Michelin Guide Chicago

Ok so I'm only a month late on the release of the Michelin 2011 guide on restaurants, but lets take a closer look at Chicago's finest, if not tastiest. A brief tutorial on the Michelin guide: The guide was first published in 1900 in France. It begun as a small guide distributed freely to traveling motorists, pointing out local places to eat.The guide now boosts over 40,000 restaurants who are rated by anonymous visitors. Their website uses the slogan, "The Michelin Guide. Famously anonymous". They don't disclose any info on how they tasted and came up with their list.  All we know is that they revisit places they like and rank them anonymously. Hm. No vain bloggers?

So the guide splits their picks based on "starred restaurants", and "bib gourmand restaurants". What the flip is a Bib Gourmand rating? Well, let me tell you. It means the restaurant is a good value, usually about 40$ or less for 2 courses. Me likey. BTW, Bib is short for Bibendum, a French character created in 1898 by the Michelin brothers. Over the years Bib, the Michelin Man, became the group's mascot. And his head (below) can be seen all over the guide.

The starred restaurants are more upscale and are rated based on 1,2,3 stars. Alinea and L2O are the only 3 star restaurants in Chicago! (I vowed to try Alinea this year, whether or not I have to take out a small loan). If you make the bib list, in essence  you are not allowed to be on the master list in later years.
What do you think of the bib list? I'm not sure I'm buying the Thai Village, or Paramount Room as true icon's of this fab. city full of deal's. Oh mon Dieu!

And finally, the full list of starred winners:

***
Alinea
L2O
**
Avenues
Charlie Trotters
Ria
*
Blackbird
Boka
Bonsoiree
Crofton on Wells
Everest
Graham Elliot
Longman & Eagle
NAHA
NoMI
Schwa
Seasons
Sepia
Sixteen
Spaiggia
Takashi
Topolobampo
Tru
Vie

- Who knew the Michelin Man wasn't just selling tires!!

Happy Holidays!

A picture from a recent holiday party my sister and I hosted. It was a great success! We (more my sis than I) made tons of food. Like artichoke dip, meatballs, arugula & fennel salad, mushroom bruschetta, dill dip etc. We also had an amazing holiday drink that consisted of vodka, champagne, and sparkling pomegranate juice. Trader joe's has great organic champagnes that taste great and are reasonably priced. They also have pomegranate juice as well as other organic juices if you want some variety. Pop the bubbly just in time for NYE.

Happy Holidays!

Francesca's Forno

I've been dying to try the Francesca's in Wicker Park, Forno. This is one of the many Francesca chains in the Chicagoland area. Can you believe that I haven't gone to any of them? Well my friend from Buffalo was in town and I was looking for a nice Italian joint for ladies night out to sip on some wine and feast before heading over to my favorite place, The Violet Hour. I made reservations on Open Table, and they were very accommodating when I called to tell them we were running late. The vibe in the restaurant was lively, almost every table filled on a Friday night. I like that the windows face Damen, Milwaukee and North which make for great people watching. And at this corner there are lots of characters to check out!

The menu was great, split up the usual Italian way - by hot/cold apps, pasta, chicken and fish. I found the specials to really catch my eye and the wine list is, of course, ample. So far so good, minus the residue of the end of a bottle left in my friends glass! ick! But otherwise the wine was delish.

We chose the pizza with truffle oil and mushrooms. I forgot the name of the cheese here but it was def. aromatic and delish. My friends both chose the pasta specials and I got the risotto special. I should have written sooner bc i forgot the ingredients. Rats!

Anyways, Italian is Italian and usually amazzzing if the service and ambiance fits. This place hit all the good points and now I'm intriqed to try the other francescas!
Bouna Sera!

Girl and the Goat

The ever-changing menu

Cheese Garlic Bread with anchovy spread and pickled garlic 

Smoked Goat Pizza with Ricotta Cheese 

Pan Roasted Red Fish with Black Beans, Butternut Squash, Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

Grilled Skirt Steak with Beats wilted Romaine and Salted Goat Milk Caramel

Grilled baby octopus, Serrano celery root, Braised pistachio, Red Bliss Potatoes

Lamb Sausage Stuffed Calamari, Sweet Garlic Sweetbread, Crisp Currant Soar

 

The bill for four, not bad at all.

Sorry for the blurry photos!!

Finally got to check out Stephanie Izard's Girl and the Goat! A 6-week reservation period should give you a hint that this place is booming. And if you haven't heard of Izard, she was Top Chef winner a couple seasons back. Her 1.5 million dollar 130-seat restaurant on Randolph Street's restaurant row sits along the likes of Blackbird, Avec and the former Marche. 

Walking into the space you can't help notice the flaming (literally) kitchen, front and center. The enormous (7,400 square feet) space is divided by burnt cedar plank walls which do an excellent job of breaking up the contemporary and rustic theme, parallel to Izard's palette.

We made our way to the bar while our table wrapped up. The bar itself echo's the contemporary vs. rustic with hanging jar lights, European oak and antique fireboxes behind the bar. A very cozy space to wait for dinner.  The bartenders and servers are down to earth and don't make me feel like a novice while trying to pronounce  names of drinks. You can find the most sought-after seats two tables set directly by the open kitchen where guests can sneak a peak at Chicago's top chef. And if your lucky,  she might stop by your table.

Finally, our table was ready. The menu changes often but the first thing that caught my eye was the goat pizza. My group of 4 picked out our dishes quite effortlessly- everything sounded amazing. The other favorite at our table was the lamb stuffed calamari, and skirt steak with goat milk sauce. But we did indeed love every dish. A bottle of Chinon later and many smiles our dinner concluded. The dishes speak for themselves and I'll let you go over the ingredients above. I think what I liked the most was the layering of flavors and rustic ingredients. Something comforting, yet sophisticated- much like the space itself. Overall I loved the decor (by 555 design firm) a very romantic and cozy place, and loveddd the yummy food.

One thing worth noting was that although the space was impressive I felt a slight disconnect from the Izard I saw on TV. It is easy to get swept away by the exterior (see paragraphs above) and forget that what should shine in a restaurant is the food.  Financially and legally, Girl and the Goat belongs to Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, a duo who already own three other restaurants in Chicago (Boka, Landmark and Perennial). But thank god for Izard, because without the food all that would be left is a show room. I wasn't surprised to find out that she didn't own the place, I mean - its huge! The interior tries to pay homage to Izards rustic roots- but does so it such an outlandish way that it seems inauthentic.


I hate to spend so much time talking about the space and not the food and I hope when you go you can appreciate both aesthetics. One thing that is authentic is Izard's menu. And isn't that all that matters? I know that I'll certainly come back to try another round of dishes and drinks, and I look forward to the spring/summer menus, as long as Izard continues to stay true to her food.