Review: Tre Kronor

Visiting Tre Kronor last night was like seeing an old Skando friend who hasn't changed a bit. The downstairs still looks like the kind of comfortable place where someone's Swedish auntie will come out of the kitchen any second to offer up a plate of lingonberry pancakes. My favorite part though is the intimate private dining room upstairs, which can seat about 30 guests for a memorable private party. It feels like the auntie's immaculate home, and some lovely things come out that kitchen. We started with a baked brie with green apples, followed by a fantastic green salad. Simple and nice. My salmon fillet was broiled perfectly with a chive beurre blanc sauce that made me swoon a little. The burnt caramel dessert was a huge, creamy custard topped with a hardened caramelized crust. Divine. Brunch here is excellent, and it's a BYO, so bring some wine or aquavit and skol!

Stalking the Bouchee: Part Deux

Inspired by her will to blog, Dar returned yesterday to stalking the bouche...which turns out to be a bouchee, a "mouthful" that's typically wrapped puff pastry. Put that in your French notebook. This version however skips pastry in lieu of pure coconut chocolate ecstasy.

Ok, so I just saw that I made your blog, my dear Emi, so I decided I had to brave the weather and venture out for the coconut bouchee (turns out it is spelled with a double “e”) at La Maison du Chocolat. Sometimes the very tip of Manhattan does a very good impersonation of Chicago (we have high winds and pelting sleet at the moment). But, chocolate calls.

So, luckily they had just got some of the coconut bouchees in. It rang up at $7.04 with tax. As I was fishing four pennies out of my wallet, the French shopkeeper asked me if I wanted a bag (which was his way of saying: “we both know you’re going to devour that the moment you get back to your desk, so let’s skip the formalities, shall we?”) I couldn’t agree more.

As I understand it, the bouchee is the French equivalent of a candy bar—this was a triangle about the size of my palm and a half inch thick (yes, my ruler made an appearance). It really is all about the fresh coconut—loads of it tightly packed and covered in bittersweet chocolate. I didn’t really see or taste the white chocolate and vanilla ganache—but I’m sure they were hiding there against the white coconut, tempering the bittersweet chocolate. And, oh, that chocolate—it’s the best part. Needless to say, I will be going back (I may even brave the Rockefeller location since it has a café. And, Em, it’s also conveniently located near the Japanese pastry
place…hint, hint.)

She is a natural, oui?

Swedish - Norwegian Restaurang! Ja!

One of my Norwegian friends is getting married this weekend, and her rehearsal dinner is tonight at Tre Kroner on Foster. This makes me happy.

Condensed version of long story: Many moons ago, I broke up with a boyfriend at the same time a close friend did likewise. We were 25. We needed a new dating pool. So we started hanging out with the Skando Chicago social club that her roommate had helped found several years prior, and they adopted us. Good move for her...she ended up dating 9 Swedes. I ended up learning two difficult life lessons: 1) I'm really bad at soccer, and 2) Danish men are the shyest creatures on the planet.

The food at Tre Kroner, however, was a highlight of my Skando years. I'll let you know how they are these days.

While We're on the Subject of Coffee Stores...

My husband works near the Starbucks at Washington and Canal, which he tells me is directly across the street from SBUX's regional headquarters. Why do we care? Because it's their model training store for Chicago, so the service and competence of the baristas there outshines that of any other we've been to in the metro area. By a whole lot. This is delightful when I want my green tea latte done exactly right...which seems to be the Jeopardy Challenge of drink orders.

Intelligentsia Goes Luxury, Dahling

Chicagoist ran a piece yesterday on local coffee roaster Intelligentsia's decision to soon replace the regular drip goodness at its stores with joe brewed by $11,000 Clover machines, requiring a per cup markup to at least $3.50. Despite the current stink of the economy, they're excited to make the change, which they say will bring them closer to realizing the goal of elevating coffee to the same level of appreciation as premium wine.

Slate ran an article on the Clover last March, pointing out its potential to change the way we drink coffee:

By creating this rigorous laboratory like brewing environment, it encourages cafes to explore the nuances of different beans... And the attention to nuance gets passed along to the customers: ... clientele can choose from a coffee menu listing several brews, including ..."punchy and bright with pear and green apple," and ..."complex and crisp with butterscotch, grape, chocolate and plum."

The aspirational comparison of coffee to wine is obvious, and the passionate young Clover virtuosos ... indeed remind me of wine enthusiasts; they're seriously invested in their work, nothing like the sullen soy-foamers at Starbucks...

It's a bold, brash move with forward notes of vanilla, spice, and... brass ones, in a time when confidence is in short supply. Is there a hint of stupid in it too? Maybe. Differentiation from the rest of the pack isn't just good -- it's crucial to successful business; but timing counts enormously in executing any strategy. Can they afford to lose the loyal customers right now who will bail on them when the cost of a cup of regular or decaf more than doubles? Apparently they think so.

Review: Spring

Shawn McClain is undoubtedly one of Chicago's truly great, celebrated chefs. Between Spring and Green Zebra, I think he could be my most favorite chef anywhere.

Some people may find Spring's Asian-infused seafood too light to really lust for - for me, these flavors are the ideal. After many years, I returned with my husband last weekend, and we were knocked out over and over throughout the evening by the beautiful, thoughtful experience that it still is. There literally wasn't one mediocre moment. We enjoyed the Sazeracs (of my last post) at the bar enormously, followed by a stunning rose Champagne. My meal began with hamachi sashimi over a bed of greens with a warm and mild soy-based mustard sauce poured over. The asparagus soup was a rich but subtle palate cleanser, with just barely a hint of truffle oil - at the bottom swam two small truffle ravioli that blew me away. My seared barramundi with miso-potato gnocchi was incredibly flavorful yet light, paired with an Austrian Riesling that showed tons of honey on the palate. The chocolate mousse cake was accompanied by a salty wafer that made me linger and appreciate the play on textures and sensations. Add to that amuse bouches before and after the meal, and service that was among the best of any restaurant I've visited in a very long while.

The only small gripe I can think of is that the minimalist decor feels bland and needs an update. They could preserve the tranquil, spa-like atmosphere without resorting to c. 1990s starkness. The painted panels in the bar area especially aren't up to standard.

Return to the Elusive Violet Hour...or Not

Last night, an hour before our 9 p.m. reservations around the corner at Spring, we tried our luck again at getting into the Violet Hour. As our cab arrived, I felt sure we would finally breeze right in....until I saw the line. It was even longer than last time, and we were an hour and a half earlier.

The only thing breezing anyplace was the 20 degree chill right up my dress. Even so, we summoned our Chicago grit and joined the other hopefuls waiting to get in. (By the way, jeans and parkas, everyone? On Valentine's? Isn't winter dismal enough?) A conviction that lasted all of ten minutes when we realized the line was moving nowhere. Doesn't Spring have a bar? Sure it does.

Brilliant decision. The maitre d' at Spring welcomed us warmly. When we told him our cocktail hour issue, he grinned. "Well, you're in luck. Because the guy who does their drinks, did our cocktail list." I'm assuming "the guy" in question is Toby Malone, but I didn't really pause to confirm because my husband and I basically galloped full-throttle toward the bar.

And thus began our gorgeously impressive evening at Spring. The drinks? Amazing. We began boldly with their Sazerac, which seems to be the Aaron Eckhart of cocktails lately - all of a sudden everywhere. Theirs skips the cognac. Instead, it blends whiskey, bitters, and absinthe with a twist of orange. I tend to liken the food and drink I love with sex... so drinking this was about like making out with an exceptionally suave gentleman who has a fierce five-o'clock shadow and a formidable arsenal of moves. But you'll have to draw your own conclusions.

After that, we tried the Michel Arnould Brut Rose Champagne...which is like a big beautiful, toasty rose kiss, followed by a knife-edge clean finish.

Here's to Spring.

Algerian Crepes at Icosium Kafe

This busy little cafe in Andersonville serves up big crepes filled with Algerian flavors. The menu is divided into two parts -- with chocolate, coconut, and Nutella dominating the sweet side and Mediterranean ingredients dominating the savory side. Despite the name, they aren't pushing the boundaries of exoticism too much for the average American palate, but the menu does include a few ingredients like rosewater and merguez (lamb sausage). Crepes can be accompanied by Turkish coffee and mint tea with honey, or you can order a whole range of European coffee drinks and fruit juices. Overall, it's a nice neighborhood place for an enjoyable bite and some atmosphere.

Stalking the Bouche in NYC

How great is it when you find a friend who lusts for food and wine as much, and sometimes even in the same ways, as you? It's a case of two of life's great joys combining together. So wonderful.

My fabulous friend Dar lives in Brooklyn. She once called to leave a message on my home voice mail simply because she was eating Japanese pastry. I get choked up just thinking about it. She's been emailing me about my blog posts lately, and this paragraph she wrote nearly made me weep with longing to be in NYC with her:

Anyway, I just went to a relatively newly opened branch near work of La Maison du Chocolat. I was trying to get my hot little hands on this thing called a bouche — they have different kinds — the one I wanted was made of bittersweet chocolate filled with fresh coconut, which is embedded in a white chocolate and vanilla ganache. They were out. But, I got a champagne/cognac truffle. It was good, but a bit too cognac-y. I’ll keep you posted on the bouche. I think this place may be my new destination for a chocolate fix.

What I love is that it sounds like she's casing the place....which is totally what I would be doing. Needless to say, I feel a need to get intimate with this coconut-white-chocolate bouche business. Dar and I will keep you posted.

Mardi Gras Cocktail Mixer

Cooking Fools on North Ave. has done some heavy lifting for a few gatherings they've catered at my place, not the least of which was this past Thanksgiving's dinner...which was homey and delicious, and even better, virtually no work for me. In two weeks, they're hosting one of the better food events I've seen in a while:

Fat Tuesday Cocktail Mixer
Tuesday, February 24th, 6-8 p.m.
1914 W. North Ave.

Mixologist Angie Jackson will mix Sazeracs and Marie Laveaus. Credited as America's first cocktail, the Saz is Louisiana's signature drink. The latter is a creation by Jackson named in honor of New Orleans' famed voodoo priestess. (Nice!)

The chefs at CF will be serving spicy sausage gumbo and bananas foster bread pudding. Reservations are $35 per person.

In the words of Liz Lemon, I want...to go there.