Another month, another visit to Chicago’s idiosyncratic temple of omakase…
Chicago
At the risk of repeating what has recently (and rather convincingly) been said, I must write this piece…
Enemy formed the entry point through which I could finally get to know what Warlord was doing…
I have learned over many years and many tasting menus to be suspicious of any meal that seems like “too much of a good thing.”
How does the menu here change month to month? How does the perception of quality and value, when one no longer approaches Phan’s work with the romanticism of a “special occasion” splurge, change with it?
Kumiko is another one of those places (like Obélix) that feels so familiar it can be hard to write about critically. At the same time, it is a place that remains so uncompromising in its vision it can sometimes perplex and polarize segments of its audience.
After spending some time discussing PIZZ’AMICI, it seems serendipitous that I can sample, compare, and contrast the same product from some of Chicago’s most interminable restaurateurs.
Mariscos San Pedro’s “Taco Omakase” is not just a relocation of what Chingón did before, but an expansion and evolution of the same idea: a crown jewel offering within a bustling restaurant that, indeed, may be looking to win Bibendum’s favor once more.
As much as I have enjoyed my visits here, any temptation to label PIZZ’AMICI “the best” in its craft really runs contrary to what makes the restaurant exceptional.
Kyōten has nothing left to prove, yet it remains a mystery for many Chicagoans who have misgivings about a pricey restaurant missing Michelin’s endorsement. What is this “chef of the year” up to at the moment?