The Dutch (New York City): Beverage director Josh Nadel comes up with some bloody good brunch cocktails

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Harlene

The Dutch offers a brief but wide-ranging list of brunch cocktails, including a version of the Bloody Mary's seafood-centric cousin — the Bloody Caesar. Photo by Aletha Haynes

Say “Bloody Mary,” and the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t the infamous Tudor queen.  Instead, one tends to picture a garnish-bedecked brunch-time cocktail — which was named, some posit, after the Protestant-persecuting royal.

And that beloved dressed-to-kill drink is precisely what tops the craft-spirits-driven cocktail list at The Dutch’s booming brunches.

“[The Bloody Mary] is kind of a meal of a drink anyway,” says Josh Nadel, the SoHo eatery’s beverage director.  “And the garnish is like the icing on the cake.”

Chef-partner Andrew Carmellini was the visionary behind this Bloody’s “salad on a stick,” which includes a cornichon-stuffed olive, pickled string beans, okra and chorizo, Nadel says.

Beverage director Josh Nadel's drinks showcase craft spirits and provide "a spectrum of flavors, textures and ingredients." Photo by Noah Fecks

“We wanted to blow people away with this garnish….  It leaves no room for want.”

It also doesn’t hurt that The Dutch’s feisty interpretation ($13) — served in a glass rimmed with smoked paprika salt — features 42 Below vodka and house-made chipotle-spiked Bloody Mary mix.

Although the full bar is open during brunch, Nadel decided to showcase just a handful of signature cocktails during that time slot.

The selections are “an attempt to elevate people’s choices for cocktails at brunch with things they aren’t expecting, but without making it overly complicated.”

So in addition to offering a take on the classic Bloody, Nadel also features his interpretation of her Canadian cousin, the Bloody Caesar ($15).  Here Krogstad Aquavit is added to the traditional mix of clamato juice and vodka and presented in a coriander-and-celery-salt-rimmed glass with a freshly shucked oyster.

The briny drink is a nod to The Dutch’s extensive seafood bar, Nadel says.  “The raw bar is an important part of our identity.”

Nadel also intended his brief list to “hit all the marks,” so he offers some “lower-octane” beverages as well.  His Aperol fizz ($13), for example, “is the aperitif of the brunch menu.” Fresh and fruity, the cocktail blends Breuckelen gin, Aperol, Lillet, passion fruit purée and tangerine along with a splash of Crémant and a sprinkling of fresh berries.

The Dutch features some lighter selections that incorporate favorite soft drinks such as iced tea and lemonade. Photo by Howie L.

And he also tinkers around with two popular soft drinks — iced tea and lemonade.  These are beverages, he says, “that make sense for the time of day.”

The Dutch iced tea ($13) uses fresh-brewed loose- leaf orange pekoe as its base, and combines it with Aviation gin, Pimm’s No. 1, and Mandarine Napoleon orange liqueur.

Lemonade ($13) gets a twist with the addition of Plymouth gin, St. Germain, fresh cucumber purée, house-made lemon-thyme syrup, and soda.

Nadel designed the brunch list to offer “a spectrum of flavors, textures and ingredients.”  And guests have responded well to his creations.  Although the Bloody is undeniably the crowd favorite, “these drinks all sell well,” he says.

“It’s not like nine out of ten drinks are Bloody Marys.”

The Dutch
131 Sullivan Street
New York, New York 10012
212.677.6200
www.thedutchnyc.com

Posted in featured, Wine | Leave a comment

The Dutch (New York City): A popular Manhattan chef makes brunch a top priority at his critically acclaimed eatery

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Harlene

Chef-partner Andrew Carmellini serves casual, comforting fare — such as his signature fried chicken — during brunch time at The Dutch, his critically acclaimed American contemporary eatery. Photo by Noah Fecks

The Dutch — the SoHo showcase for chef  Andrew Carmellini’s upscale American comfort food — topped several of New York’s “Best of” lists in 2011.  But while the city’s top critics dreamily dissected The Dutch’s dinner offerings (smoked chicken and mushroom Stroganoff, steak and raw oysters), little was said about its carefully crafted brunch menu.

But that doesn’t mean that brunch was a mere afterthought for Carmellini (Locanda Verde, Café Boulud), who has offered the meal on Saturdays and Sundays since The Dutch opened just over a year ago.

Carmellini (left) was tired of "crappy" brunches and worked diligently to create a menu filled with well-crafted dishes. Photo courtesy of Gastro Chic

Fully aware that “no one likes to cook at home in New York,” even on the weekends, the well-regarded chef put much thought into his list of elevated sweets and savories.

“There’s a lot of crappy brunch out there,” says Carmellini, who strove to offer New Yorkers more than overcooked omelets, carved ham and stale coffee cake.

As with his more formal dinner menu, the chef “wanted to look at America as a whole.” And Carmellini is “interested in what your grandmother is cooking” — whether you call her nonna, abuela, bubbie or grandma.  So the manageable list is filled with brunch favorites.  But his dishes include some melting pot spins (Italian-style burrata cheese here, pico de gallo there) and a bit of contemporary tweaking.

“I always do a little bit of high and low,” Carmellini says.  On the “high” side, for example, is a fluke crudo appetizer ($15) with Meyer lemon, crispy artichokes and basil.  On the “low” is Carmellini’s signature hot fried chicken with honey butter biscuits ($19).

“I love fried chicken,” says Carmellini of his buttermilk-brined, batter-dipped, fried-to-order birds.  “I’ve made a lot of fried chicken.  It’s a recipe that has developed over time.”

And that’s what my middle son, The Connoisseur, ordered during an early spring outing to The Dutch.  Juicy, spicy and amply seasoned, the platter-filling bird was encased in Carmellini’s golden, crackling crust and served with fluffy house-made biscuits and a side of giardinera-spiked slaw.

The restaurant features items that reflect America's melting pot culture, including Southern-style cornmeal flapjacks. Photo by Noah Fecks

Although Carmellini’s chicken — which is only served at brunch and lunch — has received tons of attention, other items were also praiseworthy.

First off is Kierin’s pastry board ($14), which features a warm assortment of pastry chef Kierin Baldwin’s fresh-baked goodies.  Paired with a fresh fruit bowl ($10), these baked goods could stand alone.  But our group — which also included The Husband, friend and SoHo resident Charlie, and his teen daughter Rocky — ordered the pastry board as a starter.  And the morning’s offerings (a tangy lemon-buttermilk doughnut, a crumbly apple-cheddar scone and a fresh blueberry-studded buckwheat muffin) quelled our hunger as we waited for our main dishes.

On the savory side, Rocky enjoyed Carmellini’s take on the traditional New York lox platter.  Here, soft scrambled eggs ($19) were plated with smoked sable and trout roe and accompanied by a toasted bagel.  The Husband consumed a straightforward frittata ($16), which featured his Achilles’ heel combination of mushrooms, tomatoes and goat cheese.

I went with cornmeal flapjacks ($16), a corncake/pancake hybrid that was magically both gritty and fluffy.  The cakes were accompanied by salted butter and a sweet-tart warm blueberry sauce.

Charlie graciously offered me a taste of his thick-cut almond French toast ($16).  The downy bread was coated with a rum-kissed ripe bananas Foster sauce.  Not wanting to appear greedy, I declined Charlie’s invitation to take more — although I secretly wanted to lick his plate.

The Dutch prides itself on its "fresh-baked daily" pies; be sure to save room for lemon poppy meringue if it's on the menu. Photo by Noah Fecks

It was probably a good thing that I controlled this urge, as The Dutch treated our table to a trio of pies ($10 each).

“I opened up The Dutch to make pie for myself,” says Carmellini of the restaurant’s trademark dessert.  “No one makes really good pies.”

Okay chef, my mother makes knockout pies.  But I see your point. Decent restaurant pie is hard to find, and The Dutch’s, which are made daily, were truly quite good.  Banana cream (with sour orange ice cream) boasted a spicy gingersnap crust and a crown of rum whipped cream.  Crumble-topped Dutch apple (with walnut ice cream) held a custardy center along with its fruit filling.  But my favorite was lemon poppy meringue (with vanilla frozen yogurt).  Served with slivered Meyer lemons, the pie gets a crunchy kick from the sweet poppy seeds that fleck its mile-high meringue.

Not my mom’s lemon meringue, for sure.  But certainly a most worthy contender.

The Dutch
131 Sullivan Street
New York, New York 10012
212.677.6200
www.thedutchnyc.com

Posted in Dine, featured | Leave a comment

The Dutch (New York City): Chef Andrew Carmellini helps design his version of the American dream

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Harlene

Chef-partner Andrew Carmellini meshed classic New York design elements and American craftsmanship with some compelling twists at The Dutch, his critically acclaimed SoHo restaurant. Photo by Noah Fecks

Yes, it’s called The Dutch.  But this boisterous pubby-clubby SoHo eatery’s look is pure American.

Chef-partner Andrew Carmellini had about 300 inspirational photos at hand when he, along with Manhattan’s Roman and Williams, renovated this maze-like space on a lovely corner of Sullivan and Prince Streets.

The restaurant, which opened last spring, meshes “all kinds of elements — classic New York design, things I think are cool, and nods to the neighborhood,” Carmellini says.

The eatery is divided into an oyster bar, bar room and main dining room, and each space offers a unique experience, Carmellini says. Photo courtesy of Andrew Carmellini

“There’s craftsmanship there that I wanted to highlight, and it’s very New York.”

The late 19th-century building most recently housed a failed restaurant, and Carmellini worked with its existing foot print.  On the Prince Street side, The Dutch has two front rooms.  A hallway off the foyer leads to a third, slightly more formal dining area that faces Sullivan Street.  (There’s also a lower-level private dining room.)

The high-energy oyster bar and adjacent bar room are similar in tone and vibe.

Depending on the time of day, a band of uncovered casement windows and French doors allow natural light — or moonlight — to wash the rooms, particularly the corner oyster bar.  Globe pendants, dumbbell-shaped globe sconces and several oversized, theatrical hoop-and-globe fixtures provide additional lighting.  The globes are Carmellini’s wink to the lighting at the all-American Waffle House chain restaurants.

The Dutch’s color palette is crisp and clean.  There are whitewashed brick walls, black lacquered open ceilings and Pennsylvania bluestone tiled floors, which are “inspired by an old farmhouse,” Carmellini says.

Pops of azure appear in the form of glazed ceramic tiles on the bases of the rooms’ thick oak-topped, back-to-back bars.

“We really like that blue a lot,” Carmellini says.  “It’s a nod to the ocean.”

Although Carmellini's house is modern, his restaurant has a lot of nostalgic flare; he features his own personal finds, as well as light fixtures that pay homage to the Waffle House. Photo by Noah Fecks

Both bars are backed with mirrors and wood-and-industrial-pipe shelving units.  The oyster bar side displays a rotating array of “stuff I picked up over the years,” Carmellini says.  Some objects — such as shells — recall the sea, while others (a lamp, a globe) are there simply because the chef likes them.

The oyster bar also features custom-designed metal and oak barstools — think old-school chair meets Black and Decker. On the flip side, simple backless stools line the main bar.

The two rooms are furnished with solid oak-topped tables that are paired with either timeless wood banquettes or black midcentury modern–style chairs.  The chairs prevent the rooms from being “too old-timey,” Carmellini says.  “They bring some modernity to the space.”

Also bringing modernity to the The Dutch is a collection of photographs that pay tribute to New York’s “photo-art scene” of the 1980s, Carmellini says.  Exhibition posters from the storied Robert Miller and Mary Boone galleries — which repped some of the 1980s’ biggest artists — also decorate the space.

Carmellini believes the front rooms have “a little more rock-and-roll element” than the back dining room.  Traveling down that hallway — where neighborhood photos are displayed — one gets the feeling, as Carmellini intended, that they are visiting “another part of the house.”

The back dining room exudes a cozy, old-school New York clubbiness.  Contributing to the effect are the dark wood- and leather-upholstered semicircular booths and linear banquettes that fill the room.  (Among the booths and banquettes, there are also a handful of those solid oak tables, now matched with reclaimed wood school chairs.)

Carmellini and company added some funky touches — such as two "lipstick container"light fixtures — to the otherwise traditional back dining area. Photo by Noah Fecks

The handsome room uses the restaurant’s signature black-and-white color palette, but here accents it with burgundy, which appears most vividly in the high-gloss wainscoting bookending the room.  The room’s honey-stained hardwood floor, dark-chocolate gloss ceiling and traditional brass lamp sconces add additional warmth.  And café curtains, mirrors, framed photos and more objects from Carmellini’s collection provide more homey touches.

To keep the room from becoming too classic and predictable, however, Carmellini and company added two show-stopping light fixtures.  Each piece features six large red-bottomed wood canisters affixed to an oak plank.  The cylinders resemble “big lipstick containers,” Carmellini says.

“It’s a little bit steampunky for this older room.”

The Dutch
131 Sullivan Street
New York, New York 10012
212.677.6200
www.thedutchnyc.com

 

Posted in Design, featured | Leave a comment

Wish you were here — Fine is off eating in Phoenix, Arizona!

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Harlene

Hello Fine Friends,

I’m on a research trip in the Valley of the Sun.  I’ll be reporting my Phoenix finds in an upcoming edition of Fine.  While I’m gone, feel free to catch up on or revisit previous Fine posts.  And I’ll see you back here on Monday, May 14.

Have a great week!

Harlene

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Balena (Chicago): A restaurateur writes the book on pan-Italian wines

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Harlene

Balena's wine list is dedicated to Italian varietals from the country's 20 distinct regions. Photo by Jeff Kauck

Balena’s thick, leather-bound wine list tells a love story.  And Italian wine is the object of affection at this new hot-as-a-brick-oven Lincoln Park eatery.

Partner Phillip Walters, who authored the list, puts about 300 wines up on a pedestal.  About 96 percent of the book is devoted to better- and lesser-known varietals from around the boot.

“Italy isn’t one country.  It’s 20 countries wrapped up together with water around it,” Walters says.

Partner Phillip Walters authored Balena's comprehensive list and included features — such as "A Rosetta Stone of Italian Varietals" — that help diners navigate its pan-Italian offerings. Photo by Jeff Kauck

“My overall goal was to create a comprehensive list and a tribute to the great wines of Italy and all of its regions while still being accessible and easy to traverse as far as our less-experienced guest base.”

From North to South, Walters covers all of the 20 regions, devoting at least one page to each.

“Some regions have multiple pages — they have so many wines coming out of them,” Walters says.

In each case, he starts with sparklers, when applicable, and then moves into whites and reds, outlining flavor profiles for each wine.  And he notes each region’s food specialties for those who want to authentically pair their wines with chef Chris Pandel’s Italian-leaning cuisine.

So if you’re sampling Balena’s bresaola, an air-dried beef popular in Lombardy, you may want to order Pinot Noir-like Nebbiolo from the same region.  Or you may be inspired to order Aglianico with classic pizza margherita, since the two pair nicely and both hail from the Campania region.

The leather-bound list also notes foods from each region so guests can create authentic pairings. Photo by Jeff Kauck

Walters’ book also includes “A Rosetta Stone of Italian Varietals” that helps diners find Italian counterparts to some familiar wines.  Those who prefer Sauvignon Blanc may want to experience Arneis (Piedmont), Ciro Bianco (Calabria), Insolia (Sicily) or Pignoletto (Emilia-Romagna). While Malbec fans may consider Dolcetto (Piedmont), Magliocco (Calabria) or Colorino (Tuscany).

And if you really get stuck, Walters slips in a five-page glossary at the book’s end that defines everything from abbazia (“abbey”) to Xinomavro (“a red wine from Macedonia, Greece, that showcases rich red fruit and herbaceous notes”).

Xinomavro is included, by the way, because along with pan-Italian wines, Walters also features “antiquities” from Greece, Lebanon and Israel.   These countries, some of the world’s oldest wine-producing nations, had a strong influence on Italian viniculture.

Logging in at 31 pages, Walters knows not everyone will take the time to explore his masterwork, so he and his staff are on hand to make recommendations.  Still, he feels there’s an audience for his carefully thought-out and informative tome.

Jokes Walters:  “Some of [our guests] may have uninteresting dates.  And for them, it’s a good read.”

Balena
1633 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614
312.867.3888
www.balenachicago.com

Posted in Wine | Leave a comment

Balena (Chicago): Call it “Italian” or “Italian-inspired”— chef Chris Pandel’s ingredient-driven food is molto buono

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Harlene

In Italian style, chef Chris Pandel focuses on the quality of his ingredients while using simple culinary techniques at Balena, a hot new Lincoln Park eatery. Photo by Jeff Kauck

Chef Chris Pandel wants you to know something up front.

“I’m not Italian.  I’ve never been to Italy.  I’ve never worked for a great Italian chef,” says the Riverside native and kitchen maestro at Balena, Lincoln Park’s new Italianesque crowd-gatherer.  “We’re inspired by Italian food.  We’re not necessarily recreating it.”

To that I say “Chi se ne frega?!”  (Although I’m not Italian, either.)

I say “Who cares?!” — with much emotion and hand gesturing — because I have been to Italy.  And this is precisely the food you get there, whether dining in a trattoria or feasting in a friend’s home.  It’s simple.  It’s fresh.  It’s flavorful.  And you want to keep eating it until you think you’ll burst.

Balena's Italian-inspired menu enables The Bristol's former chef to explore a variety of new dishes. Photo courtesy of Eater Chicago

Balena is the new joint venture between the ultra-successful Boka Group (Girl and the Goat, GT Fish & Oyster, Perennial Virant) and the guys behind Bucktown’s beloved The Bristol.  Pandel has scooted over from The Bristol — where he garnered an enthusiastic following for his nose-to-tail cooking — to concentrate on Balena’s everything-sounds-good menu of cheeses, cured meats, small-plate starters, pizzas, pastas, entrées and sides.

“It’s a more focused route than at The Bristol,” says Pandel of the singularly inspired Balena.  “The Bristol is all over the map.”

Pandel’s rustic dishes each include approximately three or four ingredients.  He uses a wood-burning oven, a grill and a rotisserie.  But “there is no sous vide” or other high-tech kitchen equipment.

“It’s all based on simple preparation,” Pandel says.  “Nothing is overcomplicated.  It’s nice to be able to treat these ingredients the way the Italians do.”

And Italians are famed for the passion and time they put into their cooking.  At Balena, Pandel says, “it’s all about scratch cooking — whether we are doing it here or somebody who can do it better is doing it for us.”

The restaurant is committed to handmade and artisanal foods and employs its own in-house bread baker. Photo by Jeff Kauck

The restaurant employs a full-time baker, Peter Becker, who produces Balena’s fresh breads and handmade pizza dough.  Yet Pandel purchases his cured meats from Chris Eley’s well-regarded Smooking Goose in Indianapolis and imports some of his cheeses from Italy.

“Some things we can’t do here, and that’s okay,” Pandel says.  “There are some products you cannot trump.  Parmigiano-Reggiano is what it is for a reason.”

Pandel practices locavorism, but in a modified way — something we’re seeing more and more as chefs acknowledge that they can’t always procure what they (and their diners) want within a 100-mile radius.

“There are just some things you can’t get in the Midwest,” Pandel says.  “Artichokes don’t grow here.  So we have to go to a farm in California.”

At the same time, he’s furthered relationships with local farmers and purveyors that he established during his tenure at The Bristol.  Some farmers, for example, are now growing kale and escarole specifically for Balena.

“You name it, and they’re doing it for us,” Pandel says.

My friend Susan and I could have gone in a number of directions at Balena during our recent joint birthday outing.  But we decided to blow past the charcuterie, cheese and Peter’s [non-complimentary] breads and head directly into starters.

Most dishes feature only three or four fresh ingredients. Photo by Jeff Kauck

Both long-time fans of Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, we were drawn to burrata from this legendary deli, which Pandel served with roasted beets and celery root ($14).  The salad drew a flavorful pow from the simple addition of pickled red onion, fresh parsley and citrus vinaigrette.

Absolutely torn over Pandel’s pizza options, we selected a combo of mortadella, pistachio, red onion and mozzarella ($14).  Pandel’s crust is both puffy and crispy, and it served as a perfect dipper for the pizza’s accompanying hot chile oil.  Bologna-like mortadella was lightly charred, which added a welcome smokiness to the mix.

(Next time I’m going for Pandel’s signature lasagna pie with Bolognese sauce, ricotta and basil ($14) — which the chef religiously ate by the slice during his salad days in New York City, he says.)

Pasta proved another difficult choice — for all the right reasons.  Ultimately, we shared ricotta ravioli with Swiss chard and brown butter sauce ($14).  The delightfully handmade-looking pasta was doughy without being too heavy or stiff.  And it provided a nice envelope for fresh, milky ricotta blended with richness-cutting Swish chard — a terrific substitute for the ho-hum spinach that is traditionally featured in this dish.

Pulling from the entrees, Sue and I mated succulent grilled head-on prawns, juicy grapes, finger chiles and aioli ($19) with Pandel’s comforting polenta side ($6).  Our server noted that pairing the shrimp and buttery polenta would create an “Italian-inspired” shrimp and grits, and indeed it did.

Pastry chef Amanda Rockman's dessert menu showcases "composed sundaes" and her inspired takes on Italian-style sweets. Photo by Jeff Kauck

We begrudgingly stopped the clock here in order to save room for pastry chef Amanda Rockman’s desserts.  Rockman presents a selection of gelati and sorbetti  “composed sundaes,” along with a short list of classic Italian-style sweets (all $8).

Sweet dry meringue candy sticks tempered tart grapefruit and Aperol Italian ice.  Pistachio gelato was enhanced with burnt-orange caramel, confit orange and chunks of pistachio-studded fudge nougat.

We almost passed on tiramisu, fearing it would be yet another tired rendition of this tired dessert.  But a staffer relentlessly urged us to try it.  Good thing we listened.  Here, Rockman layers fluffy angel food-like cake and sweet cream and serves it with dark chocolate sauce, coffee cookie “streusel” and roasted pear.

“It’s a great riff on what’s a played-out classic,” Pandel says.  “And she had the chutzpah to put it on the menu.”

Balena
1633 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614
312.867.3888
www.balenachicago.com

Posted in Dine | 1 Comment

Balena (Chicago): Designer Karen Herold adds a beautiful sibling to a popular restaurant family

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Harlene

Designer Karen Herold took a dark, uninviting space and converted it into the new warm and welcoming Lincoln Park restaurant Balena. Photo by Jeff Kauck

People — from diners to critics — are falling hard and fast for Balena, the new Italian-kissed Lincoln Park it-spot.

And 555’s Karen Herold intended Balena’s design to charm guests as well.

“Balena is everybody’s friend,” says Herold, who was determined to make the immense, 4,200-square-foot restaurant warm and inviting.  “I don’t think anyone can walk into that space and not feel comfortable.”

Herold eschewed Tuscan-style design and instead melded industrial elements others that evoked a past-its-prime Italian seaside resort. Photo courtesy of Karen Herold

Herold is the go-to girl for the Boka Group, Chicago’s seemingly can’t-miss restaurant operation.  She designed their endlessly lauded eateries Girl and the Goat, GT Fish & Oyster and Perennial Virant.

So naturally she was called in after Boka shuttered its under-performing Landmark Grill & Lounge last June and partnered with the team from Bucktown’s acclaimed The Bristol.  The supergroup had decided to reconceptualize the slick American contemporary restaurant.

“I had just come back from Milan.  It could not have been a better time to do an Italian restaurant,” Herold says.

Although Landmark was designed to the hilt, Herold found it “super-duper dark” and unwelcoming.  So she “ripped out almost everything,” and started from scratch.

Herold had several objectives as she reworked the multi-level space.  And a main one was to brighten everything up — a lot.

She added a glass facade and atrium-like foyer, lightened the bar and dining areas’ wood block floor to show off its gorgeous end graining, and “plastered all the walls [in shades of ivory] to bring light in.”

An important design goal was to brighten up the space, so Herold brought in a plethora of lights, including these glowing "birds' nest" pendants. Photo by Jeff Kauck

She also brought in light by actually bringing in lights — from the Italian handcrafted, trumpet-like fixtures that project from the wall in the bar area’s dining section to the twinkling “birds’ nest” pendants that hang over the main dining room.

“I wanted a glow to make it feel like most of the room is lit up with Christmas lights,” Herold says.

Endlessly imaginative, Herold eschewed a predictably rustic-Tuscan look for the 218-seat Balena.  Instead, she created something entirely unique.  She meshed the industrial/architectural components of the two old buildings that house Balena — the main room’s soaring, wood-clad “doghouse” ceiling and the massive rolling fire doors that create entries into the side dining area — with numerous “vintage revival” elements that are “a wink to the past,” she says.

Herold wanted to reference the past-its-prime, well-worn look of the Italian seaside resort city of Rimini, which experienced its heyday in the 1950s/60s.  So for example, Balena’s expansive north side was transformed into  a wall billboard painted with the faintly readable words “fra mani” — a loose translation of “handmade,” and a nod to chef Chris Pandel’s craft cooking style.  Herold outlined the phrase with neon lights that work in spots, but are burned out or purposely broken in others.  And she added a band of colored carnival bulbs — some turned on, others off — at the top.

“It looks like a wall that just always been there that we didn’t bother to fix,” Herold says.

Leather wainscoting and ceramic light fixtures are meant to evoke Italy circa 1950-60. Photo by Jeff Kauck

The long leather-topped/embossed sheet metal-based main bar is lined with handsome saddle-stitched brown leather barstools.  The stools are meant to evoke “the interior of an Italian Ferrari of the ’60s.”  And the sage-green stitched leather wainscoting that covers some of the restaurant’s walls is intended to have once appeared stylish, “but now looks sad and dorky,” Herold says.  (Although some would argue it still looks “in.”)

Herold “layers” her designs, so some objects that may go unnoticed during one visit reveal themselves during another.  Take her bar-area highboys, which are paired with mod leather shell stools.  The tables are made from wood planks that have vintage Italian ads printed directly on them; after being printed, the planks were sandblasted, sanded and stained.  Diners perhaps won’t see the various words and colors “until the tenth time they sit there,” Herold says.

Simultaneously, Herold created or brought in a number of can’t-miss focal pieces that make the vast space more intimate:  a rolling stack of crates that serves as the host stand;  a 555-fabricated pastel glass wall clock; and the imposing reclaimed wood beam back bar that appears to hang by thick industrial chains from the ceiling (but is actually bolted to the wall).

The immense restaurant called for large-scale pieces — such as the feature table and custom-made wall clock — to prevent it from being cold and cavernous. Photo by Jeff Kauck

One of the designer’s favorite pieces is the giant round feature table that stands amid a sea of sanded wood dining tables and rust leather and wood faux folding chairs. The table holds an array of lovely objects ranging from a towering floral arrangement to an old wooden silverware box.

“It’s really more about what’s on the table than the table itself,” Herold says.

The table adds a homey touch to the room.  Herold further brings European-style hominess to Balena through architectural details.  Around the restaurant there are built-ins (niches, arches, a buffet), and a series of wire-screened cabinets that the designer filled with vintage and new pastel-colored glassware, dishes, ceramics and more.

Herold incorporated homey European-style built-in cabinets that hold vintage-style collections of glass and dishware. Photo by Jeff Kauck

“It needed to look like your kitchen cabinets.  There’s old crap and new crap,” Herold says.

Herold left no space untouched.  She smartly enclosed the restaurant’s once-open, step-up kitchen behind arched glass windows, so diners in the side room can peek in on the activity without being thrown into it.  And she popped in two counter seats for those who do want to be part of the action.

She also spruced up the basement, where she created a wine cellar-like private event room.  And a once underutilized mezzanine dining room is now a sought-after hideaway for those seeking a respite from the see-and-be-seen main floor.  The upstairs space features sink-into ivory upholstered banquettes, a lovely Italian ceramic tile-faced bar, and large windows that overlook bustling Halsted Street.

Herold lured diners upstairs by adding a curved staircase where a straight one stood before.

“The moment where you curve it and swoop it — it becomes an inviting thing,” Herold says.  “It becomes the next place you’re going, and not a lesser place than where you’ve been.”

Balena
1633 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614
312.867.3888
www.balenachicago.com

Posted in Design | Leave a comment

Slurping Turtle (Chicago): Guests drink in Japanese izakaya culture at a lively River North gathering spot

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Harlene

Sake is hugely popular at Japanese izakayas, so it is prominently featured on Slurping Turtle's beverage menu. Photo by Alex Janowski

Chef Takashi Yagihashi created Slurping Turtle, his latest restaurant venture, to give Chicagoans a taste —and a sip — of izakaya culture.

Best described as Japanese-style tapas bars, izakayas are as much about the drinks as they are about the food.  They’re casual places where people stop off to relax, quaff a sake or two and grab a nibble before heading home for the evening.

So, in terms of beverages, “we offer what is typically offered in an izakaya — sake, beer, hard drinks,” says Tyson Dias, Slurping Turtle’s general manager.

Slurping Turtle's Tyson Dias says sake and beer easily outsell wine at the River North eatery. Photo by Alex Janowski

The hopping River North gathering place also features a small selection of affordable wines by the bottle and glass.  But wine isn’t particularly popular with the restaurant’s clientele.  “Our sake sales are much higher than our wine sales, which is unusual for our neighborhood,” Dias says.

He attributes that unanticipated discrepancy in part to Slurping Turtle’s easy-to-follow sake guide.

“It’s a menu that’s approachable for the beginner or advanced [sake] drinker,” Dias says.

With the help of Slurping  Turtle’s twee cartoon mascot, Tabo, the unintimidating menu is clearly broken down into categories that explain the characteristics of this Japanese fermented rice beverage  — “clean and smooth,” “aromatic,” “bold/sophisticated” and  “cloudy/bubbly.’’

Dressed in Hugh Hefner attire, mascot Tabo guides guests through the menu's "bold/sophisticated" sakes.

For sake-philes, it further lists each offering’s city of origin and its special designation (e.g., junmai, junmai ginjo, or nigori).  These designations indicate the product’s quality and are based on the purity of the ingredients as well as the degree to which the rice was milled during processing.

Beer also outpaces wine at Slurping Turtle.  The eatery highlights Japanese brews along with a small selection of Midwestern craft beers.

“We offer as many Japanese beers as we are able to import into Chicago,” Dias says.  The restaurant serves 11 bottled imports as well as a selection of drafts.  Some brews are commonly found in Japanese-American eateries (Kirin and Sapporo lager), and others (Baird Angry Boy Brown Ale, Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout), much less so.

The restaurant’s Japanese beer sales are brisk because “people want to try and taste new things,” Dias says.

All the beverages were designed to complement the eatery’s izakaya-style offerings, “whether it’s a cold sashimi dish or something from the grill,” Dias says.

Food-friendly cocktails incorporate Japanese liquors and Asian flavors and ingredients. Photo by Alex Janowski

So signature cocktails (all $12) either showcase Japanese liquors or work in Asian flavors and ingredients that play off Takashi’s small-plates offerings and noodle-based dishes.  Some do both.

Several drinks spotlight shochu, a hard liquor that is widely consumed in Japan.  These include the mojito-inspired Shojito (shochu, lime, fresh mint and soda), and the Kokusaiji (shochu, cranberry and pomegranate juices, Cointreau).

The aromatic Aka Chochin, for example, mixes in lemongrass syrup and fresh lemongrass along with Ketel One Citroen and pomegranate juice.  And the wittily named Lost in Translation features Suntory whisky, sweet vermouth and ginger syrup.  (Movie buffs will remember that Bill Murray played Suntory’s “intensity”-challenged commercial spokesman in the 2003 film “Lost in Translation.”)

“Our beverage menu is very versatile for those looking to sample something great and different,” says Dias — with intensity.

Slurping Turtle
116 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, Illinois  60654
312.464.0466
http://slurpingturtle.com/home.php

Posted in Wine | Leave a comment

Slurping Turtle (Chicago): Slow and steady wins the race when exploring chef Takashi Yagihashi’s extensive izakaya-style menu

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Harlene

Chef-owner Takashi Yagihashi brings Japanese izakaya-inspired eating to River North with an extensive menu of small plates that includes sashimi and grilled bites. Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

People have been racing to Slurping Turtle since this casual eatery from fine-dining pro Takashi Yagihashi (Takashi) opened its doors in November.

Once there, however, I suggest you take it slow.  Real slow.  Provided you can even get into this jam-packed, no-reservations River North destination dining spot.

“My idea is to have an izakaya,” or the Japanese equivalent of a tapas bar, says Takashi.

“That’s one of the izakaya rules — when you go, the menu has to be pretty large.”

And Slurping Turtle’s menu is large indeed.  The idea is that guests will come often and always find something interesting to eat, the chef says.

Takashi serves a handful of noodle and rice entrées for those who want to hang out and get a taste of Japanese home-style cooking. Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

“Before you go home [for the evening], you have a drink and an appetizer or a quick bite,” says Takashi, explaining the izakaya culture.  But for those who prefer to stay, Takashi also added filling, home-style Japanese noodle and rice dishes to his comprehensive list of sashimi, dumplings, hot tapas and grilled skewers.

And trust me, once you start working on the menu, you aren’t going to want to go anywhere — least of all home.  So pacing is highly recommended.

“For a cold, fresh start,” Takashi offers sashimi.  No sushi, just sashimi.  Because in Japan, authentic izakayas don’t serve sushi, and in Chicago “everybody does sushi,” Takashi says.  “If you want sushi, you can go to a sushi restaurant.”

Although Takashi encourages diners to make their selections in any order they wish, our group started at the top in the “sashimi bar.”

If The Husband spies octopus — or ceviche — on the menu, it’s a given that he’ll go for it.  And so along with good-sport friends Deb and Tom, we were off and running with ceviche ($11).  Takashi gives this Latin-inspired dish a Japanese makeover by tossing fresh baby octopus, Hokkaido scallops, shrimp and squid (along with pear tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and radicchio) with a crisp yuzu and toasted sesame-oil dressing.

A section of the menu is devoted to dumplings and hot tapas such as the glazed pork-belly snack (above). Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

Not particularly in the mood for sashimi, our group moved quickly into Slurping Turtle’s dumplings and hot tapas section, and happily lingered there for a bit.  Sticky and sweet, the finger-licking pork-belly snack ($8) rested atop a marshmallow disc of a bun, and got a well-deserved vinegary kick from its pickled cuke and onion garnish.  Simple shumai ($7), with head-clearing hot mustard, held a delicate ball of minced pork and shrimp inside its soft noodle casing.

“KFC gone wild,” is how Tom, I believe, described duck fat-fried chicken ($7).  Indeed, far better than your average breaded chicken tender, the crispy breaded bites were served with a feisty Sriracha mayonnaise.  We also sampled crispy (on the outside) curry croquettes ($7).  Mildly oniony, their soft mashed-potato centers were outrageously tasty mixed with the accompanying curry mustard and light and crunchy slaw.

Slurping Turtle offers about 30 simply prepared items grilled over bincho charcoal. Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

Then it was bincho time.  Here, Takashi focuses on little items (all manner of chicken parts, fish and seafood, meat, veggies, and even foie gras) that come off his searing-hot bincho charcoal grill.  Takashi doesn’t even bother calling them “small plates.”  “It’s a tiny portion,” he says of the dishes that hover in the $3 to $5 range.  A few offerings, such as quail with quail eggs ($7) or the foie gras ($12), run a bit higher.

Japanese grilled bites have become somewhat trendy around town, with several yakatori-inspired restaurants opening in the last year alone.  But Takashi believes Slurping Turtle distinguishes itself on two counts — in its simplicity of preparation (a splash of teriyaki sauce, a dash of salt and pepper), and with the sheer number of grillable items available (almost 30 during our visit).

“We do very limited sauces, dressings and garnishes, but you can choose many different items,” says Takashi, who believes his competitors offer more — and less — respectively.

We surveyed the landscape and settled on five plates, although numerous other dishes (save the popular hatsu, or chicken hearts) appealed.  All impressed with their ability to stand on their own with little muss or fuss:  eel ($5); Washugyu, a hybrid Black Angus and Wagyu beef ($10); gooey eggplant ($3); juicy trumpet royal mushrooms ($4); and fiery shishito peppers ($3) with a dusting of fishy bonito flakes.

Noodles come in broth or stir-frys, and tan tan men has emerged as one of the eatery's signature dishes. Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

In it for the long haul, we selected two noodle dishes — one broth-based, the other stir-fried. Tan tan men ($14) has quickly become one of the menu’s signature dishes.  It doesn’t hurt that one of the city’s most tear-inducing critics, and I’m paraphrasing here, said she would do almost anything in the name of tan tan men.  While there are many things our group would not do in the name of tan tan men, we all agreed we’d order it again without question.  So much good is going down in this bowl of whole wheat egg noodles and chile-infused miso broth — which also features ground pork, spicy homemade sausage, peapods, bok choy and bean sprouts.

However, not to be overshadowed by tan tan men is chiyan pon ($14), which is one of those savory stir-fried egg noodle dishes you can’t keep your fork — or chopsticks — out of, no matter how you try.  It arrived bursting with shrimp, scallops and vegetables, and I continued poking at it long after I rightfully should have stopped.

With just the tiniest bit of prodding, I enticed a sated Deb and Tom with Takashi’s desserts.  The whimsical list includes Japanese sundaes and the chef’s beloved cream puffs ($3.50), here infused with green tea, vanilla or coconut.

Takashi's roots are in Asian fusion fine dining, as evidenced by his colorful Japanese- flavored dessert macaroons. Photo by Tyllie Barbosa

“Cream puffs are very popular in Japan.  When I was a kid, I was crazy about them,” Takashi says.

We, however, ordered up an assortment of Japanese-flavored macaroons ($1.80 each), a pastry idea the chef borrowed from a French chef who is a friend back in Japan.

The rainbow-colored sandwich cookies were filled with enticing pairings such as raspberry-wasabi, chocolate-sesame and caramel-soy.  And slowly, steadily — and happily — we finished the race.

 

Slurping Turtle
116 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, Illinois  60654
312.464.0466
http://slurpingturtle.com/home.php

Posted in Dine | Leave a comment

Slurping Turtle (Chicago): A designer draws inspiration from “The Hollywood Squares,” Japanese tapas bars and more at an industrial-chic noodle shop

Share this Fine post with: Pin It

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Harlene

Designer Francois Geneve kept the room's existing features — concrete floors, open ceiling and block brick walls — and added warming elements to avoid an overly industrial look. Photo by Jola Jablonska

Chef Takashi Yagihashi (Takashi) long had his eye on an industrial-chic space in Chicago’s electric River North area.  But the room — with its exposed mechanicals, concrete floors and block walls — just wasn’t quite right for the eponymous, upscale restaurant he ultimately brought to Bucktown in 2007.

Then Takashi decided to open Slurping Turtle, a casual Japanese izakaya-style eatery, and the River North space was perfect.  Well, sort of.

Designer Francois Geneve was brought in to customize the tall and narrow room (a former Calvin Klein store) to suit the chef’s needs.

The designer created a floor plan that was highly functional and enabled the popular eatery to seat the maximum number of guests. Photo courtesy of Francois Geneve

“We struggled for several months with the layout,” Geneve says.  On a limited budget, he worked to give Takashi ample kitchen space while fitting in a sufficient number of seats.  They wound up with 86, which have been filled almost constantly since Slurping Turtle opened in late November.

“We pretty much had a blank slate to create anything we wanted,” Geneve says.  Constrained by his budget, however, Geneve worked with what he was given, and “selected to do a rather industrial look.”

“I worked with this instead of trying to cover it up.”

He also sectioned the room into three distinct zones.  Bookending the space are an open kitchen in back and a multi-level front dining area.  The center section houses a geometric bar, three end-to-end communal dining tables, and a row of elevated booths.

Geneve and Takashi vacillated between “doing something trendy or something traditional.”  And they came up with something “in between,” Geneve says.

“We didn’t want it to be overly Asian, but we wanted it have a Japanese flavor,” says Geneve.  Izakayas — Japanese tapas bars — traditionally offer communal and private dining spaces.  And Geneve’s design includes both.  His private “bento box” structures are wittily set in a two-tiered grid against the restaurant’s expansive glass front window.   The mezzanine level of wood boxes prevents the space, with its soaring 16-foot ceiling, from becoming too cavernous.

Multi-tiered private dining boxes are a contemporary spin on the intimate eating areas found in traditional Japanese izayakis. Photo by Jola Jablonska

“I decided to call it ‘The Hollywood Squares’ set,” Geneve says.  It’s particularly fun to look at the eatery from the street; the designer intentionally wanted passersby to wonder, “What are those people doing in those boxes?”

The boxes (as well as the dining-room booths) hold comfy love seats that Geneve upholstered in a neutral nylon mesh.  The fabric “has a little bit of texture and pattern that is reminiscent of the wood’s texture,” Geneve says.

“I did not want to disrupt the idea of the box.”

The designer aimed to offset “the unfinished nature of the walls, ceiling and floor,” and prevent the eatery from appearing “too industrial.”  So he specified white Corian for the table and bar tops; white oak for elements such as booth backs, table bases and other millwork; and white back and seat coverings for the mod metal bar stools and chairs.

A few swathes of red — behind the bar and across the kitchen, for example — were also used “to add a little bit of warmth and life.”

A view from the mezzanine level gives diners a bird's-eye view of the bustling kitchen and busy dining room. Photo by Jola Jablonska

And the red serves as a visual cue for diners.  “Where the activity is going to take place, it’s color-coordinated,” the designer says.

(Geneve had originally designed red box-like structures to run up the walls and across the ceiling to further delineate Slurping Turtle’s three distinct areas.  But the structures were never built.  The red painted stripes where the boxes would have stood remain, and serve as a decorative feature.)

In order to add greater warmth and another dash of Asian flavor, the designer placed amber metal drum lights in the room’s center.  And to break up the large stretch of the main dining room’s block wall, Geneve affixed a beguiling blow-up childhood photo of Takashi’s father and aunt in traditional Japanese garb to the wall.

The sepia-tinted vintage portrait provides “a nice balance to the [restaurant’s] modern, contemporary elements,” Geneve says.

“It was what the space needed to give it a human touch.”

Slurping Turtle
116 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, Illinois  60654
312.464.0466
http://slurpingturtle.com/home.php

Posted in Design | Leave a comment