Tuesday, 10/22/19

We had picked up some bagels and cream cheese from a cute shop nearby (Chicago Bagel Authority) on Monday afternoon, so had breakfast in the apartment. They were nothing special, but sitting overnight probably didn't help. Lunch was at Frontera Grill: guacamole, a tuna ceviche with tomato, jicama, avocado and cilatnro, and more queso fundito. All fine. Why is the queso fundito from La Veracruzana so much better? It must be the variety of cheese they use? Anyway, the tortillas were certainly very good. Jessica had a Caesar salad with skirt steak, and I had chicken mole enchiladas (very dark and intense). This was a good meal, but I guess I was expecting something many steps above my local Mexican restaurants. No real complaints, though.
Dinner was at a place called Boka, which I had heard many good things about. Bonus: it was only a few blocks from the apartment. I started with a very fancy cocktail that I had to google all the ingredients for when I got home, but the upshot was that it tasted like a gin and tonic (Nouvelle Regime tanqueray gin, genmaicha, cocchi americano, dolin blanc, black lime). Jessica's non-alcoholic drink was prettier and tastier. We ordered the tasting menu, and I am not going to be able to remember everything, but I'll do my best. The amuse was a couple of oysters with lemon oil and something else, plus a little sushi shaped thing that had carrot tartare and I don't know what else? But it was delicious. I couldn't really hear everything the staff was saying. Started with "Shima Aji Crudo* • grape, turnip, yuzu, fermented onion" (although mine didn't have the fish for some reason? Jessica kindly shared hers with me). This was extremely delicious and my favorite course, I think. Then came "Shima Aji Crudo* • grape, turnip, yuzu, fermented onion" which was quite nice.  Jessica didn't love the  smoked scallops in "Kabocha Agnolotti • chanterelle, toasted yeast, smoked scallop', but it was nice enough. Then there was lobster sitting in a sea urchin foam. Eh. Then a olive-oil poached cod with I don't even know what. All I know was that this was our third soft creamy dish and I was getting a little bored of it. Then we had duck breast with huckleberries and some little blob of something. I didn't catch what.  Two desserts: a chocolate sorbet over a chocolate mousse with more huckleberries, and "Concord Grape, anise hyssop, yogurt, buckwheat " which was another sorbet, and very lovely.
Overall, we liked it, but we weren't overwhelmed. I think we wish we had ordered off the menu, but oh well.  Still a nice fancy evening.