Many culinary schools around the country have on-campus restaurants that provide students on-the-job training. The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago has its own CHIC cafe, where future chefs prepare meals for a paying audience. Here’s an opportunity for the students to prepare for another element of the professional world: getting reviewed.
There was some discussion on our staff about whether it was fair to critique chefs and others at the restaurant who, after all, haven’t yet finished their training. Still, CHIC does charge, so it’s reasonable to investigate what diners get for their money.
Our grades: B for the food and A for effort.
The menu, which changes daily, is too ambitious, too graduate-level, when some core courses haven’t been mastered. But the ideas are good, the room is attractive, and the service is helpful and pleasant. When you consider the very reasonable prices, the experience is fine.
There’s a bargain $12 prix fixe lunch, which entitles you to an appetizer, soup or salad and entree. The a la carte prices are grouped by course: $4 for any of the appetizers; $3 for your choice of a half-dozen soups or salads; $7 per entree. Only beverage selections vary in price, from $1 for coffee, juice or soda to $2.50 for a cappuccino. Wine and beer are BYO.
Now that kind of bill might be what many people average for an upscale takeout lunch, but CHIC treats you better than that.
We tried to test their patience by calling for a reservation at a certain time, with a certain number of people, then calling back at the last minute to change the time and the number of our party. No problem.
Shown into the sunny, spacious room, we arrived late enough that quite a few students in chefs whites were sitting down to their own lunch.
On the paper menu, the starter of jasmine tea-smoked trout sounded good, and appeared as a quite moist fillet of fish with just the right amount of mellow smoke flavor. Another appetizer, seafood risotto cakes with grilled shrimp and tomato salsa, looked great but turned out to be mostly mushy, unidentifiable filler, with little discernible seafood or rice. We had mentioned that we were going to share the appetizers, and both orders were split for us, without our asking a nice touch.
The next course ordered was the chilled pear ginger soup. The bowl of creamy, pale soup, dotted with cubes of pear, didn’t go over well, and it was whisked away. Dessert appeared at the end of the meal – for no charge – in its place.
The main courses sounded more exciting than what they delivered, for the same reason that plagued several other items: The kitchen staff seems timid when it comes to seasoning, even with basics such as salt and pepper. Flavors aren’t played up as they should be, and the food can suffer.
One course, sauteed striped bass with saffron lobster sauce, roasted red potatoes and vegetable medley, was pleasing to look at and prepared with care, but had one flavor note: butter.
Thai pork and asparagus stir-fry with chili sauce and fried bean thread noodles could have been a blaze of flavor, but we ended up reaching for the salt.
It would be great to see a little more confidence in the kitchen, maybe by mastering simpler foods for maximum effect. There’s obviously imagination in the menu, and meals are composed to catch the eye.
Tips go to the scholarship fund, so be generous. Think of it as the down payment on future meals at restaurants around town.
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CHIC Cafe
(Two forks)
361 W. Chestnut St.
312-944-0882
Hours: Seatings noon-12:45 p.m. Mon.-Sun. and 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Fri-Sat.
Credit cards: M, V
Ratings: 4 forks: Top of the class
3 forks: Better than most
2 forks: Very good fare
1 fork: Middle of the road
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
