Fun Playing With Food in Chicago Part 4: Slurping Turtle

Our Chicago food odyssey sloshes to Tuesday. It rained mercilessly all day and into the night, which would be our first opportunity to seek out blog-worthy eats. After a long day at court, then office time working on materials for Wednesday, we returned to the Silversmith to change and consider dinner. My friend Linda had suggested on Tuesday that we look up the restaurant(s) of Takashi Yagihashi, and it turns out that in 2011, he opened a Japanese noodle house with the irresistible name Slurping Turtle less than a mile from our hotel!

A quick cab ride (it was too miserable outside for mass transit) brought us to the quirky space on West Hubbard Street. Though it was after 8pm, there was a modest waiting list. We were then seated at the long communal table that runs down the center of the main room. Even though we knew that the $14 bowl of ramen would be a complete meal all by itself, we couldn't resist beginning with a couple of small plates. We were weary from the long day, and the whimsy of the place really was just what we needed!

Duck Fat Fried Chicken

Finger licking good, and accompanied by a richly dressed slaw. 

Bincho Grill Foie Gras with Pickles

Since we'd only try one item cooked on the bincho grill, we went for the most decadent and were rewarded with a couple of heavenly bites. For more on what a bincho grill is and how Takashi uses it, click here.

Tan Tan Men Ramen: homemade ramen noodle, ramen stock, pork meatball, pork miso, bok choy, bean sprouts (spicy)

Bob's ramen bowl delivered bold flavors, toothy noodles, and a triple play of porky goodness. My bite of meatball melted in the mouth.

Shoyu Wonton Ramen: homemade thin ramen noodle, classic tokyo style soy broth, chicken wonton, grilled chicken, marinated egg

My ramen noodles were a little thinner, but joined by several toothy chicken-stuffed dumplings in the succulent broth. I don't know if the egg was supposed to be more runny/creamy, or was served this way deliberately, but that was the only potential flaw in everything we had. Another meal most worthy of our journey, and very wallet friendly. Our only regret was that we could not finish it, and even though we had a fridge, we had no way to re-heat it. 

After a soggy return to the hotel, we prepared for the conclusion of business on Wednesday. And more playing with Chicago food.

Fun Playing With Dinner at Restaurant Dante

As I reported here, Chef Dante Boccuzzi's long-awaited re-opening of Restaurant Dante, in Tremont, has given some brightness to the dark, cold and snowy Cleveland winter. I was fortunate to dine there Thursday night with 6 friends (plus my husband), which allowed me to taste a nice selection of dishes on the menu.

Chef Dante Rolls Sushi for the Grand Opening Cocktail Party January 9, 2010

As regards food photography at Dante, I have reached this conclusion - I either need to reserve the Chef's Table in the well-lighted kitchen, or get a better camera. So, please apologize for the duskiness of these photos - this is why I haven't quit my day job!

Private Dining For Four in the Vault

I didn't get to photograph this the first time I was here due to the crowds - but this is indeed the bank vault (my camera could not do justice to the massive door, which still hangs on its original hinges).

Beyond the Door - Pork Fat Zoo!

 

This chandelier is worth the price of admission all by itself.

As we walked to the end of the bar to meet our friends, we thought they were standing at a high top - but no, this amazing, glass topped "table" is actually built in to the end of the bar:

Go see it in person; it's pretty cool.  Did I really type the word "cool?"

This amazing bar deserved an amazing cocktail. While I generally favor rum and not martinis, the Finocchio  Martini looked too interesting to resist:

Grey Goose paired with finocchio (fennel), Pernod, and a few other flavors, including fennel-stuffed olives!

A lovely start to a lovely evening! As our party arrived for our 6:30pm reservation, we took our seats in the dining room (I love the comfy chairs) and perused the menu. Our wonderful server Michael, who had served us so valiantly at the Cocktail Party, deftly guided our party through a delightful meal that lasted almost 4 hours from the time we sat. It took that long because we deliberately paced it slowly, ordering each course as we went.

Bread service at the new Dante comes in a molded record album (as it did at the old Dante) - and the bread is steaming hot and simply marvelous. We were offered three varieties - olive, white and multigrain.

Bread is served with this incredibly smooth bean puree.

Olive Bread and White Bean Puree

Charcuterie

Chef Dante was kind enough to send this assortment of tastes to our table.

My tasting plate

Beginning with the top left - mustard, pate, Pistachio Mortadella, Beef Sausage, headcheese (and I have never liked any headcheese I ever tasted before - until now). Bottom left - pickled vegetables, pork rillettes, capicola, black pepper salami, prosciutto. And I'm not a big proscuitto fan - but this taste was simply amazing. All of it is made in-house (or in-vault, as it were). Here is another plate shot taken with flash - now it's too bright! I can't win!



Anyway, the dinner menu is divided into three sections, top to bottom, and, as noted, we decided to order one course at a time. Bob and I had already decided to split the Foie Gras.


Seared Foie Gras, citrus scented waffle, roasted pears 

This dish hit every note. The foie was exquisite and perfectly cooked. The roasted pear was sweet and a lovely counterpoint, offering chew as well as taste. I didn't really get a lot of citrus from the waffle, which to me seemed more like a pâte à choux than a waffle, but I loved the crunchy taste and texture against the foie and the pear. The combination of all of the components tasted together was over-the-top. One of our dining companions ordered this for her main!


Duo of Crudo Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio, pickled cauliflower, spicy pepper sauce, garlic chips and Hawaiian Tuna Tartare, poached egg, olive caper remoulade, crisp potato nest 

I did not taste this, but my dining companions who did pronounced it exellent.

 
Chilled Market Select Oysters - hot pepper puree, cilantro, yuzu ice

Again, my photos do not do justice to the presentation. I did not sample the oysters, which Chef Dante told us were East Coast, but again, all of those who did pronounced them, and the accompaniments, perfect.


Crispy Calamari and Rock Shrimp, fine scallions, chili spice mayonaise 

I did taste this dish (which is why I'm including this pitiful photograph) - and the calamari was fresh and tender, with a very gentle breading and cooking process that allowed the taste of the squid to really shine. The spicy mayo that came on the side added zest and zip.

The next course was a "pasta" course - with a choice of house-made pastas, risottos, polentas and soups. Bob and I decided to split a "tasting" portion of the special - a house-rolled ravioli stuffed with the most amazing combination of shredded and minced meats, and bathed with a tomato sauce that offered a sweet perfume of tomato, delicate chunks of more meat, cheese and herbs. The pastas and risottos are offered in three sizes: taste, appetizer or main, and priced, respectively, at $4, $8 and $15. 





The pasta was so fresh and perfectly cooked so that it remained toothy while not too chewy. The combination of flavors and textures made me regret, for a moment, that I hadn't considered this dish for my main.

But my regret did not last long - the mains, which range in price from $18-23 for a very generous portion - were even more amazing.


Pancetta Wrapped Duck Breast, foie gras toasted gnocchi, and apple variations 

Bob and another dining companion ordered this - my taste was lovely - perfectly cooked duck breast wrapped in bacon, beautiful gnocchi with foie gras and apple flavors all together - harmony.


Roasted Dayboat Scallops, tofu, daikon, shiitake tempura, and sesame vinaigrettes

Another tablemate had this beautiful plate, and offered me a taste. The scallops were lovely, as were the vinaigrettes (and yes, there were two). Even though he kept protesting that he was full - our friend managed to reach clean plate, with a little help from his table mates.

I tasted, but did not  photgraph the Branzino (Italian Sea Bass), Gnocchi Carbonara, and Seared Pork Medallions. My tastes of all were terrific - I'd eat any of those dishes in a heartbeat! But I still think that I (and John) chose the best dish of the evening (and I so wish that I had a better photo for you):






Confitted Salmon,  new potato risotto, sweet garlic, and smoked salmon ribbons 

Chef Dante confits the salmon in duck fat. OMG OMG OMG! The taste and texture were simply amazing - the confit treatment gave the fish a mouthfeel (and taste) like the most premium salmon I've ever tasted. And it was perfectly cooked to a gentle medium. I loved everything on the plate, but the salmon was the rightful star. And the plate included not one, but two varieties of salmon - the smoked salmon ribbons - morsels of the same lovely salmon we'd sampled at the cocktail party - tasted perfect. Though I am normally a devotee of belly lox - I'd put this fish on my bagel any day of the week and twice on Sunday!! The sweet garlic was so tasty, I wonder if that also got a duck fat bath. At $19 a plate - I'll be eating this again, I'm sure.

After this course, we all pronounced ourselves sated. The Cleveland Cavaliers were about to seal their win over the Lakers, and so we took advantage of the crowd at the bar and the building excitement in the room to stretch and move around. When I returned to the table, it turned out that two table mates decided to share the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brûlée with passion fruit shot and fine phyllo strands. I got a taste of this, but not a photo - it was so lovely. The creamy pudding was warm, and the candied top crunchy - I liked it a lot.

Our end of the table decided that we were too intrigued by the notion of black pepper flavored ice cream, and so we got the Tasting of Ice Creams and Sorbets plate:





These lovely tastes cleared our palates and gave us a sweet taste to end the evening. I'd order it again - if I had friends to share it with - its a generous portion. The pepper in the ice cream did not overwhelm the sweet at all, and was nice when combined with a bit of the dark chocolate disk. I also really liked the chocolate ice cream with the cakey topping.

Service was handled with a brisk and attentive team approach - though the restaurant was close to capacity for part of the time we were dining, service never missed a beat. Looking around the restaurant, I saw equally attentive service at other tables, and smiling faces among the diners.

Food, service and decor at Dante were all deemed first class fun by our table of eight - and we'll be back soon for the dinner Dante is doing to benefit Slow Food Northern Ohio - read about it here and hope to see you there!

More Fun Playing With Dante's Fish (and Foie Gras!)

Last night, a group of us convened at Restaurant Dante for Sushi Blues - live music and not so live fish! We had just enjoyed Sushi Blues two weeks ago, and couldn't wait to try some more!

Bob and I were a little early for our 6pm reservation, so we sat at the bar and enjoyed a cocktail and the music of Austin Walkin' Cane:









Austin played until 8pm, and the volume was just right - loud enough to enjoy, but not so loud as to interfere with our conversation.

Once we were seated, bread service arrived; the melted phonograph record contained something I hadn't tried before - a whole grain epi. Most lovely.



We began with an amuse bouche:


Carrot-Ginger Soup Topped with Pumpkin Seed Brittle



This was deliciously different, especially the brittle.


Edamame


Nasu Miso - Miso & Sesame Glazed Eggplant





This dish was amazing - especially since it was made with Western Eggplant rather than the sweeter Asian variety. Chef Dante explained that the eggplant slices were given a very long miso marinade, which made them tender and sweet. The eggplant melted in the mouth, with sweet toothy goodness from the sesame glaze, contrasting against the slightly bitter sauteed greens underneath the eggplant slices.


Sashimi - Pickled Garlic and Peppers

Bob and I managed to eat the variety we ordered this time - and it was fantastic. (For an explanation of the mix-up last time - look here.)


Scallop


Tuna


Not Sure Which Variety This Was


Salmon


Hamachi (Yellowtail)


Pickled Garlic and Peppers Over Freshly Made Onion Ring

Once again, the sashimi was pristine, and presented with a lovely drizzle over it.


Flash Cooked Hamachi Sashimi



One of our dining companions ordered this, with all five of the sashimi pieces consisting of Hamachi. It was beautiful to look at and to eat.




Sushi Time!


Spicy Crunchy Tuna






Cut in Half



This item delivered - fresh tuna with a little spice and a little crunch, and delightful sushi rice.


The Zeppelin - Chef's Choice Sushi



This roll was stuffed with four varieties of fish - tuna, salmon, Hamachi and a fourth I can't identify. As you can see, not only was it wrapped in cucumber, cucumber was also part of the filling (those of you who read me regularly know I simply can't deal with the taste or texture of cucumber). No problem - I removed the internal cuke with chopsticks, keeping the roll intact. The beautiful looking cucumber wrapper, which had been painstakingly prepped, went to Bob, who happily consumed it. The rest of the filling was delicious - avocado, asparagus, carrot and wasabi.








Yellowtail and Scallion

Our friend Kay was kind enough to swap one of these for one of our Spicy Tuna pieces - yum!




Sake Kama Shioyaki - Roasted Salmon Collar

Each of the four couples at the table (and our single friend Kay) ordered this. And it is a delicacy not to be missed - crunchy-skin, bone-sucking good!





Unfortunately, there was a minor kitchen snafu, and the table wound up one order short on the collar, with none left in the house. The other three couples had already been served - Bob and myself, and Kay, were still waiting for our two orders. Fortunately, our server immediately solved the problem - pouring us each a glass of wine "on her", asking if we three would all share the one last order of salmon collar (which she said would come off of the check), and then, she offered to bring us each a replacement item, on the house. Kay took her up on the latter - and I'm so glad that she did!


Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Stuffed French Toast, Vanilla Pear Compote, Pomegranate Puree








Was this a starter, as the menu described it, or dessert? I'm not sure - but I'm so glad I got to taste this (and on the very day that Chicago lifted its foie gras ban!). The three ounce hunk of foie was perfectly seared and still pink in the middle. The French Toast contrasted perfectly, with rich egginess and a hint of vanilla. This played well against the tart pomegranate and sweet pear sauce. This dish made me so happy, I could not imagine eating anything else.

The table wound up sharing a round of desserts from Pastry Chef Wendy Thompson anyway - and even my husband, who claimed he was too full to taste the foie gras dish, had some.


Tahitian Vanilla Crème Caramel, Rhubarb Confiture, Funnel Cake and Strawberry Float



The creme caramel was lovely with a bit of the float drizzled over it and a bite of funnel cake.


Chocolate Peanut Crunch Bars: Milk Chocolate Ice Cream and Caramel Bananas







This dessert was a peanut butter-chocolate-banana lover's dream. And I love that particular combination!


Crispy Tapioca, Green Apple Sorbet and Huckleberry Compote



This was the most intriguing item on the dessert menu, so I am glad I got to try it. Inside the crispy skin was a creamy tapioca pudding. Again, the contrasts of the mild crunchy tapioca bits against the tart Huckleberries and the slightly less tart, but not super sweet sorbet worked perfectly.



I'm not sure exactly what this was. The on-line dessert menu describes a Tropical Cheesecake with lime, crème fraiche, and lychee sorbet - but I remember this dish tasting of rich chocolate and caramel. It was gooey and delicious - and definitely had lychees on the plate!



These desserts truly finished us off! Pastry Chef Thompson is a keeper.

We were all impressed with the food and the service - especially the generous and concerned way the restaurant recovered after the kitchen ran out of salmon collar. We thanked our gracious hosts (Chef Dante was still working his sushi station at the bar, even though it was well after 9pm) and servers, who took such wonderful care of us. We'll be back to play with Dante's sushi again - and we do need to crack more of the "regular" menu, too. Dante Boccuzzi is a man who knows how to play with food!