Henri

First, I am woefully behind in posting. My apologies. I'm going to try to catch up on some of these posts, starting with Henri.

Jeff and I ate at Henri a couple of weeks ago and had a fabulous experience. The service there is phenomenal. Everything about it -- starting with the call from the maître d' to confirm our reservation and to see if we had any dietary restrictions or allergies -- was flawless. And completely unpretentious. Which is even more refreshing in the context of such a supremely elegant and tasteful space.

The dining room at Henri is both sophisticated and gorgeous. (Far too dim and elegant to take many pictures on my phone, peeps. Sorry! Check out some daytime photos on Yelp here.) The atmosphere is one of hushed refinement, but the service is friendly and unassuming. Love it! The approachable service makes the small dining room feel infinitely more cozy.

What's more, the food is good! It's fairly pricey, but it's a great place for a special occasion. And they are aware of that fact, because it's one of the questions the maître d' asks when calling to confirm a reservation. Jeff's and my "occasion" was really just that it was a new French place I'd been dying to try and it's very close to Symphony Hall, where we were heading after dinner that night. But if you do have something special planned, Henri's the perfect spot and the staff will most definitely go out of their way to ensure that you leave very pleased with your decision to dine there.

Jeff and I both started with cocktails. He had a Manhattan (nothing shocking there) and I switched things up a little by ordering a Champagne cocktail, which was mixed tableside. And by "mixed," I mean that the bartender came over and poured the Champagne into my glass, over a cube of rock sugar, some house bitters and a raspberry or two. It felt appropriately sophisticated in the space and was a perfect pre-dinner drink, but probably too sweet to drink more than just one.

Our dinner began with two orders of the consommé of rabbit, which was a light and delicious broth hand-poured by our server over rabbit agnolotti and winter squash. Normally I'm against two people ordering the same thing, but it's really hard to "share" soup -- and it was freezing outside that night! And I'm glad I didn't just get something else for the sake of getting something different, because this was quite tasty.

I had been debating between two dishes (again, unsurprising): the Fig Glazed Duck Breast, served with a goat cheese “tart” with fig and grape, and the Roasted Florida Snapper, with squash, Parisian potatoes, sage and allspice. The fish was tasty, but in the end, I wished I had gotten the duck. It just seemed like the more interesting and unique choice. But that's my own fault.

For his entreé, Jeff chose the NY Strip Steak, which is cooked in their stone oven and served with cheddar potatoes. I had some food envy; I'm not going to lie. Even though he ordered his steak medium-rare instead of my hallmark medium, my fork was still finding its way onto his plate. (He loves that...)

For dessert, we had the AMAZING dark chocolate tart. It was really delicious. I'm loving it all over again just thinking about it. Their dark chocolate tart experience epitomizes the entire restaurant's understated elegance: it's simple, chic and unbelievably wonderful all at once.

I will most certainly be back to try the runners-up to my entreé and dessert: the Fig Glazed duck and the very promising Paris Brest. (I've been obsessed ever since we had an amazing version of this dessert at The Elysian's Balsan.) Can't wait for a return trip to Henri!

Plan your visit here. Henri is located at 18 S. Michigan Avenue, right nextdoor to its sister restaurant and one of my favorite pubs, The Gage.

Cafe Bernard

An old client of mine used to speak very highly of Cafe Bernard, so I'd been meaning to give it a whirl. I finally decided to pull the trigger on Friday, when Jeff and I were looking for a place to have dinner in Lincoln Park.

All in all, it was a very solid dinner experience. The ambiance is interesting. The interior reminded me of an old French farmhouse. It's dark and open and the tables and chairs have a rustic quality that I actually enjoyed. The restaurant, though it's French cuisine, doesn't feel overly chic or stuffy. The experience reminds me more of dining in the South of France, rather than Paris. I couldn't help but think of the experiences Peter Mayle describes in his books, which I absolutely love. (Check out A Year In Provence, Encore Provence and Toujours Provence if you love hilarious memoirs from a British ad man who up and moved from London to Southern France to fully realize and embrace his love of food and a slower way of life.)

Our waiter was wonderful and helped us pick out a nice French wine. It was a Rhone that worked well with both of our entrees, robust enough to stand up to Jeff's entree, but not so full-bodied that it overwhelmed mine. The bottle was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Jerome Gradassi, but I'm afraid I can't remember the year. Sorry, winos!

For my entree, I decided to try their signature dish, the grilled North Atlantic salmon in a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce. It was quite tasty. I've never had fish in a red wine sauce before and I actually really liked it. The sauce had just a hint of sweetness that played well off of the richness of the salmon, which was impeccably cooked. The fish was served with some grilled baby Yukon Gold potatoes and a mixture of veggies (carrots, green beans, zucchini) that had most definitely been cooked in butter. All of the elements worked very well together to create a hearty meal perfect in the rustic setting. All in all, I was very happy with my meal.

Jeff tried the roasted rack of lamb in a rosemary au jus. Rosemary au jus is brilliant; it works so well with lamb. The combination was absolutely perfect and served with some whipped potatoes and a buttery mix of vegetables similar to mine.

For dessert, we stepped a little out of our comfort zone by ordering the white chocolate mousse with berries. While we're very familiar with chocolate mousse, neither of us had ever had a white chocolate one. It was delicious. Definitely sweeter than a conventional chocolate mousse, but perfectly paired with the tart blueberries, blackberries and strawberries all layered into a parfait glass. Like the donkey in Shrek, I love me some parfait.

Cafe Bernard is most definitely worth a stop for a good rustic* French meal that's not at all pretensious. I'm very glad I finally went!

*Alas, Cafe Bernard is so dark and rustic that none of my pictures came out. Sorry, peeps. Better luck next time!

Chez Joel: Je T'aime

After attending an alumni event in the old Ignatius hood a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I'd been meaning to go to nearby tiny French bistro Chez Joel since it opened over a decade ago. At that time, I was attending high school at St. Ignatius and Chez Joel was really the first nice restaurant to take hold on Taylor Street in the changing neighborhood. Back then, Ignatius was still surrounded by housing projects on two of four sides and Taylor Street was still the heart and soul of Chicago's close-knit Italian community, Little Italy.

As such, Chez Joel was an anomaly on a street defined by numerous Italian hallmarks (Al's Italian Beef, Ro Sal's, Mario's Italian Ice, Serafina's, Tuscany, Pompeii, Rosebud) and randomly, a restaurant called The Thai Bowl... along with the abomination that was Nea Agora, with raw racks of lamb being carted in and out at an alarming frequency by blood-spattered workers who grinned greefully at the horror on the baby faces of tiny freshmen students being crushed by backpacks twice their height and weight. A French Bistro? All right. Everyone said the neighborhood was transitioning; we supposed this was proof.

And it was. Ten years later, Chez Joel doesn't look the least bit out of place on this stretch of Taylor Street. In fact, it fits right in on what is an absolutely cosmopolitan and downright adorable spanse of restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. The neighborhood has, in fact, changed and is now known more as University Village than anything else. The last of the housing projects were razed shortly after my senior year. Little Italy is still alive and well, but the residents and families who've been there for generations find themselves fighting for space with students and yuppies -- and combating the rising property taxes and rents that have accompanied the change in their neighborhood.

Being the thoughtful guy -- and fan of good food -- that he is, Jeff surprised me with a reservation last Friday night. History and ties to the past aside, I was delighted to discover my new favorite French restaurant in Chicago. I am not one myself, but the place is a Francophile's dream. As we entered, we were greeted with airy "bon soir" after "bon soir" from a staff that seemed absolutely capable of continuing an entire conversation in French if visitors were willing/able. We were then presented with a wine list largely dominated by French gems. Being rather unfamiliar with French wine, we asked our friendly and knowledgable server to assist us in picking a bottle. She did an excellent job; we were very pleased with her selection -- a 2007 Chateau Mangot St. Emilion Grand Cru.

As we sipped our wine, we sampled some of the bread, which was excellent -- always a good sign -- and an unusual, but delicious olive oil/olive tapenade mixture. Of course, being a little French bistro, butter was served as well.

To start, we ordered the mussels in a white wine and herb sauce. The mussels were extremely large and tasted exceptionally fresh. But what really made this dish was the sauce, which was nothing short of phenomenal. At one point, Jeff literally had to remove the bread basket from my side of the table with a reminder that if I continued on at my current pace, I wasn't going to have room for dinner OR dessert. It's a good thing I came with someone to save me from myself, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss a bite of my entree or the dessert that night. But seriously, get the mussels. Even if it's just for the sauce. It is so worth it.

For my entree, I selected the filet mignon with a Bordeaux red wine and thyme sauce. It was honestly a better steak than the one I had at Gibsons the week prior. Same cut, but perfectly seasoned and cooked exactly as I'd asked: medium. The sauce was phenomenal and the filet was served atop an colorful melange of hericots verts and slender carrots, along with a mushroom fricasee. The presentation was artful, but the execution of the flavors was the true star of the show. This entree was brilliant. Every element worked on its own, but together they made the meal outstanding.

Jeff ordered the duck, which was comprised of a duck leg and breast, which were accompanied by a delicious Bourdelaise sauce and some cranberries, whose tartness was a perfect complement to the richness of the duck, served atop a mushroom fricasee. Each of the elements in this dish worked as hard as those in mine and the payoff was the same: the entree was amazing.

We really struggled to decide which dessert to order. So many sounded appealing that there wasn't one I didn't want to try. After a lot of deliberation, we narrowed it down to the nightly special, an apple tart tatin, a dense chocolate cake served warm and with vanilla ice cream atop it and an almond cake, also served warm and with an accompanying scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ultimately, we decided to go for the special apple tart tatin and it could not have been better. (Or more beautiful. Sorry for the lack of photo. I forgot to take one in my excitement to dig in.) The apples were hot, fresh and sweet, the pastry was perfect, the ice cream was cool and creamy -- and the caramel artfully swept across the plate was unbelievable. This dessert was spectacular. In the same fashion as our appetizer and entrees, each element stood out on its own, but when combined they worked together in perfect harmony to create something truly unbelievable.

All in all, the service was wonderful, the food is phenomenal and the atmosphere is cozy. (However, I'll definitely be sure to come back in the summer as they have a much-acclaimed outdoor patio for al fresco dining. Like a creep, I took a peek during our visit and I can imagine it's just perfect for a summer meal.) I was crushed when they closed Old Town Brasserie, but I definitely have a new favorite French place in town. Chez Joel, after ten years, I'm so glad I finally got to know you. I'll be back, sooner rather than later.

Gemini Bistro - A New French Fave In LP

I've drafted my foodie bucket list and fully intend to blog about every experience as I'm able to check each glorious place off my list, but want to post about some of my current favorite Chicago restaurants in the meantime.

One of them is definitely Lincoln Park's Gemini Bistro. When Old Town Brasserie closed, I was heartbroken. I absolutely LOVED that place. So I was very excited to hear about a promising new bistro closer to my house.

When my mom asked where I'd like to celebrate my birthday with her on a beautiful day in May, it was an easy choice. And we were not disappointed.

Gemini Bistro has a pretty al fresco dining area, a stylish interior atmosphere, great service and most importantly, delicious (and surprisingly affordable) bistro cuisine.

To start, Kath and I both had their Squirtzky cocktails, which were quite refreshing. We kicked off the dining with their creamless tomato soup (which comes with a tiny, but outstanding grilled cheese) and their version of a Mediterranean salad. Both were absolutely delicious and obviously made with high quality ingredients.

We each ordered the steak frites with the filet mignon option -- and they arrived done to perfection. Mine was perfectly medium and my mom's was actually medium-well, which is impressive because many restaurants don't get medium-well right. Our waiter recommended an awesome bottle of Meritage to go with the meal -- and he was right, it was the perfect wine for the job. (I'm not usually a Meritage girl, but the man knew what he was talking about.)

The service was knowledgeable and attentive, but not overbearing... And they finished the meal off with a complimentary skillet cookie compete with two candles. I love this place and will definitely be back!

To find out more about Gemini Bistro, visit their website here: http://www.geminibistrochicago.com/