MK Restaurant

For mine and Gabe's fancy dinner date during his visit to Chicago, we decided to go to MK, a contemporary American restaurant in the Near North Side. The restaurant is in a beautiful contemporary large space that combines subtle trendiness and elegance. We were seated on the second floor balcony in a large spacious booth. Service was very attentive without being intrusive. We decided to buy a bottle Shaya verdejo white wine which was very light and crisp.


The amuse bouche was a smoked salmon with pistachios and something else which I forgot. Nothing spectacular, but overall pretty solid.


My appetizer was the chilled spicy tomato and cucumber gazpacho with laughing bird shrimp and cilantro. This was an incredibly refreshing and light appetizer, which was totally appropriate for the summer time even though it was oddly chilly outside. It wasn't really spicy at all, but rather had just a bit of a kick to enhance the flavor. Unlike the typical Spanish gazpacho most people accustomed to, this one wasn't a pureed soup, but rather was almost like salsa in consistency - maybe more of the mashed rather than dicey kind of salsa. I can imagine some people criticizing this dish for that reason, however the flavors were wonderful.


Gabe's appetizer was the housemade fettucine with zucchini, opal basil, oven-dried tomatoes, and pecorino pepper. It was very light and fresh, and just a nice summer dish. Even though it was so simple with no crazy ingredients, everything came together perfectly.


One of our side dishes was the pomme frites with truffle cream sauce. This is one of the mainstay signature item on MK's menu, and certainly for good reason. The frites were done perfectly crispy and salted. The truffle cream was incredible, and not at all with much of that truffle pungency.


Gabe and I hadn't planned on ordering another side dish, however our waiter highly suggested this, convincing us that it's very fresh and completely in season. It's the charred fresh sweet corn with fresh coriander. I was completely in awe of how well the coriander went with fresh corn. The two flavors worked synergistically, really melded together and became one.


My main course was the lake erie whitefish - pan-roasted with poached Maine lobster, edamame, radish, scallions, and lobster and cilantro broth. This was a really incredible dish. The whitefish was so fresh, and the skin was perfectly crispy. The lobster was also very tender and complimented the fish nicely. I wasn't sure what to expect out of the brother and Asian accompaniments, however everything came together perfectly. The broth was also outstanding, as it enhanced the flavors of both the fish and lobster.


Gabe's dish was the grilled pork chop with peaches, onions, croutins, and a sauce which Gabe forgot. The peaches added a nice sweetness to the pork. The croutons were hard because they were pumpernickel, however they added a nice earthiness to the dish. The pork chop itself was very flavorful, and Gabe then realized why people praise Berkshire pork so much.


For dessert, we both shared the peachy keen: warm vanilla brioche doughnuts, peach compote, makers mark sabayon, pecan praline, sarsparilla caramel, and peach ice cream. I went with this one primarily because not only do I love peaches, but peaches were also very much in season at the time. I honestly didn't love it as much as I thought I would, but there's no doubt that it was still a solid dessert. The peach flavor could have been more full in the ice cream.

Overall, the food here was spectacular. This is a very solid casual fine dining spot serving seasonal contemporary American food. I can't even think of a single flaw with this place nor the food that we ate. In terms of consistency and quality, I would compare MK to Blackbird, however MK definitely has bigger and more perfectly sized portions for the amount that you spend. Fantastic restaurant.

MK
868 N. Frnaklin
Chicago, IL

The Modern - Bar Room

For one of mine and Gabe's dates during my visit to New York last weekend, we went to The Modern's Bar Room before enjoying a few hours at the MoMa. It's the cheaper alternative to the dining room, but obviously with a more casual atmosphere. The menu is pretty flexible such that you can eat as much or as little as you like with as few or as many courses as you want. The menu is split into 3 categories called "one's", "two's", and "three's." The One's and Two's are single person appetizer size while the Three's are half-entree portions. Gabe and I just picked a One and Two each and shared a One. Is that confusing?

They gave us bread and butter to start with. For me, the mini-baguette was way too hard. I had to pull on it with my hands and teeth, and even that was difficult.


We decided to share the Arctic Char Tartare with basil and trout caviar. I really liked this one. It was a light and refreshing way to start out our meal. The caviar added just the right amount of saltiness without overpowering the arctic char.


My next dish was the Steak Tartare with quail egg. It's unlike me to get two of the same type of dish, but I was deciding between the arctic char and steak tartares, and since Gabe wanted to share a first dish, I ended up eating two wonderful tartares. While the steak tartare wasn't anything out of the ordinary, it was pretty good with the soft-poached quail egg. I think it could have used more flavoring, but overall, it was pretty solid and just the right portion.


My last dish was the Slow Poached Farm Egg "In a Jar" with Maine lobster, sunchokes, and sea urchin broth. This was the dish that piqued my interest in going to this restaurant, and it certainly delivered. There was a very generous serving of lobster. The egg, when broken, and the sea urchin broth created a sort of soup. It was a pretty rich dish, so for what looked like a small portion in a cute jar, it satisfied me pretty well. The flavoring was wonderful, but my only critique is that it was on the salty side for me. My taste buds seem to be sensitive towards salt, so this might not be noticeable to everyone.

Even though I would have liked to end the meal on a sweet note, I decided against dessert because not only was I already decently full, but I knew it was already getting to the expensive side for lunch.

Here's what I gathered from Gabe about his dishes:

This was the Wild Mushroom Soup with Chorizo Ravioli. The toasted chorizo and the earthiness of the wild mushrooms were both very strong flavors, but they complimented each other very well.


Gabe's next dish was the Roasted Long Island Duck Breast with peppercorn-crusted apples and toasted truffle pistachio dipping sauce. He liked this one and thought the truffle pistachio dipping sauce provided a unique flavor to compliment the duck and apples.

I would definitely recommend anyone to go to The Modern's Bar Room. We both basically paid around $60 each, including tax+tip, so it's definitely not cheap for lunch (or even for dinner), but the food is delicious and unique, while still maintaining a classical style.

The Modern - Bar Room
9 West 53rd St (btwn 5th and 6th ave)
New York, NY

Sepia: Gabe's Pictures

Some of Gabe's pictures were way better than mine:


The baby octopus with tomato sauce and toasted baguette.


Gabe's skate wing(s) - you can see how large the portion was.


Our pistachio dessert. It felt like we were vertically slicing meat for a gyro.

Sepia

As the last dinner of Gabe's visit, we went to Sepia, another contemporary American restaurant in Chicago. We had so many other options for our dinner date during his visit, but apparently a ton of restaurants close for vacation in the beginning of January, which was a bit of a disappointment. We ended up having to settle with Sepia, however I am not disappointed by that choice at all. My attention was caught when I came across their beautiful website. The music and design had a certain allure about it that screamed romantic but casual and hip at the same time.

Upon entering the door at Sepia, the atmosphere felt cool, hip, and elegant all at the same time. The lighting is very warm (very "sepia"), and they have beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It's ideal for a date or even a group of friends. Our waitress was very kind, attentive but not intrusive, and extremely knowledgeable. She described the dishes so well and even knew where exactly some of the fishes came from.


It seems like most people order a flatbread as one appetizer, but since Gabe and I went to Avec right before Sepia just to eat the chorizo-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates, we were no longer starving. We decided to try the charred baby octopus with a toasted baguette and tomato sauce. The portion was quite generous for octopus, and while it wasn't as amazing as Babbo's octopus appetizer, this one was also wonderfully prepared. It was not overcooked, and I loved the charred taste.


My entree was the roasted cod with spaghetti squash, wild boar sausage, and paprika sauce. There were also carrots and cauliflower. The paprika sauce was a bechamel sauce, but it was not too thick or heavy by any means. I had never tried cobia before, which is partly why I wanted to try this entree. Cobia is quite rich in texture and body, but does not taste fishy at all. It's pretty meaty and firm, so the strong flavors of the accompaniments complimented the fish well. The portion was very generous. In fact, I could only eat half of the entree, so I think Sepia is ideal for people with big appetites. Believe it or not, I think I actually enjoyed this more as leftovers haha. Gabe ordered the skate wing with braised collard greens and a grape-pine nut sauce, which I know he really enjoyed.


Our dessert was the pistachio ice cream with pistachio financier with dark chocolate sauce. This was a good way to cap off the meal, however the dessert didn't stand out to me either. I actually really liked the very firm texture of the ice cream, but the pistachio taste didn't come out as strongly as most of the pistachio ice creams and gelatos I've had.

My drink of the night was a French 75, which I believe is Sepia's most popular cocktail, as it was one of Time Out Chicago's best 100 things they tried in 2008. It was tart and very easy to drink. Sepia is also known for it's cocktails and mixology, but I'm happy I settled with a simple classic drink.

Overall, I think Sepia is a wonderful restaurant. For contemporary American, it has not reached the refinement and creativity of Blackbird, but I would say it's pretty solid. It has a great atmosphere and generous portions, so I give it lots of points for that. The food is more simple without being too simple, and the service is very good.

Blackbird Restaurant

My family and I went to Blackbird Restaurant last summer to celebrate my 23rd birthday, but for some reason, I never got around to writing about it. We returned on New Year's Day to take Gabe out, and I think this visit was slightly better than the first. Probably the one major difference was that we had an early 6pm reservation this time, and since it was New Year's Day, hardly anyone was out. When we got there, there was only 2 other people there, which felt strange since our summer visit was bustling with a full house. I actually enjoy the loud, hip atmosphere that Blackbird normally has, but eventually the restaurant started to fill up, so Gabe got a taste of the normal atmosphere there.


Our amuse was a scallop tartare with avocado, caviar, and a lobster chip. This was probably one of the best amuse bouches I have ever had. The scallop was fresh, and the avocado complimented it well.


We got two orders of the crispy veal sweetbreads with golden raisins, red cabbage, banana, and pumpkin seeds. They change the preparation frequently, but this one certainly did not fail. Blackbird really cooks the thymus gland to perfection, making it taste and feel like a chicken McNugget.


Our other appetizer was the crispy confit of swan creek suckling pig with trumpet royale mushrooms, toasted walnut consomme, and pomegranate confit. I really wish they gave a bigger portion of this appetizer, but either way, it's also an amazing appetizer. The walnut consomme blew all of us away, as there was a perfect blend of sweet and savory in it.


My dish was the crispy swan creek farm duck breast with smoked cauliflower, salsify, fried chocolate and lovage. The duck was absolutely cooked to perfection, and the fried chocolate was a nice and interesting touch. One thing I noticed is that the portions seemed a lot larger this time around. I don't know if it's because a lot of people have complained about the small portions or if it's because it wasn't a full house that night, but my whole family did notice the larger portions for the entrees.


Even though Gabe and I ordered the pear cider doughnuts for our dessert, I'd prefer to comment on the kalamata olive cake with honeycrisp apples, toffee, and buttermilk ice cream. Out of all the desserts I've tried at Blackbird over my last two visits, the kalamata olive cake is by far my favorite, so I'm not surprised that it has stayed on the menu. It's not too olive-y and still maintains a certain sweetness that makes it perfectly appropriate for dessert.

My drink of the night was a Pisco Bravo. I decided on that one since I've been curious to taste Pisco. I know there was egg white and I believe nutmeg in it, but I honestly don't remember what else. It was a fabulous cocktail, and I loved how the egg white added a frothy texture to it without being thick or heavy.

We ordered plenty of other things, but I decided to just comment on the things I really tried during this visit. Blackbird's menu changes frequently. While some of the main ingredients stay (i.e. duck, lamb, sweetbreads, etc), the accompaniments and preparation changes every season. This is definitely a good way to maintain frequent customers. The service is exceptional, the atmosphere is hip without being pretentious or too trendy, and the food truly remarkable and innovative. This is really a place for foodies and anyone who's willing to try creative food. My favorite in Chicago!