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!

North Pond

Ahhhhhhhhh....

Just home a short time ago from a leisurely dinner at North Pond Restaurant in Lincoln Park. It was our first visit there, dining with our friends Bryan and John. In fact, the dinner was arranged so that I could properly thank Bryan in particular for the time he spent holding my hand in the emergency room in July and getting information to Conrad who was stuck overnight on the west coast. I had heard good things about the place, so it was my pleasure to treat them to dinner there.

I only wish all the photos had turned out! Nonetheless, onwards we go....

The thing that caught my eye on the menu was not something I ended up having. Frogs legs were on the menu, and I do like them. Paired with sweet corn in some way, they sounded rather appealing; I saw two servings brought to an adjacent table, and I was tantalized. However, all four of us decided to have the seasonal tasting menu, and this may have been the wiser choice.

We started with a bottle of a French Sauvignon Blanc from a wine list that had a number of very moderately-priced options. John drinks only modestly and Bryan almost never, so in practice that meant that Conrad and I largely shared the bottle. Happily, dinner was not rushed, so I don't think we'll feel any aftereffects.

Up first: seared Hawaiian ohno on a watermelon salad with a scattering of fresh herbs. Lovely little start.

Course #1: a deconstructed salad niçoise, but with cold smoked salmon and cured shallots on haricots verts, heirloom potatoes, olives, cheery tomatoes, and a horseradish cream. Nice.

Course #2: Alaskan halibut topped with a cucumber mint salad in a fennel broth. Clean tasting, subtle.

Course #3: heirloom tomatoes with a ravioli filled with Walla Walla onion soup, topped with prosciutto and parmesan. This was where I really took notice of the food - the tomatoes were marvellous, but the ravioli was inspired. A shame the photo isn't so good.

Palate cleanser: anise and hyssop sorbet. If the tomato salad bumped the dinner up a notch from a pleasant start, the simple sorbet jolted it harder. Sweet, tangy, a slight tingle on the tongue. The sorbet was the colour of a deep green tea ice cream. Not a full course, but an amazing little treat. I won't upload the shot of it here - just not at all great.

Course #4: meat, three ways. The centre of the plate was dominated by a medallion of very tender, very rare beef tenderloin garnished with a bit of salt and situated near a tomato relish. To its left was a ground filet patty served with a corn relish and a streak of arugula puree. To its right was a piece of meat I shall not name for legal reasons served atop some beans that must have been cooked with bacon or something like it (darn good!) and a streak of beet puree. John was rhapsodic at this point. Conrad and I were enjoying a glass each of an Australian shiraz at this point. Another photo I'm sorry turned out poorly, so I will not post it here.

Course #5: frozen peach souffle atop Italian meringue, topped with diced peach and a choclate peach sauce. We joked about needing bread to mop up the plate, but we thought a piece of cake on a stick, like a cotton swab - a Cake-Tip, would have been a helpful thing. John and I also had decafs to wind down. And as above, the better the food, the worse the photo!

Afters: a little plate on which were macaroons sandwiched with white port raspberry jam and chocolate coriander truffles. When the waiter came round to see if we needed anything else, I laughingly suggested another plate of the treats; he obliged quite kindly and indulgently. I very much hope I tipped him sufficiently.

So, a meal in a lovely setting (a prairie style building in the park) that began pleasantly though not exceptionally ended up wowing us with three courses and two extras. In other words, we'd love to go back!

It's a gorgeous night out: mild night air (warmer outside than in the well air-conditioned restaurant) and the skyline view from the front of the restaurant would sway anyone to a good mood. Our bellies are full, and we are hoping for a satisfying night of sleep ahead!