Hello Blackbird

Ok...here's another big dog. Last night I hit Blackbird, which is on just about everyone's "Top 5 of Chicago" list. Chef and James Beard Award Winner Paul Kahan, along with three partners, opened this trendy spot about 10 years ago, and people have been talking about it ever since. The place has been so successful, that sister restaurants Avec, The Publican, and Big Star have popped up in its wake and are all getting acclaim.

Joining me last night were friends Colby and Mike. Colby is never one to shy away from a challenge, so he suggested we do the tasting menu as a table. At $100/pp, this is one of the less expensive ten course tastings in the city (ouch). Here is the good and the bad...

First, the good. Service was attentive and unpretentious. Everyone who works here seemed (to the bystander) to genuinely enjoy each other and not hate their jobs. The cocktail menu was really inventive (more on that later) and we never felt rushed (dinner took 4 hours). And one big thing...the waitstaff waited until everyone at the table was done with each course before removing any plates. This should be common practice, but you wouldn't believe how many waiters have no idea that it is completely rude to take one diner's finished plate while their tablemate is still enjoying their food. Nice job Blackbird staff. Also, they get a check-plus for not raising eyebrows or noses when we ordered a really modestly priced bottle of wine. On a hilarious note, there is an orange curtain hanging in the ladies room. If you push the curtain aside, there is a larger than life black and white photo of a scantily clad man. I love places that don't take themselves too seriously.

Generally, the food was pretty good. I try not to refer back to a tasting menu when doing a write-up because I think that if I don't remember it, it must not have been that awesome. Memorable bites include the honey parfait with passion fruit (served with a coconut "sponge")...my favorite thing all night, the peking duck, served with a DELICIOUS cabbage, and the baby octopus with black garbanzo beans (which I got to taste because I couldn't eat the ahi...or any raw food right now...boo).

Now for the less-than-good. Some of the bites on the tasting menu were underwhelming. The king crab was really rubbery, as was the lamb. The cream cheese gelato was just plain weird (although Colby loved it. Colby's kind of weird though too). Some of the protien was underseasoned in my opinion. Many of the sauces seemed to be more motivated by creativity than by flavor. The room is really trendy (all white), cramped, and not very comfortable. At the risk of sounding 100 years old, it was really loud, although the room was nowhere near full (I think the accoustics were really poorly designed). My (amazing) citrus-y gin cocktail had fragrant lavender floating on top, which by the end of the glass looked like there were bugs in my drink. Creepy.

This is probably a good time to note that I realize my opinions (as all opinions) are completely subjective. That being said, I'm pretty sure Mike hated everything at dinner last night. The only thing he consistently thought was good were the plates on which the food was served. He thought they were really nice-looking. As a meat-and-potatoes man, I'm pretty sure he went home hungry. If you don't really dig fancy food, this is probably not the spot for you. Sorry Mike...hope you got a burrito on the way home.

At the end of the day though, I thought this place lived up to most of the hype. On a return visit, I would probably just stick with a couple of strong dishes off the regular dinner menu. Or maybe I'll just get three courses of the honey parfait, and a delicious martini, hold the bugs.