Time and time again, I have a fantastic meal in a nearly empty restaurant and I am left scratching my head and wondering "what's going on here?" Often times, the reasons for a restaurant's success or failure depend on a mix of marketing and location rather than on food and experience. Considering this, I dream of a dining industry in Chicago that is more of a meritocracy, where success is determined first by what is on the plate.
My recent seven-course tasting at Sweets and Savories is a perfect example of a meal that delighted me but left me a bit melancholy over their collection of empty Friday-night tables.
Sweets and Savories is a contemporary, casual, fine-dining restaurant with a French-inspired menu. It is the brain-child of David Richards, formerly of Chef's Station in Evanston. When S&S first opened last year, they received a lot of praise and a lot of attention for their kobe beef burger topped with foie gras and truffle mayo. While I'm sure this burger is rich and delicious, it's exactly the opposite of what I wanted to eat on a 90-degree June evening. My wife and I opted for the chef's tasting: a seven-course, sixty dollar steal that would give us a tour of the best of the evening's offerings. (I included the $30 wine pairings).A brief re-cap with my reactions:
Tomato-saffron fondant with creme fraiche, oranges, frisee, and mint. This first course did exactly what it was supposed to do. It awoke my senses, relaxed, and refreshed me. It had fresh, bright, green flavors and was cool and slightly creamy. The Mantaza's Creek sauvignon blanc was the best pairing of the evening.
The next course upped the acidity and the heft with a crab, scallop, and shrimp ceviche, topped with citrus tobiko and poppy seeds. Perfectly textured, high quality, and full of flavor. This course won the award of most creative pairing: a mini mojito in a liqueur glass.
Next came the highlight of the evening for me. A small fillet of pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with heirloom tomatoes, corn butter, and lobster veloute. This dish was simple, fresh, and reminded you about everything you enjoy about summer dining. Paired with a Michael Sullberg Chardonnay.
The meatiest course was probably my least favorite (but only due to a slight mis-step). The rosemary-grilled pork tenderloin was served at a perfect medium-rare with a comforting home-style corn pudding. It is unfortunate that the dish was dominated by an overly sweet and aggressively acidic pomegranate BBQ sauce (which even obliterated the cabernet that it was paired with). If not for the sauce, this could have been the best course of the night. I did sincerely appreciate how it tasted like a playful twist on a summer picnic BBQ.
A very civilized salad course followed the meat. Baby arugula with asparagus and fennel, topped with grana cheese lemon and white truffle oil: Again the chef took strong advantage of the season and dressed excellent ingredients very simply.
Our salad was followed by a dark chocolate sorbet which was among the creamiest sorbets that I've ever had. If you would have called it ice cream, I'd have believed you. Simply delicious. (More of an intermezzo than a course, but I'll let it slide).
Finally, a wild-blueberry cream soda with vanilla gelato and fresh mint paired with a sweet sparkling moscato. A very enjoyable dessert that may have been slightly over-sized for it's position in the dinner, but it was hard to resist the berries and cream.
If that wasn't enough, we devoured the rosemary, orange truffles that arrived with the check.
Looking back, I was extremely impressed and very pleased. All the dishes were of a very high quality and the progression carried the theme of the season beautifully. If I were to change one thing about the order of courses, I could have done without the one-two punch of the sorbet and cream soda. I would have preferred a fruitier, icier sorbet between the fish and the meat. But that (and the BBQ sauce) hardly detract that Chef Richards has what it takes, and I left very, very happy.
The service was stellar: friendly, attentive, and inviting. I really couldn't ask for anything more.
At sixty dollars this meal may be one of the most extraordinary values in the city. You can have a progression once a season at Sweets and Savories for the price of one meal at one of our four-star hotspots. The fact that I was able to make a last-minute reservation on a Friday (that I didn't even need), is a crime. Chicagoans and (visitors to Chicago) should be filling up this restaurant night after night.
Where are you, Chicago?
Check out Sweets and Savories at 1534 W. Fullerton (just east of Ashland) 773-281-6778. Free parking at the Pennzoil station after 7pm. www.sweetsandsavorieschicago.com (The web page has a soundtrack, beware).
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