North Pond (annual splurge)

CG, Conrad, and I have an annual tradition (3 years running now) of a splurge dinner right before Christmas. This year's selection was North Pond, a handsome and well-regarded restaurant in Lincoln Park. CG had never been there, so we were happy to be with her on her first go round.

A quietish night there, which was nice. I rather like being able to hear the conversation at my table! We all went for the tasting menu with wine pairings, and of course, photos ensued. Please note: other people apparently take food photos, not just us!

Before we got to our table, we each started with a glass of winey. A festive opener to the meal. CG and I each had a glass of a rosé sparkler. Conrad cares little for champagne-style wines, so it was a French Pinot Noir for him. And then out came the food....

An amuse-bouche (and a big one at that!) of a goat cheese terrine, quince, and pumpernickel croutons

Chilled stone crab claw and knuckles, fall aples, shaved fennel, cider syrup. Served with a NV Langlois-Chateau, Crémant de Loire sparkling Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, France.

Butter-basted spot prawns, delicata squash purée (this was terrific!), sautéed spinach, knob onion, carrot foam. We all liked this course a lot. Served with a 2006 Château Pesquie Viognier from Mormoiron, France. A fragrant wine, but bone dry and with a surprising minerality, I thought.

An extra small course - a breather or a palate cleanser, perhaps? - of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Warm sheep's milk ricotta gnocchi, fresh pear, pear glace, mizuna, pecans. Served with a 2005 Macrostie Chardonnay, Monterey CA.

Slow roasted lamb saddle, buttercup squash, glazed beet, braised red cabbage, cipollini onion - we loved this one a great deal, and it was a nice treat to get a little piece of foie gras with compliments from the chef. Served with the 2004 Domaine d'Aupilhac "La Boda", a Mourvedre, Syrah, Carignane, Grenache blend from Côteaux du Languedoc, France.

The only sort-of disappointment for me for the night: dessert. Chocolate pudding cake (an unappealing glutinous texture and not all that chocolatey), hazelnut-brown butter emulsion, concord grape sorbet (this saved the plate), sablé cookie. Served with the Renardat-Fâche, Demi-Sec Rosé Cerdon, made from Gamay and Poulsard, from Bugey, France.

Dinner ended with a couple of treats, a salty peanut brittle (too salty for CG, I think, but I liked the play of salt and sweet) and little chocolate mint squares.

I wish we'd had a table by the front windows so that we could have admired a view similar to what we took from the bar of the restaurant. No such luck, though we had a good view of the interior of the restaurant, which wasn't too bad. A little tucked away, but nice enough.


Where will we dine next year, then? So many good restaurants to get to. Ah well, another fine meal with CG in any case. Cheers!