Monday, July 30, 2012

Tasty Tidbits: The Bristol

Ms. Cruiser made a dinner reservation at The Bristol before we headed to The Second City for late-night laughs.
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I was thrilled.  GQ named The Bristol one of the 10 best new restaurants in the United States in 2010, and the restaurant garnered a Bib Gourmand acknowledgment by Michelin this year.

All cocktails are $11 each.
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One of these was a Vieux Carre (Templeton rye, Courvoisier VS, Carpano Antica, Benedictine, bitters).  I don't remember what the other was, but I did have a marvelous Moscow Mule (Prairie vodka, fresh lime juice, Barritt’s ginger beer) later in the night.

Apple salad, marinated Manchego, hazelnuts ($12).
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Refreshing and made us feel good about ourselves.

Scotch olives, pork sausage, lemon crème fraîche ($7).
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I don't even like olives, and I loved these.  Very special.  Must get.

Charcuterie board -- beef heart pastrami, ham hock rillettes, lonza, assorted accompaniments ($19).
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Varied and abundant.  If you like charcuterie, you won't be disappointed.

Duck fat fries, house ketchup, garlic aioli ($7).
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Is there any question that we enjoyed these?

Roasted carrots and turnips, honey, basil, chile ($8).
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Very enjoyable vegetables.

Witbier Romanesco tempura, anchovy aioli ($8).
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I had to ask the server what Romanesco was.  It's like a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.  I guess "Romanesco" sounds fancier than "broccoflower."

Raviolo -- ricotta, egg yolk, brown butter ($14).
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Super decadent and fabulous.  I mean, just look at it.  Favorite.

Nettle garganelli, lamb ragu, ramps, pecorino ($17).
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Nicely spiced, hearty and meaty, and the pasta was perfectly al dente.

Roasted half chicken, dill spaetzle, crunchy salad ($20).
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Some mighty fine comfort food.

Our dinner at The Bristol was solid but not extraordinary.  We weren't raving about the meal later, but everything was rather appetizing; there were a few standout dishes and no misses.  Definitely thumbs up for The Bristol but not way up and jumping for joy.

9 comments:

  1. Yum! Thanks for letting us see inside the ravioli! ;)

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  2. In that case, I will save my chicago stomach for the hotdogs bc they look amazzzing!! Pizza & dogs so I can be windy in the city.

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  3. Who doesn't like charcuterie? And I normally don't like runny yolk, but that ricotta dish might change my mind.

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    1. I am a fairly recent runny yolk convert -- like just in the last few years!

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  4. omg to the raviolo. romanesco is also fractal.

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  5. charcuterie = plate o'meat, yes?

    i'm in.

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