the Charcuterie (pates and sausages), the Seafood (Smoked Salmon/tuna), and a cheese selection; when it arrived we were not disappointed. The selections were diverse, tasty, and plentiful. Especially the cheeses which, like the wine, were not tremendously exotic but very tasty and good examples of their respective styles. The bartender (sommelier?) was very helpful in explaining the wines in very common, simple terms. And after you had tasted a couple of glasses he could aid your following selections with reasonable success. It appeared his insight was from personal tasting (he joined us in tasting many of our selections) and not from reading the wine magazines. When 7:00 appeared on the horizon I phoned across the street and delayed our reservation until 7:15-7:30 and they were ecstatic that I even called. "No problem," they said. We finished up and prepared to move across the street about 7:15. In total there were four food dishes totalling $30, all selections were $6 give-or-take. We drank a total of one flight and ten other glasses between the three of us and the wine bill was about $95. The flight was $20 so that worked out to $7.50 per glass for the balance which I tought was very resonable; there were a couple of 'tastes' in there which turned into very heavy pours as well... We walked across the street to 160, arriving around 7:30. We found the waiting area completely empty, and what we could see of the restaurant was also sparsely populated. This is a beautifully designed room- striking from the moment you walk in. It is very angular with a good mix of color, wood, and comfortable, spacious furnishings. It also has recessed lighting and carpets, the trappings of a quiet room. There is also the most wonderful camp-fire smell. It is not subtle, but it is not un-enjoyable either. It really smells more like an upscale BBQ joint; the aroma is generated by a natural-wood oven that is plainly visible in the fully-exposed kitchen. We were given the "slow-down" and told that it would be 15 minutes until our table was ready- it is no secret how much I hate this move. Having carted a pretty good buzz across Randolph Street we declined cocktails and took turns freshening up. We were seated shortly in an empty restaurant, IMHO all of the tables (including ours) were 'ready.' The view from the door gets better and better as you walk into this high-ceilinged, perfectly spaced triumph of design. The kitchen is fully exposed and I found it almost impossible to pay attention to the conversation at our table. I was constantly 'drifting off' while watching the chef and cooks 'do their thing.' There was some kind of argument going on between the chef and his second. They had two thick cookbooks open on the counter and were going back-and-forth trying different preparations. There was a lot of pointing, tapping, smelling, and laughing as they tried different things. They were goofing off in the kitchen while thinge were slow. It was great to watch. We received a menu and a choice of water, then the server disappeared- seemingly never to return. There were periods where the service was (IMHO) far too slow, and it didn't improve as the night went on. I'm don't mean there was a slow pace for the dinner, I mean there were large gaps of time where we never saw a server at our table- sometimes 10 minutes! This was hard to stomach considering that fact that there were at least 7 different people that waited on us during the meal. There were servers, waitstaff, table-clearers and busmen, and the Maitre'd himself (who served the appetizer and assisted in the main course). Lucky there was entertainment provided in the open kitchen! We split two orders of the Scallop appetizer and it was a good introduction to what this restaurant claims to be. They eschew heavy butter and cream sauces in favor of vegetable, herb and wine reductions. The scallops came resting on a bright green reduction of celery and asparagus (IIRC), they were perfectly cooked and delicious. The sauce was something I've never tasted before, it smelled like freshly-mown grass (ewwww) but tasted like pure herb, yet not so strong as to overpower the rather delicate taste of the scallops. They were a hit with all of us. At this point I noticed that at least four people touch your plate before you do, and most of them are wiping it down with a kitchen towel! It also appears that the chef eyeballs everything before it leaves the counter- sometime doing the final preparation himself. I also noticed one of the cooks bending deeply into a pan of something- taking in a deep smell. He would correct and the smell it again. I mean he got his whole face in there- it was fun to watch his expressions as the dish neared completion. The gf was full and went salad, my guest and I both went with the lamb entree. I normally would have hauled out the yardstick and ordered the Steak au poivre, but I was already nearing capacity! The server suggested the lamb as the better choice of the 'lighter' dishes when I asked about the veal vs. the lamb. Again, we were not disappointed- the lamp is a combination of medallions and one small chop. The medallions are a standard preparation, served in a reduction of their own juices. The chop was cooked, spiced, and seared to give it a crispy shell. Both were delicious. There was also a pile of... something. The pile of something was holding up the 'final preparation' as performed by the chef- a little sprig of something standing up and some green stuff around it. The something turned out to be risotto- which I am not a fan of. It tends to be gooey and gelatinous with a monchromatic flavor. Not this time- it was fantastic! It was mixed with barley and herbs (IIRC) and then it spends a little time in the wood-fired oven acquiring a deep woody taste. It alone was worth the trip. We had an inexpensive bottle of Chardonnay which met the scallops well and didn't do anything to detract from the lamb. It was very drinkable and exactly what we were looking for. The server was well aquainted with the list and was very helpful in our selection. The list is fairly broad (though not particularly deep in vintage) with sub-titles of "interesting whites" and "interesting reds" that I found very amusing. There may be a reserve list, but I didn't ask. For the gansters and politicians the Roederer Cristal '94 was $295 and they had a vintage Krug Brut for an equally high price- sorry, no Dom on the menu. By the end of the dinner the restaurant had become quite crowded. Due to the layout and design, though, we never noticed. It is a quiet room with plenty of space between tables. It accomodates a crowd with ease, not that you'd ever notice the patrons while staring at the design of the room. The room is a fabulous construction of light and dark organic colors cast at unnatural geometric angles. You'll get the idea when you see it. This contrast of modern design with organic tans made the view of Randolph Street seem almost impressionist in the dim street light through the large windows. There is also a glassed in VIP room, and a curatained off area for the 'real' VIP's, though I never stuck my head in to have a peek. There is also a very interesting floor-to-ceiling wine rack with a tall ladder. Very cool. Two Scallops, two Lambs, a salad, and a bottle of wine $132 plus tip. Pricey, but worth every dollar for the perfect preparations and wonderful sauces- including the room and the view and net of the slower service. I can't wait to get back. trent
Chicago, IL