Chicago Restaurant Week started on January 24th. I was ready to participate right from the get go and even already had lunch reservations that day, but things came up (as they tend to do) and I ended up going up to Minnesota with friends for the weekend instead for the Minnesota Cryo-Crash (a winter edition couch crash). There were a lot of outdoor activities involved, which I mildly (or didn’t at all) participate in. But, we’re here to talk restaurant week, so let’s get down to it. Cryo-Crash updates later (knowing me, much later).

So, what did the restaurant week itinerary look like? (Including one non-RW restaurant.) And the all the things I ate; I ate so many things.

Sunday dinner: Passerotto x Sao Song pop up dinner

• Smashed Cucumber Salad |tum mak dang (vermicelli noodles, cherry tomato, padaek, pork cracklings)
• Roasted Eggplant | jeow mak kheua (thai eggplant, pickled eggplant, smoked trout roe)
• Mishima Ranch Wagyu Tartare | laab seen dip (veal heart, roasted rice powder, herbs, gem lettuce)
• Crispy Chicken Wings | jeun gai (six pieces marinated and fried, tasty paste (jeow bong))
• Crispy Coconut Rice | nam thadeus (fermented pork sausage, herbs, peanuts, gem lettuce)
• Bamboo Stew | gaeng naw mai (kabocha squash,shiitake mushroom, yanang broth)
• Braised Pork Belly | tom khem (caramel, szechuan peppercorn, soft boiled egg, jasmine rice)
• Steamed Whole Branzino | mok pa (roasted aromatics and herb paste, banana leaf)
• Sticky Rice
• Coconut Sponge Cake (rice pudding, mango sorbet, peanut)

steak tartare

gaang nor mai

smashed cucumber salad

steamed branzino

chicken wings

thom kem

coconut rice pudding and mango sorbet

nam khao

eggplant dip

Tuesday dinner: Cold Storage

• Micro Seafood Tower (oyster, shrimp cocktail, king crab, mussels escabeche, scallop & octopus ceviche)
• Crispy Potato Pancake (smoked salmon belly, creme fraiche, roe, fine herbs)
• Grilled Rainbow Trout (braised beluga lentils, scallion salsa verde)
• Key Lime Profiterole (key lime custard, vanilla ice cream, graham cracker infused streusel)

rainbow trout

potato pancake with salmon belly

key lime profiterole

seafood tower

Wednesday lunch: Blackbird (1 Michelin Star)

• Fried Brussel Sprout (peanut, cranberry, burnt lime)
• Crumbed Skatewing (sweet kimchi, mustard greens)
• Grasshopper Sundae (yerba mate, mint, dark chocolate)

brussel sprouts

skate wing

grasshopper

Wednesday dinner #1: Boka (1 Michelin Star)

• Foie Gras (brown butter peanuts, burnt cinnamon, apricot)
• Spanish Octopus
• Grilled Salmon (cauliflower, grilled spinach, daikon)
• Yuzu (coconut, osmanthus, banana)

foie gras

Spanish octopus

salmon

dessert

Wednesday dinner #2: Osteria Langhe

• Gnocchi (country fried chicken thigh, leek, parsnip, carrot, puff crumbles)
• Grilled Wagyu Sirloin Caps (herbed stuffing cube, seared greens, glace)
• Marsala Bread Pudding (espresso pastry cream)

gnocchi

grilled waygu

Friday lunch: Topolobampo (1 Michelin Star)

• Sopa Azteca (pasilla broth, chicken, crispy tortilla, avocado, local cheese, crema)
• Carne Asada (wood-grilled natural-raised flank steak, inky-mole negro (chilhaude chilies, and 28 other ingredients), roasted beets, beef tendon chicharron, braised kale)
• Coconut Pearls (creamy coconut pearls, blood orange guajillo sorbet, citrus salsa (mineolas, blood orange, ruby grapefruit)

cocktail

sopa

steak with mole

coconut pearls

Friday dinner: PERILLA

• Banchan
• Fried Pork Dumplings
• Shishito Peppers (sweet soy, crushed hazelnuts, crispy anchovies)
• Berkshire Pork Belly (onions, mushrooms)

banchan

pork dumplings

shishito peppers

pork belly

champagne toast

I think my biggest surprise was probably PERILLA. My favorite was Topolobampo. It was quite the endeavor to take, overall. I squeeze two weeks worth of restaurant week into one week. The second week of restaurant week I was going to be in New York. In previous years (in Chicago), I hadn’t really participated, but this time around I found some places I wanted to go and for other extrinsic reasons as well (more on that later). One more highlight would be the Sao Song pop-up at Passerotto (not a part of RW), but exceeded my expectations and was pretty good.