SELECTIONS from EAT! | MAY 2008 | archives: last issue
OTOM BLOOMS
West Loop spot thaws out its spring menu
by Ari Bendersky
It's no secret winter stakes its claim on Chicago and holds tight for a long time. Otom, sister restaurant to famed chef Homaro Cantu's Moto, just rolled out its spring menu -- and it seems
to reflect the elongated grip of this city's winter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
While Chicagoans are desperate for fresh fruit and vegetables after a long, harsh winter, we have to hold off for just a little longer, and the menu at Otom (pronounced "autumn") shows that. Rich with hearty dishes like short rib ravioli, braised lamb shank, seared quail and spicy crawfish jambalaya, the restaurant's "spring menu" allows us to keep some meat on our bones to help insulate us while winter takes its time packing up for another year.
Otom, tucked away on Fulton Market among the city's congested meatpacking factories, is a breath of fresh air despite its grimy surroundings. Walking in to the warm space, you are embraced by the bounding positive energy flowing throughout -- feng shui was definitely a consideration in the design of the space, with clean lines, ambient light and a color scheme seemingly inspired by fashion designer Paul Smith. Another nice touch? Bright orange chairs set against white linen-clothed tables for a nice pop of color.
Attention to detail isn't lacking at Otom. Nor is attention to service. Our meal started with an amuse of peanut butter and jelly sandwich: peanut butter cookie topped with banana crème and
a carbonated grape. This led to the butter-poached shrimp ($12): amazing flavors of black beans, chili, puffed rice and jalapeño noodle combined to create, in essence, a delicious classic chili,
only deconstructed and inventive. The shrimp exemplifies the level of creativity that combines Chef Daryl Nash's classic American training in Kansas City with what he learned under molecular gastronomist Cantu.
And it was shown throughout the meal -- no more so than in the "bacon egg" served with the Lyonnasie breakfast salad ($12). The plate displayed two sides -- one hosting a perfectly poached egg,
the yellow yolk atop its white shavings, the other a bed of curly escarole adjacent to what looks like an ice cream egg, which it basically is. The smoky, garlicky-flavored ice added an odd texture but a welcome taste explosion that left us scratching our heads
as to how Nash came up with the concept. But because it was so good, we quickly realized the conception didn't matter so long as
it was on our plate.
The entrées were hardly forgettable, especially the BBQ pork belly ($26) and short rib ravioli ($25). The former had a delicious smoky, tangy sauce reflective of Nash's Kansas City background and was so tender it fell apart. The dish's pièce de résistance was the "white bread," a crispy, seasoned crouton of sorts that created the illusion of eating a barbecue pulled-pork sandwich. The short rib ravioli introduced a surprising gush of bitter chèvre that complemented the short rib along with a parsnip vanilla puree.
By the time our seared rib eye ($29) arrived, we were near capacity, and it didn't help that the item's traditional marbling left us a little put off. However, the accompanying fried potato (that Nash jokingly says is a rip-off of a McDonald's hash brown) and kielbasa spaetzle (which was surprisingly light) saved the dish.
Perfectly paired wine recommended by Sommelier Matthew Gundlach throughout the meal capped off an already stellar dinner, but dessert really left us with a lingering happiness. The festive
and playful coconut-pineapple paradise and crisp milk 'n' cookies with caramel bananas (both $9) were refreshing and just-filling enough to allow us to leave feeling sated and not overly full. Just enough to give us a little extra padding until spring thaw.
Otom is located at 951 W. Fulton Market (312-491-5804); otomrestaurant.com
SMALL BITES
The Balanced Kitchen
6263 N. McCormick, 773-463-1085
Forget molecular gastronomy. The future of food is happening six nights a week on the Far North Side. At the Balanced Kitchen, chefs Betty Alper and Zachary Bello deliver well-prepared, clean, organic, local, gluten-free and vegan food in a small, sustainably built space. Besides gluten (a substance found in bread, pasta and most things made from wheat), dairy and meat, the Balanced Kitchen also excludes other major food allergy triggers (nuts, sugar, soy) from many of their dishes. And you won't miss them at all. During the six-course brunch ($35 per person) served by reservation only on Sundays, diners experience a carefully planned journey into what clean, green and local eating is all about. Our first course, a strawberry coulis, was perfectly paired with fruit, like kumquats and bananas, and served with warm granola sticks. The second course, radish tempeh cakes with marinated sprouts and marmalade, tasted as sinfully good as potato pancakes. By the time the crispy bacon-like tempeh, sprouts and cucumbers rolled in delicate mango slices and garnished with a carrot ginger vinaigrette arrived, I wanted to give the chefs and Josh, Betty's father who introduces the dishes, big bear hugs. The meal came to a close on a wonderful note with two mini-carrot cakes and cream cheese ice cream. In case you can't make it to the Sunday brunch, the Balanced Kitchen serves lunch and dinner (dishes range from $6-$10) Tuesday through Saturday. Welcome to the future of healthy eating.
-Maya Henderson
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