Charlie Trotter, who is celebrating his 20^th year here in Chicago as a restaurant icon, has spread his culinary wings to Vegas baby!

Prestigious Joshua Zinder Architecture designed Restaurant Charlie, which is located in the Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

His culinary focus is on seafood infused with Trotters talent for unique flavor while respecting the core ingredients. Restaurant Charlie is open for dinner only, seven days a week.  Bring your wallet (of course).  It’s been open for a few months now, so the dust should be settled.

Here’s what I want to know – how does Restaurant Charlie compare to his flagship Chicago eatery? I would like to hear from someone who has been to both. LH

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By: Laura Hansen

Scallops are expensive, so they should be treated with some class. But then, I suppose that every creature that gives his life for our table should be treated with class.” Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet)

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get out and explore new seasonal menus. Allan and I sauntered into the Crown Plaza Hotel and up the stairs into “Dine“. 

Dine calls itself as a 1940’s style eatery. The rat pack throwback cuisine is comforting and full of flavor. It certainly can be a new experience for those diners  who are not old enough to have eaten in the “supper club” era. In recent years, there certainly has been a resurgence of this type of cuisine from the likes of Emeril’s Delmonico restaurant. 

The décor at Dine showcases vintage elements such as antiqued glass, terrazzo flooring, a zinc bar and oversized printed art.  The expansive martini bar can seat 78 – a full village! Floor to ceiling windows are the gateway to the viewpoint of being both in and out at this restaurant. An exhibition kitchen gives another peek into the comings and goings of the most important element here: the quality of the food.

 Dine Chef Chris Turano

Executive Chef Christopher Turano clearly is passionate about his creations.  He (like most chefs these days) is a proponent of using local ingredients. That does not, however, stop him from finding quality fish and produce to fill the spring menu from “wherever” it’s now fresh. Our first course was a raw trio of yellowfin tuna, North Dakota bison and Norwegian salmon.  The tuna was sliced and crusted with coriander and other spices.  The quality of the tuna was outstanding, but it was begging for either more ground spice or something to give it a little zing.  The salmon was served in a chopped tartar fashion with wasabi, yuzu, galangal and a Valencia-soy reduction. This salmon part of the dish had the best flavor and texture of the first course.  The bison was so lean that it tasted dry. Somehow, it felt to me like a stranger in a fish land or that it didn’t belong on the plate. Funny how I can get bison to talk to me – can you do that as well?

The next course was outstanding – an heirloom tomato salad.  It was offered sprinkled with a dry (in a good way) ricotta salata, and touched ever so lightly with red Hawaiian sea salt, then dressed lightly with charred scallion oil. Of course, having a variety of heirloom tomatoes now (out of season) is a treat. These were flavorful with just the right combination of the ricotta and salt. The scallion oil was a little lost on me.

We moved on to the French Horn Mushroom risotto, surrounded by a subtle parmesan broth and topped with a healthy Wild Alaskan Scallop.  The flavorful risotto embraced the mushrooms and provided a nice balance to the slight sweetness of the scallop.

The main course included a Colorado lamb rack on top of fava beans, asparagus, mint and served with a light touch of aged balsamic-lamb jus.  It was a beautiful cut of lamb, and its tenderness and flavor, for me, made the dish.  I must confess that I have not “been involved” with fava beans since Anthony Hopkins sneered about them in Silence of the Lambs.  So, I can’t speak to their flavor.

Pastry Chef Tim Ketchmark produced a succulent, diverse dessert offering.  I really love a desert that hit’s your taste buds on all burners.  A bed of lemon poppy seed short cake held up macerated strawberries, vanilla poached rhubarb, and a perfect dollop of Meyer lemon ice cream.  It was a party for my mouth – tart, sweet, comforting with a nice texture.  The use of the rhubarb was a pleasant surprise.

Dine offers a  diverse variety of seafood served as fresh as can be surrounded with mouthwatering emulsions, tendrils, risottos, and “just the right” portions of vegetables.  They add the raw component for those who like sliding oysters or the tuna or salmon mentioned previously. The meat selections are also grounded with retro style dishes like glazed onions, creamed spinach and fingerling potatoes. “What Roams” includes selections such as filet mignon, Black Angus meatloaf and a hearty ribeye. 

The menu selections of the final course ends up also having a retro perspective: bananas foster, crème brulee, the aforementioned shortcake and the “now in” red velvet cake. 

733 W. Madison St.

Chicago, Illinois 60661; 312.602.2100 http://www.dinerestaurant.com/

Chef Christopher Turano was kind enough to give us the Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 red brandywine, 1 cherokee purple, 1 striped german, 1 green zebra heirloom tomatoes

4 oz Ricotta Salata

2 oz charred scallion oil

1 oz basil chiffonade

Pinch Hawaiian red sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

TO ASSEMBLE

-Slice the tomatoes ¾ inch thick

-season with red sea salt and pepper

Season with charred scallion oil

Top with crumbled ricotta salata

Place the tomatoes on a serving plate largest to smallest, and top the stack with basil

Garnish the plate by drizzling the oil around and also sprinkle sea salt on the plate. Start with only the ripest fruits available. If you cannot find all the varieties, it is important that a ripe substitute is provided

CHARRED SCALLION OIL

Directions

-Take 12 scallions and cut the green tops from the white

-Season and oil the white parts with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper

-Grill the scallions on a very hot grill. Cook until they have grill marks. Take off the heat.

Place the warm scallion bottoms in a blender and add the green tops

-Add ½ c of olive oil, and blend for one minute. If the blender is not catching, it needs more oil. When complete, strain and cool. This will keep up to 2 weeks, if wrapped and cooled in the refrigerator.

“Ripe vegetables were magic to me.  Un-harvested, the garden bristled with possibility.   I would quicken at the sight of a ripe tomato, sounding its redness from deep amidst the undifferentiated green.” -  Michael Pollan www.gardendigest.com

Note: Chicago’s #8 in the WORLD on this list, compiled by http://www.foodandwine.com/.  LH

Which is the most exciting restaurant city in the world right now? Hint: It’s not Paris, and it’s not New York…. It’s Tokyo, hands-down, thanks to the city’s ultra-diverse, thrillingly dynamic food scene.

• 1. Tokyo
• 2. Paris
• 3. New York City
• 4. London
• 5. Barcelona
• 6. Sydney
• 7. Madrid
• 8. Chicago
• 9. Stockholm
• 10. Vancouver, Canada

Note: Food and Wine also published an article by Heather Shouse in their March Issue on where to go next in Chicago, with new interesting perspectives… like the Violet Hour (which I really enjoyed) and The Drawing Room. LH

Sepia

Last summer, this much anticipated spot opened around the corner from Avec and Blackbird, in a space with vintage steel doors and modern chandeliers. Chef Kendal Duque (formerly of NoMI) offers new American dishes like veal-cheek terrine with quince and blue cheese bison burgers. Owner Emmanuel Nony tends to the wine list, stocking small producers and lesser-known varietals. 123 N. Jefferson St.; 312-441-1920.

Brasserie Ruhlmann

The latest project from the successful team behind Japonais is a brasserie whose look evokes the work of Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, France’s legendary Art Deco designer. Veteran chef Christian Delouvrier created and oversees the classic French menu, which includes fluffy cheese soufflé, rich and earthy lamb navarin and an impeccable caramelized-apple tart. 500 W. Superior St.; 312-494-1900.

 Cafe 103 Chef Thomas Eckert

Cafe 103

Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood is best known for its houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous protégé, Walter Burley Griffin. Now the ‘hood has a destination restaurant, thanks to this white-tablecloth BYOB. Chef Thomas Eckert is adept with South Asian flavors: He serves pheasant with methi (fenugreek) risotto and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms mixed with masala. 1909 W. 103rd St.; 773-238-5115.

Coalfire Pizza

At the terrific cocktail spot Matchbox, J. Spillane was known for his drinks. Now, he’s earning a reputation as possibly the best pizza maker in town, personally tossing, stretching, topping and baking each pie in the 800-degree coal-fired oven. The thin-crusted, lightly charred Margherita is excellent, as is the Fiorentino, topped with hot Calabrese salami and red peppers. 1321 W. Grand Ave.; 312-226-2625.

 Old Town Brasserie

Old Town Brasserie

Chef Roland Liccioni is beloved in Chicago for Les Nomades and the legendary Le Francais. At his latest spot, this old-school brasserie, Liccioni is again expertly preparing classic French dishes such as garlicky escargots and luscious duck confit. But he’s also adding accents from his native Vietnam, as in lobster ravioli with chile and fish-sauce foam. 1209 N. Wells St.; 312-943-3000.

Pasticceria Natalina

Good artisanal bakeries are a dime a dozen in Chicago, but ones that specialize in Sicilian sweets are rare. Natalina Zarzour’s modest little Andersonville shop is just about the only place in town to get Torta al Mandarino (sponge cake soaked in tangerine liquor) and cannoli with Sicilian sheep’s-milk ricotta. 5406 N. Clark St.; 773-989-0662.

Sol de Mexico

Clementina Flores has trained many of Chicago’s better-known Mexican chefs, including her son Geno Bahena, the chef-proprietor of Tepatulco. At Sol, where colorful Mexican folk art decorates the walls, Flores offers a half-dozen complex moles such as the classic Oaxacan version that adds smoky flavor to a three-finger-thick pork chop. 3018 N. Cicero Ave.; 773-282-4119.

 Table 52

Table Fifty-Two

For his first restaurant, Oprah’s personal chef, Art Smith, chose a space on Chicago’s tony Gold Coast. He serves goat-cheese biscuits as an amuse bouche and his ultra-comfort-food menu includes fried green tomatoes with greens and bacon and red wine-braised lamb shanks. Some of the best seats in the house are at the chef’s counter, with a front-row view of the wood-fired oven. 52 W. Elm St.; 312-573-4000.

Violet Hour

This unmarked spot became Chicago’s cocktail mecca the second it opened this past summer. Mixologist Toby Maloney uses house-made bitters and infused spirits in his stellar drinks (the Dark and Stormy, with spicy ginger syrup, is especially good). Justin Large, a line cook at Avec, designed the inspired bar-food menu: crisp deep-fried pickles and creamy chorizo-stuffed croquettes. 1520 N. Damen Ave.; 773-252-1500.

The Drawing Room

Outstanding chef Shawn McClain’s new restaurant, located next to Le Passage nightclub, has a fun menu with twists on classics such as “fish and chips”-really, salt cod beignets with crisp potatoes -and a “burger” that trades braised short ribs for patties and tomato jam for ketchup. Equally appealing is the drinks list, with choices from top local bartenders. 937 N. Rush St.; 312-266-2694.

We enjoy promoting Chicago’s sister arts and entertainment venues.  This Jersey Boy’s Benefit is a fantastic way to lend a hand to one of the cities premier supporters of Chicago Theatre. LH 

For one night only the stars from Broadway in Chicago’s Jersey Boys will perform select hits from the 60’s to benefit Theatre Building Chicago. Join us on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 6PM. Tickets to the event are $225 and include dinner and admission to this special performance at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame downtown at 1431Taylor Street.

Reserve your tickets early as we are expecting a sold out evening and we would love to have you join us.  E-mail for RSVP’s at benefit@Theatrebuildingchicago.org  Any questions can be directed to Joan Mozzonelli at 773-929-7367 ext 221.

David Tamarkin wrote about Adam this month in www.gourmet.com. I disagree that Chicago greatly lags behind in beloved cocktail artists. I am more a beleiver that they need more exposure! LH

Chicago’s best drinks are all coming from the mind and hands of one man.

I hate to evoke the cliché of being a Second City, but facts are facts: Chicago is not yet a great cocktail town. Good, maybe, but not great. In the past year or so many people have pointed to a handful of great mixologists, like Nacional 27’s Adam Seger, and some amazing bars, deeming them the saviors of this city’s sipping culture. But as good as those drinks are, I think our true savior is John Kinder.

Kinder made a name for himself in an unlikely place: He was working at Moxie, which, if not exactly a sports bar per se, is in close enough proximity to Wrigley Field that the crowd is more beer can than Collins glass. No matter-the owner gave Kinder free reign, so whenever he was behind the bar, the cocktail menu suddenly featured drinks with lemongrass syrup and peach bitters. Kinder would announce these drinks in his email newsletter-he’d go on a tangent about some recipe in the Savoy Cocktail Book, talk about a honey-apricot syrup he’d just made and, inevitably, ruminate about the Florida Gators (the sports teams, not the reptile.)

Since the day I got Kinder’s first newlestter, I’ve followed him wherever he goes. When he jumped from Moxie to the Pump Room, then to a burger joint called Hop Haus, I was right behind. Now at the River West restaurant mk, he has his own station in the kitchen where he devises special cocktails for his weekly “spirited dinners”-a tasting menu where each course is paired with a cocktail instead of a wine. Lately he’s been using a Cryovac machine to create his cocktails, heating packets of neutral alcohol with herbs, fruits, and spices to create almost-instant infusions. Using wine as his guide, he creates cocktails that exhibit expertly constructed acids, fruits, and even tannins.

So, for my money, this is where Chicago’s cocktail renaissance is happening. Of course, nobody knows how long he’ll stick around. Like most restaurant-industry people, Kinder seems to be in a permanent state of wanderlust. (He also graduated from business school with a focus in entrepreneurship, so I’m sure there’s a business plan simmering in that brain of his.)  But I’m not worried. He may hop from bar to bar, but as long as he has access to an email account, his newsletter will make it easy to find the most original cocktails in Chicago.

Sign up for Kinder’s newsletter by contacting him at moonshots@hotmail.com.