Hearth of the City

Chicago City View in Sepia - photo courtesy of zooomr.com

For New Year’s Eve this year Kevin and I decided to do something more low key with just the two of us, and of course that involved dining out somewhere fabulous in the city.

We chose to eat at Sepia in Chicago’s West Loop because it’s been on our list for a while and its reputation told us that it could be the perfect high class night for such a celebratory evening. Sepia, we learned, is pronounced SEE – PEE – AH, and comes from a type of pigment shade used in photography. See definition here.

Everything about Sepia was classy – the decor and vibe very rustic and vintage with classic flare, which made this establishment the perfect destination for a glamourous night out in one of the nation’s best cities.

Sepia required that guests order their special prix fixe menu on New Year’s Eve. You can find the entire menu here. Sometimes it’s hard to decide whether or not to order the prix fixe, mostly because there are always so many wonderful options on the regular menu. This evening, we didn’t have a choice, and when I’m dining at a restaurant with an outstanding reputation for excellence I usually prefer to order prix fixe anyways as it’s usually a seasonal menu and the chef usually prepares specialty items that usually aren’t featured on the regular menu. Usually with prix fixe menus you can indicate if you have an allergy or don’t eat meat, fish, etc. and the chef will be happy to customize the prix fixe for you. Because I don’t eat a lot of meat, I usually have to do this and at top restaurants they are usually more than happy to do this for you.

To start the night off, I ordered a glass of champagne and Kevin had a vodka tonic at the bar. There’s something about New Year’s and champagne – lately if I’m having a pre-dinner cocktail, I like to start with champagne. It’s too much to drink all night, but a great way to start off your night.

Ambience at Sepia

The seating area at Sepia is very cool – a real vintage and glamour feel. It felt like a special occasion. I especially loved the lighting and light fixtures. You could tell that they were trying to recreate sepia photography and it worked in such a subtle way.

We ordered a bottle of  wine with our meal and per usual I’ve neglected to write down the name. It was a pinot noir and very, very good. Needless to say, they have a very impressive wine list at Sepia. Most everything on the list is pricey, but for occasions we like to order nicer bottles anyways so we decided to splurge.

Citrus Marinated Nantucket Bay Scallops

The first course on our prix fixe menu was citrus marinated Nantucket bay scallops. This was one of my favorite items served. The scallops were cooked absolutely perfectly, and although different and probably not appetizing to all due to their preparation (more raw), they were incredibly fresh and clean tasting. This dish felt healthy and clean and the citrus flavors along with the chive melted in your mouth. Unfortunately I didn’t photograph my second favorite menu item, which was the second course – the chestnut soup with oxtail and black truffle. Of course, I asked for mine without oxtail which the chef was happy to accommodate. I think one of my favorite comfort foods or maybe even foods in general is soup because a great soup is all about flavor. This chestnut soup was unbelievable. The chestnut was very dominant, but also there were woodsy flavors and a pleasant black truffle aftertaste. The soup literally melted away in your mouth.

I didn’t take a photo of the third course either, which was Farro Risotto with foie gras and wild mushrooms. If there is one vegetable that I love, it’s mushrooms. My favorite are morels, but unfortunately because they are seasonal I only get to enjoy them at certain points during the year. Kevin and I are actually considering going on a morel mushroom trip this spring in Illinois to pick our own morels. I’ll post about that later this year. I ordered my risotto without foie gras and it was amazing. The key to risotto is being able to cook it perfectly so it isn’t mushy and sticky, and it was evident that Sepia didn’t need a lesson on how to cook its risotto perfectly. I think the theme of this meal was ‘melting in my mouth’….. because again this dish was so delicate and the flavors so strong that it just melted away in my mouth.

Grilled East Coast Sturgeon

For our entrees, we had a choice between the grilled East Coast sturgeon with stewed cauliflower, saffron and gaeta olives or the braised wagyu beef short ribs with taro root puree and root vegetables. Kevin chose the wagu beef short ribs and I of course chose the sturgeon. Sturgeon is definitely not a fish I would typically order off of a menu when dining out, but Sepia prepared it so well. Many use sturgeon fish for their caviar, and also some to serve as entrees. My favorite part of the dish was the integration of cauliflower. I love so many vegetables but lately have loved eating dishes with and cooking with cauliflower. Many people use cauliflower to make a faux mashed potatoes and it really has that same creamy effect. The creaminess of the added cauliflower in the dish along with the bitterness of the olives were a very nice compliment to the sturgeon.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

For dessert we had the option of ordering either the chocolate raspberry mousse with chocolate brownie, candied almonds and raspberry syrup (above, which is what I ordered) or the frozen vanilla parfait with granola crust and passion fruit champagne soup. The above picture of the chocolate raspberry mousse is deceiving because of the beautiful presentation! The mousse was served in a thin candy coating that was shaped like a pear. It was delicious. My only complaint is that it was a little much, but it was nice because Kevin and I could try each others. The combination of the chocolate and fruit infusions with raspberry and pear wear very tasty. I also tried Kevin’s and loved it, but it was incredibly sour and tangy. Some might argue that the sour flavors are too much, but it went really well with the frozen vanilla parfait and granola. It was incredibly refreshing and clean tasting, much like the starting scallop dish. I love chocolate and dessert, but I appreciate when a chef can end with something that leaves you feeling cleansed and clean.

I will definitely be back to Sepia to order from their regular menu. It was incredible, definitely on my favorite restaurant list for Chicago. I give it four out of five stars and can’t wait to go back!

Have you been to Sepia? What did you think?

Mario Batali's Molto Italiano Cook Book - photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Mario Batali is hands down one of my favorite celebrity chefs. He’s extremely down to earth and friendly, and most importantly makes amazing Italian food. Because I don’t eat a lot of meat, I tend to eat more carbs so you can imagine that I eat a lot of pasta and Italian. It’s my favorite food though so I’m lucky.

For my 24th birthday Kevin surprised me with a special dinner at a benefit that was hosted by Mario. The benefit was for Eighth Blackbird – a Grammy-award winning musical group – and after a concert and short trolley ride around the downtown area, dinner was served at Blackbird, one of Chicago’s finest restaurants. Mario and Blackbird’s chefs joined together to cook the group a meal inspired by Eighth Blackbird and everything was delicious. I had the pleasure of meeting Mario in person and it’s a moment I surely won’t forget. Shortly after I picked up Mario’s Molto Italiano cook book to check out some of his famed Italian recipes.

Mario and Emily at Blackbird in Chicago

After I picked up Molto Italian and thumbed through the recipes for a while (pretty much everything in the cook book looks amazing, it’s going to take me forever to try everything!) Kevin and I decided to make Mario’s gnocchi with fresh tomatoes, green olives and smoked mozzarella, or gnocchi al pizzaiolo. The dish was amazing – it’s so simple but the flavors combined together in the dish from the ingredients are so strong.

Here is the recipe:

*4 servings as a main course

*8 servings as an appetizer

Ingredients:

1 pound plum tomatoes

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup green olives, such as picholine, pitted

1 basic gnocchi

4 ounces smoked fresh mozzarella, cut into 14-inch cubes

2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Kevin and I have a Kitchenaide mixer (one of the best chef’s kitchen tools EVER invented!) and typically make our own, homemade pasta and other goodies but this time wanted to make this meal quickly and decided to use some pre-made gnocchi pasta from Dominick’s grocery store, which actually turned out really well. It’s a pasta that had been cooked partially so when we throw it in boiling water it only takes five minutes or so to cook, it’s pretty cool.

You can find a basic homemade gnocchi recipe here if you are looking to make fresh pasta. It’s a recipe by Mario Batali courtesy of the Food Network.

Gnocchi Cooking on the Stove

1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt.

2. Meanwhile, core the tamatoes and chop them into 1/4-inch cubes, reserving all the juices.

3. In a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and cook until light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the olives and remove from the heat.

4. Drop the gnochhi into the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Drain.

5. Carefully add the gnocchi to hte pan with the tomato mixture. Return to the heat and toss gently until bubbling. Add the mozzarella and marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Transer to a warmed serving dish, and serve immediatley.

The Finished Product

This dish has to get four and a half stars from me. It’s inexpensive, and if you use fine ingredients (the best mozarella and green olives, etc. – you can find quality ingredients at Whole Foods or an Italian market in your neighborhood) it’s sure to be incredibly tasty. And, it’s fairly quick and easy to make! A great winter treat.

I’m going to have to add this to the list of dishes to serve to friends and family when they come over for dinner.

I can’t wait to try more of Mario’s recipes and I’ll post about the new ones I try soon.

~Em

When I traveled home to Edina for Thanksgiving I had an entire week off from work, which was really nice. I started the first weekend off attending my friend Amy’s wedding which was a lot of fun and then spent the rest of the week in Minnesota catching up with friends and family. It’s always great to come home and see everyone and luckily they all like to eat like me

I hung out a lot with two of my good friends from Minnesota, Andrew and Jenny (who also, by the way, love food and restaurants). We decided one day that we wanted to do an activity and Andrew had been talking about cooking something so we decided to make a treat – rice krispie treats but with crispix instead of rice krispies. It was a fun afternoon activity and something different to do.

Andrew and Jenny Prepping to Cook!

The recipe for this great snack/treat is very easy – you basically just follow the rice krispie treats recipe found on the back of any rice krispies box and use the rice chex instead of rice krispies. You can find the recipe here, courtesy of Kellogg’s.

I bet you could make some other tasty bars with the same recipe – a few that come to mind that sound good that I haven’t tried yet are golden grahams, pops or even maybe graham crackers of some sort. We’ll have to try some of those and blog about it.

Andrew Beginning the Steps to Rice Krispies with Rice Chex

The finished product was very tasty, kind of what you would expect. It was a bit dry though, next time I would add extra butter and a lot more marshmallows! I think marshmallows are the key to keeping the bars sticky and gooey. If you have any tips for making the bars extra gooey, please let us know. The bars also dried out pretty quickly – that obviously didn’t stop me from eating the left overs.

Andrew Hard at Work!

The Finished Product

I would rate this snack as a 3 out of 5. It is what it is – rice chex with marshallows and butter! It’s not anything revolutionary or totally creative but it’s completely tasty and fits the spot for a snack or treat if you are looking for something simple and easy to make. It’s also pretty cheap to buy the ingredients as well.

~EM

Solera - photo courtesy of cuban-food-usa.com

One of the things I loved about growing up in a suburb of Minneapolis (Edina) was that it only took about 10-15 minutes to commute to the heart of the city. Of course, in my earlier years I didn’t take much advantage of this but as I grew older and started to love dining out and food more and more along with my family we would travel downtown to check out some of the new restaurants. I now live in Chicago but every time I visit my family and friends in Minneapolis we meticulously plan out our restaurant destinations and food choices.

One of my long time favorite restaurants downtown is Solera – a tapas bar and lounge. There are a lot of things I like about Solera – I love that they have a roof top bar outdoors that overlooks part of the city, it’s a great spot for drinks on a warm summer night. I also of course love their food for the most part and think the atmosphere is perfect for large groups and parties. The bar is probably another favorite of mine – the mosaics, lighting and overall decor in the bar area are a lot of fun. Although Solera has been around for a few years now, doesn’t change their menu a lot and isn’t totally consistent on their food, it’s still one of my favorite places.

I recently dined at Solera with a group of friends from Chicago, D.C. and Minneapolis as we were all in town and getting together for our friend Amy’s wedding the following night. I thought this would be the perfect destination for a group outing – dishes to share, yummy sangria and a lively atmosphere. I was disappointed to find that this evening out at Solera wasn’t as up to par as my other experiences at the restaurant and lounge, but all in all it was pretty good.

Jess, Emily and Jenn at Solera

To start off, they ran out of sangria. On a Friday Night. At a tapas bar. How does that even happen? Can’t you run down the street to the liquor store and get some liquor to add to the plenty of red wine you already have in stock? I found that kind of disappointing to start the meal off. Before the meal even began, however, I started with my favorite cocktail – the dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives and kettle one vodka – which was great (it’s kind of hard to screw up), and some of my other friends had great drinks – including various versions of mojitos (raspberry and blackberry if I recall correctly) and tasty margaritas as well.

Most of us didn’t really think the food was up to par either – I’ve eaten at Solera several times and it has been great so it could have been an off night or maybe it’s that my palate is getting too snobby, who knows. Anyways, I did like the food, it just didn’t all knock my socks off if you know what I mean. Some dishes did though. We did try a lot of stuff which was nice. We had about 10-12 people dining at our large table and decided to split up ordering in three groups, so me, Kevin, Kara and Matt were in a group and got a number of things.

My favorite thing on Solera’s menu, which likely won’t change ever, is the deviled eggs with blue crab and cumin. YUM. Deviled eggs are so basic but it’s something I used to cook with my grandmother when I was very little and it’s one of my favorite dishes, and adding blue crab and cumin certainly was a great way to spice up the traditional dish. They were so creamy and spiced just perfectly.

Deviled Eggs with Blue Crab and Cumin

Another highlight was the goat cheese fritters with sherry-braised figs and fennel. Another YUM. The goat cheese in this dish is so sweet and its flavors meld perfectly with the honey drizzled on top. The textures of this dish work well together as well – the soft, creamy cheese inside the crunchy fried shell topped with a sticky drizzled honey. The figs and fennel on the side were good but I think the dish could have stood alone without them. I absolutely love fennel but you have to use it carefully when cooking – the licorice-like flavor is very strong.

Goat Cheese Fritters with Sherry-Braised Figs and Fennel

An interesting dish for Solera was the red pepper flan with avocado and baby greens. It’s literally a flan made with red peppers, very interesting take on a traditional dish (flan) that has traditionally been served for dessert. I was glad Jill wanted to order this so I could have a taste. Although unique and fairly well-done, it didn’t have a lot of flavor and because of the cool temperature of the dish it felt a bit slimy but I give them props for doing something unique.

Red Pepper Flan with Avocado and Baby Greens

One dish that didn’t do it for any of us at all was the patatas bravas. Usually this is one of my favorite dishes at a tapas restaurant and something most anyone enjoys (they are pretty much potatoes with yummy sauce) but this version had unusually large potatoes and with the sauce drenched on them they were more soggy than they were tasty, unfortunately. We all thought they actually looked like chicken wings!

Patatas Bravas

A couple more dishes we ordered that I thought we pretty average but tasty were the ham and cheese croquetas, grilled asparagus and poached pear with manchego cheese, ginger and espelette pepper.

Ham and Cheese Croquetas

Grilled Asparagus

Poached Pear with Manchego Cheese, Ginger and Espelette Pepper

Of course due to my red meat and some other dietary restrictions I didn’t try any of the meat dishes, which I heard from my friends were both average and good. I’ll let Kevin blog about those when he has a chance you can get a sense of those dishes as well.

I would give Solera a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I love the atmosphere and usually the food tastes great but because the service and food aren’t consistent all of the time I can’t give it a better score. I still love Solera though and will definitely be back there. I haven’t tried their paella but I’ve heard it’s good. I also see that they have movie screenings on their rooftop during the summer which sounds really fun. Sipping sangria under the stars while watching a good film sounds amazing right now in Chicago’s cold winter!

Feel free to comment or let me know what you think of Solera.

~EM

Mantou Noodle Bar - photo courtesy yelp.com

Kevin loves Asian and it’s usually his first choice when we opt for takeout dinner during the work week but I’m not a huge fan for some reason. I think it’s my choice to usually not consume meat and maybe because I just haven’t had great Asian takeout in a while. I usually just order a side of white rice when we get Asian which seems silly – lately, however, I’ve been craving Asian food. This next restaurant I wanted to write about – Mantou Noodle Bar in Wicker Park – is actually closed now but I’m hoping it will reopen soon and it deserves its own post anyways because it’s that good. It inspired me to like Asian again recently and really made me question why I felt that way about the cuisine in the first place!

Word on the street is that the owners of Mantou were having some financial problems but I’d like to not speculate on that and focus on the food. I did hear though that the owner kind of screwed over the chef and wasn’t paying his staff which isn’t cool at all. Supposedly they are opening up again soon without the original chef but we’ll just have to wait and see.

We headed to Mantou Noodle Bar for our friend Lauren’s birthday before going out in West Town. The restaurant itself was fairly small, but I loved the decor – it was really modern. It had its own sushi bar and another bar to sit at while you waited for a table which was nice. We all pulled up a seat at the bar while waiting for a dinner table, which wasn’t longer than 15 minutes which I don’t think is bad for a Saturday night.

Mantous - photo courtesy cnbc.com

Mantou Noodle Bar’s name is derived from a very popular Chinese dish called Mantou,  which is a small steamed bun that usually includes a variety of fillings inside, usually meat or veggies. The mantous at Mantou restaurant were absolutely amazing! Unfortunately that night they were out of veggie mantous which I would have preferred to order, however once and I while I eat some chicken and I didn’t want to miss out on the restaurant’s specialty so I tried this version. The flavors in the chicken mantou were very tasty and had many great spices added. The dish was so simple, but so filling and tasty.

Tofu Noodle Dish with Butternut Squash and Green Beans

For my entree I ordered the tofu noodle dish with crispy/hard noodles, butternut squash and green beans. It was delicious! I was very impressed with this dish. Lately I’ve been liking crunchier noodles more than soft ones soaking in sauce so this really suited my palate. They actually called this dish some sort of noodle pancake, because the noodles were pressed into kind of a pancake-like flat round. The noodles themselves didn’t have a lot of sauce on them, rather the sauce that the butternut squash was cooked in was a little heavier and dripped onto the noodles which was really tasty. This dish was definitely one of the best Asian dishes I’ve had in years, and at around $8-$9 it was very affordable as well.

Kevin had some sort of pork belly dish, which he promises to post about. I’ve included a photo below so you can see what his dish looks like.

Pork Belly Noodle Soup

Overall, I give Mantou 4 out of 5 stars. It’s cheap and amazing food with a fun atmosphere and you can’t go wrong trying the mantous – it offers for a look into Chinese culture and it’s fun to try something new and different.

Here’s to hoping Mantou can work out their issues to reopen so other Chicagoans can experience this great find in Wicker Park.

~EM

Roy's Restaurant Logo - photo courtesy lasplash.com

I love when my favorite people from Minneapolis (Edina) come in town to visit mostly because they love food as much as I do and it’s usually an excuse to check out some new restaurants!

We decided to try Roy’s in Chicago on 720 North State one night when everyone was in town. It’s one of my good friend Andrew’s favorite restaurants so we decided to give it a try. I’m usually not a huge fan of chain restaurants- I guess I just don’t like the idea of a chain and they usually don’t have great food and the atmosphere is kind of cheesy, but nothing about Roy’s gave the chain vibe. Besides, I love Big Bowl, PF Changs and yes sometimes even the Cheesecake Factory- there is a time a place for all of those restaurants, but not this night. Roy’s seemed to be on a higher level than the chains I’m used to.

Me, Kevin and Andrew started the evening with a cocktail, as we usually do – Andrew and Kevin stuck to their usual, a vodka tonic and vodka soda, respectively. Of course I also stuck to my usual (when I’m out at a fun dinner or night out on the town), which is a dirty martini with kettle one vodka and blue cheese stuffed olives. I wanted so much to try a fruity drink or martini off of Roy’s bar list as they specialize in Hawaiian/Asian fusion and I’m sure they are tasty/their specialty, but I couldn’t resist my usual that night.

We finally sat down fairly late (although we were in no rush) with Lauren and Paul who joined us, and the server did mention that appetizers were on the house due to our long wait which was a nice surprise although I don’t think necessary. Anyways I did appreciate the gesture very much. Lauren, Paul, Kevin and I decided to order a couple of bottles of Cab which was incredibly good. I wish I would have written down the bottle but I’ll try to figure it out and include an update in my post in the future. Andrew stuck to his vodka tonics as usual . I don’t think I would normally drink red wine with many sushi and fish dishes but it seemed to complicate what we were all eating for dinner that evening.

Calamari - photo courtesy of tastememory.com

The appetizers were FANTASTIC!!! We had a lot – Calamari, Fire Grilled Szechuan Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs and a couple of sushi rolls including the Lobster California Roll. The calamari was fabulous – it had a great sweet yet spicy dressing and it had the perfect crunch topping. It was unique and truly different than any calamari I’ve ever had. Kudos to Roy’s for including something on their menu that is classic but giving it a real twist. I didn’t try the pork ribs as I usually don’t eat a lot of meat (especially red), although the majority at the table thought this was the best appetizer. The Lobster California Roll was amazing — really different for sushi but the perfect blend of Hawaiian flavors including pineapple and a blend of spices. I don’t know how to express my flavor experience better than saying it was like tasting Hawaii in my mouth! For real.

Roy Yamaguchi, Roy's Head Chef and Founder - photo courtesy Hawaiimagazine.com

For my entree I decided to order another sushi roll as I filled up quite a bit on the appetizers and wine and also because the rolls were so good. I ordered the Sunrise Roll, which was almost as delicious as the Lobster California Roll but I have to give the Lobster California Roll much more credit for its uniqueness and real  fusion of Hawaiian flavors.

Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle

For dessert we ordered two menu items and shared them and they were my absolute favorite items we ordered all night (although the appetizers were a close second). We ordered the melting hot chocolate souffle and the pineapple upside down cake. Hands down two of the best desserts I’ve had all year. The pineapple was so complementing and added that sweet Hawaiian flavor I’m sure many of Roy’s patrons crave. The chocolate souffle cake was mouthwatering. The center with sticky hot chocolate (literally) melted in my mouth and the souffle was perfectly cooked with a softness that was delicate yet firm. If you don’t make it to Roy’s for dinner (or can’t get in, they are pretty popular), I highly recommend going for drinks and appetizers or drinks and dessert.

You can check out samples from Roy’s menu here.

The best part about Roy’s is that there is really something for everyone on the menu. Kevin and Andrew are pretty adventurous eaters and are always looking for something special or unique, and while I tend to feel the same I don’t eat a lot of meat so it’s nice to dine at places that have something for everyone. There are always those that need something fairly familiar or traditional as well. Roys is a great combination and serves a wonderful variety on their menu.

I give Roy’s four stars out of five and no doubt will be back again soon. I’m looking forward try trying the location in Hawaii!

Until next time….

~EMILY

Sweets and Savories Logo - photo courtesy restaurant.com

Kevin and I have had the pleasure of dining at many fabulous restaurants in the windy city but I’m going to hold off on blogging about the establishments we’ve already dined at until I can return again as I think it’s important that the experience is still fresh in our minds. And I love taking pictures. I truly believe that pictures help tell the story.

My very first post will be about a restaurant we recently dined at in Lincoln Park that has been on our list for over a year. Sweets and Savories on 1534 W. Fullerton was an overall good experience. My rating is 2 out of 5 stars. Kevin promises to post about his experience soon so stay tuned for that.

The best part about Sweets and Savories is that they have a reasonably priced prix fixe menu that includes a starter, main course and dessert for only $29. They also have a wonderful wine list of bottles for only $29 a piece as well. Of course, they also have a separate a la carte and wine menus but if you are looking for a variety of taste and want the entire experience, I would recommend going with the prix fixe menu.

Our server was great. Although toward the end she took a while to take our entree plates away and forgot our original dessert order, she was very knowledgeable and sold the restaurant, its food and overall experience well.

Kevin and I selected a bottle of 2006 Canaletto pinot noir from Italy. It was fairly dry which I tend to like and overall pretty tasty.

Emily enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir from Italy

For my prix fixe course, I chose the roasted sweet potato bisque soup, the pumpkin risotto and the warm dark chocolate fondant cake. Overall, the meal was good. The highlight was definitely the potato bisque soup. The flavors were delicious- you could literally taste each and every savory flavor- and the creme fraiche was a lovely complement. I licked my spoon and could have licked my bowl.

Roasted Sweet Potato Bisque

The pumpkin risotto, on the other hand, wasn’t as good as I would have imagined. The cheese (I believe pecorino romano) completely overpowered the dish and didn’t allow for the pumpkin flavors to shine. In addition, there was too much cheese which made the dish very gooey and sticky. It almost didn’t even seem like a risotto but more of a soggy soup. The first few bites were good but as time went on and I consumed more I started getting really full (even though I wasn’t eating THAT much, the dish was fairly small). It was very rich.

Pumpkin Risotto

My dessert (dark chocolate fondant cake) was delicious! Certainly not the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had (most recently, my favorite was at the Atlas restaurant in Iowa City) but it was certainly tasty. The best part was the chocolate ganache sauce which, which while very rich, was almost like tasting heaven. The fruit (raspberries and blueberries) on the side were nice as well as I always think having fruit integrated into dessert in some ways gives the palate some cleansing after a large or rich meal. The only issue was that I think the dessert was way too big. I’m not complaining, I brought the left over cake home with me! But, I think it would be good for the restaurant to make it a half of the size it did to save funds and also because no one in their right mind is going to eat that much, especially after a full prix fixe meal.

Warm Dark Chocolate Fondant Cake

Upon the end of our meal, we learned that there are a number of different special nights the restaurant hosts throughout the week that sounded interesting. Every night of the week they serve their tasting menu that we had on a Friday evening, however on Mondays they have some sort of larger prix fixe menu and allow you to BYOB with no corkage fee, Wednesdays they serve their ever so famous kobe beef burger (Kevin had this when we went and loved it) and Sundays they have a prix fixe brunch menu where you choose a brunch cocktail, appetizer and entree and the chef also prepares a tray of fresh, homemade pastries for your table. All sound like great options to me and I know already that we’ll be planning to go back to try their brunch.

Because the restaurant wasn’t very busy and is small, I would have liked to seen the chef come out to patrons’ tables to see how they were enjoying their food and mingle a bit. Hell, even when we dined at Table 52 Art Smith personally served our food and checked in on our table several times. It would have been more personal and nice to have seen that same amount of interaction with the chef at Sweets and Savories. However, maybe he wasn’t in that night we dined there or he could just have not visited tables on that night for some reason.

I’ve giving Sweets and Savories a 2 out of 5 stars overall. Although I think there are some things the restaurant can improve on, I would recommend Sweets and Savories if you are looking for a nice cozy neighborhood dining feel and overall good tasting food for a reasonable price. I’ll definitely try Sweets and Savories again.

You can view Sweets and Savories’ menu here.

~EMILY