Food4Talk

Note: This picture of the citrus salad is from the Province website.

Province
www.provincerestaurant.com
161 N. Jefferson St.
(norhteast corner of Jefference and Randolph)
Chicago, IL 60661
312.669.9900

The Background: Reva, Charlie, and I were at Province on Friday, September 11, 2009 for dinner.  Reva and I were a little early and Charlie was a little late (which nevers happens).  Prior to Charlie’s arrival, we (I, Reva doesn’t drink) ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Grove Mill, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2007.  I began my first glass, as Reva and I caught up on books and movies.  However, when we started to worry, Charlie appeared.

The Food: Overall, the presentation of the food and the food itself were very good.  I appreciated how the menu was arranged: bites, raw, soup/salads, small, big, bigger, and vegetables.  Prior to ordering we were brought on a small piece of toast a tasty morsel of chopped jicama, corn, garlic and cilantro(?). I ordered the House Cold Smoked Salmon “Cone”.  It was literaly a bite packed full of flavor.  It could be conceivably two bites if you were on a date trying to impress someone. Then, I ordered the Green Acres Farms Beets & Radish Salad with goat cheese &olive oil. Now that was good. For my entree, the Gunthorp Farms Rabbit Confit in a marcona almond emulsion was tasty but slightly saltier than I would have liked.

Reva ordered the Softshell Crab Bisque with sherry and peppers for her first course.  She loves her soup extremely, extremely hot and on that score Province delivered.  We have eaten out many, many times and I cannot tell you how many times Reva will make the request for EXTREMELY hot soup only to get back warm soup.  It boggles the mind but I digress.  For her entree, the House Ground Cheddar Burger (with out brioche roll), potato frites, and house made ketchup.

Charlies first taste was the House Smoked Sable Ceviche with hawaiian papaya.  I said it looked delicous and he agreed it was.  His entre was the Lavender-Honey Glazed Rotisserie Natural Chicken with cress salad and salsa verde.

We all like the food because there was that two to three minute period when everyone begins eating and nothing is said; just savor the meal.

The Wine: 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Grove Mill, Marlborough, New Zealand.  I really liked it and thought it blended well with my meal.

The Service: We found our waitress to be, let’s say, distracted most of the time we were there.  When a large crowd came in we lost her completely.  We were all annoyed by the disappearing waitress.  Reva and Charlie rarely get visibly annoyed (I’m the emotional one), but when the waitress disappeared for the umpteenth time (okay, to be fair, the fourth or fith time), they were annoyed to the point of not leaving a 20% tip. It may have even been less than 15%.  They always leave a 20% or more tip even for adequate service.  I can not remember what I left but I suspect I would have supported them.   The bus staff and another wait person were excellent and were instrumental in having visible annoyance not turn into anger and possibly a horrible review.

The Ambience: When I walked in I noticed that the space was open and airy.  I found it appealing.  The noise level for most of our meal was manageable because the restaurant was not populated.  As it became more so, the noise level rose but not to the point of unbearable.

A few more details: We talked about their latest trip to Lake Tahoe, work, books, movies and generational differences in the workplace.  As always with Reva and Charlie, it was a nice evening. Defnitely one of our more quiet ones.  But with good friends, sometimes very few words are needed.

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Bin 36
www.bin36.com
339 N. Dearborn St.
(at Marina City)
Chicago, IL 60610
312.755.WINE (9463)

The Background: Bin 36 was made for Fridays after work.  Okay, the reality is that Bin 36 was made for everyday after work.  The wine and food pairings are a delight to my palate.  CYT and I were at Bin 36 on Friday, August 21, 2009 for dinner. It had been awhile since both of us has been there on separate occasions. CYT’s previous experience was not so great.  My previous experiences (dining and wine tastng class) were good.

The Food: The food was excellent. I had the Applewood Smoked Bacon Sausage with the fried green tomato, sunnyside up quail egg, arugula pesto as an appetizer.  I felt guilty about ordering such a fat-laden dish but that lasted all of zero seconds once I tasted it.  I cannot remember what Cathy has as an appetizer but,  for our entrée, we had the  Seared Striped Bass with fingerling potato & green bean salad, “broken” red pepper vinaigrette.

Brian Duncan, the Wne Director, stopped by our table to say “hello.”  When we ordered a dessert of a Cappucino Crème Brulée, we were positively delighted when Brian recommended the PX Grand Reserva Sherry.  The two together were a flavor explosion with sweetness, cappucino, blackberries, and I am not sure what else because I my sensory palates were preoccupied with goodness.

Kudos to Chef Caputo!

The Wine: I started with and continued through dinner with the 2007 Viognier, Casa Silva, Colchagua Valley, Chile.  It’s described on the menu as “[a] great sipping wine, it‘s all fabulous with minerals, white peach and juicy melon.”  Okay.    All I know is that I liked it while I sat at the bar waiting for CYT and it seemed to go well with dinner.

The Service: Our service was also excellent.  Our waiter’s name was Chris and he was delightful; he was conversational but not chatty and attentive without being obtrusive.

The Ambience:  I am very sensitive to light, so I thought it was well lighted.  I generally like to dine around 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. so it was not crowded, which always adds to my dining experience.

A few more details:  I was very early and decided to do valet instead of look for street parking.  When I got
out the car something was not quite right but I could not put my finger on it.  Well, I soon discovered it was because I had on mismatched shoes; one black sandal and one white sandal (While driving to Bin36, I started to change shoes).  I tried running after the valet guy but to no avail.  I was headed into the restaurant thinking this could be an interesting story to tell when I saw the valet guy and got the right sandal.  I was a half-hour which almost never happens so I took a seat at the bar.  So, I ordered a glass of wine and perused the menu.  Of course, I was trying to stay distracted because I am want to become apart of conversation.  It must be the wine.

By the time I started on glass number two, CYT still had not arrived  and I thought  I saw the part owner and sommelier engaged in conversation with his buddies.  Either it was him or a clean shaven and cooler version of Darius Brook, and former member of Hootie and the Blowfish.  Either way, I decided against any please notice me moments, and started wrting in my journal at the bar.  I know, it was kind of a nerdy move.  A nerd sexy (@danaglesson coined the term) move, I hope.

Mid way through my second glass of wine, CYT arrived.   I paid the tab.  The first bartender was not so attentive, the second bartender pretty attentive and kept things moving at thebar.  The first was way too chatty with his buddies but if one of them was part owner.  Well, I could kind of understand.  Kind of.

Cathy soon arrived, the bartenders, the shows, and “Darius Brooks” were soon forgotten.   Whenever I dine at Bin36, I am never disappointed by the food, the people, nor the other diners.  I hope I have convinced CYT that her not-so-good experience serveral years ago was probably a fluke.

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Jimmy Fig’s
www.jimmyfigs.com
160 N. Franklin St
Chicago, IL 60606
312.263.0260

Beer and bar food go together like…. Well, I am not really sure what they go together like but the two were served up heartily on Friday, 31 July 2009 at the Chicago Word Press Meetup Group meeting.  It was my first visit to Jimmy Fig’s and it won’t be my last.  If you want to kick back after work with a beer and a bite to eat, you might want to stop by Jimmy Fig’s to let some of the evening  rush hour pass you by.

I ordered Fat Tire, a Belgian amber ale. In general, I prefer very dark beers and asked the waitress if they had a dark beer other than Guinness.  She recommended Fat Tire and I said I would try it.  I was taken aback when this amber colored beer arrived. However, I found it tasty to my palate and two bottles went down smoothly. Between the two beers I ordered a plate of mini-burgers with bacon and cheese. The good of this is that I discovered a new brew. The bad new is that I have no will power against bacon and beef.

Jimmy Fig’s is a fun place to hang out with a couple of friends or a group. The beer, food, price, and company make it all worthwhile.

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