up and down the scale

So in the last four days - since the Teitur celebration with Ron & Mary- we have had three meals out. they went up and down the scale of dining - with a hole in the wall Moroccan place and a French bistro and on the top of the scale (by far!) our favorite pop-up 2C Chicago!

So let's go from the top- another sublime meal at 2C. There is everything to love here... the intimate setting, the warm and friendly and extremely talented chef - Jeff Dysart, and of course- above all - the food.... we went with friends Ron & Mary and Kevin & Shari - and the group was a complete win for us since we love all of these folks.  The other two couples did not know each other before the evening so it was fun to introduce them to each other.

but the meal- and since every course was stunning in flavor and composition on the "plate", I can go in order - you can read the menu after the snacks course photo-

 

 with the corn soup-

 before the reveal- LOL

voila! oh ad the smoke didn't make the photo but the flavor and scent of it was captured in the dish! 

while it is hard to pick a favorite the pancakes with foie gras and maple syrup pearls certainly makes my list of dishes before the guillotine LOL

 before and after saucing...

 the wine line up for the evening -

Now we are trying to figure out how to get back before I leave town - and good luck with that!

if you are interested here are my two prior posts on the pop-up 2C Chicago-

 http://blog.semifreelife.com/2018/07/tremendous-two.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2018/05/new-fun-find.html

*******

working our way back in time from last night's outstanding meal- we tried a new to us French place west of the loop called La Sardine...Phil liked it -but I not so much.  The service was inattentive and I found the food lacking. To be 100% honest I didn't really feel like going out and wasn't hungry so I only had part of the charcuterie and a bowl of the onion soup (it was NOT exemplary- too cheesy) and watched Phil eat.... we did have an excellent half bottle of Olivier Leflaive wine (2015 Puligny) and then one of our own Corton Renardes from Delarche an fabulous 1996 red burg that we paid the $50 bauck corkage for (which I thought was rather steep given that we purchased a very expensive white - at $80 for the half bottle) - the wine list is good but not as good as our cellar...

 Phil had the steak frites and the chocolate souffle - the frites were first rate- I will give them that-

so while Phil may go back while I am out of town I probably won't....

then two nights before 2C we had dinner with Mike and his uncle at a hole in the wall Moroccan place called Shokran- near the Irving Park EL stop for the Blue line...

 Phil and Uncle Walt had the mixed grill

 I had the kefta kebab which was supposed to beef but tasted of a lamb and beef mix-

 Mike had the lamb tagine

no photos but the Bastilla was authentic and good - Phil seemed to like his shrimp and Uncle Walt had the Harira which he liked as well.

I would go back when in the mood for that type of food but order carefully.  If you are a lamb lover this would be a good pick but if you feel about lamb the way I do you may want to be picky about your choice of a main... probably should have ordered the chicken kebab...LOL

anyway- it ran the gamut this week- starting at the Casino Club and then Teitur with Ron & Mary and then three more evenings out... maybe even I have reached my limit on social plans.... LOL- I know Phil has not...  as he left for an evening of music with friends to be followed by a full day of music and festivities around the anniversary of WFMT's Folkstage with a special afternoon concert.

Next week we start off with an event for charity "Pause for the Cause" with a collaboration dinner of the chef's from Oriole and S.K.Y.  Then we have a visit from brother Larry (we have booked one night at El Ideas) - he hasn't yet seen our condo in Chicago as Hurricane Irma disrupted plans to come... so here we are in our third summer finally being able to host him!

tremendous TWO

There are actually a number of perfect alliterations for 2C - as in 2C Chicago - the pop up we dined at last night and tremendous would be one of them along with terrific - but here is the thing- none of them would really do justice to the experience.

And here is why - every course was "real food" - something you don't always see in high end dining where the art is often more important to the chef. In some cases I would even say the artifice beyond the art (which can be satisfying- as long as the diners love the taste and are satiated as well.)

This pop up provides as near perfect experience of dining out as I think one can have... no noisy people at the next table, or worse the sullen silent ones who have just had a fight before arriving for their long awaited reservation.  It is just you and five friends at a lovely dining room table.  It isn't exactly the "in the kitchen" chef's table but Chef Jeff is cooking literally two steps away and is interactive in the very best way.  He is friendly and welcoming and open to discussions about ingredients and life in general.  The discussion around the table is of the Chicago restaurant scene and the world dining options. It touches on foreign cuisine and ingredients, a sharing of knowledge that seems to naturally lead from one subject to the next...  the hours fly by and somehow it's after midnight- or it was for the five of us. 

Lucky diners - the convivial table was made up of the Blasers and Shari Massey (Kevin was just returning from a week away at Disaster Preparedness Training with the Air National Guard where he volunteers as a chaplain; and couldn't make it back into town in time to join in the festivities) and the two of us, who wandered on over from our own 2C to Chef Jeff's!

So as I always do, I will start out with my favorite photo- which is also sometimes my favorite course and then go into the full menu and wine pairings- so here is my favorite photo of the food- the trout course- described in more detail later...

 we were dinner #35 at this pop up and hence the title of our menus-

we started with the champagne Shari and Kevin brought to Bastille day dinner last weekend but that we never got to open up due to an abundance of wines and the pacing of the dinner and pairings of the food... and it was magnificent -

 the snacks course- the dot on the right was a cocktail LOL

this might vie for favorite course - incredible eggs on eggs with a side of eggs LOL- the foamy area is actually sous vide eggs with cream and butter them whipped so the texture is like just setting up whipped cream and it tasted like scrambled eggs - the breakfast theme was one we all immediately latched on to as the next course would bring forth pancakes and house made bacon and we wondered if it wouldn't be better to just stay and have breakfast too LOL

we stayed with the champagne (from Shari again) and added the Chablis (ours)

but for the next course Jeff served us the Sake (that Stephanie & John brought) as he thought it the perfect pairing with the chiles and crispy duck tongues in the elotes - and it was!

the rigatoni was lighter and not too red sauce like so we stayed with whites and opened a bigger Sigrid (ours) and a 1996 Pommard from Jadot (photo missing) but it didn't need red at this point as the dish was so well balanced a bigger white was just right!

these next two course were TOO - LOL vying for my favorite TOO ! the foie course with the foie ice cream and pancakes with maple syrup forget the fruit and brioche - this is the way I want to eat foie from now on - with pearls of sweetness on top! with ice cream! on pancakes! (OK you can tell from the exclamation points I really liked this one...LOL but the next was as fabulous a flavor profile as this just in a completely different palate (artistic and alimentary).  The trout course had the crispy-est skin and the buttermilk sauce and my fave (ask my hubby) roe! what's not to love?

on to the meaty courses and by this time the wines were a free for all but we did not get around to opening the Clerc Milon Bordeaux so we are saving that for another meal... the two next course each were excellent but the wagyu was melt in your mouth perfect with the to-die-for truffled potatoes.  So I give the beef a slight edge over the duck as the set up was more to my taste otherwise it would be neck and neck in this match up...

the group was split on the winner of the sorbet match up - several went each way so it was declared a "draw" LOL

and just when you think you have reached your limits of favorites you get this course of amazing combinations - we ordered the honeycombs to be served with our breakfast LOL.  The texture was so crispy and light and full of gingery flavor...

the full menu

another WOW meal at 2C and we are already planning on returning as soon as we get our group together - and next time we know Kevin will want to be there so we will work with the Massey schedule.  #ravereviews #fabfood #terrific2C #greatevening