Showing posts with label bar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bar. Show all posts
Friday, November 10, 2017
Bavettes Bar Boeuf
Bavettes Bar Boeuf
Location: 218 W Kinzie
Cost: About $70 per person
Many of you may not know this, but I am not long for this city (more to come on the future of JEC). One of the reasons Ive had less frequency of posting is because Ive been going back to my favorite places that Ive already written about. There are still some places on a bucket list of sorts though. My friend Ashley and I were in the mood for a good steak. She was finishing up a rotation of overnight shifts, and I was closing out my second month on the Transplant service, making a celebratory meal even more appropriate. So we ended up checking out Bavettes Bar & Boeuf.
Logistics
Bavettes is off Kinzie just West of the Merchandise Mart. If you werent looking for it, youd walk right by. Its got a very dark and classy vibe with plenty of hard wood inside. Theyve got a lengthy bar where I enjoyed an old fashioned while waiting for Ashley to get off work. Getting a reservation is key and can be a bit tough during popular time slots. They also dont take parties larger than 6. Our service was spot on, although I dont know if our waiter picked up on Ashleys "limited" tastes when making recommendations. As with many steakhouses, the price depends on what youre going for, but theyve got plenty of entrees around $30.
The Food
We got the meal started with the Smoked Whitefish Ceasar Salad and the Peppered Duck and Goat Cheese Terrine. Both dishes were great. The salad was heavy on the fish and had the right amount of thick, savory dressing. The terrine had a smooth texture that went well with the toast points when topped with the apricot preserves on the side. The goat cheese added more texture than flavor and was a bit lost in the dish to me though.
From there Ashley got the Filet, and I got the Classic Ribeye. My steak had a simple salt rub. There was a sear on the top and a solid medium rare center. Like many of their steaks it came with a side of creamy bearnaise. For our sides we got the Elote Style Corn and the Buttery Mashed Potatoes. The corn had a spicy and creamy kick while the potatoes had plenty of garlic and this chicken gravy that put them just over the edge.
Overall
Bavettes just has that right steakhouse feel down. Theres a classy yet trendy environment, a variety of price points, and a bunch of little twists on steakhouse standards. The only dish I would replace in my experience was the Terrine. Im giving them 4.5 out of 5 Pearls and wish I had the time to go back before skipping town.
Cost: About $70 per person
Many of you may not know this, but I am not long for this city (more to come on the future of JEC). One of the reasons Ive had less frequency of posting is because Ive been going back to my favorite places that Ive already written about. There are still some places on a bucket list of sorts though. My friend Ashley and I were in the mood for a good steak. She was finishing up a rotation of overnight shifts, and I was closing out my second month on the Transplant service, making a celebratory meal even more appropriate. So we ended up checking out Bavettes Bar & Boeuf.
Logistics
Bavettes is off Kinzie just West of the Merchandise Mart. If you werent looking for it, youd walk right by. Its got a very dark and classy vibe with plenty of hard wood inside. Theyve got a lengthy bar where I enjoyed an old fashioned while waiting for Ashley to get off work. Getting a reservation is key and can be a bit tough during popular time slots. They also dont take parties larger than 6. Our service was spot on, although I dont know if our waiter picked up on Ashleys "limited" tastes when making recommendations. As with many steakhouses, the price depends on what youre going for, but theyve got plenty of entrees around $30.
The Food
We got the meal started with the Smoked Whitefish Ceasar Salad and the Peppered Duck and Goat Cheese Terrine. Both dishes were great. The salad was heavy on the fish and had the right amount of thick, savory dressing. The terrine had a smooth texture that went well with the toast points when topped with the apricot preserves on the side. The goat cheese added more texture than flavor and was a bit lost in the dish to me though.
The Peppered Duck and Goat Cheese Terrine
The Smoked Whitefish Ceasar Salad
From there Ashley got the Filet, and I got the Classic Ribeye. My steak had a simple salt rub. There was a sear on the top and a solid medium rare center. Like many of their steaks it came with a side of creamy bearnaise. For our sides we got the Elote Style Corn and the Buttery Mashed Potatoes. The corn had a spicy and creamy kick while the potatoes had plenty of garlic and this chicken gravy that put them just over the edge.
The Ribeye
The Filet
The Elote Corn
The Mashed Potatoes
Overall
Bavettes just has that right steakhouse feel down. Theres a classy yet trendy environment, a variety of price points, and a bunch of little twists on steakhouse standards. The only dish I would replace in my experience was the Terrine. Im giving them 4.5 out of 5 Pearls and wish I had the time to go back before skipping town.
Available link for download
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Bar Pastoral
Bar Pastoral
Location: 2947 N Broadway
Cost: About $40 per person
Being on a winter staycation and all, I took a day to hang with Ka downtown. I was all excited about our plans to go ice skating, but the rain quickly turned that into an afternoon of shopping horror. She even tried to get me a job as a doctor at the American Girl hospital. Luckily for me, the company was in good spirits and we had some catching up to do. Afterward we grabbed The Professor from work and headed north. The plan then became to find a place between the Ericas and Pam for us all to meet for dinner, and we came across Bar Pastoral.
Logistics
Right next to a store of artisinal products, Pastoral has a cozy wine bar that was bustling on what turned out to be a cold and rainy winter night. Theyve got a dozen seats at the bar and a bunch of small tables in a dimly lit room. They take diners on a first come basis and our party filled out before a few other groups of four, just in time to get the last large table.
The bartender was entertaining while we waited and did not lead us astray as far as our wine selections went. The waitress made sure to point out which framed pictures on the wall corresponded to the animals whod made the cheeses on our plate. On top of her humor she was efficient. Most of our bottles of wine were in the $40-$50 range, and the small plates were around $10 each.
The Food
The menu is split up into a cheeses, meats, and then a variety of plates to be shared based on size. We started with one of the "small" items, the Beet Salad. There were plenty of golden and purple beets with endive in between all covered in a long named dressing that ended in vinaigrette. The dish was a little bland overall and if anything too peppery.
Up next was the homemade Chicken Liver Mousse topped with beet jelly and served with a side of butter pickles. It was straight up unctuous, and the sweetness of the beets rang true this time.
After that came our cheese platter. With a highlight specialty from Champaign, a goat from Vermont, a French Blue, and a Gouda from Holland, it was a very strong showing. The accoutrements went well too. The fudge and blue cheese was probably my favorite combo.
Lastly we had the Duck Leg Confit, one of the "Not So Small" items. I think the meat started to come off the bone when I bumped the table reaching for my fork. The crispy lentils on the side were a waste of space on the plate, providing a crunch with no flavor but proving difficult to eat. I was hoping the squash and the apple wouldve provided the sweetness you usually get on the side with a leg of duck, but they were a bit bland.
Overall
Between the wine selection and the snacks that were more than substantial enough to make a meal, we were all pleased with Bar Pastoral. They performed well on duck and chicken liver, two of my favorite items, and although cheese makes up a significant proportion of my diet already, theres always room for a little more in an upscale presentation. Im giving them 4 out of 5 Pearls.
Cost: About $40 per person
Being on a winter staycation and all, I took a day to hang with Ka downtown. I was all excited about our plans to go ice skating, but the rain quickly turned that into an afternoon of shopping horror. She even tried to get me a job as a doctor at the American Girl hospital. Luckily for me, the company was in good spirits and we had some catching up to do. Afterward we grabbed The Professor from work and headed north. The plan then became to find a place between the Ericas and Pam for us all to meet for dinner, and we came across Bar Pastoral.
Ka!
(and the little girl Eric will never be able to replace)
Logistics
Right next to a store of artisinal products, Pastoral has a cozy wine bar that was bustling on what turned out to be a cold and rainy winter night. Theyve got a dozen seats at the bar and a bunch of small tables in a dimly lit room. They take diners on a first come basis and our party filled out before a few other groups of four, just in time to get the last large table.
The bartender was entertaining while we waited and did not lead us astray as far as our wine selections went. The waitress made sure to point out which framed pictures on the wall corresponded to the animals whod made the cheeses on our plate. On top of her humor she was efficient. Most of our bottles of wine were in the $40-$50 range, and the small plates were around $10 each.
The Food
The menu is split up into a cheeses, meats, and then a variety of plates to be shared based on size. We started with one of the "small" items, the Beet Salad. There were plenty of golden and purple beets with endive in between all covered in a long named dressing that ended in vinaigrette. The dish was a little bland overall and if anything too peppery.
The Beet Salad
Up next was the homemade Chicken Liver Mousse topped with beet jelly and served with a side of butter pickles. It was straight up unctuous, and the sweetness of the beets rang true this time.
The Chicken Liver Mousse
After that came our cheese platter. With a highlight specialty from Champaign, a goat from Vermont, a French Blue, and a Gouda from Holland, it was a very strong showing. The accoutrements went well too. The fudge and blue cheese was probably my favorite combo.
The Cheese Platter
Lastly we had the Duck Leg Confit, one of the "Not So Small" items. I think the meat started to come off the bone when I bumped the table reaching for my fork. The crispy lentils on the side were a waste of space on the plate, providing a crunch with no flavor but proving difficult to eat. I was hoping the squash and the apple wouldve provided the sweetness you usually get on the side with a leg of duck, but they were a bit bland.
The Duck Leg Confit
Overall
Between the wine selection and the snacks that were more than substantial enough to make a meal, we were all pleased with Bar Pastoral. They performed well on duck and chicken liver, two of my favorite items, and although cheese makes up a significant proportion of my diet already, theres always room for a little more in an upscale presentation. Im giving them 4 out of 5 Pearls.
Available link for download
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