By: Laura Hansen LHansen99@comcast.net

Come visit us at: http://www.bestofthebestdiningchicago.com

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” -
Virginia Woolf

My friend Melissa suggested lunch in the garden at Nomi – www.nomirestaurant.com – and I say “absolutely yes.” Located on the seventh floor in the Park Hyatt Hotel, you know this is a special place, as this classy restaurant has its own elevator (we all should). The name Nomi was actually created as a short cut for “North Michigan Avenue.”

The garden is open throughout the summer – it is a treat to be in the heart of the Mag Mile and feeling rich! Unfortunately, there is some construction going on in the area – so coming in the evening this season is a more pleasant experience. Keep in mind, this was lunch in the garden – and dinner inside Nomi is a different experience.

The website describes the food this way: “Christophe David’s palate-pleasing contemporary French cuisine interweaved with a global flare.” I would agree. It’s an interesting combination of French with an robust offering of sushi. Nomi has taken an interesting position – on their website they list the places they purchase their produce, herbs, truffles etc. Of course, they support local entities – but also purchase food stuffs in Italy.

Keep in mind, any dining at Nomi is not for the faint of wallet – their food is tasty and beautiful; and you pay for the service, ambience, and that gorgeous food. It would not have been named by Forbes as one of the “World’s Top Power Dining Spots” if it was not a place frequented by the rich who show they are famous and the famous continue to get rich.

A light glass of champagne initiated us into our lunch dining experience in the garden, followed by a selection of Artisan Charcuterie: translation – some lovely cured meats well appointed on a wood cutting board. This is always a treat and certainly highlights their choice of quality product, but it does not demonstrate the magic and skill of the kitchen. Our next dish did: Ceviche of Tai Snapper, served with baby fennel, citrus, and coriander leaf. The marriage of these flavors to perfection is an art – and this is one area where Nomi shines. The second great dish was the California roll beautifully presented – stuffed with crab and avocado – which was light and flavorful.

Other dishes tasted included the hamburger (I am always intrigued to try a $21 dollar burger – it makes me anticipate for something really incredible. This was not. The asparagus with goat cheese were nice, and the fingerling potatoes with garlic herb aioli were simply okay. Honestly, I think they just needed to be warm (a feat outside) and to have a light sprinkling of kosher salt.

Nomi Garden is a great place to take a date for nibbles and champagne, or to impress a client.

I chose this recipe for its simplicity, accessible ingredients, and high ratings.

Ceviche de camaron: shrimp ceviche “cocktail”

Servings: Makes 3 cups, serving 6 as an appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 generous pound unpeeled smallish shrimp (I prefer the ones that are 41/50 count to a pound)

• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vinegary Mexican bottled hot sauce (such as Tamazula, Valentina or Búfalo, the latter being on the sweet side)
• About 2 tablespoons olive oil, preferably extra-virgin (optional, but recommended to smooth out sharpness)
• 1 cup diced peeled cucumber or jícama (or 1/2 cup of each)
• 1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
• Salt
• Several lime slices for garnish
• Tostadas or tortilla chips, store-bought or homemade or saltine crackers for serving

Preparation

1. Cooking and Marinating the Shrimp. Bring 1 quart salted water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Scoop in the shrimp, cover and let the water return to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat, set the lid askew and pour off all the liquid. Replace the cover and let the shrimp steam off the heat for 10 minutes. Spread out the shrimp in a large glass or stainless steel bowl to cool completely. Peel and devein the shrimp if you wish: One by one lay the shrimp on your work surface, make a shallow incision down the back and scrape out the (usually) dark intestinal tract. Toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 lime juice, cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

2. The flavorings. In a small strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess liquid. Add to the shrimp bowl along with the cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, optional olive oil, cucumber and/or jícama and avocado. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

3. Serving the ceviche. Spoon the ceviche into sundae glasses, martini glasses, or small bowls: garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of lime. Serve with tostadas, tortilla chips or saltines to enjoy alongside.
Working Ahead: The ceviche is best made the day it is served. The flavorings can be added to the shrimp a few hours in advance.

Makes 3 cups, serving 6 as an appetizer.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.epicurious.com

By: Laura Hansen LHansen99@comcast.net
Come visit us at: http://www.bestofthebestdiningchicago.com/

“There’s a pizza place near where I live that sells only slices. In the back, you can see a guy tossing a triangle in the air.”
Steven Wright, comedian, actor

After a busy day at Nomi, my friend Brenna and her pal Alexis dragged me kicking and screaming to Quartino (www.quartinochicago.com/). Brenna is a fellow foodie and I trust her taste implicitly. It was a perfect late summer evening, and the weather had cooled enough to send everyone outside to dine.

Quartino is the brain child of Steve Lombardo, Hugo Ralli and executive chef John Coletta. Ralli and Lombardo also own Gibson’s Steak House, Hugo’s Frog Bar and Luxbar – so they know how to dish it up.

Matt, our energetic waiter, suggested (and we trusted) his wine suggestion “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. A full bodied red, it had enough zing to accompany our “custom pizza” course. Matt convinced us to try the Rucolina – with tomato, fresh mozzarella (made there daily) and spicy wild arugula. Brenna also wanted the Funghi pizza with roasted mushrooms, crushed tomatoes and mozzarella. Matt allowed us to split our choice and try ½ of each. That’s always a sign of a good waiter with some clout in the kitchen: how far are they willing to go to accommodate you? The arugula on the Rucolina pizza filled us with a peppery aromatic scent. That arugula was so delicious that none of the other ingredients (certainly not the tomatoes) had a chance. The funghi pizza offering, on the other hand – included tomatoes that stood up and melted well with the mozzarella and sautéed mushrooms. We actually stole some arugula from the Rucolina and tossed it on the mushroom pizza. That’s a better recipe!

We then delved into the Quartino Salumeria Tasting – a lovely smorgasbord of salumi, formaggi italiani, olives, and spuntini freddi. Let me translate: for a fixed price of $25, one can choose two meats, two cheeses, an assortment of olives, and tasty accompaniment sides. The sides (spuntini freddi) include eggplant caponata, giardiniera pickled vegetables, calamari, roasted fennel etc. We gave the gorgonzola dolce and taleggio cheeses a try, combined with soppressata, bresaola, prosciutto di parma. Quartino obviously has access to great meats and cheeses. This makes for a lovely presentation and can be a nice fragrant, melt in your mouth adventure.

However, best of show was our next course: angus beef carpaccio – served with shaved celery, parmigiano and a “good” olive oil. The presentation of the beef was beautiful – and it was fresh, chilled, and cut to perfection. Although the celery and parmigiano was strewn about – the combination of really terrific parmigiano and the celery was outstanding. With a dish as simple as carpaccio – only great ingredients and the light touch of combining those ingredients enables on carpaccio to stand out from any other.

Next, we sampled a baby spinach salad – lightly sprinkled with walnuts, shredded ricotta and tossed with pear slices. There was no vinaigrette dressing this salad – only that rich olive oil that enabled the ricotta to stand up in this offering.

With no appetite left, we moved on to dessert: copa al banana – a dance of good vanilla gelato, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and carmelized banana. We absolutely needed the other dessert specialty – zeppola hot doughnuts served with honey and dark chocolate for dipping. A frosty, sweet Limoncello topped off the evening. This is a place the feels like a cozy bistro and is clearly operated by those who know a thing or two about combining good ingredients.

I have chosen this recipe because it includes three ingredients that made this meal delicious.

arugula and pear salad with mascarpone and toasted walnuts

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

ingredients

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup walnuts (3 oz), coarsely chopped
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese (6 oz)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 firm-ripe Bartlett pear
1/2 lb arugula, coarse stems discarded

preparation

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast nuts, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle with salt to taste. Pour oil into a heatproof measuring cup.

Stir half of warm toasted walnuts into mascarpone along with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Add oil in a slow stream to 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl, whisking, then whisk in remaining 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cool dressing.

Halve pear lengthwise and remove core (preferably with a melon-ball cutter), then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on 4 plates, to one side, and drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.

Toss arugula with enough dressing to coat and mound alongside pear. Spoon a dollop of mascarpone mixture onto each plate between salad and pear, then sprinkle salads with remaining toasted walnuts.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.epicurious.com/