when i was living in chicago, my telly was almost always glued to the ultimate channel for foodies - the food network channel. so much so that i was could have been a walking channel guide for the food network, listing down the programs effortlessly especially when it comes to my favorite celebrity chefs. 

the queen of easy entertaining dining with fresh quality ingredients that can be easily transformed into gourmet dishes at home, ina garten is also known as the barefoot contessa -- the namesake of her gourmet food store where she started her culinary career. it is so inspiring to learn how she became such an icon in the culinary world fuelled by her evident passion for food and fresh ingredients despite not having any formal training.

i love her back to basics approach but never skimping on flavors. and her huge herb garden of abundant varieties, which i hope to grow when i get a place of my own. 

well chi-town, 

good news for barefoot contessa fans out there!

you're in for some pleasant surprise!

a lincoln park neighborhood restaurant, the peasantry that just opened early last year, promises elevated street food. their new american dishes lie in the foundation of farm-to-table concept and believing in making everything in-house including grinding only prime cuts of meat for their burger patties. the minds behind the peasantry are also the propietors of chicago favorite hot dog joint, franks 'n' dawgs.

the decor of the place was a interesting mix of rustic and modern contemporary. the grey wall on the right is adorned with grafiitti style art while the opposite walls are clunged by grade school style blackboards. at end of the restaurant, i was greeted by "fire place" where reflective jars held candles. while in one back corner of the restaurant, a chicago flag paints the wall. surprisingly, it also chipped in some southern vibe on  top of it all.

the reason why {xy} and i were there :: their menu was a rather interesting mix and i was interested in tasting their interpretation of elevated street food. we were seated at the back of the restaurant near the fireplace and next to one of the few communal tables they had available for table sharing and huge parties.

pasta :: rabbit pasta | red wine braised rabbit with homemade egg noodles, mushrooms, shaved ricotta salata and thyme ($15)

i've read many praises for this lean meat gamey pasta but was i in sync with the other food reviewers on their sentiments? the first thing i was noticed was the lack of seasoning on the pasta, which could have helped it a long way. but, the rabbit meat in contrast was flavorful with every biteful although a couple of pieces were a tad dry.

one of the positive points was that the fact that the egg noodle had a lovely al dente bite to its texture, only can be found in fresh homemade pasta. the mushroom were great sponges absorbing the delicious wine based sauce. the rustic bread was not toasted enough and the ricotta salata did not add any value to the dish in my opinion, both of which i could have done without. overall, the dish was fine but it wasn't amazing.

burgers :: lamb burger | onion lamb burger with olive aioli, green garlic, and asparagus pistou, red onion and parsley ($12)

{xy}'s choice: the grill marks were apparent on the lamb patty and the crusty bread.  {xy} mentioned that the bread was too dry and crusty that it hurt his lips. thank goodness that the meat was moist and they injected a good punch of gamey flavor leaning towards the mediterranean spice palate. good lamb patty sandwiched between not so good bread took away some of its potential to be out of this world.

salads & sides :: triple truffle fries | yukon gold waffle fries, truffle butter, truffle salt, truffle oil & parsley ($7)

as much as i liked truffle, i was a bit nervous when i chose something that called itself triple truffle fries - i'd expect a truffle overload! surprisingly, the truffle flavor was just right, mild enough to not overpower the fries itself but not so subtle that i could still taste the hint of it. while the seasoning was balanced, which resulted to pretty tasty fries, the crispiness wasn't close to what it needed to be :/

chalkboard specials :: macadamia nut churros | with white chocolate and hibiscus anglaise sauce ($6)
 

one word: disappointing. churros, they were not.... i am not quite even sure what to call them. they were overfried on the outside but undercooked on the inside. wasn't light nor airy encased in a crispy exterior like a good churro should be. the white chocolate and hibiscus anglaise sauce was a delight though.  i would definitely skip this unless these were an off night for their churros.

the peasantry offers quite a wide selection of their personal spin on elevated street food - while fascinating on paper but still has the room for improvement in their execution. perhaps i should be a tad more adventurous with my choices but i hope the people responsible for the success of the reputable and loved franks 'n dawgs will steer the peasantry in the right direction.

the peasantry | location

2723 n clark st, 
chicago, il 60614, 
united states

perennial virant is the brain child of chef paul virant, who is also the man behind the celebrated restaurant, vie just outside of chicago. i was introduced to vie when paul virant made an apperance on food network's iron chef america against masaharu morimoto. i was even more excited to find out about perennial virant because it meant i could try the chef's creation at a more affordable price!

located in the neighborhood of lincoln park, the restaurant is located at the south end of lincoln park. in late spring and throughout summer, you can watch the vendors selling beautiful and colorful fresh produce and some freshly made delicious food ranging from italian favorites to homemade pies to burgers at the outdoor farmer's market, occupying the park just across from the restaurant.



the decor at perennial virant is cozy -- think of perhaps the experience of having a meal at a friend's place. :) as you enter the main entrance, you will be greeted with a bar counter. then when you are led into the dining area, the rustic wooden tables fills the space with cushioned chairs. the room is surrounded by full length windows curtained by light white fabric, allowing some of the warm sunlight to stream into the restaurant. there is also patio seating, lovely for the warmer days.


i know i've waited to long to post about this restaurant when one of the items are no longer on the menu. ><

but first, i started out with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which was sweet with a tinge of tartness. i did wish for some pulp - yes, i am weird like that ;) haha.



pv specialties :: perkins farm ham steak | leek bread pudding . vanilla pear aigre-doux . nichols farm watercress ($15)


for some unexplicable reason, i had a hankering for some salty ham for brunch! at first glance, the beautiful presentation that aptly represent their farm-to-table concept, starting with the lovely crossed grilled marks on the ham "steak" topped with fresh greens - it set me up for high expectations for the dish.


the sauce was a delight - it was a very soft whisper of vanilla but the sweetness of pear came through with occasional bursts of flavor from the diced pear, which complimented the fresh greens. the leek bread pudding was soft and seasoned well with a slight sweetness with light onion-y flavor to it.


what was disappointing was the star of the dish itself - the ham steak. the "steak" was dry and overcooked. texturally unpleasant that i tried aiding the meat by dousing it in sauce. at one point i thought to myself, is it possible to cook ham to the point it's dry? the flavor profile was great with the saltiness of the ham mellowed by the sweetness of the sauce, which was rounded by the hearty leek bread pudding and the freshness of the greens. it had so much promise!


pv specialties :: house smoked salmon | crispy grits. pickled ramps. spicy tomato. pickled garlic . one sunnyside egg ($14)


presentation was slightly weaker in comparison although the red from the tomato sauce was eye-catching  i only had a small bite to taste but the loose gravy took away some of the crispiness of the gritz. {xy} mentioned it started off crispy and became soggy towards the last bites. i actually expected the smoked salmon to be mostly raw so i was quite surprised to see it fully cooked. i thought the sauce needed more herbs but {xy} commented that he liked the burst of flavor and everything else except for the portion size. he was finished eating while i was halfway through mine lol.

we contemplated on dessert from here but we simply could not agree on one to share so instead, i decided to get some freshly-fried-crispy-sugar-coated-bite-sized-zeppole (what italian donuts is lovingly called) that i spied earlier in the outdoor farmer's market. they were still warm and greasily yummy! a lovely way to end my brunch :)


my visit to perennial virant ended up being a bit of a disappointment - perhaps it was because i had high expectations for the place because i've been wanting to come here for a while now  on top of all the great things i've read about this restaurant. i'd probably give this restaurant another try before picking the "love, okay, meh or yuck" stand on this place since my dish featured a wonderfully balanced flavor profile - the execution was lacking on the highlight of the dish.




disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

i've been trying to mix it up with my entries -- although i should really get all the chicago ones out of the way before they become obselete. let's start with this one and i'll have about another 3-4 left on chicago. (oh..how bittersweet.. bitter that i am no longer in chicago, sweet that i am done catching up on my chicago entries)


after one of our usual restaurant adventures around the bucktown area, we discovered the storefront company. i peeked through the windows to find an interesting dinner menu that sounded tasty that i just had to add it on my wishlist. in fact, the storefront company just received one star from michelin guide for 2013, the covered accolade to join the ranks of blackbird and takashi.

the storefront company highlights farm cuisine in a modern interpretation. from the restaurant's outer appearance, it reflected a simple, minimalist approach. as i entered the restaurant, the decor captured my heart at first glance. it  reminded me of a artist gallery in black and white sophistication yet rustic, which was very fitting for the neighborhood it was located in. 

{xy} was a tad late (again! :p) but that gave me a chance to take photos to my heart's content! i already knew what appetizer we were sharing even before i made reservations for dinner. quite honestly, it was probably the reason why i so keen on trying this place.

they started us with complimentary breads, crisps and the likes with a spread of soft butter sprinkled with pretty pink himalayan salt.

shared :: foie gras bombe | brioche crisps . onion-rhubarb relish . thyme ($9)

i loved the petite bite size presented in a simple manner. i've read a lot of rave reviews about this dish and general consensus was it is must try, which i gladly obliged since i really like foie gras. these bite size treats were creamy, rich, savory but then greeted by the softened sweet onion-rhubarb relish and brought together by the crunch of the brioche crisps. 

while it was a mouthful of delight, the foie gras mousse was light on the namesake so it lacked that punch but considering the price tag, i could not ask for more.

second :: rabbit | cauliflower . hand cut noodles . gouda . sherry ($26) 

{no longer available on menu}

i wanted to try rabbit once more because the first time i had it, it was braised so long that it lost its flavor and tasted like chicken. i was surprised when the wait staff asked me how i wanted to get the rabbit done. i looked confused for a second and tried my luck with medium -- it should be safe, right? since i live to tell the story, i suppose it is lol. 

freshly handmade pasta cooked al dente rested atop a cauliflower puree that offered a slight sweetness. the pasta sauce had a touch of sherry which is a classic pairing with the mushroom and contrasted perfectly with the cauliflower. i loved the two preparations of the rabbit - the lean meat was most likely sous-vide based on the gentle cooking which had a slightly gamey flavor and yet still moist. the dark was deep fried in a think shell of batter equally as moist. the dish worked together as a whole and thought it was rather tasty. 

second :: arctic char | sage cured pork belly . butternut squash . apple lacquer ($23)

{no longer available on the menu}

{xy}'s choice of the evening. the presentation was like artwork on a piece of blank canvas - playing off the artistic style of the dining space. i didn't taste it but from what i gathered from {xy} he is happy with his delicious decision and the crisp skin locked the moisture of the fish itself. 

as we called for our cheque (or bill, whichever you prefer calling), a well dressed staff of the restaurant came by and dropped off a complimentary chocolate macaroon each, which i thought was quite a nice gesture. :)

this was delicious and that's even after i saved mine for a couple days. i can't remember the texture or taste exactly but i remember enjoying the chocolate-y goodness :)

the storefront company was quite the gratifying experience for the taste buds but not so much for filling of the bellies. as i finished my pasta, i found myself wanting a few more bites of food because i didn't exactly feel full. {xy} felt the same way and we had to find another place for supper after dinner to fill up our unsatisfied bellies. perhaps that's the reason why you don't skip "first" course. >< regardless, the storefront company is worth to try at least once their farm to table creations, all presented in a beautiful whimsical artwork :)

the storefront company chicago | location

1941 w. north avenue,

chicago, il, 60622,
united states