Category Archives: French

Jellyfish

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Interior

Tuna tartare

Spicy crab mini tacos

Banging sweet Thai chili chicken

Spicy salmon, kiss of fire, black diamond

*** (3 stars)

Jellyfish is divided into two distinct spaces. The inside is a long bar with facing booths. The bar is backlit with a spectacular wall of sliced geodes, and the blue lightning is very cool. Then there’s a sort of outside space that is like a solarium, with a glass ceiling that lets in the sun. It’s like sidewalk dining, but indoors.

The highlights here are the small plates, both cold and hot.

Our favorite was the tuna tartare, which was served on very tasty guacamole, accompanied by wonton chips.

The mini crab tacos were also very good.

We also tried the “bangin'” chicken with a sweet Thai chili sauce, which was fine but not remarkable.

Much of the menu consists of sushi, of course. Prices seem very high, with each individual piece of fish costing about $5. There was nothing we observed about the quality of the fish that seemed to justify the premium.

We opted for three rolls: spicy tuna, kiss of fire, and black diamond. All were fine, but none were that magic combination of flavors that would qualify them as “signature” rolls, as listed.

Service was good, as it should have been, since we were alone during Sunday at lunch. I suppose this is due to the second floor location, which makes it a bit non-obvious to the casual traffic on the busy street below.

Jellyfish
1009 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 660-3111
https://www.yelp.com/biz/jellyfish-chicago-2

La Sardine

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Exterior

Interior

Authentic bread

Pate

French onion soup

Salad Lyonnaise

Mussels

***** (5 stars)

For a couple years I’ve been looking for a truly authentic and wonderful French brasserie in Chicago. Unfortunately, I was looking in River North, where there are quite a few choices, some good, but none wonderful. Then I stumbled upon this place. How I’d overlooked it I don’t know, since it is just off of Randolph’s restaurant row, but it is a bit of an obscure side street.

Anyway, it’s the real deal, with all the classic French comfort foods, impeccably prepared.

It’s really the small details that make the difference: the warm, crusty French bread and sweet butter served before you even order; the exactly correct Dijon mustard that accompanies the country-style house-made terrine of pork pate; the croutons on your Salad Lyonnaise that have obviously just been toasted; the perfect crust of gruyere on the French onion soup; and of course the right ambiance and soundtrack to accompany a classic French bistro meal.

In addition to the delights listed above, we also tried the mussels, a new recipe for the Spring, and they were easily the best I’ve ever had, done in a cream sauce loaded with herbs and just a hint of spice from a confetti of tiny chorizo bits.

The Burgundy by the glass was top notch, and they have my favorite Republic of Tea bottled teas.

Service was not French, but definitely charming and helpful, and everyone seemed glad for our business. This will definitely become a regular hangout for us. It’s by far the best French dining experience I’ve had in Chicago.

La Sardine
111 N Carpenter St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 421-2800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-sardine-chicago

Bistrot Zinc

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Exterior

Interior

Mussels

Poulet Grand Mere

Chicken crepe

Walleye with almond brown butter

*** (3 stars)

This is the largest of a number of French bistros in the area. Because it is large, it tends to be noisier, but not unbearably so; it just affects the intimacy, which seems better at the others.

The decor is traditional, and the menu also looks fairly traditional. However I found the execution of the food to somehow feel a bit like Americans trying to make French recipes using American ingredients. As a result, there wasn’t anything that really came together with the clarity and complexity of flavors you’d find in Paris.

We started with the mussels, which were in a creamy broth, however some of them were quite fishy.

The Salade Lyonnaise was a traditional preparation; the dressing was quite vinegary and the lardons were extremely smokey.

Smoked salmon was a fairly small serving atop a giant mound of potato salad… a bit odd.

The chicken crepe was fine. The special, Walleye with almond brown butter, was probably the best entree. Poulet Grand Mere, a house specialty, was just okay; the mushrooms, onions and potatoes in the accompanying stew were very, very cooked.

Our server was very busy, so his visits to the table seemed rushed and infrequent.

On the whole, I don’t think I’d return when there are several other bistros I like better within easy walking distance.

Bistrot Zinc
1131 N State St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 337-1131
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bistrot-zinc-chicago

Naha

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Chocolate tartufo

Beet salad

Skate wing

Duck

*** (3 stars)

The highlights of our dinner at Naha were the service, which was outstanding, and the breads, which are varied and interesting, particularly the ones with fennel, cumin and other unique ingredients.

The beet salad was just okay. The individual ingredients didn’t really come together to create something more.

I enjoyed the skate wing, which had a crispy sear on it, and went well with the sunchoke sauce.

The duck breast had a very flavorful lacquer seared onto the outside, but don’t order this unless you like your duck blood rare. Again, individual ingredients didn’t really complement the duck.

Plating was an issue throughout the meal. The duck, in particular, did not look like a dish served by a Michelin starred restaurant.

The most attractive dish was dessert. The chocolate tartufo was served with a delicious porter beer ice cream and espresso foam, and some of the ingredients worked together.

Naha is an adequate restaurant, but seems very overpriced for the quality. The Michelin star is puzzling.

Naha
500 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 321-6242
https://www.yelp.com/biz/naha-chicago

Patisserie Coralie

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Counter

Large moccha

Interior

***** (5 stars)

This delightful french patisserie is owned by the same people at long time favorites Bistro Bordeaux and Creperie Saint Germain.

The pastries are as authentic as you’d expect, and the coffee is top-notch.

What a difference the change in decor from Cafe Mozart days! The formerly dark space is now light and airy, and a delightful place to sit and have a pastry and coffee.

The most pleasant thing about my visit was the cheerful server; she made the experience a very welcoming one.

Patisserie Coralie
600 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 905-0491
https://www.yelp.com/biz/patisserie-coralie-evanston

Brindille

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Vicchysoisse

Beef tartare

Quail

Scallop

Lobster

Veal

Lamb

Strawberries and hazlenut

**** (4 stars)

This is a very fine restaurant that is doing most everything right. The chef’s eight-course tasting menu, which is available on request, is the way to go here. It’s assembled to match your tastes, and is a great way to experience the menu’s highlights.

Each course was beautifully presented. The only truly amazing one was the vichyssoise, but everything else was quite good, and the price was reasonable for the quality.

Service was informative and attentive, and the secondary service staff were particularly efficient at delivering and clearing.

Brindille has one of the better wine lists in town, at a reasonable markup of about twice retail. It’s heavy on quality French wines, and bears a bit of research before your visit to be truly rewarded.

Brindille
534 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 595-1616
http://www.yelp.com/biz/brindille-chicago

DoveCote Brasserie

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***** (5 stars)

Downtown Orlando has long been in need of a great French restaurant, and at last there is one. We attended a soft opening lunch with high expectations, and were not disappointed. Even though the restaurant was full, the kitchen was turning out hit after hit, and service was both friendly and professional.

The space is the former Harveyr’s bistro in the bottom of the B of A, but it has been remodeled to give it a modern brasserie feel. In addition to several inside areas, there’s also outside seating. The best addition is free valet parking, right outside the side door, which solves a major downtown dining problem.

We had an opportunity to sample much of the lunch menu, and loved most of what we tried.

Chicken Liver pate was very traditional, with the coating of duck fat on top to seal it into its jar. The highlight of this dish was actually the grilled toast, which was perfectly and authentically done in the brasserie style.

This same wonderful toast accompanied the even better pork terrine, which came with a wonderful house-made mustard.

Carrot soup was a thick, cold concoction poured over cooked shrimp. We heard good things about it, but none of us cared for it, possibly due to some flawed sesame seeds that were sprinkled on top.

French onioin soup was much better, completely traditional, maybe a bit sweet for my taste, but with a rich oxtail broth and plenty of gruyere cheese. The horseradish mentioned on the menu may have added complexity, but wasn’t detectable.

I loved both of the salads we tried. The frisee salad was non-traditional, with a curry dressing and toasted macadamias rather than the traditional egg. It was really exotic. The other salad wasn’t the simple green salad described on the menu, but a delicious concoction involving beets, radish and greens with a vinaigrette and superb crunchy sunflower seed granola.

We shared a DC Burger as another starter. What a great piece of ground breef! It was tender, flavorful, juicy, had a nice char, and was cooked a perfect medium. The mayonnaise-based sauce was excellent but not mentioned in the menu description.

For mains we tried the butter roasted chicken, red snapper, and yellowfin tuna burger. These were all good, but perhaps not quite as good as what came before.

The snapper was certainly the best, with a great crust, and accompanied by very flavorful quinoa.

The chicken was pleasant, but not remarkable, however chef substituted ratatouille for the fingerling potatoes at our request, and it was absolutely great. This should go on the menu by itself!

The tuna burger was not at all what I expected, as it seemed more like a lamb burger due to the way it was ground and the heavy inclusion of cumin in the patty. That said, I really enjoyed it.

A tempura mushroom side dish was nicely cooked, but probably would be better with a different vegetable.

The creme brulee was as good as any I’ve ever had, served at the perfect temperature of slightly warm, with a soft texture, strong vanilla flavor, and a crackly crust.

Milk sherbet with peaches was another winner.

The accompanying espresso was also perfectly done, served in an odd little shot glass, with a nice crema, and just enough bitterness to offset the sweet desserts. This espresso makes me want to go back for breakfast.

In addition to all this great food, there is an even greater wine list, with the best wine pricing of any restaurant in town. Selected by Kristopher Soto, the general manager here, who used to be the sommelier for the sadly missed Vineyard at The Ritz Carlton, the wine price to performance ratio is unmatched anywhere in town. You can get any number of great bottles for well under $100. These wines are literally twice the price at other restaurants in Orlando.

With Clayton Miller as the head chef, Gene Zimmerman, who is behind the Courtesy speakeasy bar, heading the bar, and James Petrakis, the owner of Ravenous Pig and Cask & Larder, as a consulting partner, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that this is a great restaurant. But for it to be this good the day before opening is pretty amazing. May it live long and prosper.

DoveCote Brasserie
390 North Orange Ave
Ste 110
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 930-1700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/dovecote-orlando-3

Bistronomic

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***** (5 stars)

This bistro serves authentic French bistro food in a modern decor or a pleasant covered outside dining area.

The early evening three course prix fixe menu is an excellent deal, and includes so of the best menu selections.

Duck confit was perfectly crisped, served with a lightly dressed frisee salad.

Salmon was perfectly browned and served over some marvelous vegetables.

Two classic desserts round out the prix fixe menu.

The wine list focuses on affordable French wines, with a limited selection by the glass.

Service was friendly and efficient.

While the ambiance is not traditional, of the French bistros in River North, this is my favorite for food.

Bistronomic
840 N Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 944-8400
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistronomic-chicago

Restaurant BT

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***** (5 stars)

Based upon the reviews I was expecting some fairly extraordinary food, and I was not disappointed. Everything we had was top notch. The complexity of the recipes and quality of the ingredients is definitely far above most Vietnamese restaurants I’ve been to.

At a recent lunch we worked our way through many appetizer courses, beginning with the fresh shrimp rolls and the mini crispy spring rolls. Both were elevated by the inclusion of very flavorful and fresh herbs.

Tuna Tai Chanh was a wonderful tuna tartare that was mixed with an unusually large amount of chopped fresh herbs that gave it a complex flavor, elevating it far about the tuna and sesame oil base.

We also tried two special. Pheasant pate was an excellent rough country style pate served with traditional French accompaniments of mustard, gherkins and chopped onions. Truffled burrata cheese was also nicely done, with a sort of pesto or chimichurri accompaniment.

For an entree I had the grilled pork banh mi. I’m a particular fan of that sandwich, and this one was as good as any I’ve had, with lots of fresh herbs, a savory soy marinade, and just the right amount of creamy mayonnaise.

I’m not sure I’d describe anything I had as “fusion” cuisine. Most of the dishes are gourmet Vietnamese, and the two specials we had were French, but I didn’t detect any fusing going on.

The wine list is reasonably priced and offers some nice choices. The Puligny Montrachet went well with the food, although not as well as the Chateau Carbonneau that we brought. The $30 corkage seemed a bit steep, but otherwise I thought the food pricing was very reasonable. I can only assume those complaining about the prices were expecting Vietnamese sandwich shop and the ingredients here mark this as a very fine dining restaurant that happens to serve lunch, too.

Restaurant BT
2507 S MacDill Ave
Tampa, FL 33629
(813) 258-1916
http://www.yelp.com/biz/restaurant-bt-tampa

The Blanchard

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** (2 stars)

I don’t understand what the  hype is about. This is a perfectly average French restaurant with adequate food, a poorly thought out and overpriced wine list, and a deafening ambiance. I have not eaten in such a loud restaurant since Graham Elliot, and at least there it was because of the absurdly loud music. If The Blanchard has music it is not audible over the roar of other diners in this hard-surfaced room, bare of any attempt at acoustic treatment.

Aside from the imperative to escape from the noise as quickly as possible, there is little to make one want to linger anyway. The highly touted “oeuf outhier”turned out to be a rather gritty scrambled egg mixture in a decapitated egg, topped with sour cream, vodka and a dot of caviar. The flavors didn’t really mesh.

Mussels were just adequate, although a companion liked the mussel soup, which was more like saffron soup. The mussel-topped toast it came with was good, though.

The best appetizer was the duck confit, which was flavorful and nicely defatted. Foie gras ganache was also good, and accompanied by nicely charred brioche.

The dover sole and steak frites were straight from central casting–nothing really wrong with them, but nothing to justify $42 for the sole, either. The best entree (and best item of the meal) was the short rib, which combined an interesting combination of Moroccan and Indian spices, and was topped with a delicious mint couscous. This dish would be the only conceivable reason to return.

The biggest problem is the wine list, a medium sized offering of exclusively French wines that are almost all from either weak vintages or mediocre producers. Even so, prices are high. The Puligny-Montrachet and Nuits-Saint-Georges I ordered were two of the worst bottles of those wines I’ve ever had, despite both being close to $200 each. We let most of both bottles. It’s hard to imagine a sommelier ever sampled either of those wines before buying a case from the distributor.

In the end we were disappointed but happy to flee into the peaceful solitude of the evening.

The Blanchard
1935 N Lincoln Park W
Chicago, IL 60614
(872) 829-3971
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-blanchard-chicago