French Silk
The only thing better than a piece of pie, is two pieces! Both from First Slice, a great bakery and local charity.
First Slice
5357 N Ashland Ave
(773) 275-4297
Red Wine Poached Pear Streusel
Feb 122013
Feb 112013
Hearty, delicious & vegetarian!
I had every intention of trying the Restaurant Week menu when I walked in the door. This was the third new place on my list, and my slow steady slide towards roaming the menu had been established. I glanced at the R.W. offerings and then decided to take it easy.
Brasserie 54 is a new restaurant, but I’d eaten a few times at the chef’s last spot, LM in Lincoln Square. This version is less fussy, with more casual service, plating and an emphasis on filling comfort food.
Hearty, delicious and not vegetarian!
We chose to eat more lightly than planned, sharing the house-made pickles and sour dough bread as an appetizer. I had the lentils in a savory broth with some excellent French bread for dipping. It was perfect for a cold, blustery night.
My dining companion felt his dish was perfect, too. House-made red wine and bacon-laced pork sausages served on beats and topped with a mustard aoili. It was hard to argue when we were both so happy with our respective dishes.
We skipped dessert because Brasserie 54 has the misfortune of being sandwiched between First Slice Cafe and A Taste of Heaven. But I had enough on this visit to ensure a return trip.
5 successful meals out of 5 Restaurant Week choices. A good week by any measure.
Brasserie 54
5420 N Clark St Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 334-9463
Feb 112013
Longing for more of this soup…
NoMI was my only lunch pick for Restaurant Week this year. I had to squeeze it in between meetings, and I’m so glad it worked out! If you’ve never been, you should spoil yourself with a lovely view of the Chicago Water Tower and Michigan Avenue and gather up some of the refined elegance of the dining room and posh service.
And the crunchy, smooth mac-n-cheese
A like-minded co-worker and I happily divided and conquered the $22 prix fixe menu. This fabulous meal started with smooth, sweet Butternut Squash soup, drizzled with a bit of red curry oil. It was delectable and while I could have eaten bowlfuls all the live long day, the proportion was actually good for lunch. The Farmhouse Bowl was a refreshing mix of greens and raw, thin slices of seasonal vegetables. The salad was good, but really had nothing on the soup.
And another bite of sammie…
Somewhere in the depths of the kitchen, I imagine a mad genius surrounded by pasta acolytes who one day pray to be worthy of the Mac and Cheese that comes from this restaurant. I hope this is the case because the world would be a better place if all kitchens could produce the balance of creamy smooth Gruyère laced sauce, crunchy truffled topping and bits of broccoli rabe. Not that the Roasted Mushroom Panini with a side of house-made chips lacked anything — but the Mac and Cheese simply blew me away. I’ll be back. Oh, I’ll be back.
Chocolate! More, please!
We upgraded one of our desserts from the Park Cookie Box to the Bolivian Chocolate Mousse. It was a beautiful presentation with luscious chocolate and crème fraîch, but I actually preferred the Fromage Blanc Parfait. Butterscotch wins, what can I say? The textures were more interesting, too, with layers of sponge cake, butterscotch and praline flakes creating a satisfyingly sweet high five to the meal.
It was great to be reminded how great NoMI was. Now I just need to remind myself to go more often!
NoMI
800 N Michigan Ave
Phone:(312) 239-4030