After 10 days of indulgent dining, Chicago Restaurant Week 2013 came to an end on Sunday. While I’m a little forlorn that the week is over, I’m also very grateful for seven excellent meals, and the chance to share them with you here.
My Instagram photo recaps of each meal are shown in the gallery; follow the links below to read more:
This is part of a series of posts about Chicago Restaurant Week, held February 1–10, 2013.
Dinner at Vermilion
Mango-cardamom flan, Vermilion
Best Bite: I was partial to dessert, a mango-cardamom flan that made for a creamy, aromatic finish to our Latin-Indian fusion meal. The lychee and tart cranberry garnishes set off the flan nicely, though I wish there had been more than one piece of lychee. See full menu.
Other notes: Also enjoyed the caldeirada de peixe (Brazilian seafood stew), loaded with seafood and the right amount of heat, and artichoke pakoras made a nice, street food-inspired starter. Service was a little off, though, and the setup of the menu itself wasn’t the best value – an $11 upgrade to normal entree portions made the tasting almost cost more than the sum of the courses. Liked the lighting and red decor.
Brazilian seafood stew with tomato rice, Vermilion
Best Bite: This one was a tie. My entree’s gnocchi were impossibly fluffy, perhaps the best texture of any gnocchi I’ve tasted, with a meaty ragu that wasn’t too thick. And then there were the bomboloni, a heavenly trio of Italian doughnuts for dessert. Again, I was impressed by the airy texture (they weren’t greasy at all!) and the apple-cinnamon compote and poppyseed sugar recalled all the comfort of cider doughnuts from my local orchard growing up – just in a more refined package. See full menu.
Other notes: Lovely first-course ribollita soup, with tomatoes, kale, and cannellini beans. Excellent service and pleasant view of Michigan Avenue and the lake, even on a gray, slushy day.
Bomboloni with apple-cinnamon compote, Cafe Spiaggia
The details:Cafe Spiaggia, 980 N Michigan Ave., Chicago.
This is part of a series of posts about Chicago Restaurant Week, which takes place February 1–10, 2013.
Apple pie at Sable, Restaurant Week 2012
It’s finally here! Restaurant Week technically began on Friday, but my first reservation is for lunch tomorrow at a high-profile place that I first tried three years ago, and can’t wait to revisit. Bracing my stomach and wallet, I’ve planned the whole week out – four dinners, three lunches, and a lot more Zumba than usual – and am ready for the delicious onslaught.
But as excited as I am for the food itself, I’m just as eager to share each meal with a different person or group of people, for the second year in a row. This year, I’m proud to say that nearly 20 of my nearest and dearest are participating at least once, many of whom wouldn’t call themselves particularly “into food”. Looking back on last year, the most memorable moments were how my friends engaged with each dish, and collectively delighting in (or, in a few cases, critiquing) our food. In fact, I think you can learn a lot about someone that way.
So, let’s raise a glass to chefs not only showing off their skills, but bringing people together at tables all over the city this week.
I’ll be posting throughout the week (every two meals or so), and would love to hear about your RW experiences too!
