Tasting Menu from Charlie Trotter's

I was lucky enough to go to Chicago recently and experience a few nights of consecutive 'off the menu' tastings, crafted especially for us, at both Charlie Trotter's and Tru.  In both cases, we received a mix of 'off the menu' items and a few variations from the current tasting menus.  Since we had these tastings over consecutive days, I will compare and contrast them after I post the Tru experience (in a few days).

I just want to say that I NEVER post pictures of food from restaurants on this site, even though I eat out frequently.  (Not meaning to diss those of you who do that on other blogs - I just dine to enjoy, not report at this point in my life). I am posting photos here because I do not want to forget any one of these dishes- EVER! Finally, just so you don't think I eat like this every day (only on the weekends, duh), this was a big (belated) birthday milestone for me, or so people tell me. (FYI, all pictures are clickable for more detail).

My Birthday Tasting Weekend in Chicago
Charlie Trotter's
March 18, 2006

We were greeted with complimentary glasses of champagne.  Just because. What a way to feel special from the start of the tasting.

Amuse

Yellowfin Tuna
wasabi, turnip puree

The raw tuna was amazing flavorful and pristine.  I was excited to see a turnip puree here, since I make this puree frequently.  There was a flavorful little broth that was a bit soup like (as opposed to citrus, ceviche like juices) that really brought this all together.  Very inspiring beginning.

First

Squid Stuffed with Tapioca and Olive Tapenade
Squid ink, olive oil

An inspiring dish for me (as you'll see on this site shortly, I made a version at home the next day!).  The squid was perfectly seared.  The stuffing on the inside featured the briny olive tapenade, which in combination with the earthy squid ink sauce was beyond phenomenal.  The tapioca added a nice texture but as you know, I am really into tapioca and thought it was a bit lost.  There was an exquisite olive oil drizzle over the dish - so good I noticed it even with the above flavors competing.

Second

Salmon Sous Vide
chive puree, roe

I have never had salmon sous vide before. I have never tasted anything like it, so it was a revelation to me.  The texture was phenomenal - soft, barely warm, yet melt on the mouth good.  Crunchy sea salt on top of the salmon was perfect touch.  The chive puree worked to add freshness to eat bite, while the roe added that from the sea saltiness.  There was a crisp piece of skin that was added as a textural counterpoint to one of the salmon disks, but oddly enough not the other.

Rabbit with melted shallots
parsley emulsion, pumpernickel croutons

This dish came out in addition to the salmon so we could taste  multiple preparations during this course. It just didn't work.  The rabbit was flavorless, not tender enough to have been sous vide and not flavorful enough to have been grilled or seared.  Gah.  The parsley emulsion didn't contribute much, while the shallots were very much overwhelming to the rabbit and the emulsion.  This was the only clunker of the night.

Third

Pork Four Ways

This was insane and one of my favorite courses from both tastings we did in Chicago.  This is classic Trotter to me.  When I read his cookbooks, I am always blown away by the multiple preparations he'll do in one dish.  On this plate was a braised (or sous vide) and seared piece of meltingly soft pork shoulder on a mushroom puree, then what must have been a sous vide piece of the belly, followed by a cured prosciutto-like slices, and finally a smoky and tender slice of the loin.  Holy heaven.

Fourth

Bison
veal sweet bread on polenta, parsnip puree, a smoky dark puree?

The sweet bread was a nice, soft nugget with a unique breading - almost tempura style. Soft polenta was a nice match.   The bison was meltingly tender - could have been roasted at very low temps or again sous vide and seared to finish.  This must have been the case as the medium rareness was spread throughout the piece of bison, rather than the rings of seared, well, medium and rare we get when cooked at very high heat.  The smoky puree really worked well with the bison.   Didn't really get how the sweetbreads and bison worked together on the same plate.  I am one of those that think everything needs to work as a cohesive unit on the plate and I thought the 2 sauces, 2 unrelated meats and polenta didn't have a uniting purpose.  But tasty, regardless.

Palate Cleanser

Meyer Lemon, Olive oil sorbet

Two words:  Phenomenal; refreshing.

Five

Gorgonzola with melon
honey drizzle, crouton

Kinda bummed we didn't get a choice on the cheese.  You'll see how this contrasted with Tru when I post that later.  Very nice flavors - simple creamy Gorgonzola with the melon was a nice combo.  We were given a complimentary glass of a Soave dessert wine from Italy that was remarkable (kicking myself for lack of wine notes, sorry to everyone and especially me, as no doubt I would have pursued this one to purchase in the future).

Dessert

Look, I am not a dessert person.  I know, I know.  Whatever.  But these desserts were excellent of course, so I will report them. 

A simple mango (i think) glazed panna cotta was awesome.  Soft, light, sweet citrus balanced.  A cinnamon ice cream with pears was phenomenal and simple.  Missing one dessert, sorry.

The Best Part

We were given a tour of the kitchen.  Unprompted.   We went to each station, chatted with the team and was given a run through of the equipment.   I took pictures of the sous vide machine, as I've never seen one that large before. The dude in charge of that station would take the meat from the bag and grill it right in front of him.  He was also grilling the above squid and a few other items.

Love all the copper.  And those long chop sticks for plating are fantastic.

Finally, we met Chef Trotter near the door.   He appeared out of nowhere, as we learned he lives in a connected house right in the front of the restaurant.  We joked a bit.  I asked him if he was taping any more of his PBS series of which I am a fan, and he said they were just about to tape 22 episodes.  Yes!

I left on a high that lasted for days.  The entire experience was top notch - the service fantastic, the dining room spread across mutliple levels of a town house felt like a home, and of course the food was excellent.  But meeting Trotter was over the top. 

The guy is a living legend, with good reason. 

I will compare and contrast this tasting with Tru and previous experiences at Per Se and Jean Georges in a few days, as I feel they are all in the same class.

Related:  Tasting Menu at Tru (with comparisons to Trotter's)