When Gordon closed its doors a year ago, there was much speculation about what sort of restaurant would move into the highly coveted space at Clark and Illinois — and whether any restaurant could live up to Gordon’s considerable reputation.
Naha, which has been operating in the Gordon space for less than six weeks, looks as though it will be a worthy successor. Indeed, Naha seems a particularly appropriate successor; chef-owner Carrie Nahabedian is a native who understands Chicago fine-dining, having studied under Jean Banchet at Le Francais and serving as executive chef at the late La Tour and the Four Seasons Chicago. Her partner, cousin Michael Nahabedian, is a veteran restaurateur who was general manager at Cafe Absinthe and Green Dolphin Street.
Carrie Nahabedian even has a Gordon connection; some years ago she was sous chef at Sinclair’s in Lake Forest, Gordon Sinclair’s “other” restaurant. (At that time, Sinclair’s chef was Norman Van Aken, the pastry chef was Suzy Crofton and the front-room staff included a young lad named Charlie Trotter. Talk about your culinary dream teams.)
Nahabedian’s Contemporary American cooking abounds with Californian and Mediterranean flavors. A good example is her barigoule of artichokes, a ragout of sorts with Valencia oranges, French green beans and tomatoes in a light olive-oil sauce. Jutting from the plate is a thin breadstick crusted with parmesan and basil, adding a hint of salt to the dish.
The presentation of ahi tuna tartare couldn’t be prettier. The tuna is formed into a mini-tower with osetra caviar and creme fraiche; underneath are long strips of house-cured salmon, and around the plate is a colorful mosaic of onions, capers and other vegetables. Roasted sea scallops get star treatment, scented with vanilla and served over caramelized Belgian endive with accents of candied orange and mint.
About half the appetizers are actually soups or salads. These include an excellent composition of grilled quail, Italian frisee, fingerling potatoes, roasted garlic and porcini mushrooms; and a hearts of Romaine salad with peppercorn-laced pecorino cheese and a crostini tipped with eggplant, tomatoes and basil, touched with a kalamata-olive vinaigrette. And there’s a compact, very refreshing Greek salad of tomatoes, sheep’s- and cow’s-milk feta cheeses, red onions and olives — plus a couple of feta-filled phyllo-dough turnovers, a recipe from Nahabedian’s mom (the turnovers, sans salad, are featured on Naha’s bar menu).
Entrees are characterized by assertive flavors and ingredients of impeccable quality. King salmon is glazed with mustard seed, smoked over applewood coals and sauced with a thyme-scented balsamic syrup; it’s a beautiful piece of fish, complemented nicely by Savoy cabbage and French lentils. Another fine fish is the roasted striped bass, served over a shallow bouillabaisse broth filled with saffron potatoes, eggplant and an olive tapenade.
Other hits — and in my three visits, just about everything was a hit — include excellent Moulard duck breast, whose aged meat is full-flavored enough to match up to the accompanying braised turnips, black figs and a port-wine jus with Medjool dates. Roasted poussin is a fine bird, served with a smear of parsnip puree, Brussels sprouts and applewood-smoked bacon; and venison, which makes sporadic menu appearances, is matched to chestnuts, Brussels sprouts and a huckleberry grand veneur sauce with roasted pears. The vegetarian option is outstanding — large ravioli squares filled with white-truffle-scented mascarpone cheese and spinach.
My favorite dessert is a composition of pears, consisting of an almond and Forelle pear cake, Bartlett-pear sorbet and Bosc-pear compote. A close second is the chilled strawberry consomme, in which float scoops of green apple, grapefruit and apricot sorbet, with a bit of mint syrup.
Other good choices are a side-by-side presentation of orange-chocolate pot de creme and Tahitian vanilla creme brulee, and a warm blueberry clafouti with creme fraiche ice cream.
There is also a cheese course, but instead of the usual assortments, Nahabedian focuses on exactly one cheese (a Loire Valley pave d’affinois cow’s-milk cheese one visit), served with walnut bread and dried fruits.
The wine list is interesting — not surprising, as Michael Nahabedian’s former restaurants all had winning wine lists — and quite reasonably priced. The stemware is oversized and quite pretty, and wine service is handled with a respect bordering on reverence. Overall, service isn’t as polished as it could be, but waiters and assistants function as a team and rarely misstep.
Longtime visitors to Gordon won’t recognize the place. Architect Tom Nahabedian (Michael’s brother) redid the space from top to bottom, creating an open, clean (though not sparse) look with a palette of cream, brown, sage and blue, and contrasting textures of smooth walnut floor and nubby concrete. The front door was relocated to the north; patrons now enter into an open lounge space with soft fabric seats, beyond which a sinuous bar beckons, its un-dulating lines leading into the dining room, whose wide-open spaces are broken up by planters sporting an ever-changing array of vertical plants — Egyptian grass when Naha first opened, dogwood currently.
The best seats in the house are at table 81, a four-seater that stands near Gordon’s former entrance. The table has a good look at the dining room and pleasant views of the street — with the bonus of watching arriving diners searching for the front door.
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Naha
(star)(star)(star)
500 N. Clark St.
312-321-6242
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Entree prices: $20-$32
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: Valet parking; wheelchair accessible
Reviews are based on no fewer than two visits. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
