Between the Chicago’s Choice Dining Poll (still time to vote, folks) and my recent forays to restaurants outside my usual geographic scope, it might seem as though I’ve neglected the locals a bit. So this week I’ll play catch-up by taking quick looks at four area restaurants, all reviewed previously but all now under the guidance of new chefs.
COCO PAZZO
It sounds heretical to say this in the era of the Superstar Chef, but it may not matter who’s in charge of the kitchen at Coco Pazzo. This fine Tuscan restaurant, like its parent in New York, takes its direction from owner and founder Pino Luongo. There isn’t much room for a second culinary personality to thrive.
Which is not intended as a knock on Tony Priolo, Coco Pazzo’s fourth chef to date, brought over from casual-cousin Coco Pazzo Cafe in Streeterville to run the big ship here in River North. Priolo’s food is well-executed and full of flavor; if he’s following Luongo’s blueprint seemingly to the letter, it is, after all, a very successful blueprint.
For openers, there’s a hearty dish of soft polenta topped with sauteed chicken livers, surrounded by a tangy balsamic sauce. Pepper-crusted yellowfin tuna, very thinly sliced, is a treat, as are any of the crispy-crust pizzas — I’m a big fan of the pizza with robiola cheese and truffle oil.
Pastas are available in appetizer and entree portions; I recommend the former, saving room for the kitchen’s wonderful wood-roasted meats. Good choices include pennette in a Sicilian mix of olives, capers, eggplant and tomatoes; papardelle with asparagus and mushrooms and a delightful vegetable stock; and perfectly textured, creamy risotto studded with pieces of duck confit.
Pancetta-wrapped pork loin with oven-roasted tomatoes and potatoes is a special worth seeking out; off the menu, there are a rack of pork with figs and marsala sauce, and beautifully tender medallions of rabbit saddle with black olives, prosciutto and polenta.
These days, everyone’s doing an oozing chocolate fondant cake, and Tanya Hemphill’s cicciolata fondente is a fine contribution to this trend. For something a bit different, try the napoleon of hard meringue wafers, pears and vanilla cream.
Coco Pazzo does an outstanding business-lunch trade, and no wonder. The food is lighter and less expensive (all entrees less than $16), and the service, efficient without being brusque, is built for speed, moving us through a three-course lunch in just under an hour.
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Coco Pazzo, 300 W. Hubbard St., 312-836-0900. (star) (star) (star)
GRAPES
Kristine Subido has been the chef of Steven Chiappetti’s “other” restaurant (Mango gets far more attention) for about a year; before that she was Chiappetti’s sous chef at Mango, and so she and Chiappetti agree on many things. Chiappetti has said that once he gets his Asian concept launched (the idea has been rattling around for awhile), Subido will be chef of that restaurant. For now, Subido is immersed in Grapes’ Mediterranean setting and doing a creditable job overall.
The best dishes are the entrees, beginning with chile-dusted tuna in an herb broth; the tuna has an unexpectedly spicy jolt, which is soothed by a relish of fennel and sweet peppers. There is also a delightful composition of aggressive flavors consisting of moist pork loin medallions with a gently sweet date glaze, over rich Parmesan polenta topped with tart preserved lemons. And Subido’s bouillabaisse, offered as an occasional special, is terrific.
Appetizers are inconsistent. Hits include the puffy, crispy-edged pizza, topped with caramelized onions, smoked mozzarella and pancetta; and the blue cheese terrine that highlighted a plate of lightly glossed asparagus spears and marinated onions. But curry-crusted sea scallops, with mache salad and orange segments set in a sweet vanilla reduction, was a good concept undone by an abundance of salt in the curry mix coating the scallops. And the Mediterranean sampler, a tri-layer plate stand loaded with taramosalata, tabouleh and hummus, was a real disappointment; the hummus was fine but the tabouleh very dry and the taramosalata almost flavorless.
Desserts include a soft almond financier with fruit and cinnamon ice cream, and a soft-center brownie with mango sorbet.
My chief complaint about Grapes in the old days was that tables were too close together. They’re still close, but the trend-spotters have moved on, and minus the overflow crowds, the room is reasonably comfortable.
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Grapes, 733 N. Wells St., 312-943-4500. (star) (star)
COURTRIGHT’S
Courtright’s is a three-star restaurant that isn’t satisfied with that rating. That’s a credit to the ambitions of owners Bill and Becky Courtright, whose ongoing efforts to raise the restaurant’s already-high level of accomplishment are heartening.
The restaurant seems to be running very smoothly under recently appointed chef Greg Lutes, whose new fall menu is loaded with appealing dishes. A napoleon of puff pastry with wild mushrooms and smoked duck is a wonderful cold-weather dish, as is an even richer composition of foie gras, sweetbread dumplings and sweet and sour currants.
A mid-meal house salad is a bargain at $5, but I suggest splurging on the curried crab and Maine lobster salad, with mache lettuce, bits of mango and a lemon-ginger vinaigrette.
An outstanding entree is Lutes’ seven-spice grilled duckling, served alongside a wild-rice crepe stuffed with baby turnips and pieces of duck leg confit.
Courtright’s recently received the Wine Spectator’s 1999 Best of Award of Excellence, a significant honor that few restaurants share. Indeed, Courtright’s wine list is dazzling, numbering nearly 700 labels, of which a staggering 42 are offered by the glass. What diners ought to love even more are the prices; while there are plenty of rare and expensive wines on the list, Courtright’s also makes room for nearly 60 white wines and about 50 reds priced at $30 or less.
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Courtright’s, 8989 Archer Ave., Willow Springs, 708-839-8000. (star) (star) (star)
PATRICK & JAMES’
This Glencoe showpiece has lost none of the luster that made it such a spectacular newcomer in 1997. The restaurant is as gorgeous as ever, its eclectic decor highlighted by a stained-glass dome and a turn-of-the-century mahogany bar.
Original chef Marshall Blair was replaced almost a year ago by Michael Clark, who previously was co-chef, with Monique King, at Soul Kitchen. My sense is that Clark’s food is a bit lighter than Blair’s and fonder of spicy accents and Asian grace notes. And Clark is easily maintaining Patrick and James’ three-star status.
Start with bias-cut, crispy vegetable spring rolls in a spicy ponzu sauce. Clark’s thick, breadcrumb-coated crab cakes are things of beauty, served with a thick lime-habanero aioli and a cooling mango salsa.
Pork tenderloin, with a tart mango barbecue sauce and vanilla-infused mashed sweet potatoes, is an outstanding entree. Seafood stew in a tomato broth — not cioppino but close — is always a good bet. Now that softshell crab season is over, Clark’s excellent version, stuffed with Thai-basil pesto and served over Israeli couscous, is one more reason to look forward to next summer.
Salads include a proper Caesar and a terrific arugula and watercress blend with baby beets, hazelnuts and a blood-orange vinaigrette. Best of all, the salads are included in the entree price. Dining at Patrick & James’ isn’t cheap, but the value is considerable.
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Patrick & James’, 368 Park Ave., Glencoe, 847-835-7000. (star) (star) (star)
