ChicagoRon
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2007
- Messages
- 6,147
- Reaction score
- 161
Went to Benu - I was very impressed, and got my money's worth. Was paying for an ex-gf, so did not want to spring for the tasting menu - plus I was not hungry enough for all those courses, so we settled on 3 savory a piece from the ala carte menu, plus a shared dessert.
amuse bouche > Ginger baloon in pickle juice with melons. Tasted good, baloon is a little big.
Course 1>
Ex - Saucisson of beef w/ crispy maitake mushrooms
Me - Crispy veal sweetbreads
Both very very good. Sweetbreads had more "breading" on them than I generally prefer, but the seasoning was right on and the pickles and sauce were quite good.
Course 2> WINNER
Ex - Rigatoni w/ Sea Cucumber, Oxtail, and few other accouterments...
Me - Risotto w/ black truffle, corn, lavage, and uni
The rigatoni was house made, perfect pasta with a very rich, complex sauce. Stellar.
The Risotto was one of the ten best plates I've ever had. Made up for the sub-par uni risotto at LB. THe key difference was that the uni was chilled and resting atop the risotto, rather than strained through a tamis and integrated. The flavor at LB just got lost.
Course 3>
Ex - Duck - a little meh. It might have been done sous vide. The fat didn't really render off and the skin was not crispy.
Me - "pre sale" Lamb. Very good. And the baby carrots served with it were off the chart. THe server explained "pre sale" refers to a french concept that lambs raised near the coast did not require as much salt because of the salinity of the foods they consumed (or something like that).
Dessert> Shared Chocolate Ganache, Fuille de Brick, Banana Ice Cream, Caramel, Ginger, and some crunchy stuff.
HOT DAMN. Dessert was fantastic. I could have eaten three of them.
Overall, great dinner. The service held it back a little. Bad pour on my beer, the ex was a little unhappy that they would not pour her 1/2 glasses of wine (she's a litghtweight who likes variety), no offer for a second beer when I finished during course 2.
I was asked to sign a release for a picture that was taken (with me in the background) for a Conde Naste publication. Hopefully I will make the cut.
amuse bouche > Ginger baloon in pickle juice with melons. Tasted good, baloon is a little big.
Course 1>
Ex - Saucisson of beef w/ crispy maitake mushrooms
Me - Crispy veal sweetbreads
Both very very good. Sweetbreads had more "breading" on them than I generally prefer, but the seasoning was right on and the pickles and sauce were quite good.
Course 2> WINNER
Ex - Rigatoni w/ Sea Cucumber, Oxtail, and few other accouterments...
Me - Risotto w/ black truffle, corn, lavage, and uni
The rigatoni was house made, perfect pasta with a very rich, complex sauce. Stellar.
The Risotto was one of the ten best plates I've ever had. Made up for the sub-par uni risotto at LB. THe key difference was that the uni was chilled and resting atop the risotto, rather than strained through a tamis and integrated. The flavor at LB just got lost.
Course 3>
Ex - Duck - a little meh. It might have been done sous vide. The fat didn't really render off and the skin was not crispy.
Me - "pre sale" Lamb. Very good. And the baby carrots served with it were off the chart. THe server explained "pre sale" refers to a french concept that lambs raised near the coast did not require as much salt because of the salinity of the foods they consumed (or something like that).
Dessert> Shared Chocolate Ganache, Fuille de Brick, Banana Ice Cream, Caramel, Ginger, and some crunchy stuff.
HOT DAMN. Dessert was fantastic. I could have eaten three of them.
Overall, great dinner. The service held it back a little. Bad pour on my beer, the ex was a little unhappy that they would not pour her 1/2 glasses of wine (she's a litghtweight who likes variety), no offer for a second beer when I finished during course 2.
I was asked to sign a release for a picture that was taken (with me in the background) for a Conde Naste publication. Hopefully I will make the cut.