I made a new friend last night, one that I suspect will be a friend for a long time.
I’m speaking of the restaurant, L20.
Last night, my partner Craig as well as board member Barry Lipton and I dined at L20–Chicago’s 3 Michelin star restaurant, which for a while had been wobbling in the wake of the departure of Chef Laurent Gras. It was no secret that I was no fan of Gras’ style, personality or his cooking.
With new chefs, last night’s dinner was the best meal I have had in Chicago. Bar none. And IMHO it is certainly at a level to compete successfully at the New York Times **** level. It deserves its Michelin *** under the new team.
First, as has always been the case, of course, the room is beautiful and sedate and slightly reminiscent of the dining room of Le Bernardin in NYC–modern, somewhat nondescript, in the background. The front of the house staff were everything they should be–attentive, prompt, engaging when we hoped they would be, in the background when we were talking amongst ourselves. I had remarked that we were seated at the same table as I had been on a previous, far less fortunate visit a year or two ago (which I wrote about online in a now somewhat infamous post) and as I was telling Barry and Craig the story, the service manager came by and I mentioned it to him. “I was here that night” he pointed out, acknowledging but smiling with no hint of disapproval or animus. Instead, he seemed relaxed. The mere fact he felt free to acknowledge that reveals a new aspect of L20 not present before–the staff is having a good time. They are friendly and relaxed. Professional but enjoying themselves, and it rubs off on the guests.
In the kitchen is chef de cuisine Matt Kirkley–an alumnus of Ria, and before that Robuchon Las Vegas (The Mansion) and The Fat Duck in London. His sous chef is Nick Janutol who is also a strong presence–he is an alumnus of Eleven Madison Park among others. These two are fearless and creative. They have enormous, enormous talent and creativity. At the end of the dinner, I thought to myself “What a find these guys are–somebody knew what they were doing when they found them.” There is enough creativity in that large kitchen to produce genius. (What a change from before, when guests were not allowed in the kitchen and the FOH staff was not allowed to speak to the chef.)
We put ourselves in their more than capable hands. Here is what we had:
Amuse 1: Smoked Salmon Mousse, Cucumber Gelee
Amuse 2: Lobster Roll, Truffle Vinaigrette
Course 1: Tuna, Avocado, Tomato Gelee, Caviar
Course 2: English Pea, Truffle Butter, Lavender Milk
Course 3: Maine Diver Scallop, Cooked in its Shell, Black Truffle, Leek
Course 4: Bouillabaisse, Scorpionfish, Dourade, Tomato Confit, Fennel
Course 5: Lamb Loin, Sweetbreads, Zucchini
Course 6: Wagyu Tenderloin, Potato Fondant, Royal Trumpet Mushroom
PreDessert: Sake Cucumber Ice, Lime Zest
Dessert : Chocolate Egg, Salted Caramel, Malted Milk Granite
I didn’t take pics of the Amuse but for the dinner:
So visually stunning and equally stunning in taste! It was an Hawaiian Big Eye Tuna Tartare set with tomato water and on the other side, thinly sliced avocado and caviar. What a way to start! I absolutely loved this dish. Probably my favorite of the night. The flavors and texture were absolutely–there’s that word again–stunning.
Next up:
This was English peas in a risotto style with truffle butter and lavender on top. The peas were bursting with flavor and cooked al dente. The combination with the foam and truffle butter was great.
Next, a french server came along with a pastry disk–who knew what it was or what was inside? He showed it to me, then on the side, removed the pastry coating and there was the shell of a scallop, still attached at the bottom. It was cooked perfectly–as I like to say, flirting with being underdone but just perfectly cooked. On top–black truffle disks. Here’s a look:
More in the next post to keep the pics going.
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