Tru, Arun, and why I would not go back to Topolobampo

Came in for a couple of days, loved Tru, really interesting menu. Definitely resurgent, as I had been advised. A chef with a sense of humor, lots of food puns like balls of sturgeon on a bed of avocado puree served in caviar tin, a pea soup ladled onto a bouquet of edible faux fruit, flowers and pea pods (made from pea puree and cooled) a magnificent salmon dish, smoked and then cooked perfectly with sorrel served on a wonderful kitschy plate. A couple of minor glitches at the end (one of the cheeses, an emmmentaler, served warm, so damp and rubbery) and a failure of essence of cucumber served with vanilla. Nasty, but that is a cucumber for you. Horrible with wine, and I suspect does not like oak barrel flavors either. Overall though, a solid A

Arun: Thai restaurant good, an array of beautiful dishes, very consistent high quality, a little spicy for me. I should realize I am medium for Indian but mild for Thai.Some adorable carved carrots in the form of a carp. Delicious A-

Topolobampo: Very disappointing. Hard not to be overly commercial with a celebrity chef, but I felt like I was on cattle class on an airline. Get us in, get us out, the food was OK but certainly not great. Lots of upselling, and the waiter looked furious if guests declined. Overall like being in Disneyland, rather than a great restaurant experience.

And perhaps the thing that really put me off the place was watching the hostess seat an elderly couple. It is a crowded restaurant, and he struggled to get into a banquette and finally landed on it with a very heavy thump. The hostess stood around posing rather than helping with the table; after that I watched her seat another couple, different pose, and luckily, he was little more lithe, so less of a thump, but a thump nevertheless. This is not how I would want to be greeted at a top restaurant.

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Topolobampo
445 N Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610

Musigny 151 in Chicago Area

British or Irish sausages

Butchers Fancy on Maclain street in Yonkers. Real old fashioned Irish Butcher making his own sausages, black puddings etc. Delicious.

Musigny 151 in New York State (exc. New York City)

Poor meal at Equus

I really don't usually trash a restaurant, but a week or so ago, I had such a poor meal that I decided it needed to be written about. The setting is gorgeous, but there is little parking so a valet is necessary. For lunch it adds an unneccessary not to mention costly addition to the meal.

So, I arrived and tried to get into the dining room, but before I could, I was asked to wait in one of the anti rooms. I was waiting for ten minutes and decided it was ridiculous and decided to leave. The Maitre d' saw me going and urged me to return. When I finally did get into the dining room, expecting a real crowd, there was a group of six people and myself.

I went a la carte as the menu had a dessert which I tend to avoid at lunch. The French onion soup was a pretty thing, the problem was that much of the prettiness derived from cold greasy onions on the top used as garnish. The soup stock, was excellent but there was too much bread and the result was after a few spoons, it became mush.

More problems with the main course. There were three elements to this and all were appalling. The skin on the chicken was burnt. The chef tried to hide this by carefully spooning greens over it. The white mess on the side was so watery that it was hard to identify. The greens had deposited a small pool of water, as if they had been inadequately drained. The chicken came back; I am not sure if it was the same piece or a new one. there was certainly missing skin on it. Either way, it was dry.

On the bright side, the service was excellent. But the food was really poor... Sad, given the setting.

Musigny 151 in New York State (exc. New York City)

Disappointment at Mima Vinoteca

On the recommendation of a friend, had lunch there yesterday, and equally disappointed. Penne Carbonara came to the table so undercooked that I had to send it back. Chewy rather than al dente. So instead of doing a new one, they cooked it more, and the of course the egg curdles. The pasta itself is still tough. Did not dare order a replacement, so went with the monkfish special. Incredibly salty, worsened by the olive/capers but even when the sauce was scraped off, the fish was still way too salty. The vegetables were perfect, so took so small bites of the fish and averaged out the salt by piling vegetables on the same fork.

Nice location, decor is fine, but the food poor, and the lunch prices relatively high. Won't bother going back.

Musigny 151 in New York State (exc. New York City)

Chart House

Had dinner there tonight. Great view, but the food merely adequate.

Began with the clams. Too many crumbs for the clam. Poor. Salmon asked medium rare to medium way overcooked. On the second attempt, the chef overcautious undercooked it. Sent it back and it was perfect. My Veal Milanese was ordinary; the meat good, the coating soggy. Good accompanying greens, and a flavorful tomato. The cheesecake dessert was solid, and the highlight of the meal. Good wine list, well priced.

Previously, was hit and miss as well, but the view is so spectacular, it is tempting to overlook the food. But the view is not that good. Won't bother going back.

Musigny 151 in General Tristate Archive